What can I do with a 3.7 GPA?

[Maggie2002]

Hi everybody!

I'm graduating with a bachelors of Anatomy and Cell Biology from McGill University in Winter of 2024. I currently stand at a 3.72 cumulative GPA, I'm hoping to boost it to a 3.80 by the time I graduate. I'm struggling with ideas on what to do post-graduation. I feel incredibly intimidated by the super high GPAs people have in the science field and it makes me feel like I have no prospects in healthcare. I do have 2 years of experience working as an emergency room unit coordinator. 

I'd greatly appreciate it if anybody could share advice or programs I could apply to with my current GPA. 

My plan is to medical school but as it stands my GPA won't be enough to pass to Quebec universities and I'd prefer not to have to leave the province. So, I'm looking into different programs that would be good plan Bs. I'd like to have a safety net, something I know without doubt that I could get into. 

I feel so weighted by the pressure of a low GPA and very little extracurricular experience, so anything somebody could share would be very helpful to me. 

Thank you in advance everybody :)) 

[MDee2B]

Take it one step at a time. You still have a year left of undergrad and you have the right mindset - boost your GPA into that competitive ballpark (~3.8).

This should be the sole focus of your time and energy at the moment. Forget about extracurriculars for now because if you're not competitive academically, secondary factors like ECs won't even be considered altogether when you apply to med.

once you've gotten to the end of undergrad, apply to med. don't be intimidated - super high gpa does not necessarily equate acceptance, nor does relatively low gpa equate rejection. if it doesn't work out right away, and if your goal is med school in Quebec, you can continue to boost your academic score in 3 ways:

1. Master's degree. Although not a direct increase to your gpa, you'll get a slight "bonification" in your academic score for having completed graduate studies.

2. 2nd undergrad. plenty of threads on this forum to research for potential majors which have proven successful for pre-meds.

3. études libres. not actually enrolling in a 2nd full time undergrad degree, but taking some coursework on the side to improve your gpa. some qc schools (ex. U de M) consider ALL undergraduate coursework (ie. even those courses taken outside of a formal program) in calculating your academic score. the advantage here is that it allows you to get on with your life (i.e. work full time), the disadvantage is that any gains to your gpa are marginal (because you're likely not taking a full course load, and so you have less courses to help improve your gpa).

 

choosing the right path all depends on your situation (ex. money, parental support, how many years you're willing to invest in the endeavour of getting into med).

for the moment, though, stay focussed on killing your final year of undergrad.