sykern Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Nontrad here looking to improve GPA after an unsuccessful run this year. Sitting around 3.5 cGPA and 3.85-3.9 in my 2 year GPA. The only issue is that those courses in my latter years include P/F, which disqualify me from a few places (damn you nursing). So I suppose my questions are - for anyone who did a 2nd degree fulltime at Athabasca, what were your experiences like? That, and is it even worth it doing a second degree, or should I pursue a masters (i've been accepted to a nursing one but I'm reluctant to do it). Any insight would be appreciated . Merci! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeministKilljoy Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 If you're working as a nurse, you must have considered the NP route? When I was living in Northwestern Ontario and I couldn't find a family physician, I was fortunate to get accepted to the NP-led clinic. I didn't find any difference between seeing my NP and a FM scope of practice. Food for thought... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sykern Posted May 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 If you're working as a nurse, you must have considered the NP route? When I was living in Northwestern Ontario and I couldn't find a family physician, I was fortunate to become get accepted to the NP-led clinic. I didn't find any difference between seeing my NP and a FM scope of practice. Food for thought... Absolutely have. The curriculum for NP isn't what I'm looking for; I'm gunning for psychiatry anyway. Thanks for the suggestion though doodle . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansformed2015 Posted May 9, 2016 Report Share Posted May 9, 2016 Hello! This is my first-time posting on this Premed 101 Forum, so apologies in advance if any information in my post is accidentally omitted I am currently completing my PhD (Epidemiology) and will be defending my thesis this summer. I was anticipating going into academia but have decided to focus on medicine and combine my research area of interest with clinical work. As such, I have to do some reconstructing of my undergraduate GPA to make it anywhere near competitive (even with the PhD) -- I have also considered Athabasca to obtain my second degree. I am wondering if Athabasca University courses are generally recommended based on individuals' experiences? Does anyone have a success story of completing a second degree with Athabasca University? Of course, I will discuss the requirements for a second degree with the selected medical schools that I am interested in -- but I am trying to decide whether to sink more money into a typical university or an online university. Any thoughts would be appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themomentsinbetween Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 Hi plansformed2015, A few months ago I consulted with company that helps applicants get into various schools (including medical) and was advised to do a second undergrad via an online uni (I'm living abroad at the moment) as the schools don't care if it's an online degree or not. They just want to see you put in the time/effort to do a 3 year (min) undergrad. I do wonder if that's true - that the schools don't care if it's an online degree. So I'm also looking to take a second undergraduate degree at Athabasca U to up my GPA. What did you end up doing in the end? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansformed2015 Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 Hello! Despite my ambitious screen name, I haven't been successful yet unfortunately! I tried out a couple of courses and it seems like a great system. Did you like the consultant company you worked with? I am in the midst of figuring out which program would respond best to my application and what I need to do next. And congrats to sykern on Queen's MD 2021~! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancemom Posted January 24, 2018 Report Share Posted January 24, 2018 I'm currently doing my second undergrad degree through Athabasca, and am enjoying it. It is hard to stay on track, especially as a non-trad but it gives flexibility for when life gets in the way of a schedule. I contacted all medical schools open to a second degree directly to see how they managed online schools, specifically Athabasca University. One medical school ( I can't remember if it was Ottawa or Western Ontario) won't accept online courses, but all other schools accept it as equivalent with some caveats. You have to be careful about course selection, all courses are not considered equivalent, some are considered upgrading or equal to technical schools, rather than university level. You also need to be careful with timing, many schools require the courses be completed within 4 months, and Athabasca allows 6 months. You can ask Athabasca for a letter stating both start and end dates for the courses, and the schools will accept it as proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansformed2015 Posted January 25, 2018 Report Share Posted January 25, 2018 This is really helpful! Thanks dancemom! I am wondering which program you decided on for your AU degree? Your research about the requirements (type and timing) for courses will pay off I'm sure. There are so many ways that the second degree could become unusable, so that is great pre-planning! I am wondering whether many of your previous credits transferred or how long your second degree will take? Do you have a target medical school (no problem if you don't want to share)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.