How is med school GPA calculated for a U of T undergrad?

[Guest linney88]

Hey, I'll be going to UofT this year for undergrad. I'm in the Life Science program. I've been reading about med school and it says you need a min of 3.6 GPA.

 

My question is, is this cumulative from 1st year? Like, do they average all your GPA's from your courses together up to the year you decide to apply?

 

I'm wondering because it puts alot of pressure to do well 1st year. I'm scared that if I screw up 1st year, my dream for med school is over. Is there still hope if you got a 3.0 GPA for 1st year? Or should you just give up med school and look for another alternative?

 

Thanks alot of your help.

[Guest no wai]

The GPA that is talked about here is the OMSAS GPA, not the UT GPA. They are the same except for courses between 85-89. That is a 4.0 in the UT scale but only a 3.9 in the OMSAS scale.

 

For UT, all the course you take during the school year is counted in the average; it's cummulative. Courses taken in summer are counted for prereq fufillment but not for GPA calculations.

 

A 3.0 first year will be pretty harmful to your application in terms of making the cutoff but if you improve significantly in later years, you've still got a shot.

 

Also, UT will drop your 3 lowest credits if you take a full 5 courses every year and apply in your 4th year. That can help remove some of the first year screwups.

[Guest scrubbed]

Hi,

 

Different medical schools calculate GPA differently: some put more weight on more recent courses, others take your best two years, and others use all courses you have taken. Take some time to look at the varous schools' websites for more information.

 

For some general advice, try to take a full courseload, generally five courses per term: some schools only count full courseload years when calculating your GPA while others will forgive some of your weaker marks. Though this is a bit down the line, some schools, Western Ontario, at least, will only accept students who have taken an honours degree.

 

Gaining entrance into medical school is competitive: this year at U of T, for example, there were about 270 offers for 2700 applicants, an acceptance rate of about 10%. Ideally, among other things, a med school wants students who have consistently performed well during their undergraduate career, though someone with a low GPA one year, if they do much better in subsequent years still has a chance. You should shoot for an A average (3.9 GPA), which would keep doors open for any school in Canada.

 

There is pressure, both external and internal, to do well. Instead of focussing on medical schools and marks, just try to perform the best that you can while taking a full courseload, and involve yourself in extracurricular activities that you enjoy, not activities that you will think will impress a future admissions committee.

 

Best of luck.

[Guest linney88]

Wow, thanks for the very informative replies no wai and scrubbed!

 

Things are starting to clear up after reading your replies. Before, it was all a jumble mess.

 

Thanks again.

[Guest The Law]

Make sure you check out the admissions websites for the schools you are interested in! Since each weigh GPAs differently, you will have a greater idea where your marks stand at that school.