Where should I apply?

[Guest Natalia22]

I am not sure which med schools, if any, I am eligible to apply to. I am from quebec and I did a four year undergraduate B.Sc. where my GPAs were 2.79, 2.45, 3.45, 3.59. Thi year I am doing an extra year as a special student. I did my MCAT last summer and got a 36 (PS14, BS12, V10). WIll any school even look at my application. If not what would you suggest that I do if I really want to go into medicine. I am not geting any younger, and at 24 years old I feel that if medicine is something which I cannot achieve in the next few years, then maybe I should pursue something else. Any advice would be great.

 

Thanks,

Nat

[Guest thecod]

i don't think you stand a good chance at getting into any medical school in ontario. on the brighter side, you have an excellent mcat score. :eek maybe if you apply in the u.s., they would look at your mcat score in lieu of your gpa.

[Guest aneliz]

Your GPA is going to be the real problem in Ontario.

 

You will be below the cut-offs at UWO, UofT, Queens and Ottawa....but you might make the cuts at NOMS and/or Mac...

 

What about the Quebec schools?

[Guest caper81]

Hi Natalia,

I think you should consider the U of Manitoba since you have such a great MCAT score! At the U of M, MCAT is worth like 50%, while your GPA is 10% and I believe everything else (interview, essay, etc.) are worth 40%. May I ask what you did to get such a great MCAT score? Prep course? Books? Also, thecod’s suggestion is good too, try the US, they “seem” to value the MCAT more down there.

 

And by the way, I know how you feel, I am like 23 years old and starting to feel the same way, if medicine is something I cannot achieve in the next few years, I will too just have to do something else I like.

[Guest cutieyellow]

Nat,

 

The other posters are right, chances are zero to none in Ontario, seeing how i shelled out over 500 bucks and still got refusal after refusal (my GPA was OMSAS 3.7 too but MCATs 29Q). I find chances in ones province is always best, especially in Quebec, which seems to want to keep its own students.

 

Now, let's talk about Quebec schools.

I understand that the biological clock is ticking and that you want to get into medical school the fastest way you can, however your GPA makes it quite difficult for any school in Quebec to even consider you (seeing how French schools don't look at MCAT scores and McGill has strict cutoffs). If you wanted to stay in Quebec, my only advice would be to increase your grades by starting another degree, perhaps a professional one to be used as a plan B if , God forbids, medical school never works out. I have people in my classes who have multiple degrees...

 

Then there's the advice everyone else is giving you, USA. A friend of mine also decided to go to the Caribbeans (his overall GPA was like 3.3) this coming January. However, he is well aware that he will probably not be able to come back here to practice. It's really up to you, how much you're willing to sacrifice and how much you're willing to put on the line.

 

I wish you great luck in your quest.

 

CY

[Guest quebecboy]

Hi Natalia,

 

If ever you chose to do a second bachelors degree, here's an interesting link for you:

 

www.reg.ulaval.ca/Calcul_Cote_Laval.pdf

 

It tells you the maximum R score per program, and different values permitting you to calculate your R score at Laval for your program (if you went to Laval that is, otherwise your R score could be slightly different).

 

Here are the formulas to calculate the R score and the importance that is given to your first program of study all depending on the number of credits obtained in the second program:

 

www.reg.ulaval.ca/Cote_Laval.html

 

Last year, the last person invited for the NAS had an R score of 32.1 (the year before, 33).

 

Also, it is important to know that although this grid applies for Laval this year, it may change for next year (may go up or down) and that the R score calculated at Laval will be different than the one calculated at Sherbrooke or Montreal. For McGill, I believe Medicator said in another thread that McGill uses cumulative GPA in order to evaluate your file, so it may be impossible even after a 2nd degree to get your GPA high enough to be invited.

 

Quebecboy

[Guest Ollie]

I am like 23 years old and starting to feel the same way, if medicine is something I cannot achieve in the next few years, I will too just have to do something else I like.

 

23! You're still a baby! I'm 26 and this year was my first time applying. Luckily I was successful on my first try. But had I not been, I would have definitely kept trying for a least a few years. Don't let your age be a barrier. There are a number of people on this board who are starting school in their late 20's, or 30's and 40's. As a woman, I totally understand the whole biological clock thing. I hope to start a family during residency, but I think this is pretty common. It can definitely be done if you want it!

[Guest Natalia22]

Thank you everyone for your very positive, and quick, responses. I have decided to look into U of M and see if I have a chance there, and I will probably apply to MacMaster also.

 

caper81: I wrote the MCAT for the second time last summer. The first time I wrote it I took the PR. Last summer I just used the material again, but this time I really studied hard for about 5 weeks before the exam (so people there is still time to get serious if you are thinking about writing this year). I could only study about 6 hours a day during the week, because I was also working full time, and about 10 hours per day on the weekend.

 

cutieyellow: Thanks for the great advice. I applied to McGill to do a second degree, but I was rejected because of space limitations. Aparently they have so many applicants that they are no longer accepting second degree students for science and arts degrees. I think that this really sucks for me. But, I believe that everything happens for a reason and I am just trying to stay positive about the whole thing.

[Guest cutieyellow]

Natalia,

 

I agree, everything does happen for a reason, even when the reason does not seem quite evident at the time. You have a great attitude/outlook on the situation and i think that it's the best way to go. On a side note, i really wasn't aware that it was that bad at McGill and space!

 

You do realize there are many other universities in Quebec other than McGill right.... lol. I'm saying this as i did my undergrad degree at Concordia and yes, it's the underdog but it still got me where i am now. Consider other schools, Concordia, U de Montreal, UQAM...etc if a second degree is the path you choose to take.

 

CY

[Guest avisee]

As already suggested, you can start a second degree to boost your odds. Doing a second bachelors degree will help you across the board, since many schools may use your new GPA from that program, assuming you think you can boost up your marks. However, you can also consider doing a graduate degree, which may qualify you for a special graduate applicant pool at a few schools, plus it will give you extra qualifications do give you a better plan B if medicine doesn't work out. Schools like Queens are willing to use your graduate GPA in calculating your application GPA. U of T and Ottawa have graduate applicant pools that you would probably qualify for if you enrolled in a research-based Masters, but it's still pretty competitive to get in through this pool, and you'd have to publish a lot. If doing research isn't of interest to you, then this might not be the best route.

 

On the idea of doing another bachelors, there are a few other things that might help you. If you think you can really boost your GPA,then doing 2 more years could really help you. Many schools will let you do a general (3 year) bachelors degree in 2 years if it's your second degree. If you could get two years with a GPA over 3.7, you may be eligible to apply to schools that use your best two years, like Dalhousie, Queen's, Calgary, and possibly Western (although their switch to an honours prereq may make this a problem - someone from UWO would know more about the details). You could also do a second bachelors in another province, and set up residency there, if it's a place you think you'd like to move to (but don't move to Ontario for the sake of being favoured as an in-province student; residency here won't help you). However, you'd need to live somewhere for 2-3 years, depending on residency conditions, so I'd only move somewhere if it was a place you'd like to call home.

 

And I agree about the recommendation to apply to Manitoba. It's probably the school that best favours your application strengths and weaknesses. However, it may also depend on whether your low years consist of consistently low marks or some high and some low, as I believe they may exclude some of your lower marks to your favour when calculating your GPA.

 

Someone suggested NOMS, and this could be an idea if you're from a rural region or have strong french skills (as I imagine you would), AND are interested in working in a rural region. I'm not sure how receptive NOMS is to non-Ontario students, but if you have a rural background and would like to work in rural medicine, you might have a chance there; you should meet the GPA cutoff I think.

 

Basically.. applying to the US is an option, but if you can pull off two good years (with a GPA of at least 3.7) you can greatly improve your chances around here.

[Guest Natalia22]

Actually, I was accepted into Concordia's science program for the fall. However, whenever I tell people this they all say that I shouldn't go there becasue it won't help me get into med. Even if I were to get a perfect 4.3 GPA, they say that McGill probably wouldn't accept me because they would still mainly look at my low marks at McGill, and they wouldn't view a perfect GPA as being that great because they view Concordia as an "easy" university. As far as Ontario med schools are considered, I have never heard of anyone from Concordia being accepted to them.

 

So is it really worth going to Conc for a second degree, or should I just do a special year at McGill?

[Guest cutieyellow]

Hmm...how shall i say this...hehehe. I'm a little sensitive at the fact that Concordia was always known as the 'easier' school. I don't see how this was so, seeing how Concordia had great programs, and not easy to say the least!

 

I love my experience at Concordia. I found it to be a great school, that didn't have any 'snobbish' feel to it. Everyone was without any pretention, in fact, they were probably too busy rallying and protesting for some cause. I was part of the Science College, which allowed me to have undergraduate research in each of my undergrad yrs, this would have been nearly impossible in a loftier school. I learned a lot, got good grades and got into medical school. It really isn't the school you're from that makes the difference during your application, but truly your grades and the way you've chosen to live your extracurriculars. I was very involved in a many many things (Golden Key, Garnet Key, President of Science College Association, helped in the biochem association, volunteered, tutored...) and i found time to still study and do well.

 

I really don't like people who 'say things' like which school is easier/better than another because i really feel as though school doesn't matter, it's really how well you do, and how you're much you're willing to do in order to get there.

 

As for Med school, I've had tons of friends that have gone to med school from Concordia. And i do have a few that got into Ontario schools and decided to go to McGill instead. Everything is possible, i don't think anybody is in a position to be criticizing a school they haven't been to, or even criticize at all, just because it's the individual that gets into the med school and not the undergrad school that gets into med school. Hmmmm...if this makes no sense it's cause i'm on vacation and my brain is turned off.

 

As for whether it's worth it for you or not, only you know that. What i can say however is that i doubt that ONE yr at McGill as an independent student is enough to erase those 4 years of undergrad GPAs.

 

CY

[Guest CHUBBY]

congrats on the great mcat scores...my suggestion is that if you have an interest in research getting into a graduate programme is a good idea..

 

also i'm rewriting the mcat to get my 10 in verbal...>:

 

any suggestions on what helped you score well on this section?

 

thanks

 

best of luck with everything

[Guest Sarah371]

Chubby,

There are a number of posts in the MCAT preparation section outlining study plans for the verbal reasoning section.

[Guest Natalia22]

Hey CY!

 

Thanks for the reply. When I applied to do a special year at McGill, it was more out of fear and frustration because I had just found out that I had been rejected from doing a second degree over there. Having had some time to think about it, and reaing your post, I think that I will most likely attend Concordia in the fall, seeing as I think that it is the best way for me to get into med school, and if that doesn't work out then at least I will have a degree in a field which interests me. Thanks again for helping to give me some real perspective on the situation! I really appreciate it!

[Guest cutieyellow]

It's my pleasure Natalia,

 

Hope everything works out!

 

CY

[Guest Salkh]

Chubby - I got an 8 in verbal when I wrote the MCAT last August. I enrolled in a Kaplan course for this year, and they suggest paraphrasing each paragraph (just put the paragraph into a FEW words of your own) and don't get bogged down by the detail. Then look at the questions, and if you've paraphrased properly, you should be able to look back and work out the answer quickly. They also suggest finding the overall theme of the passage, and what the author is trying to get across. I tried this strategy out in practice tests, etc., and found that it was really helping me. Luckily, I was accepted to UofA med school with my current MCAT marks and don't have to rewrite, but I was definitely on my way to improving my VR score.

[Guest caper81]

Ohhhh Ollie, if I am a baby at 23, you must be a mere toddler at 26... he he he . But thanks for the encouraging words. And sorry to confuse you, I don’t think my biological clock is ticking, I am a guy. I don’t think guys have biological clock. Or do we? It's just that I will graduate next year with my degree and was thinking… do I really want to put in another 3/4 years of med schools and then 2-6 years of residency BECAUSE I can just easily found a job once I graduate next year and start working. It’s just that this whole process of trying to get into med school can be so overwhelming sometimes!

 

Anyway, congrad on getting into med school this year! May I ask why you waited till you were 26 to apply?

[Guest Ollie]

caper81,

 

oops, sorry bout that! :lol

 

For me, when I finished undergrad at 22, I was undecided about med in general, and definitely unprepared to start med school. Not that I was immature, but I knew I wasn't ready to head down that road yet. I took a year off, worked full time, went to Europe for 4 months, moved out of my parent's house. I started a MSc, with thoughts of potentially doing a PhD, and forgetting about med altogether. Although I really enjoy research, and had a great experience with my MSc, I realized that it's not what I could see myself doing for the rest of my life. So I started volunteering at a hospital, buckled down and studied for the MCAT, and applied, thinking that this would be the practice run, and I'd need at least 2 kicks at the can. To my amazement, I got accepted at UofT. For about the first week after getting the letter, I was somewhat panicked, cause it's like you can't turn back now. But now I'm feeling really comfortable with starting school, and I'm really sure this is for me. (Although ask me in a year and I may feel differently, but hopefully not!! )

 

I guess the way I look at the time factor is, that the years are going to go by anyways. I have the rest of my life to work, so what difference does it make if I start at 25, 30, 35 or whenever. I would rather be sure that I am doing what I love!

 

Best of luck with your applications!

[Guest studentz]

I wouldn't waste the $$ applying to the states...the schools will look at your cumulative GPA and although you have an upward trend, it may not be high enough. I agree about the Manitoba thing...ride your MCAT score as far as it will get you and do something academic in the fall.