How can I be better?

[sinusoid]

Hi there, I am sorry for kind of spamming this page but I am trying to remain hopeful but I need to be realistic. 

 

The people I have seen get into med school so far are literally the perfect students (from year 1); so here is my situation.

The first year I got a 3.15 on the osmas scale because of one course that I got a 0.7 in (I dont even want to talk about it- I think I cried for 3 weeks and was too stupid and scared to drop a course because I was a first year who knew nothing about how anything worked), but without it; I have a 3.5, which is still pretty bad. 

The second year I worked a lot harder, but the courses were also a lot harder and I struggled (although I got no 0.7's; I got 3 low 70's., which really messed up my GPA). I scraped a 3.48 on the osmas scale. So I do have an upwards trend thus far. 

I am going to aim to get a 4 third year and fourth year; but I just cant help but feel a little discouraged; I was actually going to write the MCAT this summer but I think its silly to do that with my gpa of like 3.3 so far. 

I don't know; it's embarrassing, I hate this feeling of being hopeless, I was wondering if I should even bother applying after fourth year; like should I just do a masters after? I actually enjoy research, my dream is medicine of course but uoft has a masters that is like immunology and it sounds really interesting, but I dont want to do that and then like, not know what to do next. Should I just see how I do in third year and go based on that and just hope UofT's weighing system gives me a blessing and count on Western and Queens? 

 

Or should I consider the states; even though money isnt easy for me to come by; it would really be helpful to know if any other person was in this type of situation because in all honesty I feel like the only one; I am surrounded by 4.0's and like, if they can do it; why cant I? 

Am I truly just not smart enough for medical school. I wasnt like a 90+ percent student in highschool, I graduated with an 88; good enough for uoft undergrad, but am I just too average for medical school? 

[gangliocytoma]

Hey. I was not a perfect student. I had a C average in first year but things got better from there. I adjusted my study habits and was able to do well. I (and many others I know) did not have a 4.0 GPA. Just kill the next 2 years and see what happens.

[anonymouspls]

GPA and MCAT no longer matter as much as you think they do in Canada. You just have to pass cutoffs to get to the file review stage. Put together 2 solid years of above 3.7 GPA while satisfying course load requirements for Western / Queens / Dalhousie, and you have a solid chance along with Toronto McMaster etc as long as you do well on the MCAT CARS section and CASPER. 

[Instagrammar]

UofT has alluded in their admissions video that they are going to de-emphasize gpa and MCAT in the coming years and focus more on who you are as a person. 

[ace777]

.

[Instagrammar]

4 hours ago, 2019goals said:

will they take out the mcat as a whole like Ottawa? or just lower the mcat cut-offs?

We will find out in the next few years I guess 

[ohmelody]

Hi there, don't be so hard on yourself! Medicine is (and should not) be the be-all and end-all of your life - you are still a person outside of this pursuit, so do recognize that. That said, I understand how competitive this entire process is and it can feel especially discouraging to see everyone around you get accepted/ have the perfect application, but everyone has their own path to take! You still have two years left to improve your GPA and in Ontario, at the top of my head, schools like Western and Queen's also consider your last/best two years so that could work in your favor. Just make sure that your ECs and MCAT is in order, mostly for CARS since Canadian schools somehow seem to focus on that.  Do also take the time to explore other options and see if you might be interested in that. For myself, I took a year off after graduating to work in research to clarify some of my career goals, and it showed to me, that patient interaction is what I enjoy most! 

[sinusoid]

15 hours ago, gangliocytoma said:

Hey. I was not a perfect student. I had a C average in first year but things got better from there. I adjusted my study habits and was able to do well. I (and many others I know) did not have a 4.0 GPA. Just kill the next 2 years and see what happens.

Do you mind if I PM you? I understand if you’re busy

[sinusoid]

11 hours ago, ysera said:

GPA and MCAT no longer matter as much as you think they do in Canada. You just have to pass cutoffs to get to the file review stage. Put together 2 solid years of above 3.7 GPA while satisfying course load requirements for Western / Queens / Dalhousie, and you have a solid chance along with Toronto McMaster etc as long as you do well on the MCAT CARS section and CASPER. 

Thank you very much, I will practice CARS and CASPER to the best of my abilities to get a better chance. I wasn’t aware of this: uoft’s stats of 2018 had an average gpa acceptance of 3.96 so I just figured my GPA is nowhere near good enough.

[sinusoid]

10 hours ago, Instagrammar said:

UofT has alluded in their admissions video that they are going to de-emphasize gpa and MCAT in the coming years and focus more on who you are as a person. 

Is it going to be like the states? Because from the stats I see average acceptance are those who have 3.9’s

[sinusoid]

3 hours ago, ohmelody said:

Hi there, don't be so hard on yourself! Medicine is (and should not) be the be-all and end-all of your life - you are still a person outside of this pursuit, so do recognize that. That said, I understand how competitive this entire process is and it can feel especially discouraging to see everyone around you get accepted/ have the perfect application, but everyone has their own path to take! You still have two years left to improve your GPA and in Ontario, at the top of my head, schools like Western and Queen's also consider your last/best two years so that could work in your favor. Just make sure that your ECs and MCAT is in order, mostly for CARS since Canadian schools somehow seem to focus on that.  Do also take the time to explore other options and see if you might be interested in that. For myself, I took a year off after graduating to work in research to clarify some of my career goals, and it showed to me, that patient interaction is what I enjoy most! 

Thank you very much. I know it seems dramatic but this is just a goal I’ve always wanted to obtain; my family doesn’t really support it, they think it’s too much work. I contemplated doing pharmacy for a long time, but after volunteering at the hospital I honestly love patient interaction and I love that doctors are teachers in their own way. I do enjoy research, so I was contemplating doing immunology masters but I just didn’t want to take too much time off from the medical school mindset because I feel like I would be too involved in my research instead of volunteering and building up my EC medically. From what I see a masters looks like hard work, I really tried a variety of options (pharmacy, medical laboratory) but it just isn’t the same as what I see from doctor patient interaction. If anything I would consider nursing but then I would have to do a second undergrad regardless :( 

[LostLamb]

There’s plenty of inprovince applicants outside Ontario who have respectable but not insane high gpa who are admitted yearly. 

As a former ontarian, consider seriously if moving is an option going forward. 

Dont despair. Too soon for that!

best

LL

[sinusoid]

4 minutes ago, LostLamb said:

There’s plenty of inprovince applicants outside Ontario who have respectable but not insane high gpa who are admitted yearly. 

As a former ontarian, consider seriously if moving is an option going forward. 

Dont despair. Too soon for that!

best

LL

[sinusoid]

5 minutes ago, LostLamb said:

There’s plenty of inprovince applicants outside Ontario who have respectable but not insane high gpa who are admitted yearly. 

As a former ontarian, consider seriously if moving is an option going forward. 

Dont despair. Too soon for that!

best

LL

Do you mind if I PM you?

[LostLamb]

Of course not. 

[sinusoid]

Thank you all for the responses; I appreciate it. I just feel really embarrassed with my GPA like I don’t want to show my face at school, when I see a professor that kind of recognizes me I just shy away in the fear that they are judging my marks, all the successful people I’ve seen thus far are super; which is amazing for them, and I’m so proud of all of them, but it’s just so embarrassing and depressing on my end. One of them even told me “you’ll get into med school, you work hard” when I told her my GPA she was like “oh....”

[Intrepid86]

On 5/24/2019 at 6:11 AM, Instagrammar said:

UofT has alluded in their admissions video that they are going to de-emphasize gpa and MCAT in the coming years and focus more on who you are as a person. 

 

De-emphasizing objective measures in favor of a more "holistic" approach gives schools greater control over who they accept, often with the intended goal of achieving a predetermined, desired demographic profile. Shifting the definition of merit to get this outcome has posed problems, especially in the U.S., where schools have been criticized for such practices.

[xiphoid]

4 hours ago, Intrepid86 said:

De-emphasizing objective measures in favor of a more "holistic" approach gives schools greater control over who they accept, often with the intended goal of achieving a predetermined, desired demographic profile. Shifting the definition of merit to get this outcome has posed problems, especially in the U.S., where schools have been criticized for such practices.

It's not like there's a lawsuit against Harvard for being discriminatory or anything. Oh wait.

[sinusoid]

5 hours ago, Intrepid86 said:

 

De-emphasizing objective measures in favor of a more "holistic" approach gives schools greater control over who they accept, often with the intended goal of achieving a predetermined, desired demographic profile. Shifting the definition of merit to get this outcome has posed problems, especially in the U.S., where schools have been criticized for such practices.

I’m sorry, what does this mean exactly? What demographic are they looking for?

[apple94]

Dont write the MCAT until you know you have a decent chance at med. Right now you don't have a decent chance at med. Don't waste time getting a masters in immunology if youre not okay with doing research for the rest of your life. If i were you I would forget everything else in the world but school and work my hardest in 3rd year. This means going to every office hours every week and even start distancing myself from parties and friends. Forget ECs, that can come after getting a good GPA. I would do everything in my power to get a 3.9. If you get less than 3.7 in 3rd year, I would suggest you reevaluate a future career in medicine. If you get > 3.7 GPA, then consider writing the MCAT next summer. You'll have to kill 4th year as well (at this point go back to doing ECs) and apply to Western/Queens/Toronto during your GAP year. I know you can do it! I remember my grades being bad in high school and I questioned my abilities just like you are right now. But things changed eventually and now I've gained that confidence back. Try not to put too much mental stress on yourself - this is definitely a draining process! PM if you want specific tips for studying for specific courses. Good luck!

[sinusoid]

1 hour ago, nsrdude said:

Dont write the MCAT until you know you have a decent chance at med. Right now you don't have a decent chance at med. Don't waste time getting a masters in immunology if youre not okay with doing research for the rest of your life. If i were you I would forget everything else in the world but school and work my hardest in 3rd year. This means going to every office hours every week and even start distancing myself from parties and friends. Forget ECs, that can come after getting a good GPA. I would do everything in my power to get a 3.9. If you get less than 3.7 in 3rd year, I would suggest you reevaluate a future career in medicine. If you get > 3.7 GPA, then consider writing the MCAT next summer. You'll have to kill 4th year as well (at this point go back to doing ECs) and apply to Western/Queens/Toronto during your GAP year. I know you can do it! I remember my grades being bad in high school and I questioned my abilities just like you are right now. But things changed eventually and now I've gained that confidence back. Try not to put too much mental stress on yourself - this is definitely a draining process! PM if you want specific tips for studying for specific courses. Good luck!

I just want to thank you for giving me a very well thought out and insightful answer; I really appreciate it, like a lot. 

 

I PM’d you if you don’t mind

[garceyues]

On 5/24/2019 at 4:11 AM, Instagrammar said:

UofT has alluded in their admissions video that they are going to de-emphasize gpa and MCAT in the coming years and focus more on who you are as a person. 

Do you have a link to this?  I am not sure which video you are reffering to in specific.  

[Instagrammar]

2 hours ago, garceyues said:

Do you have a link to this?  I am not sure which video you are reffering to in specific.  

At 18:00 mark it is very explicit that the changes will come. 

https://www.facebook.com/UTMedAdmissions/videos/374160239859757/

 

[WeDayDream]

I feel like every school is slowly moving towards Calgary's admission process. I think the process is fair but will seem unpredictable for multi-cycle applicants given the subjective nature of EC and interviews.