Am I on the track having a competitive GPA to apply UBC med?

[Guest smooth operater]

Hello guys! I just finished all my summer courses and officially completed 1st yr undergrad at UBC. I would like you guys to give some feedbacks on my grades so far and answer some concerns I have regarding my GPA.

 

 

 

 

 

UBC gives both percentage and letter grade on the transcript. When applying for UBC med schools, do the adcom look at percentages at all, or just solely letter grades?

 

I took a challenge exam for math 100 (pre-req course most med schools) and received 97%. The grade actually appears on my transcript but it also indicates that it's the "challenge exam" grade i received. Will UBC adcom take that grade in consideration?

 

I received C+ on english literature which is the worst class I have done so far, should I retake this course to show the adcom I can do better than that? will the adcom frown on it?

 

UBC website stated "The minimum academic standing required for admission is 70%". I have 66%, 69%, 69%, and 68% on my transcription. Am I screwed to have a chance applying at UBC med?

 

my overall percentage so far is 77.71% which is B+ according to UBC grading system. Am I on the track having a competitive GPA?

 

hope you guys will help me out! any suggestions are welcome !! Just be honest with me! Thank you!

[Guest Biochem3010]

It's too early to say. 1st year ain't enough to prove anything to the adcom. You could have a @#%$ 1st year & stellar years after. If the opposite, then it isn't good. The 70% refers to the overall average.

 

If you had a C+ in 2nd year organic chem, would you take a 3rd or 4th year course to do better? I doubt it, but maybe someone might do it. Retaking English wouldn't make any sense unless you want to do a higher level. Many ppl like me would just forget about it & move on. 77% sounds decent for 1st year. You have 3 more years & it'll get harder.

 

My friend who had like low 60's in 1st year ended up being a Wesbrook Scholar & is in med. There's more to than just grades. He is currently co-running some roller hockey league & doing rez at st. pauls. Also was the UBC Med's sports rep.

[Guest ewon2003]

77% isn't too bad. You still have lots of time to make it up, because UBC goes by percentage. I suspect that they will affect your gpa greatly on OMSAS and AMCAS.

 

I hope those 60's aren't the pre-requisites. If they are you might want to take higher level courses in the same field and do well to demonstrate you can handle the course load.

[Guest mitchie41]

Just try to aim for ~85 in your next few years because that will pretty much get you a perfect academic score when applying to UBC Medicine.

[Guest McCarey007]

Biochem is right. It's too early to tell. But from the info you have given, it seems that you have 4 courses in the upper sixties range and an average of 77.7. If i'm understanding you correctly, that means you must have gotten an average of 85% in the other 6 courses. If that's the case, then that's pretty good. Perhaps look at how you distribute your time when you're studying. Ask yourself why you got below 70% in those 4 courses and learn from it.

 

 

A 77% is a decent average for first year! But if you have great ECs, 77% is pretty darn good. As mitchie said, just aim for 85% in 2nd year, but try not to let any course fall below 80%. Some of the 2nd year courses are pretty challenging so good luck!

[Guest seonagh]

have a question for you intelligent people regarding the suitable application time for general pre-meds. What year do pre-meds apply to med school normally? If I submit my application in my fourth year, would the people at the admissions office see the course grades I achieved from my fourth year and take that into consideration when determining my admission?

 

 

Generally speaking, start applying as soon as you reach a point where you have the minimum qualifications for some schools*. If you are serious about meds, start then and keep applying until you are sucessful.

 

For most places this would be next fall provided that you

1. will have completed 3 full years by then

2. have written the MCAT

(there are exceptions but this is generally the minimum in Canada)

 

Schools will only consder the grades that you have to submit at the time of application when deciding on who to interview etc. If accepted they will most likely want to see your 3rd year marks to make sure you didn't fail out.

Seonagh

[Guest 4EverRose]

I agree with ewon2003. Unless those sixties are your prerequisite courses your 77% first year average is pretty much on track, given that UBC also puts emphasis on your last 60 credits and the trend of your grades.

 

Just try to boost up your grades to the eighties in the next several years and you will definitely have a shot.

[Guest grins]

From my experience with UBC, don't sweat your first year. My first and second year averages were RIGHT at UBC's cut off. However, I got my act together for third year, pulled up my marks a ton, and I think that's what probably got me my interview. I'm not saying don't work hard in your second year, cause believe me, good marks then will save you a lot of stress, sweat, and tears in your third and fourth Good luck!

[Guest md23]

hi,

 

i agree with what most have said, 77 is fine for first year, just aim for mid 80's the next 3 years, especially b/c last 60 credits is also very important for interviews. if you had low to mid 80's overall and mid 80's for last 60 you would be very competative.

 

ps. i'm pretty sure math 100 is not a preq at ubc, or anywhere else i'm aware of

 

md23

[Guest smooth operater]

Thank you guys for replying. Unfortunately, 3 of pre-req courses are below 70%. I got 66% 68% and 69% . I definitely have to work harder next yr. I was talking to my barber today and she told me UBC is generally harder to get in comparing to private med schools in US. Is it true? Her daughter had a pretty good state and volunteering experience. She applied bunch of school, but ended up attending a private school in US.

[Guest grins]

Hey smooth,

 

More difficult to get into, definitely. However, because our schools are publically funded, they're much cheaper. I know $14,000 in tuition sounds a lot, but my cousin went to a private school in Chicago for one year, and his tuition was $50,000. After a year, he was lucky enough to be able to transfer to U of T for the remainder of his degree. Hope this helps!

 

*grins*