Degree switching/A poor first year/Delusion

[Guest socialistmisanthrope]

Hello there! I'm new to the boards and so far have found them to be a wealth of much needed information. The posts about low first year gpa's particularly have brought me great comfort, as I most unfortunately find myself in the same boat.

 

I just finished my first year in the sciences with a terribly low gpa, and now I must suffer the pain of all my comrades around me complaining about their 3.8's. But alas, I discovered, a tad too late, that science was not for me, but it has not curtailed my desire to pursue medicine. I enjoy science and did exceedingly well in it in high school, but I feel I was a bit overwhelmed by it in university and I most certainly am to blame for my own poor results, as I was not nearly motivated enough, terribly distracted for personal reasons, and absurdly misinformed on what the journey to med school was all about.

 

With a great deal of research, however, I've now switched my major to my first true love, English, and I'm looking forward to applying myself to my true potential in something I enjoy doing. However, I'm still working on satisfying med-school prereqs, as my unfortunate venture into the sciences has not yet killed my desire to pursue medicine, and as a I result I will be taking Organic Chem/Biochem/Physiology courses throughout my degree.

 

My question is, have I destroyed my med school prospects with my dismal first year, especially since my first year contained the majority of my med school prereqs? Am I doomed, or if I make exceptionally good grades in my next three years, would it give me a fighting chance? Also, what med schools do I still have a shot at? I thought I would be alright for Calgary's med school, as in the past they only considered your best two years, but I've recently been informed that they now look at your entire academic record.

 

Another question: for the science majors, how do you suggest I go about applying myself in my science courses to ensure I do well? Besides the obvious of studying hard, etc., do you have any tips to keep yourself motivated and focused when studying science? My mind wanders something awful when I'm reading a chemistry textbook, which is never an issue when I'm reading Dostoyevsky.

 

My plan for the next three years is to go for the EC's that I have geniune interest in and would truly enjoy pursuing, things that suit my political/humanitarian inclinations rather than the usual lab research/hospital volunteering. Though I do plan to do a stint abroad in clinical environment.

 

How does that sound? Or am I deluded? Thank you for reading!

 

P.S. - any other tips/advice in general would be most welcome!

[Guest scrubbed]

Hi,

 

As with all advice posts, it’s useful to provide your approximate GPA and your home province to allow people responding to provide specific advice. You can msg me if you don’t wish to share such information on a public forum.

 

To some extent, it’s a good thing that you found out what you don’t like early, as some people might slug it out for another year and achieve the same results.

 

Your first year makes it more difficult to gain acceptance, but you still have a chance if you can do very well in subsequent years, especially if you can excel on the non-academic areas of the medical school evaluation.

 

In order to keep you med school options open:

 

Take a full course load (5 courses/term) each year.

Taking an honours degree will keep UWO’s door open.

 

Keep in mind as well that although there’s a portion of organic chemistry on the MCAT (less than half of the BS section), only UBC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and possibly Manitoba require it, so if you’re concerned with what another two courses of chemistry will do to your GPA, you may not want to take it. Thinking ahead, you may also want to check out if US or international schools have organic chemistry requirements, as you wouldn't want to close too many doors for yourself.

 

In Ontario, I think only Ottawa and Queen’s require general chemistry, but if you have it from first year, then you should be okay there.

 

As for keeping focused, I find avoiding an environment with a lot of distractions (home) helps. It’s also useful to have some way to monitor your progress and keep on track: either by studying with a friend or keeping a friend informed about your progress. You are much more likely to work out harder at the gym, for example, if you have someone to work out with or encourage you.

 

If carried out, your activities sound good. At the end of the day, it’s a competitive field, and you have to go out there and do your best. You can't change the past, but you can change the future.

 

Take care.

[Guest bigbuffblackboy]

For science studying, just try to think of how the stuff applies to real life. I think that makes it a bit more interesting and easier to remember. Also, try to think about it throughout the day. There's no need to do it constantly, but do it a bit each day and I think it'll become easier.

[Guest janedoe]

Hello!

 

In some ways, it is good that you didn't do so well in your first year. It'll be a "spur" to help you do a degree you'll love.

 

My "first true love" was not sciences (it was English and Philosophy), but deluded by many things including a desire to go into medicine and the myth that an arts degree is "useless," I went into a B.Sc program. (It is a myth: a poorly done science degree is equally useless). However, unlike you, I did quite well in my courses. I liked (note: "liked" and not "loved") the stuff I was learning. I took the hardest courses, tonnes of lab work, an honours courseload... And all these years, I've done well and I've kept on going. I've done my hospital volunteer work and my lab work and I've paid my dues to being a faithful little premed...

 

But I'm going into my fourth year now and somehow I feel a little empty. I feel that I didn't truly get out of undergrad what I should have gotten out of it. Medical school itself is the time to learn to be a good physician. Undergrad is a time too broaden your mind, to follow your passions, to discover who you are. Instead I supressed my interests and spent my time doing things because I thought they would help me get into med school or would help me prepare for learning medicine. And only now do I realize now that I probably would have just as good a med school application if I had done a BA in English and philosophy.

 

So what I'm getting at in my long, meandering post is the story everyone who's been-there-done-that seems to repeat but no one seems to listen to. Follow your passions, do what you're interested in - be the very best person you can be. Med schools aren't looking for the "typical" premed. All kinds of people can make good doctors. Just be the best of your kind that you can possibly be.

 

To the original poster: I guess I didn't answer your questions, so here goes. I think Queen's takes last two years, Ottawa (and maybe Toronto?) weight your final years more than your first year, and Western takes best couple of years. I find it really helps me study for science courses to pretend I'm teaching it. Pretend that you are explaining the topic to students - what's the main idea? How do all the details incorporate into that central theme? (eg. Organic chemistry is all about nucleophiles and electrophiles - how can you explain each reaction in terms of that?). And you're not too late to discover that science was not for you. Good luck and all the best to you!

[Guest TheChosenOneDDS]

couple points:

 

An english degree is more or less useless if you are trying to find a job. Then again a science degree is not that much better..both will require extra studies. So if it is med school you are going for and are willing to risk going ALL IN coz that is what this is...a gamble... Then I say choose what is the easiest for you. Get good marks and u still have a shot.

 

As for doing well in sciences...all i can say is that if you are good at math and logic and have a really good memory, you already are half way there. But if not, then i guess you will just have to realize what is important and how u can apply the important concepts....it also depends on which school u go to for undergrad, some test differently than others.

 

If all else fails, copy off the guy next to you assuming they know what they are doing.

OR stack up all your courses with birds and bring up that average to compensate for the lowermarks you get in sciences.

 

 

Just make sure you do well on ur MCATs. The english major should help u with verbal. Try to improve your reading and analytical ability while reading and be able to do it fast, during the course of your studies. B/c once you do well on those, if you can't get in Canada, you'll get in the US.

 

As for learning and getting the best out of undergrad, put it this way. I went to three years of undergrad. I didn't learn a damn thing. I think I just went in memorizing everything and forgetting, and the subjects I did know a lot about, like my religious studies, it is because when I was younger i studied all that stuff in depth. My parents really pushed me to learn about the Jewish faith, and the Torah etc. So come time Religious studies for old testament i was already all over it. So if English is ur forte, I say go all out on it. Just as long as you get an interview, no one will care what your first year marks are.

 

 

In terms of undergrad preparing you for professional school...it might help a bit for the first year or so...and I mean REALLY tiny bit, unless you are studying pharmacology (that is hard to get really good marks in without working hard, i am lazy...)....most of the stuff u will learn there anyways, so undergrad will give u like a 10% background info....i.e. A hardcore science major might understand some sciences 10-20% better than an English major during med school. Anyone who gets in is relatively smart anyways and can pick up the things pretty quickly.

 

Trust me, even in clinic, they don't care if you can recite the whole text book (which is not required), just so long as you can treat the patient.

 

Even now in residency, there are times where I don't know everything...u just have to refer to old principles and/or make a logical guess....if you screw up bad, the head resident or doctor will tell you anyways lol

 

I'm a dentist by profession, yet at the hospital they don't know that.... patients i mean, so i stitch and take a look at wounds just like the medical residents and prescribe drugs anyways...

 

 

don't sweat the small stuff, good luck with ur stuff.

[Guest socialistmisanthrope]

Thanks for all your advice! It makes me feel far more comfortable with my decision. I half felt I was almost giving up by switching degrees, and that maybe I should suck it up and give the science another year...but I honestly do not want to have to look back at my undergrad years thinking, "What a waste." I want to do something that will make the next three years just as important to me as actually getting into med school.

 

Scrubbed: My first year GPA is embarassing to post, but here goes: 2.5. I made a couple of A's, but unfortunately my low chemistry/physics/biology marks brought me down. My home province is Alberta.

 

And thanks for the advice about taking an Honours degree! I was seriously considering whether or not to do an Honours degree, but if it opens up the doors to another med school, then it might be something worth doing. I don't meet the requirements for it right now, but I can apply in a year or two if my GPA improves.

 

I'm also seriously thinking about whether or not to attempt organic chemistry this year...I want to keep as many options for possible med schools open as I possibly can, but I don't want to shut my doors by doing poorly in it in the first place and adversely affecting my GPA. I was thinking about getting an O-Chem tutor and giving it my best.

 

As for the MCAT, I'm planning on writing the August MCAT next summer. Do you think 3-4 months of study will suffice? Several of my premed keener friends have been studying for it since high school. :eek Any recommendations for an MCAT course? I'm hoping to do really well on the science portion to make up for my poor prereq average...I'm mostly worried about the biology/physics/o-chem sections. It's good to hear that there won't be an enormous amount of o-chem on it, so hopefully by taking o-chem this year I might be ready for it. Is there a lot of focus on biochemistry? I think I'll be fine for general chemistry and verbal reasoning.

 

Thanks again for all your advice and help, I really appreciate it!

[Guest TheChosenOneDDS]

don't worry about the biochem, that stuff is easy...if you took first year chem, bio, phys, and took orgo you are already set.

 

you don't even need to take physics or orgo although it will help.

 

just take that princeton course. my brother took his mcats right after his first year. Since he was in the health sci program at mcmaster, he didn't have to take physics in his first year or ever, and the guy scored 12's across the board. He got in right after 3rd year too. In all the 5 schools. this guy did the minimum. And he was fine. U will be too.

[Guest gloria]

I just want to calm your worries about the keeners who have been studying for the mcat since high school...Don't worry about it. In the Queen's Life Sci program I was surrounded by people who wanted to be doctors, and some of them were just like that. I tried not to let it get to me, just do my best and to do the things that I was interested in. But every so often I would feel like "shoot! these people are getting ahead of me, I'm never going to get into medicine, I'm a failure!'. Then I would remember the advice that every med student gives 'do your best, follow your passions, plan a little, and you will be fine.'

 

Frankly I don't get why you would study for 3+ years for that test....maybe to get a better understanding of how they ask questions?!? Anyways, that's what your pre-recs are for. You do first year physics/bio/chem/o-chem...etc. To learn these things. (For instance, why would you study for o-chem in high school when you still have two years until they will teach you everything you ever have to know in your university classes?!?)

 

I studied for the MCAT for 3 months, took the Princeton Review classes (no other way was I going to be motivated to get up in the morning) and only worked a bit. (Many people take a summer off to study for the MCAT, so if you can afford that then 3-4 months will be fine). My suggestion: do your pre-recs, take a MCAT course (they give you daily homework that repeats itself, so do it all) and don't stress out about SUPER-keeners.

 

Hints: If you are worried about the MCAT, not only take a course, but if there is a subject that you are weak in get some extra material. I took Princeton, but got Kaplan questions as well. Also, if you know someone who has old MCAT books, ask to borrow them if you are struggling with your uni courses. I know a friend of mine was having trouble with o-chem, so I gave him my Princeton book, and he said it really helped because it is 'simplified o-chem' as compared to what you would learn in a full year university course. It helped him make sense of what was going on in class.

[Guest scrubbed]

Hello,

 

I'm glad that you found the advice useful. It's a bit of an uphill climb with that first year GPA, but you can still make it up with three or four solid years of marks.

 

As you an Alberta resident, your best chance, as you know, is at the U of A and U of C. Ideally, if you are up to it, you should fulfill the requirements for U of A, which would include organic chemistry and biochemistry. I believe that most US schools have similar requirements to the U of A, so this would keep your options open there.

 

Keep in mind that the U of A allows you to substitute a higher year prerequisite course for a first year prereqcourse, so if you want to improve your biology pre-req component, for example, you would be able to do that.

 

I think that gloria gave good advice about the MCAT. Right now, I do think it's important for you to take things one day at a time. Concern yourself about writing the MCAT after the next school year.

 

Your immediate goal should be doing well in your first term of second year. I know it'll be difficult, but you really need to push yourself to do well, especially in organic chemistry. My main advice for that course would be to do as many practive problems as you can, trying to understand the processes involved, and not just memorizing reactions.

 

Again, it's a tough process. Just give it your best, and don't be afraid to do that, risking suboptimal results in the process. At least you can say that you tried.

 

All the best.

[Guest socialistmisanthrope]

Thank you SO much for all your help! Especially how to deal with the pre-med keener types that seem to make up the entire pre-med population, they really get me down if I'm not too careful. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is disturbed by them.

 

And I really appreciate the advice on O-chem, I'm going to try to get myself a bit prepared material-wise going in, so hopefully with some hard work, I can get the results I'm looking for.

 

Thanks for understanding, and providing me with some much needed motivation! :lol