Mistadragon Posted April 19, 2020 Report Share Posted April 19, 2020 Hey everyone, I need some advice about pursuing medicine. I’m currently a 4th year student in Ontario. I’ve known that I’ve always wanted to be a doctor however my transition to university wasn’t so smooth, I immigrated to the country and had a lot of bumps along the way in first year, which was attributed to depression and anxiety, and as a result I ended my first semester with a 1.4 GPA and my second semester was just the same. This sort of made the depression worse however being young and naive I stuck around and completed second year with similar grades, which lead me to take some time off from school and focus on myself, by working, volunteering, exploring other interests and also seek treatment/rehabilitation for my mental health.. I returned 2 years later and managed to pull up my socks and achieve a 3.9 GPA in my 3rd year, and as I mentioned, I’m currently in my 4th year with a similar GPA. I also took the MCAT during the 2 years away from school and scored a 509 (127 cars), and I do plan on retaking it this September. I now currently plan on taking a 5th year to further improve my GPA while also meet requirements to earn a major in a different program, as a back up plan, in case med school is just not feasible. I think I’m on the right track but at the same time I feel that I'm just being ambitious to think that I stand a chance. I can’t stop thinking about the abysmal first two years of my undergraduate career and how that would look on med school applications, not to mention how the time off would affect my chances, that’s assuming I have any chances to begin with. Sorry for the wall of text, but would really appreciate some advice/guidance on my current scenario, thanks for taking the time to read this and hope you're all safe!. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invrede Posted April 19, 2020 Report Share Posted April 19, 2020 A 5th year is good choice. Schools like Western and Queens only look at your GPA from your best two years. I believe Ottawa looks at best three. Your MCAT score is also in good shape, just check the cut offs for each individual school. Time off was definitely won't affect your chances. You saw that you needed time to heal and get better, alot of people don't have the maturity to take step back. You don't mention your ECs at all, but if their also proficient you should be in a good place to apply to medical school during your fifth year. Galaxsci 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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