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Low Gpa - Don't Know Where To Go From Here.


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Hey guys,

 

I'm in my final years of university, and my GPA is an absolute wreck (and that's an understatement). I honestly don't know where to go from here. 

 

My core GPA is 3.1 (only including bio, physics, chem, ochem). My GPA for english courses and humanities/social sciences are the same as my core. As for my biochem... let's just say I have to retake the courses (assume the absolute worst). As for my cumulative GPA, it's quite lower than my core GPA. 

 

I've been looking into taking an after degree, but when I look at the GPA calculations of dentistry admissions, my core and cumulative GPA will always be bringing my mark down even if I get a perfect grade in my after degree.

 

My heart's set on dentistry, but In my current financial situation, applying to US or Aus is not an option. Can someone please advise me on what steps I should take so that my GPA will be competitive? I know it's late to be asking such questions, but I'll be giving it my all until I get in. 

 

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this, and I appreciate any advice you guys can give me.  :)

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Not sure what an after degree is, but I'm pretty sure if you take a second undergrad some schools such as Western will only look at your second degree. Make sure to research about other schools too, but I'm pretty sure most schools will only look at a second degree as long as it's equivalent to a 4-year degree. So if you're willing to do that there's still hope! But of course you need to really sit down, assess, and reflect on what it is that is causing you to not achieve as high as you want to, because if it's just a study habit problem doing a second degree will not automatically make you competitive. 

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Thank you for your advice. I meant to say a second undergrad degree when I said an after degree. When I looked into dental schools in various provinces, it seems that I should be applying to dental schools during my third year of a second undergrad degree because a few of them look at the best two years. Currently, I was planning to pursue a second undergrad in a different province so that I can become a resident and have better chances with admission process... but I'm having second thoughts about if I really should change universities or which one I should even transfer to. 

 

Regarding my grades thus far, I lacked the motivation to study as my future career wasn't clear. But right now, I'm determined to move on with my life and put my lazy past behind. 

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With your grades where they are, yes, you're going to have to do undergrad over.

 

If you have the financial means, relocating to obtain residency would be a good idea. Go west. 

 

And then do not be surprised if you have to maybe even do something post-grad to up your chances again.

 

It'll be a long road, but don't look at it as wasted time. Just look at it as a fresh start.

 

Good luck. And good on you for not going to the U.S./Australia. Ignore the people who say "but muh 4 years of income potential!" It's not much at all after paying down massive debt & paying your taxes. You will be living like a pauper. It scares me how few people understand that. 

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from my research so far, the only school out west that has accommodating policies regarding second degrees is Sask.

BC looks at all ugrad years and will drop the lowest year if you have 4+ years of ugrad given that the year you're planning on dropping 1) had at least 24 credits and 2) is not the most recent year. 

Manitoba will only ignore your first degree if it was completed 8 or more years ago. 

Please correct me if I'm wrong!

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@ HopefulDent2017: Thank you for your words of encouragement!

 

@ Cleanup: Thank you for your advice. It will definitely be a long road ahead. Since I'm already at the bottom, I can only go up from here. You've mentioned that I should "go west." Could you specify which province? I'm currently residing in Alberta, and the other western province doesn't look very appealing with their GPA assessments. 

 

@ dentaldreams: I've arrived at the same conclusion when I did my research. But, then again, we could both be wrong. I'll have to do a little more digging about UBC. 

 

If I were to change universities to start a new degree, I have three options at the moment (in no preferential order):

 

1. Moving to Saskatchewan:

        - Upside: I'll have a better chance to be admitted into the dental school in the long-run (assuming that I have decent GPA and will become a resident)

        - Downside: In order to become a resident, I'll have to study there for 4-5 years. 

 

2. Moving to Manitoba:

        - Upside: I'll be able to become a resident after 2 years and have a better chance at applying to U of M. 

        - Downside: They'll look at my entire GPA (and not just my second degree), which will be a huge problem even if I do spectacular with my second degree.

 

3. Moving to Ontario for UWO:

        - Upside: They will look at my best two years 

        - Downside: (At the moment, I'll have to check with their admission officer to see how long it takes to become a resident and how they would take account of courses I will be repeating). 

 

What do you guys think about my current options? I appreciate any advice (or criticisms)!

 

EDIT: I forgot to mention which university I was planning to attend for option 3. 

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With your grades where they are, yes, you're going to have to do undergrad over.

 

If you have the financial means, relocating to obtain residency would be a good idea. Go west. 

 

And then do not be surprised if you have to maybe even do something post-grad to up your chances again.

 

It'll be a long road, but don't look at it as wasted time. Just look at it as a fresh start.

 

Good luck. And good on you for not going to the U.S./Australia. Ignore the people who say "but muh 4 years of income potential!" It's not much at all after paying down massive debt & paying your taxes. You will be living like a pauper. It scares me how few people understand that. 

 

Although I agree with everything Cleanup said, I think you have to look at where you stand right now. If your GPA is a 3.1, how are you going to magically pull it up to a 3.85+ to be competitive for Canadian schools? Also, time is one of the most precious things we have. So I think either way you will have to redo your undergrad but I would recommend applying to american schools with low tuition fees each year you do your undergrad. But if you do well in your new undergrad, then you could probably stay and apply to UWO with your best 2 years :)

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@ Jcro+: Thank you for your advice. I'll definitely look into American schools with low tuition. From the responses in this post, it seems the most viable paths will be U of S and UWO. 

 

About the reason behind my low GPA: Although I can improve on my methods of studying, I know the main issue behind my low GPA is due to my lack of motivation. With all that's been happening in the past couple of weeks, I am determined to change by making drastic changes my in current semester (in both GPA and daily life). My decision to continue with my academic career will depend on how much of a difference I will make (and my efforts to maintain it) during this last semester. Currently, I am looking at which universities to continue my degree so that I will be certain about my next steps if I feel satisfied with my progress at the end of this current degree. 

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@ Jcro+: Thank you for your advice. I'll definitely look into American schools with low tuition. From the responses in this post, it seems the most viable paths will be U of S and UWO. 

 

About the reason behind my low GPA: Although I can improve on my methods of studying, I know the main issue behind my low GPA is due to my lack of motivation. With all that's been happening in the past couple of weeks, I am determined to change by making drastic changes my in current semester (in both GPA and daily life). My decision to continue with my academic career will depend on how much of a difference I will make (and my efforts to maintain it) during this last semester. Currently, I am looking at which universities to continue my degree so that I will be certain about my next steps if I feel satisfied with my progress at the end of this current degree. 

 

That's great. My advice is to study what you enjoy, and it does not have to be sciences especially since you probably already finished those requirements with your first degree. And don't be afraid to use bird courses to bump up your GPA, a lot of people do it.

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