lemin! LEMINN!

Hi there!

I was wondering how hard it is to transfer to UofT LifeSci. I applied after high school and got into UTSG, but my final high school results barely met my conditional requirements so I turned down UofT’s offer to try and make it better at UWaterloo. I want to try for med school, and now my first year grades at Waterloo are much better. We don’t get a GPA but based on online GPA calculators, with a percentage ranging from 80-92%, I have a 3.7-3.8 GPA average.

I got in with much worse grades in high school, but I’m wondering if it’s more competitive to transfer after a year at uni because of lower availability of seats?
Currently I’ve applied and am waiting for my final transcript to be sent to UTSG and UTM before a decision comes in.

Also, should I get to choose, would UTM really be a bad choice for med school as compared to UTSG? I’m in a pickle because I live in Mississauga so UTM is more convenient, and apparently provides a higher chance of getting a good GPA, but everyone says UTSG is the place to be for my program and to make connections, etc.

Thank you for your help!

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hello hello!

two transferees (is that a word?) in one week, wow. we in demand here.

you’ve got two main questions that i can identify, so– because i have trouble! focusing! otherwise! — i’ll break my answer into two main parts.

1. is it more competitive to transfer in now?

ike i told the last person who asked, you’ll need a high b university average to be competitive as a transfer student. at u of t that translates to the 77-79% range. the school does indicate that some programs may require a slightly higher transfer average, but with a 3.7-3.8 you should be safe. or that’s my best guess, anyway. meanwhile, admissions straight out of high school requires an average in the mid- to low- 80s.

so, looking at just the numbers, it does seem like it’s actually less competitive to transfer in after a year of uni elsewhere. keep in mind that they do consider your whole academic record, not just your uni grades, but i’m not sure how the two are weighted against each other. no grade threshold is provided for transferees’ high school record, unfortunately.

2. UTM or UTSG?

i mean, ultimately you still get a u of t degree regardless of which campus you choose. but i can outline what each campus will be able to offer you, and hopefully that’ll help you with your decision.

UTSG is known to be a more competitive campus in general, likely because of two things: its size, and the fact that it seems to attract a greater proportion of high-achieving students. i’m not saying the other two campuses can’t have geniuses, it’s just a general pattern that people at the school believe exists. so as a lifesci kid here, you’ll be dealing with larger, more impersonal classes, and can expect to be graded alongside a good chunk of very smart, very driven people. if you’ve heard it’s not the place to be for a high gpa, this is likely why.

the best thing about UTSG, though, is that it’s where the majority of opportunities are concentrated. it is true that if you’re looking to network or immerse yourself in extracurriculars, the downtown toronto campus has a lot more to offer you. in terms of what’s relevant to you, we’ve got a ton of hospitals in the downtown core, which means more opportunities for you to gain experience in the field of medicine as an undergrad. as far as i’ve heard, a good GPA alone can’t get you into med school– they’ll also look at what you were involved in outside the classroom, like leadership activities and volunteerism. in this respect, i couldn’t recommend UTSG more to you. UTSG also offers a wider range of program and course choices, if that’s something that matters to you.

it is true that if you’re struggling academically as a result of commuting and UTSG’s higher demands, you may not have as much space in your life to dedicate to volunteering and extracurricular involvement. at UTM, i’m sure you can still find clubs and such to immerse yourself in. UTM’s also not as massive, and if your classes/labs are smaller it stands to reason that you’re more likely to get to know your profs. this can be immensely helpful in terms of getting reference letters and getting help on coursework.

in other words, your proximity to UTM definitely isn’t the only thing going for the campus– it wouldn’t doom you for med school, as far as i know. the rumors are that there aren’t many successful med school applicants from UTM, but perhaps that’s a reflection of the smaller campus size? it’s definitely still possible to do med out of UTM.

i’m not sure if all i did was make your decision more difficult. i really hope not. i would recommend that if you’re really stuck, you speak to someone in the admissions office and see if they’re willing to advise you. after all, i’m just a fellow student who’s never made it to med school.

one last thing. how do you not get a gpa? what? whaT? with the utmost respect, that’s kind of whack. i’m really curious as to why.

over n out,

aska