Should I Transfer Out Of Uoft Life Sciences?

[nxrve]

Hi everyone, I'm currently doing first year life sciences at UofT. I did pretty bad first semester due to personal/medical reasons (2.3 gpa) but I'm doing a lot better this semester (~3.8 so far) and I know I can pull my gpa up but It wouldn't be possible to get more than ~3.7 by the time I graduate (even if I took a 5th year) which is not very competitive for most med schools.

 

I've been thinking of transferring to York just so I can start over again. I love my program right now and I wish there was a way to revert my gpa back, but I'd rather get my undergrad elsewhere if that meant I could get into a better grad school.

 

On the other hand, I would be going into kinesiology or biomedical sciences at york, neither of which I love too much, although I'd probably have a better chance at getting research opportunities in kin than at uoft. And the med school acceptance rate for york grads is very low, which makes me even more reluctant.

 

I can't make a decision so if anyone has any advice, I'd appreciate it very much.

 

Thanks

[justwannabeadoc]

Going to a new university won't erase your first year GPA at U of T. Either way that will be counted. I think you need to either talk to a counsellor to see if anything can be done about those grades if it was indeed due to medical reasons, although this strategy is unlikely to work, or write an academic explanations letter when applying to grad school. The only thing you can really do is to continue doing something you enjoy and to work hard, unfortunately a transcript is permanent. But don't lose hope, do a little research into different schools across the province and you will learn that many have adjusted or weighted GPA's that can be advantageous in your case. Good luck

[ExercMed]

Many med schools will drop your worst semester from GPA calculations or weight it in such a way to offset situations like this. If you like your program then stay in it. Lots of people have a bad year and still get into med school. When you apply, you have to submit transcripts from every institution you have attended so your first year doesn't just go away (GPA is for life).
My suggestion to you would be to stick with it and rock the rest of your undergrad. If you transfer and aren't happy with what you are studying, your grades (and mental health) will suffer.

[YorkU Bio 2017]

I'd just like to give my two cents about York. While our med school acceptance rate may be low compared to other schools, it's still quite a promising rate considering how few premeds here are still pursuing medicine by 3rd/4th year. Each school has its strengths so you should choose the school that best accommodates your personal needs. I personally chose York for better access to my family support system, and because the premeds here are very friendly and not competitive. From what I hear, it is also easier to secure research experience at York compared to UofT. For instance, my PI regularly recruits 1st year and 2nd year students (and sometimes grades 12s).

 

At the end of the day, you should pick the school and program that best suit you. Choose the school that provides the best support and atmosphere for you, and couple it with a program that you're passionate about.

[nxrve]

Going to a new university won't erase your first year GPA at U of T. Either way that will be counted.

 

Hi, from what the admission office at York told me, my transcript for York would only show marks for the courses taken at York and my UofT transfer credits would only be listed in a separate section, although I would have to submit a transcript from UofT to med schools as well. But from what I was told, my degree GPA would start over at York. I'm definitely going to talk to my counsellor though. Thanks a lot!

 

 

Many med schools will drop your worst semester from GPA calculations or weight it in such a way to offset situations like this. If you like your program then stay in it. Lots of people have a bad year and still get into med school. When you apply, you have to submit transcripts from every institution you have attended so your first year doesn't just go away (GPA is for life).

My suggestion to you would be to stick with it and rock the rest of your undergrad. If you transfer and aren't happy with what you are studying, your grades (and mental health) will suffer.

 

Hi, thanks for the advice. I understand the weighting formula at a lot of schools would help me but I was hoping maybe I could redeem my chances of getting into the UofT med school since I like the program very much and I'd like to stay in Toronto. That's not going to happen if I stay in my program right now, but do you think maybe I'll have a better shot if I finish my undergrad at York with a decent GPA? (even if I do submit my UofT transcript separately)

[yup]

Hi, from what the admission office at York told me, my transcript for York would only show marks for the courses taken at York and my UofT transfer credits would only be listed in a separate section, although I would have to submit a transcript from UofT to med schools as well. But from what I was told, my degree GPA would start over at York. I'm definitely going to talk to my counsellor though. Thanks a lot!

 

 

 

Hi, thanks for the advice. I understand the weighting formula at a lot of schools would help me but I was hoping maybe I could redeem my chances of getting into the UofT med school since I like the program very much and I'd like to stay in Toronto. That's not going to happen if I stay in my program right now, but do you think maybe I'll have a better shot if I finish my undergrad at York with a decent GPA? (even if I do submit my UofT transcript separately)

 

Unfortunately, all medical schools in Ontario will consider your first semester marks even if you switch schools. There essentially isn't any "starting over" when it comes to GPA  

[ExercMed]

Hi, from what the admission office at York told me, my transcript for York would only show marks for the courses taken at York and my UofT transfer credits would only be listed in a separate section, although I would have to submit a transcript from UofT to med schools as well. But from what I was told, my degree GPA would start over at York. I'm definitely going to talk to my counsellor though. Thanks a lot!

UofT drops your lowest year as long as you have taken a full corse load every year (5 courses per semester).

 

This may be true for your York Transcript; however, when a med school takes into account cGPA (unweighted) they are going to calculate it using all your transcript grades regardless if you changed schools/programs. For example, I transferred programs after my second year. My GPA reset within my program however my previous program GPA is still used when calculating cGPA. 

[justwannabeadoc]

Hi, from what the admission office at York told me, my transcript for York would only show marks for the courses taken at York and my UofT transfer credits would only be listed in a separate section, although I would have to submit a transcript from UofT to med schools as well. But from what I was told, my degree GPA would start over at York. I'm definitely going to talk to my counsellor though. Thanks a lot!

 

 

 

Hi, thanks for the advice. I understand the weighting formula at a lot of schools would help me but I was hoping maybe I could redeem my chances of getting into the UofT med school since I like the program very much and I'd like to stay in Toronto. That's not going to happen if I stay in my program right now, but do you think maybe I'll have a better shot if I finish my undergrad at York with a decent GPA? (even if I do submit my UofT transcript separately)

 

Unfortunately med schools don't look at your degree GPA, they look at your GPA from all undergraduate studies.

[pal82]

I personally wouldn't panic. If you like the program you may want to stay in it considering the fact that med schools in Ontario all have different GPA calculations. uOttawa takes your last three years, so you're fine there. Western takes your last two so you're fine there. Queens takes either your best two years or your cGPA, so you'll also be fine there. Once you graduate (and even more so if you do a fifth year) u of t will remove a lot of those bad grades in first year from the equation, so assuming you kill it from now on, I'd say that one is not out of reach either. McMaster unfortunately takes all grades into account, but GPA s only 1/3 of your pre-interview score. If once you write the MCAT you get a competitive CARS score, that school may also not be out of reach since that and CASPer make up the remaining two thirds. Can't speak on NOSM unfortunately. 

 

My point is, don't let one bad year make you think you have to switch schools and start over, especially it being your first year. If you like your program and you're now settled in and getting good grades, you're golden. 

[m_jacob_45]

I personally wouldn't panic. If you like the program you may want to stay in it considering the fact that med schools in Ontario all have different GPA calculations. uOttawa takes your last three years, so you're fine there. Western takes your last two so you're fine there. Queens takes either your best two years or your cGPA, so you'll also be fine there. Once you graduate (and even more so if you do a fifth year) u of t will remove a lot of those bad grades in first year from the equation, so assuming you kill it from now on, I'd say that one is not out of reach either. McMaster unfortunately takes all grades into account, but GPA s only 1/3 of your pre-interview score. If once you write the MCAT you get a competitive CARS score, that school may also not be out of reach since that and CASPer make up the remaining two thirds. Can't speak on NOSM unfortunately. 

 

My point is, don't let one bad year make you think you have to switch schools and start over, especially it being your first year. If you like your program and you're now settled in and getting good grades, you're golden. 

 

Overall I agree with your points but just wanted to make some corrections to not confuse people reading. Western takes your best two years and Queens takes your cGPA or last two years. (I think you mixed up the best two/last two for Queens and Western). 

[nxrve]

Oh wow, the admission office explained this very differently. I was confused about the cGPA before, but I'm probably going to stay in my program now that I know. Thanks everyone for the kind replies!

[Eian01]

I suggest to stick with the current university, give your best in the rest of your stay. This way you can build connections with faculty and opt for better options for graduate program. Yes cumulative GPA will slowly improve with semester grades