Western University
OwlMD Guide
Overview
Campus Info:
2 campuses:
- London Campus
- Windsor Campus
For the last two years Western has admitted 190 new medical students each year across both campuses but exact split between London and Windsor campuses is not publicly specified. In 2022 and before they admitted 171 students and confirmed that 133 went to London and 38 went to Windsor. So the ratio is likely similar.
Application Requirements
Academic Requirements
- Program Status: Applicants must have completed, or be in their 3rd year of a 4-year program. Before the 2024-2025 cycle, Western had only accepted 4th-years and above for applications.
- GPA: A minimum GPA of 3.70 is required in both of the applicant's 2 best undergraduate years (calculated according to the OMSAS Conversion Scale). Each of these years must be a full academic year (September to April) with at least 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credit hours), including at least 3 courses (18 credit hours) at or above the level of study. e.g. Level of study = 3XXX course level for 3rd year.
MCAT & Prerequisites
MCAT: Western uses the MCAT as a cutoff pre-interview. These cutoffs are determined on a yearly basis, based on the applicants' scores in the current cycle. For the 2024–2025 cycle, the cutoffs were:
- C/P: 127
- CARS: 127
- B/B: 127
- P/S: 126
Prerequisites: There are no specific prerequisite courses or preferred degree programs.
SWOMEN Pathway: Applicants who completed all 4 years of high school and graduated in certain Southwestern Ontario counties are considered through a separate pathway. This pathway allows for MCAT flexibility – a minimum of 125 in each MCAT section that Western is considering that year. Other admissions statistics remain the same. For more details, visit the Southwestern Ontario Pathway .
Prerequisites
There are no specific prerequisite courses or preferred degree programs for Western's medical school.
Essays
Western does not use the ABS section found on OMSAS. Instead, they assess your experiences using a series of brief essays. Each essay is a maximum of 2500 characters long (including spaces).
What They're Looking For:
In four of your essays, you will be asked to reflect on experiences related to:
- Teamwork and Leadership
- Respect for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Social Accountability and Social Responsibility
- Self-directed Learning, Problem-solving and Critical Inquiry
There is also an additional prompt titled "About you," where you can share any personal details not covered in the other prompts.
Essay Format:
Each essay (not including the "About you" essay) must describe one experience, which you have partaken in during the last 6 years, in relation to the given prompt. For each activity you will be required to provide a verifier that can confirm your participation. Once you submit an essay, you cannot edit it.
You will have a two week window to complete all essays (for the 2024-2025 cycle the ABS was released on October 18th, 2024 and was due on November 1st, 2024; although due to technical issues the due date was pushed back by an additional week to November 8th. But we do not recommend you expect to get 3 weeks in future years).
Western Essay Tips:
We recommend assigning your activities to one of the four topics before beginning the essays to avoid repetition. Do not use the same experience for multiple prompts – each essay is an opportunity to showcase different facets of your background.
ABS Statement
Western does not use the traditional ABS section found on OMSAS. Instead, they assess your experiences using a series of brief essays as described above.
What They're Looking For
Western's Schulich School of Medicine seeks candidates who demonstrate:
- Strong academic performance and intellectual curiosity
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Leadership abilities and initiative
- Commitment to service and community involvement
- Understanding of the medical profession
- Ethical reasoning and professionalism
- Ties to Southwestern Ontario (for the regional stream)
Interview Process
After Submitting OMSAS
Important Dates
- Oct 1, 2024: OMSAS Submission Deadline
- Oct 16, 2024: ABS Open
- Nov 1, 2024: ABS Supposed Due Date
- Nov 8, 2024: ABS Actual Due Date (extended due to technical issues)
- Jan 28, 2025: Interview Invitations Sent
- Feb 22, 2025: Interview Date
- Feb 23, 2025: Interview Date
- Mar 1, 2025: Interview Date
- Mar 2, 2025: Interview Date
- May 13, 2025: Offers of Admission
Interview Dates
2024-2025 Interview Dates:
- February 22, 2025
- February 23, 2025
- March 1, 2025
- March 2, 2025
Interview invitations are sent on January 28, 2025.
The Interview
Schulich uses a Virtual Panel Interview style (via Kira Talent) for its MD admissions.
Format:
The interview lasts 30 minutes. The panel is made of 3 people: a physician, a community member, and a current medical student.
Western Panel Advice:
The interview is very brief. Consider that 30 minutes is not just you answering questions but must also be for introductions, interviewers asking you questions and you processing the questions. Depending on how many questions they ask, you may only have a few minutes per question to think and respond. So we strongly recommend that you practice answering questions quickly.
Still, keep in mind that some questions may be more personally important to you, so it is fine to take extra time to flesh out your answer. However, don't forget that this means you need to be faster on other questions. Which questions you will answer quickly versus which ones you will dig into a little deeper is something you will need to decide on the fly mid interview. So make sure you practice!
For more detailed interview advice, visit our Interview Guide.