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[justanotherapplicant]

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[gingerbean]

your EC's are good but that GPA is on the lower end. It'll be a challenge and an uphill climb (just looking at recent admit stats), but I still think you should apply!

[Bumblegum]

Honest feedback:

First of all, you should be proud of yourself for being a very above average student and having well-rounded activities

That being said, ECs are good enough to get you an interview if you had maybe a 92+% GPA. If you’re in the lower GPA scale you are going to need some major dedicated commitments that are truly above and beyond. Good to rewrite that MCAT as it’ll help you post interview. I’d either work on your GPA and then try to make some major EC impacts after you graduate. Don’t spread yourself too thin UBC explicitly states they value strong commitment to one over many mediocre commitments.

However, apply every cycle because you NEVER know.

[ember]

I would apply - at the very least it gives you experience through the process. But with an additional year you would get the adjusted GPA, I'd be curious to know how much it increases. My GPA was 84-85% (my school didn't do percentages) when I was accepted, so GPAs in this realm are possible

[frenchpress]

You should absolutely apply. You will gain experience with every application cycle, and going through interviews (if you make it to that phase) is extra helpful. You might not get in the first time - that’s ok. You might not get in on the second try - that’s ok. It’s OK to start medicine later in life, and if you keep up with a reasonable number of ECs your application will continue to improve every year.  Medicine is a long road - if you kill yourself now with ECs just to get in as fast as humanly possible, you’re just going to be staring down the barrel of many more years of killing yourself without a break. 

None of my friends who started medicine older regret that they started later in life. But definitely a couple of my younger friends wish they had done a bit more with their lives before starting medicine. 

[gingerbean]

I totally agree with @frenchpress agpa will help you a lot in the future if you qualify. more life experience and maturity will help you in a future career

[plsdontletthisbeawaste]

Hey OP,

I was in a very similar position 3 years ago. Had just finished 3rd year with some C+ grades, a downhill trend in my GPA, with an OGPA of 83%. Applied and received regrets pre-interview. I decided to finish up my undergrad so that I could qualify for AGPA, worked hard to improve my grades in my final year and cut out some ECs that were too time-intensive and I had felt that I had outgrown. Explored some ECs that I wanted to do for myself and my growth.

When graduating, my OGPA was 84.8% and my AGPA was 86-87% (don't know exactly because calculations were different for COVID). Decided to give UBC Med another shot and submitted my application. Worked hard on my activity descriptions to highlight the impact I had on the different populations I worked with. I also used the "Additional Information" portion to describe my struggles during my 3rd year (where my GPA was quite low). After submitting the application, I went ahead with my gap year, unsure whether I would have to take another gap year again. In December, I received an interview invite – I feel that I was just slightly above the cutoff since my stats weren't great. I took the interview incredibly seriously, practicing as much as I could. I reflected on my life and learned to incorporate my lived experiences when answering interview questions. My gap year also gave me a huge maturity boost – something most students directly from their undergrad lack. I was under a lot of financial pressure during quarantine and had several family responsibilities. Anyhow, I believe all of this must have translated in my interview answers because fast forward to May, I was fortunate to gain admission into UBC VFMP!

So OP, my advice to you is to continue moving forward, look for ways to genuinely improve and learn. Do it for yourself, not for this application system. You've got solid ECs and I can see that you're passionate about them. When it comes time to apply, make sure to convey that genuine passion and reflect on the hardships/failures that you have faced throughout life and how that has shaped you into who you are today. I believe it will work out, it's all just a matter of when, not if. Wishing you all the best, OP ❤️