Chances With A Not So Great Gpa Of 3.6Ish ....

[HYO]

Hi everyone,

 

before I kind of delve into this, I did search through previous threads, but I was still hoping to get some opinions on my situation. Sorry if similar threads have been posted!

 

So In regards to my undergrad, I ended up doing essentially 4.5 years (extra semester). My complete cGPA, including both summer courses and the courses from the extra year, ended up being about 3.61. However (and this is where I'm a bit confused as to if this matters) is that my cGPA is essentially dragged down from my first year. The breakdown followings something like this:

 

1st year (not full course load as in 5 and 5) - 2.45

 

2nd year (full course load) - 3.8

 

Summer (1 course) - 4.0

 

3rd year (not full course load) - 3.9

 

Summer (2 courses) - 3.8

 

4th year (full course load) - 3.9

 

Summer (1 course) - 3.8

 

5th year (fall semester - only 2 courses) - 4.0

 

Outside of my first year, I only recieved A/A+'s in the rest of my courses, so I like to think of it as being seen as an upward trend.

 

Thanks to some undergraduate research experiences, I decided to try a MSc, and based on how that went, decide whether or not to pursue a PhD (that was my inital thinking). I should be finishing my MSc in the next few months (not the best experience in the lab and I'm concerned it may hurt my future applications, but that's for another time). My GPA for my MSc is only based on 3 courses, and is somewhere around 3.9. I also was lucky enough to be a recipient of provincial and federal level awards.

 

Thanks to a mix of a unique clinical volunteering opportunity I was able to be a part of as someone else's masters, as well as a slight change in my research interest to being clinical related (my MSc research was not clinical based), I began to explore the idea of pursuing a MD, or even MD/PhD (I would want to still be involved in research regardless, so just going into a PhD is still definitely a possibility).

 

Being as I live in Ontario, I decided to look into the admission criteria/info for Ontario MD programs. This is where I get the sense that my GPA puts me at a massive disadvantage.

 

I still have to write the MCAT, and I never really got into my EC's (nothing amazing, probably average at best), so I know it's really tough to gauge where an application stands without knowing those things. However, I was hoping for input primarily on my GPA, and how big of a roadbock it may be. From my understanding, I'm automatically out of UWO due to being under the 3.7 (I think?) cutoff. I also only have 2 full course load years (2nd and 4th) year, so I don't qualify for any of those weighted GPA formulas I believe. Since at the earliest I'd be applying to the Fall 2016 application, I wanted to get more of a sense of how much of an uphill battle this will be with my GPA, and if its even worth pursuing then...

 

Any input would be great, thank you!

[PurpleS]

Western looks at your 2 best years, with full course load, and 3/5 FCE at appropriate year. As long as those 2 years are over 3.7, you should be fine. This number fluctuates between year to year, but as long as you're above 3.75, you should be safe.

 

I think your best bets are McMaster, Western, and Queen's - depending on how your MCAT score is. Without it, it's kind of hard to say.

[HYO]

Western looks at your 2 best years, with full course load, and 3/5 FCE at appropriate year. As long as those 2 years are over 3.7, you should be fine. This number fluctuates between year to year, but as long as you're above 3.75, you should be safe.

 

I think your best bets are McMaster, Western, and Queen's - depending on how your MCAT score is. Without it, it's kind of hard to say.

 

Thanks for the input. Unforutnately my 4th year didn't meet the 3/5 FCE cutoff, which I guess puts me out of the running for Western. U of T is obviously a particular long shot, but could a steller MCAT potentially get one with a 3.6 GPA an interview?

[Sauna]

Thanks for the input. Unforutnately my 4th year didn't meet the 3/5 FCE cutoff, which I guess puts me out of the running for Western. U of T is obviously a particular long shot, but could a steller MCAT potentially get one with a 3.6 GPA an interview?

No, the MCAT is used as a threshold. As long as you score above 125 in each section, your score doesn't matter.

 

If your GPA is below cutoffs there is an Academic Explanation Essay. From what I've heard, it's used pretty subjectively but if you have a compelling reason why, it can help you be considered. 

[HYO]

No, the MCAT is used as a threshold. As long as you score above 125 in each section, your score doesn't matter.

 

If your GPA is below cutoffs there is an Academic Explanation Essay. From what I've heard, it's used pretty subjectively but if you have a compelling reason why, it can help you be considered. 

 

Oh okay, I was not aware of the MCAT scores used in a cut-off manner. Thank you!

[not my real name]

A strong "verbal" score could make McMaster doable. I know you said you weren't looking for input on ECs, but consensus I've seen here is that Queens is very EC focussed. While your GPA would likely be okay, I would not count on queens without stellar ECs. Those 100 spots seem super competitive. Sorry for the bad news.

[schmitty]

I had similar stats....5 years of UG, 1st year terrible (around 1.2 GPA), all others >3.8, some part-time and did a masters. I did very well on the MCAT which I am sure helped but I was accepted to U of T, Queens, Western and U of Manitoba...even with my awful overall GPA.

 

apply broadly and hope for the best! 

[HYO]

I had similar stats....5 years of UG, 1st year terrible (around 1.2 GPA), all others >3.8, some part-time and did a masters. I did very well on the MCAT which I am sure helped but I was accepted to U of T, Queens, Western and U of Manitoba...even with my awful overall GPA.

 

apply broadly and hope for the best! 

Congrats Schmitty! Don't mean to get into personal questions here, but mind me asking if you had full course loads throughout your undergrad degree?

[medhope15]

Consider going outside of Canada as well. You will eventually have to move anyway for school or residency or fellowship or a future job (look at the job market). So why not just apply broadly to Canada and USA and the UK/Ireland.

[schmitty]

Congrats Schmitty! Don't mean to get into personal questions here, but mind me asking if you had full course loads throughout your undergrad degree?

 

No, I was part-time for 1 year, and less than full load some other years....I had 2 years of full-time in my 3rd and 4th years (out of 5) though, hence my acceptance into Queens and Western. 

[cicero_medicorum]

With a stellar score on the MCAT, you should look into manitoba, which drops one full year of your lowest courses I believe as long as you complete X number of credits. Doesn't matter whether it's full load or not. That and gpa isn't a huge deciding factor in the admissions process, nor are your EC's looked at at all. Worth a shot. 

[schmitty]

With a stellar score on the MCAT, you should look into manitoba, which drops one full year of your lowest courses I believe as long as you complete X number of credits. Doesn't matter whether it's full load or not. That and gpa isn't a huge deciding factor in the admissions process, nor are your EC's looked at at all. Worth a shot. 

 

I second this and is the reason I applied to Ontario schools + Manitoba. Very generous GPA weighting regardless of full-time status, but as OOP, you need a VERY good MCAT.

[HYO]

Thanks for all the input!

 

I know its hard to say until I write the MCAT, but with that cGPA and not applying for any of the benefical weightings from different schools, I don't know what the next step should be. I feel like a 2nd undergrad degree would be more overkill at this point, and I'm not getting any younger after already finishing this masters this fall. I think my plan of action at this point is to write the MCAT next year (summer), and depending on how that goes, take it from there.