Advice: Should I even bother?

[coffeeismyvirtue]

Hey guys,

After so much creeping and never posting I thought I might as well ask for some of your guys's advice. I've been wanting to be a doctor since I was a kid but I never tried because I didnt think I was smart enough lol so anyways here are the numbers: UGPA is whack, this is the trend 1.9 (had a rough year), 2.7, 3.2, 3.6. Finished a MA with a 3.8-3.9 and havent written the MCAT yet. Should I even try? idk what do you guys think? You can be critical, I'm not soft.

 

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[zxcccxz]

No matter your MCAT score, your GPA will preclude you from applying/being competitive at any med school in Canada. If you are set on going to med, you would have to do a second undergrad and score at least 3.8+ (on the OMSAS scale) while taking a full course load. This could make you competitive for Western and Queens. For most other med schools, your GPA from your first undergrad is lethal, unfortunately.

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If your AGPA is over 3.4, you have a chance. You would need to be an in province manitoba applicant though. AGPA is a relatively small portion of the equation they use, so if you were to kill the mcat and interview you would have a solid chance.

[S204]

My $0.02. Head over to the U of M Med Admissions webpage - they publish the stats on GPA, MCAT, etc. for people that got in. Your target, I believe, should be a GPA that looks like the average admission GPA. Your application can probably suffer 0.1-0.3 drop below the average but success becomes, of course, less and less likely. The are other factors that can semi-compensate for a low GPA (MCAT, CASPer, special "boosters" like rural residency, MMI performance). This is all published in the Medicine Bulletin on the Admissions page - I suggest giving that a read. 

Keep in mind, also, that even in the best scenarios there are always factors outside of your control. Control what you can. If you're not "naturally" an academic person, taking some courses that support the MCAT is a good idea and, if you get good grades, some of your lower grades can drop off consideration (double check the rules on this - GPA calculations can be complicated school-to-school).

Again my $0.02. Medicine is a lifestyle - if you're serious about that lifestyle, the sacrifice and dogged determination definitely starts a lot of miles before the white coat. Having an ego that can learn and recover from falling short of the mark is a key asset. I personally think calm resilience is more critical to the process than raw intelligence.