Mcgill second undergrad and prerequisites

[Jackielake]

Hi,

I’m a lawyer and I did my degree at Udem. I’ve been working as a lawyer for the past five years. I want to apply for med school but I don’t have the grades. So I want to start a second undergrad bachelor in psychology this fall at Uqam. I know that McGill looks at your second undergrad only.

Do you guys know if it’s possible to be accepted to Mcgill Med with a second undergrad in psychology at Uqam? 
 

Also I’m currently doing my science prerequisite at Dawson during the evening while working full Time during the day. I have A+ in my classes but I work very very hard to get those grades. Does McGill look at the grades obtained in prerequisites? Is it important to have good grades? 
 

Thank you. 

 

 

[Vons]

As long as your prerequisite grades are high enough to count for transfer credit (in the C+/B- range I think, but I'm not entirely sure) you'll be fine. The basic science prerequisite grades aren't used competitively like they used to be.

The only grades that would matter for you would be the courses you take as part of your psychology degree at UQAM. I don't know anything about that specific program, but as long as it's a regular bachelor's program then it should be just fine. The only thing that really matters is maximizing your GPA in the program.

[Jackielake]

4 hours ago, Vons said:

As long as your prerequisite grades are high enough to count for transfer credit (in the C+/B- range I think, but I'm not entirely sure) you'll be fine. The basic science prerequisite grades aren't used competitively like they used to be.

The only grades that would matter for you would be the courses you take as part of your psychology degree at UQAM. I don't know anything about that specific program, but as long as it's a regular bachelor's program then it should be just fine. The only thing that really matters is maximizing your GPA in the program.

Thank you so much for your response

[Vons]

33 minutes ago, Jackielake said:

Thank you so much for your response

No problem. I completed a second undergraduate degree as a slightly older student to be more competitive, and it worked out for me. Feel free to shoot me a message if you have any other questions.

[Nala-]

I’m in the same position as you. I’ve been a lawyer for four years and I want to switch. 

I will start some of my prerequisite courses this summer. I’m still wondering what undergrad to apply for... 

I was wondering if a Major in a science program in McGill could be considered a second undergraduate for the application in Medicine? 

[ceelbe]

14 hours ago, Nala- said:

I’m in the same position as you. I’ve been a lawyer for four years and I want to switch. 

I will start some of my prerequisite courses this summer. I’m still wondering what undergrad to apply for... 

I was wondering if a Major in a science program in McGill could be considered a second undergraduate for the application in Medicine? 

From my understanding, whatever bachelor degree you do will be fine for McGill medicine so long as you hit the right amount of credits, full time (check their admissions site). People usually suggest to go for a degree that’s easy as opposed to one that might make you “look good”. I know a lot of people take sciences in hopes to go into medicine after but honestly it’s really hard from what I hear. You’d be better off taking something less intense but still something you find interesting! I see lots of people suggesting kinesiology lately. I did nursing so I’m no help there but I’d explore your options - you want whatever degree will be interesting AND get you the highest gpa possible so you have better chances in getting accepted  

[Nala-]

1 hour ago, ceelbe said:

From my understanding, whatever bachelor degree you do will be fine for McGill medicine so long as you hit the right amount of credits, full time (check their admissions site). People usually suggest to go for a degree that’s easy as opposed to one that might make you “look good”. I know a lot of people take sciences in hopes to go into medicine after but honestly it’s really hard from what I hear. You’d be better off taking something less intense but still something you find interesting! I see lots of people suggesting kinesiology lately. I did nursing so I’m no help there but I’d explore your options - you want whatever degree will be interesting AND get you the highest gpa possible so you have better chances in getting accepted  

Thank you for your response Ceelbe! I’m definitely thinking about doing an interesting degree that will get me the highest GPA. Let’s say I have high and competitive scores in a second undergraduate degree, do you know what could be the chances of someone with a profile like mine to get into McGill (I have a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in Laws, 4 years of work as a lawyer)?

I’m just afraid to put all my eggs in the same basket by only thinking about applying to McGill... Therefore, my intention is to keep all Quebec’s Med Schools in mind.  

[Vons]

7 minutes ago, Nala- said:

Thank you for your response Ceelbe! I’m definitely thinking about doing an interesting degree that will get me the highest GPA. Let’s say I have high and competitive scores in a second undergraduate degree, do you know what could be the chances of someone with a profile like mine to get into McGill (I have a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in Laws, 4 years of work as a lawyer)?

I’m just afraid to put all my eggs in the same basket by only thinking about applying to McGill... Therefore, my intention is to keep all Quebec’s Med Schools in mind.  

To get an interview, 70% of the ranking is cGPA/academics, 20% is CASPer, and 10% is your CV. If you frame it right and explain it well, your law experience could certainly make you stand out. It also depends on your other volunteering/work/leadership experience. Working in law may help, but I'd be surprised if it were enough on its own. You should be able to download a copy of McGill's MDCM CV template from their website, and that'll give you an idea of the sort of stuff they're interested in.

Presumably if you're in law you should have a decent handle on principles of ethics and thinking through moral dilemmas. That would serve you well on the CASPer exam, but really it's just about common sense and being able to quickly type out the concerns of various stakeholders in a situation and justify where you personally land on a situation.

Once you get an interview, it's all about doing well on the MMI (since the MMI counts for 100% of the post-interview rank), and for that I think practice goes far.

In short, I don't think any of the other components of the application are insurmountable obstacles, but it's obviously different from person to person depending on background/personality/etc. You're probably well positioned though.

[Nala-]

2 minutes ago, Vons said:

To get an interview, 70% of the ranking is cGPA/academics, 20% is CASPer, and 10% is your CV. If you frame it right and explain it well, your law experience could certainly make you stand out. It also depends on your other volunteering/work/leadership experience. Working in law may help, but I'd be surprised if it were enough on its own. You should be able to download a copy of McGill's MDCM CV template from their website, and that'll give you an idea of the sort of stuff they're interested in.

Presumably if you're in law you should have a decent handle on principles of ethics and thinking through moral dilemmas. That would serve you well on the CASPer exam, but really it's just about common sense and being able to quickly type out the concerns of various stakeholders in a situation and justify where you personally land on a situation.

Once you get an interview, it's all about doing well on the MMI (since the MMI counts for 100% of the post-interview rank), and for that I think practice goes far.

In short, I don't think any of the other components of the application are insurmountable obstacles, but it's obviously different from person to person depending on background/personality/etc. You're probably well positioned though.

Thank you, your words are giving me a lot of hope! 

I do have a LOT of volunteering and « leadership » experiences in law, and this is one of the reason I want to make the switch, as I feel I did what any lawyer my age would only dream of doing (highly mediatized trials, volunteering in loads of access to justice initiatives, conferences all over the country, awards and prizes).  

Once again, I really thank you for your insight as it will certainly help me plan my next few years. 

[ceelbe]

2 minutes ago, Nala- said:

Thank you, your words are giving me a lot of hope! 

I do have a LOT of volunteering and « leadership » experiences in law, and this is one of the reason I want to make the switch, as I feel I did what any lawyer my age would only dream of doing (highly mediatized trials, volunteering in loads of access to justice initiatives, conferences all over the country, awards and prizes).  

Once again, I really thank you for your insight as it will certainly help me plan my next few years. 

You sound like you’d be a great applicant  what’s your GPA from your law bachelors? Are you from Quebec?

[Nala-]

Just now, ceelbe said:

You sound like you’d be a great applicant  what’s your GPA from your law bachelors? Are you from Quebec?

Thank you Ceelbe! Yes, I’m for Quebec. I completed a DEC in humanities. Before that, I was doing pretty well in science, it was a long time ago, but I even received a grant (for a first semester only) to apply in any science program in McGill.

I’m afraid I shot myself in the foot when it comes to my bachelor in laws. My GPA was less than 3 (which is completely insignificant when you consult the Table des étalons of ULaval). I wasn’t liking law that much and decided to apply to Bar school on a whim, and I honestly wasn’t expecting my grades to have a lifelong impact on my future . I did well on my Master’s but I know now that my GPA is irrelevant if I want to apply to Medicine or any adjacent field. 

[ceelbe]

5 minutes ago, Nala- said:

I honestly wasn’t expecting my grades to have a lifelong impact on my future . I did well on my Master’s but I know now that my GPA is irrelevant if I want to apply to Medicine or any adjacent field. 

Don’t worry you aren’t alone with that  sounds like you’re on the track to success, good luck!!!