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second degree vs. master?


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Hello all,

I finished my bachelor of nursing at Mcgill last year but my GPA wasn't good,

1st year: 3.49/4.0 & 3.16/4.0

2nd year: 3.02/4.0 & 2.61/4.0

3rd year: 3.85/4.0 & 4.0/4.0

My cumulative GPA is 3.27.

I am thinking about going to med school now, but because of my low GPA, I wonder if it will be more beneficial to obtain a second degree or have a master degree??

Thanks for any advice!

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Masters won’t help a poor GPA. Sure some schools like UofA and Dal use your grad GPA as a full year but it won’t be sufficient to make your GPA competitive even if you get a 4.0 in that year. 

Now,  if you can get a 3.9+ in your fourth year, it could make you competitive for some schools like queens and western by itself. But an extra year of masters would give you additional eligibility for UofA, UofC and some others. 

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On 4/14/2020 at 7:02 PM, zxcccxz said:

Masters won’t help a poor GPA. Sure some schools like UofA and Dal use your grad GPA as a full year but it won’t be sufficient to make your GPA competitive even if you get a 4.0 in that year. 

Now,  if you can get a 3.9+ in your fourth year, it could make you competitive for some schools like queens and western by itself. But an extra year of masters would give you additional eligibility for UofA, UofC and some others. 

Thank you for your answer. I forgot to mention that I came from Quebec Cegep so I only need to have 3 years to complete the bachelor, I guess a second degree will be my only option then.

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  • 1 month later...
On 5/11/2020 at 6:45 PM, MedSchoolHope101 said:

I would definitely go for a second degree, especially if you can do one in two years.

McGill will only look at the GPA of the undergrad that you did best in for admission. Also, looking at the major improvement in your 3rd year, you could have great chances at uOttawa if you get a high GPA in your second undergrad. 

Hi sorry for the bump. Do you know other schools that will look at two-year, second undergraduate degrees as equals to one's four-year, first undergraduate degree? Thanks!

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3 minutes ago, thefrogjumpstuesday said:

Hi sorry for the bump. Do you know other schools that will look at two-year, second undergraduate degrees as equals to one's four-year, first undergraduate degree? Thanks!

Western also looks at your best 2 years, as long as all of your undergrad years are equivalent to a 4-year degree, and they all are full course load and satisfy the course-level requirements.

Queen's also looks at your most recent two years, regardless.

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On 6/15/2020 at 10:59 PM, thefrogjumpstuesday said:

Hi sorry for the bump. Do you know other schools that will look at two-year, second undergraduate degrees as equals to one's four-year, first undergraduate degree? Thanks!

McGill also looks at a 2-year undergrad as equal to a 4 year one. They will simply take the degree with the best GPA as basis for admission :) 

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On 4/14/2020 at 5:02 PM, zxcccxz said:

Masters won’t help a poor GPA. Sure some schools like UofA and Dal use your grad GPA as a full year but it won’t be sufficient to make your GPA competitive even if you get a 4.0 in that year. 

Now,  if you can get a 3.9+ in your fourth year, it could make you competitive for some schools like queens and western by itself. But an extra year of masters would give you additional eligibility for UofA, UofC and some others. 

Hey just a quick note about Calgary: if you do a master's, you cannot apply to med unless you can guarantee that you will defend before July 1 (ie you must complete the degree before you will be considered for admission).  So if you want to just do one year for a gpa boost, or you do one year of the master's and want to apply beginning in your second year but will need to defend after July (like if you started in September and need at least 24 months to complete the program), you will not be eligible for admission.  This goes for both thesis and course based master's.  Just make sure when considering to do MSc or a second UG that you may need to hold off applying to med for 1-2 years :)

But like the general consensus of this thread, it sounds like a second UG would suit your needs better (BUT make sure you actually like what you get it in! At the end of the day, that is the degree you are getting, and it is more than just a stepping stone on the journey to med).  I suggest you go through this forum for the implications of a second degree since schools look at a it a little different than the first so you know what you are up against.  

Best of luck to you!

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