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LOW GPA - Applying into Medschool


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Hey everyone, I am currently in a tough situation right now. My current GPA is at a 3.0 which is way below the cutoff for medical school applications. The past undergrad years have been horrible and I have been getting C's and D's which accumulated to my cumulative GPA. A lot of personal problems occurred during these years which distracted me from my studies.My marks may not show it, but I am still very passionate to learn medicine and I cannot take failure as an option. I am currently studying for the MCAT and scheduled myself to write it early next year. I have decided that I want to practice in Canada and I am willing to do anything and everything even if it takes more of my time. I was wondering if you could leave a comment on my options: 

- Should I take a 2nd Degree to bump up my GPA? (possible Kinesiology)

- Should I do a POST-bacc or Masters (if eligible)?

- Is it possible to go into para-medicine and then straight into Med school?

- How long would this overall process take to get into Med school (assuming GPA plays out right)?

 

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I assume you want to get into a Canadian medical school.

- GPA is way too low at present. 2nd degree is essential.

- No point doing Masters or post-bacc when your undergrad GPA is so low.

- I don't know much about para-med

- Expect min 3 years, assuming you ace your GPA in your 2nd undergrad

As an aside, if I were you, I won't even bother with MCAT at this time with that GPA. Start your 2nd undergrad, and see how well you do for the next 2 years. Consider writing the MCAT only if your GPA > 3.7.

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5 hours ago, CForce24 said:

Hey everyone, I am currently in a tough situation right now. My current GPA is at a 3.0 which is way below the cutoff for medical school applications. The past undergrad years have been horrible and I have been getting C's and D's which accumulated to my cumulative GPA. A lot of personal problems occurred during these years which distracted me from my studies.My marks may not show it, but I am still very passionate to learn medicine and I cannot take failure as an option. I am currently studying for the MCAT and scheduled myself to write it early next year. I have decided that I want to practice in Canada and I am willing to do anything and everything even if it takes more of my time. I was wondering if you could leave a comment on my options: 

- Should I take a 2nd Degree to bump up my GPA? (possible Kinesiology)

- Should I do a POST-bacc or Masters (if eligible)?

- Is it possible to go into para-medicine and then straight into Med school?

- How long would this overall process take to get into Med school (assuming GPA plays out right)?

 

 

GPA is too low for  Canadian medical schools unfortunately. Your slimmest chance might be at McMaster but that would likely only be with a 131/132 CARS score and a top Casper score. A few people with low 3.0 GPA have gotten in like that but the odds are obviously against you. At this point I would have to agree with hamham about doing a second degree. If you don't want that your other alternatives are international schools (and coming back to Canada for residency is difficult) and possibly US DO if you have a good MCAT but I'm not certain about the latter.I just know US DO schools are a little bit less GPA heavy. Best of luck, if medicine is something you really want you can attain it. Don't give up. 

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What is your GPA for each individual year of your undergrad ?   What province are you in ?

 

- Should I take a 2nd Degree to bump up my GPA? (possible Kinesiology)

              - yes you will need additional undergrad years with  +3.85 GPA for a realistic chance at interviews.

- Should I do a POST-bacc or Masters (if eligible)?

             - no point if only goal is medical school

- Is it possible to go into para-medicine and then straight into Med school?

            - there is no shortcut or way around a low undergrad GPA

- How long would this overall process take to get into Med school (assuming GPA plays out right)?

           - 2 good years of undergrad GPA for some schools - could apply during the 3rd year.

Agree with hamham - no point in doing MCAT at this point

 

 

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Please see my responses...

I wish you best of luck, 

- G 

On 8/4/2018 at 10:48 PM, BananaBoat24 said:

Hey everyone, I am currently in a tough situation right now. My current GPA is at a 3.0 which is way below the cutoff for medical school applications. The past undergrad years have been horrible and I have been getting C's and D's which accumulated to my cumulative GPA. A lot of personal problems occurred during these years which distracted me from my studies.My marks may not show it, but I am still very passionate to learn medicine and I cannot take failure as an option. I am currently studying for the MCAT and scheduled myself to write it early next year. I have decided that I want to practice in Canada and I am willing to do anything and everything even if it takes more of my time. I was wondering if you could leave a comment on my options: 

- Should I take a 2nd Degree to bump up my GPA? (possible Kinesiology) Yes, though the degree you should think about tailoring it to also give you a plan B in case medicine doesn't work out

- Should I do a POST-bacc or Masters (if eligible)? If the main goal is GRADES ONLY, then a conventional MSc is not useful. Most post-bacc programs are <=2 years if I recall, so if you do that will your grades go up significantly enough? You might need a fresh slate all together. 

- Is it possible to go into para-medicine and then straight into Med school? I do not understand this terminology but I agree with previous posters that there is no substitute for grades. 

- How long would this overall process take to get into Med school (assuming GPA plays out right)? Very difficult to say as there are many variables involved... start by improving your GPA consistently first. 

 

 

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  • 7 months later...

I completed my B.Sc with a WGPA (based on OMSA) for UofT 3.21...and 3.2 calculated gpa for u of calgary (excluding my lowest year of my B.Sc and including my  M.Sc gpa). I am an albertan.

During my B.Sc, I spent 200+ hours volunteering at the hospital, 200+ hours as a research volunteer, and 100+ hours as a research assistant. I am an author in 4 papers during my undergraduate study. I have tutored 2000+ hours and worked at the optometrist office for a year.

I completed my M.Sc and medical science (thesis-based) and had two oral presentations in international radiology conferences and completed with a 3.8/4.0 cgpa in the courses I have taken.

I am currently a PhD student still in medical science (thesis based) and I want to apply for medical school after completion. The first time I took the MCAT in 2015, I got a 508. I will be retaking it two years from now. 

I was discouraged after looking at my undergraduate gpa...do I have a chance?

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2 minutes ago, M.ScGHOST said:

I completed my B.Sc with a WGPA (based on OMSA) for UofT 3.21...and 3.2 calculated gpa for u of calgary (excluding my lowest year of my B.Sc and including my  M.Sc gpa). I am an albertan.

During my B.Sc, I spent 200+ hours volunteering at the hospital, 200+ hours as a research volunteer, and 100+ hours as a research assistant. I am an author in 4 papers during my undergraduate study. I have tutored 2000+ hours and worked at the optometrist office for a year.

I completed my M.Sc and medical science (thesis-based) and had two oral presentations in international radiology conferences and completed with a 3.8/4.0 cgpa in the courses I have taken.

I am currently a PhD student still in medical science (thesis based) and I want to apply for medical school after completion. The first time I took the MCAT in 2015, I got a 508. I will be retaking it two years from now. 

I was discouraged after looking at my undergraduate gpa...do I have a chance?

 

Unless you have a very strong 2Y GPA you will be facing an uphill battle. I would say that if medicine is something you want to do, a second undergrad is the clear path forward. 

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On 3/18/2019 at 11:26 AM, M.ScGHOST said:

I completed my B.Sc with a WGPA (based on OMSA) for UofT 3.21...and 3.2 calculated gpa for u of calgary (excluding my lowest year of my B.Sc and including my  M.Sc gpa). I am an albertan.

During my B.Sc, I spent 200+ hours volunteering at the hospital, 200+ hours as a research volunteer, and 100+ hours as a research assistant. I am an author in 4 papers during my undergraduate study. I have tutored 2000+ hours and worked at the optometrist office for a year.

I completed my M.Sc and medical science (thesis-based) and had two oral presentations in international radiology conferences and completed with a 3.8/4.0 cgpa in the courses I have taken.

I am currently a PhD student still in medical science (thesis based) and I want to apply for medical school after completion. The first time I took the MCAT in 2015, I got a 508. I will be retaking it two years from now. 

I was discouraged after looking at my undergraduate gpa...do I have a chance?

if you meet the mcat & gpa cut offs as an Albertan for the IP schools then you should apply. slim chance but...why not?

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