Student2029 Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 Hello everyone. My GPA for 3rd, 4th and 5th years of undergrad are 3.73, 3.61, 3.7+ respectively. My first year's GPA is not good at all also my first year was 2019-2020 so most schools don't count 2020. In my second year I took winter semester off due to illness but fall semester's gpa is 3.78. Everything is based on OMSAS scale. I have 3 awards ( 1 in research) and I have been active in student government for last 2 years. I am also finishing my undergrad thesis. I started volunteering for external organizations last year but not much hours. I plan to do my MCAT this summer and I think I will do great. What do you all think about my chances for 2025-2026 cycle? I have never applied before. Should I graduate this spring/summer or maybe graduate in fall? meanwhile getting some courses during summer to increase GPA for schools that looks for cGPA? I am also non-trad applicant (26 years old) from Ontario and I am scared that I am getting old. Any advise is appreciated. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robclem21 Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 As you requested, in all honesty. I don't think your grades are strong enough and you have yet to write the MCAT. It has been quite a few number of year since I applied to medical school now so I cant comment on the timing of graduation. I also don't know how schools will weight your grades with your time off. Either way though, taking your two strongest years, your GPA is still not competitive for most schools (especially in Ontario). Unless you have something spectacular on your CV like olympic athlete for example (which it doesn't sound like you do), you will be hard pressed to get interviews anywhere no matter what your MCAT score turns out to be. DrOtter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Student2029 Posted March 13 Author Report Share Posted March 13 On 3/12/2024 at 9:44 AM, robclem21 said: As you requested, in all honesty. I don't think your grades are strong enough and you have yet to write the MCAT. It has been quite a few number of year since I applied to medical school now so I cant comment on the timing of graduation. I also don't know how schools will weight your grades with your time off. Either way though, taking your two strongest years, your GPA is still not competitive for most schools (especially in Ontario). Unless you have something spectacular on your CV like olympic athlete for example (which it doesn't sound like you do), you will be hard pressed to get interviews anywhere no matter what your MCAT score turns out to be. Thank you for your comment. Do you think a non-degree year after my graduation would help? or maybe a 2 year bacc program at TMU? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valor Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 17 hours ago, Student2029 said: Thank you for your comment. Do you think a non-degree year after my graduation would help? or maybe a 2 year bacc program at TMU? Boosting your GPA should be your priority right now, be it a second undergrad and/or additional coursework. To make the most of this, however, consider taking the time to reflect on why you have not been able to meet your academic goals thus far. Discussing study strategies with your faculty's advisors, pre-medical societies, colleagues, etc. may prove useful in ensuring you are better prepared next time. Also, medical schools may evaluate non-degree years or programs differently so be sure to look into this when planning. Lastly, Ontario (for the most part) notoriously does not value their own applicants versus out-of-province. If you are not tied down to location, you could benefit from completing coursework in another province to gain in-province advantages come application time. I have seen this succeed for some colleagues though of course can be a significant personal change and again needs careful consideration of admission requirements for whichever schools you will be targeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robclem21 Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 10 hours ago, Student2029 said: Thank you for your comment. Do you think a non-degree year after my graduation would help? or maybe a 2 year bacc program at TMU? I'm not an expert on all the different schools and how they will evaluate the many different options for extra coursework. This is something you will have to look into to determine which option best fits your goals. At this point, whichever option you pick should definitely have some element of parallel planning to it that will give you options for careers other than medicine when you finish. I think at this point it would be foolish to continue to get credits with no purpose other than boosting your GPA. I also agree with the poster above. Arguably more important that which route you choose is what you will do differently. If you will continue to do the same thing and achieve the same GPA (which is not a bad GPA by the way, just not competitive for medical school), then it doesn't matter what you do. You need to address the cause of whatever is holding you back from getting a 3.9+ GPA in order for the next step to have any chance of being successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shikimate Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 try the IMG route. Bigger risk, but seems more feasible for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Student2029 Posted March 17 Author Report Share Posted March 17 On 3/14/2024 at 1:33 PM, shikimate said: try the IMG route. Bigger risk, but seems more feasible for you. I don't have a cosigner to get the loan from bank. so finance is the issue I might start a second degree and finish in 2 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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