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Best Course of Action at the moment?


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So after doing a bit of calculations and serious self reflecting I have come to this conclusion. 

Basically I am sitting at a cGPA with a 3.3, which I know is not competitive. 

Yearly its 3.2, and 3.4. 

 

I am entering my third year and I am going to try my hardest to achieve a 3.9+ this year and next year. I know, I know; easier said than done but this isn't just talking and I REALLY planned out my courses a lot smarter this year; I'm confident I will achieve a 4 in 7/10 of these courses I just have to work hard at these other 3. 

 

I know that I would be most likely suited for UofT, Ottawa, Queens and Western. I know Macs out of the window and I know applying out of Ontario for an OOP is just as competitive. I am also going to apply to a few US schools because after doing a bit of research their GPA weighing also works more in my favour because my sGPA is a lot higher than my cGPA. 

 

The weighing system at UofT and Ottawa will also work in my favour,  so if I get a 4.0 next year I have a 3.84 at Toronto. Regardless I will not apply my fourth year because another year at 4.0 will open up Queens, Western and raise my GPA if I get another 4.0. 

 

I know this is easier said than done but I am worrying about is what the heck to do in the year off of the application cycle. I was looking at Westerns MPH program or UofT's management for science students which is also a one year course based masters, because A) it gives more career options, and B- it teaches you some knowledgable things. So I was contemplating doing that; or should I take the year off and just build EC's or should I just work? 

 

I know this is hypothetical and it's easy to say "just see how you do third year", I just kind of want to have a plan of action because I am not writing the MCAT this year (Which I originally planned to do) because of my GPA, and have accepted that I cant be competitive applying as a fourth year. I find that a lot of people who don't plan in advance and kind of just "wait and see" how they do end up graduating without a solid plan, so does anyone have any suggestions, is a one year masters a good idea? Or would you personally take the year off to build EC's (also I don't know many job positions I would have that would be offered with a life sci degree to be honest, most jobs need some higher form of education from what I have seen)  

 

I am volunteering this summer and working; and prepping a little bit for the MCAT before I take it next summer. Thank you very much for reading this, appreciate any advice I can get! 

 

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Do the thing you think you’ll enjoy the most. The reality of medical school applications is that it can take several cycles to get accepted (if at all), and you need to continue making progress and enjoying your life in that time. Also, don’t discount jobs as valuable non-academic experiences - working is great life experience and can help you develop many of the soft skills they look for in medical school admissions.

And remember that a year from now is a long time, so what you think you might like to do now or are considering may change as the year progresses. That’s why people so often suggest ‘wait and see’ before you worry too much about it. Try to focus on your up coming classes and on figuring out how to do well and bring your GPA up - it really is easier said than done, and trying to plan too many steps in the future just makes it harder and more demoralizing when things don’t go exactly as you planned.

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57 minutes ago, Meridian said:

Sinusoid - you are way over-thinking it.   Breathe --- Relax.  Stop looking 2 years away. Use July/August to recharge your batteries for 3rd year.  Work on some EC's,  and build your network of peeps that will be able to help and encourage you through years 3 and 4. 

Thank you very much; sorry I just dont want to make any mistakes that can ruin any slim shot I have; but thank you! 

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39 minutes ago, sinusoid said:

Thank you very much; sorry I just dont want to make any mistakes that can ruin any slim shot I have; but thank you! 

There are so many paths to Med school -  working vs. A master’s vs. A year focused on ECs would all be reasonable choices, and doing one over the other won’t likely be where you go wrong.

The biggest mistake you can make in the next few years is missing the opportunity to improve your GPA. I have worked in academic advising and education, and the mistake I saw university students (Med hopefuls and otherwise) make year over year was to underestimate how hard it can be to achieve a high GPA.

Just having to “work harder” isn’t enough for most students who struggle with lower GPAs. I’ve seen lots of students work super hard at banging their head against the wall (metaphorically). I don’t say this to discourage you. Working hard is definitely the first step. But learning is a skill - you have to learn how to learn well by practicing and reflecting, and that takes a lot of commitment. I really recommend that you reach out to some of the academic supports at your school (now or in the fall, when there tends to be more available) and start getting some help to figure out where you went wrong with your previous courses and find some strategies to improve.

It’s also hard to learn well you’re so stressed about the future that you panic about every possible ‘mistake’ you might make.@Meridian has the right idea. Try to relax and recharge, and focus on setting yourself up to be well supported and happy over the next couple years of undergrad.

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I had a similar cgpa and then pulled off 3.99 in my last 2 yrs, so it can be done. I'd say you should be focusing on the gpa to make sure you can do it, then once you pull off your first yr of good gpa and feel confident in your skills to do it again, you can start thinking about what comes after. Gpa is most important because once you have a solid gpa, its just a matter of time for building everything else, but without the gpa, the ship will never leave the harbor. 

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10 hours ago, allmight said:

Gpa is most important because once you have a solid gpa, its just a matter of time for building everything else, but without the gpa, the ship will never leave the harbor. 

This. I would focus your time on getting your GPA in years 3 and 4 as high as possible. Once you have that, then you can tackle the MCAT and other things. Stay focused and I think medical school is 100% attainable.

Also, look into some of the out of province schools. Dalhousie, Calgary, U of A, UBC, etc. -- see if the weighting works in your favor for those schools as well. I know several people from Ontario who weren't offered any interviews in province and received interviews and acceptances for out of province. I wouldn't count OOP out.

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14 hours ago, frenchpress said:

There are so many paths to Med school -  working vs. A master’s vs. A year focused on ECs would all be reasonable choices, and doing one over the other won’t likely be where you go wrong.

The biggest mistake you can make in the next few years is missing the opportunity to improve your GPA. I have worked in academic advising and education, and the mistake I saw university students (Med hopefuls and otherwise) make year over year was to underestimate how hard it can be to achieve a high GPA.

Just having to “work harder” isn’t enough for most students who struggle with lower GPAs. I’ve seen lots of students work super hard at banging their head against the wall (metaphorically). I don’t say this to discourage you. Working hard is definitely the first step. But learning is a skill - you have to learn how to learn well by practicing and reflecting, and that takes a lot of commitment. I really recommend that you reach out to some of the academic supports at your school (now or in the fall, when there tends to be more available) and start getting some help to figure out where you went wrong with your previous courses and find some strategies to improve.

It’s also hard to learn well you’re so stressed about the future that you panic about every possible ‘mistake’ you might make.@Meridian has the right idea. Try to relax and recharge, and focus on setting yourself up to be well supported and happy over the next couple years of undergrad.

Thank you, I am doing a lot of self reflecting to see what went wrong exactly and although I did work hard I know what mistakes I made and am hoping going down the road I have learned from them. I know it is easier said than done, but I am praying that the fact that I know this is literally my only shot and theres no room for any mess ups anymore will motivate me to put in 110 percent. If I truly see that I am putting in that effort and not getting the marks, I will revaluate med as that means I am not suited for it. If I don't work hard as much as I plan to that means I dont truly want it; but thank you so much for the insight, I am going to talk to academic advising in 2 days to kind of plan out how to achieve my goals. I did talk to them in the past but my school GPA is like a 3.5, so they dont see anything "wrong" in what I'm doing; I tried explaining I want medicine and that this GPA isn't good for it and it's lower on the OMSAS scale, which is what med schools look at; not the schools way of calculating, last year the advisor told me to look at other options rather than focusing on med. 

 

Do you think prepping for the courses now would be a good idea, just so I can be a little ahead? 

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3 hours ago, sinusoid said:

Thank you, I am doing a lot of self reflecting to see what went wrong exactly and although I did work hard I know what mistakes I made and am hoping going down the road I have learned from them. I know it is easier said than done, but I am praying that the fact that I know this is literally my only shot and theres no room for any mess ups anymore will motivate me to put in 110 percent. If I truly see that I am putting in that effort and not getting the marks, I will revaluate med as that means I am not suited for it. If I don't work hard as much as I plan to that means I dont truly want it; but thank you so much for the insight, I am going to talk to academic advising in 2 days to kind of plan out how to achieve my goals. I did talk to them in the past but my school GPA is like a 3.5, so they dont see anything "wrong" in what I'm doing; I tried explaining I want medicine and that this GPA isn't good for it and it's lower on the OMSAS scale, which is what med schools look at; not the schools way of calculating, last year the advisor told me to look at other options rather than focusing on med. 

 

Do you think prepping for the courses now would be a good idea, just so I can be a little ahead? 

I don’t think this is your ‘only shot’ - you might make some more mistakes, and it may happen that you don’t do well in every class you take in the future. But that wouldn’t necessarily mean the end, it just changes the journey - maybe you need an extra year of school, etc.

Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about prepping for courses right now unless you would actually enjoy it. Try to relax and find some work life balance and do leisure and EC activities you enjoy!

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