Frequently Asked Questions about the Society
Q: Where can I pick up an application for Med School?
A: Some applications may be found at Academic Resources in the Maggie Benston Center, or they may be requested from the Medical School of interest.
Q: How many SFU students get into UBC or other Med Schools?
A: Approximately 15 students on average are accepted from SFU each year to UBC. There are no stats listed in possession of the Pre-Med Society for other Medical Schools. Students from SFU have been accepted into Medical Schools from U of A and U of C to McMaster and Dalhousie, Queens, Western, Harvard, and Johns Hopkins . (If you know of others, feel free to drop us a line.)
Q: How does the SFU Pre-Med Society help me get into Med School?
A: The Pre-Med Society is here to help you help yourself by providing resources for your usage. In an attempt to assist members, weekly meetings are held to inform members, as well as generate discussion on various relevant medical topics. Guest speakers from medical students to practitioners are invited to meetings so that members may have first hand experience from people in the medical profession. Also, by preparing for admission in advance, students can begin thinking about issues that will be relevant for them, such as choosing a speciality. Practice with mock interviews are a must for medical school - another area that the Society has activities in. Come out and get involved in the many volunteer opportunities that the club provides. Something that may add an extra punch to your CV, and for a great experience.
Q: Why do you guys have current events in your meetings?
A: Since the interview process is integral to most Medical School admissions, current events helps to keep fellow students abreast of things that are going on around them. It also gives students a chance to discuss these events as issues which may appear in an interview. Finally it (hopefully) assists a student in developing the habit of finding out what's going on and being able to discuss it in meaningful conversation.
Q: Is there anyone currently in Medical School that I can ask some questions about what it's like?
A: There are people available for you to contact. Please get in touch with your executive for more details (premed-exec@sfu.ca).
Q: Why are meetings in the evenings (5:30pm) and an hour and a half long?
A: Meeting times were originally set in the summer of 96 in order to accomodate Co-Op students and students with labs and other courses. During the evening most people have free time to participate in activities that do not exclude the majority. Also guest speakers often work during the day and are unavailable. In order to maintain continuity the meeting time and day has become somewhat 'fixed'. Originally meetings were 2 hours in length, but as many people felt that this was too long a time period to meet, meeting lengths were shortened. because there is often a lot done at a meeting shortening them to one hour was not really feasible. It is more worth while for someone to come out for an hour and a half rather than for only an hour if they have to come to campus.
Is your burning question not answered on this page? You can email the Pre-Med Exec (premed-executive@sfu.ca) or contact your institution of interest.
Is there a question you think others would be highly interested in seeing on this page? Email the Pre-Med Web team (premed@sfu.ca).