I am in the exact position as you with the requirements, and I don't know which courses to take first year. On OUAC there is a very brief requirements page < http://www.ouac.on.ca/omsas/pdf/rc_omsas_e.pdf >. I don't think your undergrad school really matters, and as far as I am concerned Mac is a very good school for science, but as long as you get the requirements and the GPA then it doesn't really matter.

Which undergrad degree you choose does not matter. What school you choose does not matter. You only have to complete the prerequisite courses they require (each school is different). Check out OMSAS for requirements for Ontario medical school.

Things that are important:
- you need the prerequisite courses
- you need a high undergrad GPA (looking at around 3.7+ cGPA to be competitive but keep in mind some schools have weighting formulas)
- volunteer experiences (quality over quantity)
- MCAT (standardized test you have to take for most, but not all medical schools)

For the GPA weighting formulas, you have to check the individual school websites. In terms of volunteer, it is better to choose a few things that you can really dedicate yourself to rather than a ton of things that are rather meaningless in the big picture.

As for the MCAT, it's a standardized test with 4 sections: Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Writing Sample, Verbal Reasoning.

The Bio and Phys sections consist of pretty standard multiple choice questions although the MCAT will likely be unlike any test you have taken before. They are testing you on your thinking skills, not your ability to memorize and regurgitate facts. If you want to take University courses to prepare yourself for the MCAT, first year courses will be plenty. You don't have to be an expert, you just have to understand basic science and have a general knowledge of the question topics. The Writing Sample is a section where you have to write two essays. The topics to write about are given. As I'm told, there is a pretty straightforward way to do these essays, so I wouldn't worry about this section too much. Lastly, there is Verbal, which everyone hates. You are given passages to read (typically a page or so in length) and then there are a series of multiple choice questions to answer about that passage. Many of the answers cannot be dug out directly from the passage. You have to gain an understanding of the passage. Often, questions will be like "If the author were to give his opinion on _______, what would be his most likely response?" Practice, practice, practice.

For most schools, you will apply after your third year undergrad. You find out if you are accepted the following Spring. As far as I know, the application process is somewhat like this:

1. The schools you applied to make sure your MCAT scores and GPA meet the cutoffs.
2. A handful of applicants are selected for interviews.
3. Based on interview results, GPA, required submission essay (or whatever else you have to submit), you are either accepted, wait-listed or rejected.

This is a pretty general explanation, but it gives you an idea. For most schools, I am fairly sure that they don't care about how high your MCAT score is, as long as it is above their cutoffs. This can be different for some schools in Canada and most schools in the US.

There's probably something I'm forgetting to mention, so feel free to correct me if I have made any mistakes. Also, you can PM me if you want to talk more.

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U of T Electrical Engineering 1T1