Absolute Confusion

[playcs 0]

Hey Everyone,

I’m currently in 4th year. I was banking on the fact that UofC would take my best 3 years if I did 5 years unfortunately that is not the case. If I do a 5th year my GPA after dropping my lowest year ends up being ~3.37. I’m in a really tough spot right now and completely lost on what to do from here, I checked the stats and some students did get into uofc Med with subpar GPA’s. I really struggled my first couple years in uni due to my dads health conditions. 

I was wondering what you all would suggest, is it worth graduating next semester with approximately a 2.88 GPA (all years counted assuming I end up with ~3.7-3.8 this year, things are better now) and attempting to get into a masters? Should I look into completing two years of a second undergrad degree? I’m not sure how the GPA will work for that will it simply add on to my old degree as a 5th and 6th year and that’s what UofC will use? Should I stay and attempt to complete a 5th year try to do great on the MCAT, CARS in particular and apply with a 3.37? 

My goal is to stay at uofc due to my dads conditions.

I understand these are loaded questions so please take your time to reply. I’m just feeling very lost right now and unsure of what direction to take. 

Thanks for everyone’s help!

[petitmonstre111 72]

Masters won’t help much in terms of grades. I’d say you’re probably looking at a second undergrad.
 

Also, I suggest you reflect on your current commitments. Will you be able to handle the work load in med school while simultaneously caring for your father? Has there been a recent change that seems to indicate his condition will no longer impact your academic performance?

[playcs 0]

1 hour ago, petitmonstre111 said:

Masters won’t help much in terms of grades. I’d say you’re probably looking at a second undergrad.
 

Also, I suggest you reflect on your current commitments. Will you be able to handle the work load in med school while simultaneously caring for your father? Has there been a recent change that seems to indicate his condition will no longer impact your academic performance?

Thanks for your reply. Im happy to say my father is doing significantly better than he was previously and his health is currently not a huge concern (as long as he avoids being in large gatherings due to COVID)

I wonder however, how the second undergrad works? Technically I can graduate next semester within the 4 years of my degree if I try for another undergrad how does the university look at the marking for that?

For example if I go for the second undergrad my goal is to try and finish it within two years I understand I don’t need a finished degree to apply to uofc so that’s a plus but what happens to the grades for my previous undergrad? Do they take the 4 years from my previous undergrad add them to the two years of my current undergrad and drop the lowest year? Based on my calculations if I maintain a 4.0 (I’m aware this is unrealistic but for arguments sake) and factor in all my previous grades I’m looking at a 3.49 based on completing my degree this year and doing two years of another undergrad. I guess a positive I have is a upwards trend I can show for.

Thanks for your help.

[zxcccxz 96]

5 hours ago, playcs said:

Thanks for your reply. Im happy to say my father is doing significantly better than he was previously and his health is currently not a huge concern (as long as he avoids being in large gatherings due to COVID)

I wonder however, how the second undergrad works? Technically I can graduate next semester within the 4 years of my degree if I try for another undergrad how does the university look at the marking for that?

For example if I go for the second undergrad my goal is to try and finish it within two years I understand I don’t need a finished degree to apply to uofc so that’s a plus but what happens to the grades for my previous undergrad? Do they take the 4 years from my previous undergrad add them to the two years of my current undergrad and drop the lowest year? Based on my calculations if I maintain a 4.0 (I’m aware this is unrealistic but for arguments sake) and factor in all my previous grades I’m looking at a 3.49 based on completing my degree this year and doing two years of another undergrad. I guess a positive I have is a upwards trend I can show for.

Thanks for your help.

Yes, that's exactly what they'd do. Since you have not yet graduated, you don't actually have to do a second undergrad. You can just elect not to request graduation and continue taking courses (at least this is the case at most schools, exceptions may exist so ask your registrar).

However, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but even with the 4.0 in both years (and a resulting 3.49), you'd be very uncompetitive. Because of the "global assessment of academic merit" section on the UofC application, you may get a very slight bump for an upward trend, but because 20% of your pre-interview score is automatically calculated based on your wGPA score, it would be very hard for you to get an interview unless your CARS score and top 10 experiences were spectacular. As someone already mentioned, a graduate degree does very little for your GPA.

I understand that you have to stay close to home for your dad, but if you really want to get into med, your chances would be best somewhere like Queens/Western where they take your two most recent/best years. Alternately, if you are completely set on UofC only, it is still possible but it would be a VERY long road (i.e., invoke their 10-year exclusion rule and use that time to build your CV). 

[playcs 0]

24 minutes ago, zxcccxz said:

Yes, that's exactly what they'd do. Since you have not yet graduated, you don't actually have to do a second undergrad. You can just elect not to request graduation and continue taking courses (at least this is the case at most schools, exceptions may exist so ask your registrar).

However, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but even with the 4.0 in both years (and a resulting 3.49), you'd be very uncompetitive. Because of the "global assessment of academic merit" section on the UofC application, you may get a very slight bump for an upward trend, but because 20% of your pre-interview score is automatically calculated based on your wGPA score, it would be very hard for you to get an interview unless your CARS score and top 10 experiences were spectacular. As someone already mentioned, a graduate degree does very little for your GPA.

I understand that you have to stay close to home for your dad, but if you really want to get into med, your chances would be best somewhere like Queens/Western where they take your two most recent/best years. Alternately, if you are completely set on UofC only, it is still possible but it would be a VERY long road (i.e., invoke their 10-year exclusion rule and use that time to build your CV). 

Thank you for your reply. My short thinking made me realize I didn’t look into Queens/Western enough. I’m currently taking 4 and 4 this semester and next so that essentially renders my fourth year useless based on both Universities requirements. I’m stuck doing either a 6th year or two years within my second undergrad either way then! 
 

Even though I am at a severe disadvantage due to my GPA I’m intending on writing my MCAT this summer. Are you possibly aware if I swap out (ideally to a more employable undergrad) would I be able to take my 4 years from my previous degree plus the first year of my new undergrad and apply like that to uofc? Reason is i realize it’s next to impossible but I’d still like to apply with a 3.37 to get familiar with the process and a better understanding.

thank you for your help!

[plzacceptme 4]

Hey current student here. I think you should apply, and mention this adversity in your app. There's a section at the end that allows you to describe why you did poorly in your GPA or MCAT. The fact that your GPA has trended up and you did quite well in your last couple of years shows tremendous progress and potential. UofC looks at more than just your cookie-cutter premed students with the perfect GPA and MCAT. The adversity you faced and the impact that it had on you as a person could make you a very empathetic physician. Remember, you can teach medicine to anyone, you can't teach empathy.

[offmychestplease 262]

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[playcs 0]

2 hours ago, plzacceptme said:

Hey current student here. I think you should apply, and mention this adversity in your app. There's a section at the end that allows you to describe why you did poorly in your GPA or MCAT. The fact that your GPA has trended up and you did quite well in your last couple of years shows tremendous progress and potential. UofC looks at more than just your cookie-cutter premed students with the perfect GPA and MCAT. The adversity you faced and the impact that it had on you as a person could make you a very empathetic physician. Remember, you can teach medicine to anyone, you can't teach empathy.

Thank you so much for your encouraging words. I am considering, whatever I do I Atleast give the MCAT this summer and apply the next year just for the sake of applying. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. 
 

 

2 hours ago, offmychestplease said:

Best of luck, don't give up. 

Thank you so much man. I honestly came on here expecting to catch a lot of flack and the standard “give up” somehow I’ve gotten realistic advice and encouraging words. I appreciate every single one of you guys!

[DrKing 2]

Yeah dude apply. Everyone’s journey is different. U of C values the journey. So if you’re is genuine and you’ve learned from it then I’m sure you will at least get an interview. 

[playcs 0]

On 10/26/2020 at 8:08 AM, DrKing said:

Yeah dude apply. Everyone’s journey is different. U of C values the journey. So if you’re is genuine and you’ve learned from it then I’m sure you will at least get an interview. 

Thank you for your comment! I appreciate all the support!