Jump to content
Premed 101 Forums

Please help! How do I get from here to MD?


Recommended Posts

Hello everyone!

I've never posted on premed101 before so if this isn't the appropriate forum for this post, I'd appreciate it if a moderator could move this or tell me where it belongs (thanks in advance). I've been doing a lot of fly-on-the-wall reading here for some time now trying to get tips and perspectives that might help me achieve my goals. However, I've been unable to find anything even really similar to the situation I'm in when looking through other posts, as it seems I am an exceptionally unique case.

I am desperate to pursue medicine (strongly prefer MD), but I'm finding myself stuck in a fairly deep hole between a rock and a hard place. I would be incredibly grateful if anyone has recommendations on how I can get from here to a career in medicine (mainly past the medical school admissions hurdle), given the following information:

I am an Ontario resident approximately 25 years old (white male; Canadian; no knowledge of any native ancestry). I began my 6-year undergraduate journey in BSc Kinesiology at Western for 3 years, then transferred to McMaster for various reasons (into BSc Hons Life Sciences) and have just completed the courses required to graduate. Importantly, I took reduced course loads during the Fall/Winter semesters to accommodate 6 years of varsity athletics due to the extreme time commitments (ranging from 20-60+ hours a week depending on the time of year), not realizing or appreciating the detrimental impacts of these decisions. Moreover, I was a foolish student in my early years of undergrad as I lacked direction (medical school was not one of my primary considerations in my first 3 years) and some of the motivation that comes with it... I am not one of the people that decided on a future in medicine at an early age, but rather one that has developed a passion for it recently as a result of increased exposure to clinical settings and experiences (largely as a consequence of my athletic career and kinesiology studies). Importantly, these decisions now have me in a horrible position, as I am now learning the hard way that reduced course loads are a massive disadvantage.

My sessional GPAs are listed below.

Year 1: 9 half-year courses - 2.6 GPA

Year 2: 7 half-year courses - 3.2 GPA* (*replaced one mark [58] from first year [80])

Summer: 1 half-year course - 3.00 GPA

Year 3: 7 half-year courses - 3.54 GPA

Year 4: 6 half-year courses - 3.84* GPA (excludes remedial chemistry; taken to compensate for not having Gr.12 chemistry as a level I prereq. Sessional GPA jumps to 3.88 if this is included)

Summer: 2 half-year courses - 2.50 GPA

Year 5: 6 half-year courses - 3.27 GPA

Summer: 1 half-year course - 1.70 GPA

Year 6: 8 half-year courses - 3.84 GPA

cGPA: ~3.27 

*The vast majority of my courses (~80-85% of them) are science courses. I have added this information in case it is relevant.

I do recognize and acknowledge that, while stranger things have certainly happened, my cGPA is severely limiting at this point.

I have not yet written my MCAT but I am confident that I will do quite well in July when I write.

I would say that My ECs are moderate at this point (and will be expanded rapidly in the coming months), mostly in humanitarian/sociocultural/athletic contexts, albeit limited in academic contexts.

I currently have 2-3 exceptional reference letters.

My primary reason for this post: I am asking anyone with ideas on what steps I should take from here and on which paths I should take them, because I plainly cannot live my life happily in any other career field. If you have any suggestions at all, PLEASE share them with me.

My secondary reason for this post: to get answers to the specific questions below that I have not been able to ascertain clear answers to, given the information I have provided on my situation.

Questions:

1. Am I considered a "non-traditional applicant" given this information? I am not sure how that term is defined and I've been seeing it in a lot of posts, wondering if the term applies to me.

2. How much might a graduate, PhD, or second undergraduate degree help me? Would any of these be worth doing for me?

3. Exactly how limiting is my GPA for me? Can my application be salvaged by an outstanding MCAT, padding my ECs and a good interview? Or is my GPA too far gone to even get to the point in the applications process where those factors would help me? If the latter, what are my avenues to best remedy this?

4. Which Canadian schools will I NOT EVER have a realistic chance at (even small)? (I'm trying to narrow my candidate list down to realistic possibilities to avoid wasting any time)

5. Do I need more than 3 exceptional reference letters?

I am pleading with anyone and everyone that has information that might help me. Please. I know that I am than intelligent enough for this. I know that I have the work ethic for this. I know that I have the passion for this. I just really need guidance on where to direct my efforts and time. ANY relevant feedback (beyond "your GPA sucks, give up"...because that is not an option) would be hugely appreciated.

 

P.S - I apologize for the lengthy post, and thank everyone (again) that has taken the time to even read and give some thought to my situation.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Additional questions:

What are some good tactics to employ for finding academic and/or clinical EC opportunities?

And what are the statistics around both admissions into various AUS/Ireland schools and residencies coming out of them? Would I be competitive in any of these locations with a respectable MCAT?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you have been the fly on the wall you probably already know alot of the answers. You understand that your undergrad GPA is not in your favour (I didn't say it sucks).

As an Ontario resident, the Ontario schools are your most likely opportunities.  You can apply to out-of-province schools, but the bar is set much higher for only a few interview spots.

You asked where you are probably out of contention. NOSM is out unless you live in the North or have some strong existing ECs and connections related to practicing in a Northern rural community.   MAC uses a cumulative GPA.  I don't think you can recover your overall cGPA to achieve an interview.

That leaves UofT,  UWO,  Ottawa, Queens.   Your current cGPA does not meet their cut offs.   You do not qualify for weighting at UofT or UWO due to not full course-load. I don't think you qualify to apply to Ottawa due to full-time requirements. You MIGHT qualify for weighting wGPA at Queens (read their FAQ on full time definition)  for your year 5 and 6, but it would not be competitive for an interview.

So what to do then ?   Undergrad GPA is key.  Grad school does not correct for a low GPA so doing a Masters wont help.  This suggests you need to start another undergrad.  Some schools like UWO even ignore your previous degree results.  Nail a +3.95 GPA for 2 years in a new undergrad degree, shine on the MCAT, and then see where you would then be competitive to apply.

Are you non-traditional ?  Probably not, as you are still just at graduating stage. Non-trad is usually associated with someone who is well out of school and has some other forms of life/work experience.  If you can achieve an interview, you might be able to bring in your varsity career as something that is non-traditional and unique. 

Reference Letters --  When you apply in Ontario,  your referees write specific letters that are submitted to OMSAS by them.  You cannot pre-collect these letters yourself.  Having more than 3 does not really help in Ontario.   References may be useful in the US or for future aspects of med school.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for your feedback and for addressing some of my questions, I appreciate it. It supports my suspicion that to be competitive within Canada, I will have to pursue a second undergrad. I think I will still attempt an application to McMaster next cycle as people in my GPA have been accepted in the past (albeit at a pretty low rate).. If nothing else I will gain experience with the applications process. 

As an alternative to the second undergrad path for domestic application, what should my thoughts be on American/Australian/Irish/Caribbean medical schools? Is my GPA too low to be considering these paths? What other factors should I be accounting for when considering these alternative paths?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately, being an Ontario resident really puts you at a disadvantage. Lots of non-Ontario medical schools favor students from their own province and have lower cutoffs. This makes your barrier to entry a bit larger than some people. 

As mentioned above, your GPA is not bad, but it doesn't meet a lot of the cutoffs. While acceptance for students with GPAs below 3.8 is certainly possible, it's not common. 

I think in your case I would very much recommend a 2nd undergraduate. Find one where a lot of your courses give you transfer credit so that you only have 2 additional years, and rock those 2 years. Aim for 3.9+. From there, look at schools that consider only 2 years of your GPA or ignore your first undergrad. I know Dalhousie did this but I applied very selectively so I'm unfamiliar with a lot of schools requirements. I would honestly focus just on these schools. Look at past applicants, class statistics, and see if you can find an "in" in each to pester with questions. 

As for abroad medical schools, the odds aren't in your favor that you would be able to come back to Canada. The financial aspects are also daunting as you pay tens of thousands for tuition. That being said, if coming back to Canada isn't your top-most priority, certainly consider it. I know people that went to Ireland and are now practicing in Canada (Ontario specifically), but do keep in mind that this is a minority. 

If you are dead set on being a doctor and nothing else then certainly go for it. You can absolutely do it, it will just take a couple more years and a lot of dedication. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Prove to yourself you can handle a full course load and get 3.8+. Do this for 2 years in a second degree, and you open yourself up to queens and UWO.  If and only then, should you consider.foreign schools. You havent proven you can perform academically strong yet.  

If you score quite well on the MCAT this summer, then perhaps that would relieve a bit of worry about your academic strength. Not all but helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...