Rant: bad early-years GPA, is it worth even trying?

[Guest daryn]

Hi.

 

Going into my fourth year. Second year GPA sucked. Will apply this year. Very iffy chances.

 

This is frustrating because finally I have some sort of a clearer understanding/realization of what I want to do, and now I have to pay for my stupidity, at least my stupidity in my earlier years. I coasted throughout high school, and university has effectively destroyed whatever cockiness or even confidence you have left over from those years. Medical school application is even worse.

 

I know there are ways to go around it: taking an extra year, go for schools with special weighting formulas, etc etc. But I'm just kicking myself for creating a (much) harder (and more expensive and time consuming) path to travel.

 

How much should one perservere? It's easy to say "if there's a will, there's a way." But at what cost? Once I graduate, I better get somewhere or start work; I'll be on my own -- can't starve myself to death just yet. Some people I know plan on applying and applying until they get in. Is that the spirit? I don't want to hate myself for what I have become after a decade of rejections. I don't want to be bitter. I don't want to watch my life go by just to cling onto a wish, a belief, a frothy goal.

 

 

 

 

 

Rant over.

 

Good luck to all those who are waiting for thick envelopes tomorrow!

[Guest PanjabiMD]

What the hell does rant mean?

 

Sorry, couldn't help myself.:lol

 

Listen, if you want it you owe it to yourself to pursue it. I think thats what it pretty much boils down to. Take an extra year, do an MSc, whatever. However, there are other avenues if you can't make it in Canada. Apply to American schools if you have to...or maybe the question is whether you want to. Because that is what it is about. If you want it, go for it. If there is doubt, it may not be worth it.

 

Its not for everyone, but it seems that you feel that it is for you. Should you just give up? Its your choice.

 

PMD

[Guest daryn]

I guess my question is not whether one should give up, it's when one should give up.

 

I mean, for whatever that I do, there are opportunity costs attached.

[Guest siobhansiobhan]

You've got a lot about the past that you're feeling dejected about 10 years of cockiness wiped out of you!!! - tough to make plans for the future when focusing on that *version* of the past. I'm dropping in to say consider getting some counselling as you come to a huge crossroads. These are the folks who can help you with motivation, drive, clear thinking for decisions - as one guy once said "therapy is too good to be limited to the sick". All the best - i totally relate right now to finding my energy and excitement. Rock on and Giv'er.

 

Edit: oops, i mean four years of university and the prospect of applying to meds for a couple of years... the decade will not happen, i'm sure of it, if you find out good info. check out the american route. have you written the mcat? totally check out the american route.

[Guest daryn]

Yeah, I wrote the MCAT. 31N. I doubt it's going to get very far, especially that WS and my @#%$ GPA. I'm going to write again this summer though.

[Guest siobhansiobhan]

I don't know how the N goes over, however 31 is not bad! Sounds like you know a bit about the am process already. Last year, I printed off a list of am schools that accept canadians, on this website, but coming from studentdoctor.net (which is searcheable, when you sign up). also the mdapplicants site will give a good sense of stats of accepted folks. then i got a copy of the msar (new one is purchaseable at aamc website now) and looked up all the cdn schools and what averages they had etc. I applied to all who had averages close to mine (actually, turns out i didn't apply to all in the end - nymc was ruled out in the end as it's catholic and i'm gay, etc.)

the plan that i've heard of before is run the odds - apply to at least 15 schools - 5 'reach' - go for those top-tier, you never know! especially if you have interesting e.cs, 5 'safety' - lower stats than you, by far, and 5 in your range. And figure out stuff to make yourself rounded-intersting. am schools look at that more than cdn schools as a screen for interviews - cdn schools go for stats cut in first round, more often.

[Guest dopetown]

daryn, minimize the cost attributed to the path to your goal by spending your time efficiently. the people (including me) who say they're going to apply until they get in don't necessarily plan on sitting on their arse after they graduate.

 

sure, medicine may be attached with some jadedness or bitterness or "wastes" of time, or what have you, but ask yourself what medicine's worth to you. do you think it's worth a few years of hard work emotional turmoil to hold a job you love doing?

 

i ain't giving up. and neither should you.

[Guest GundamDX]

have backup plans always help

[Guest Jochi1543]

I graduated yesterday, and our speaker, a famous news anchor, told us not to have back-up plans, or else we will slip into plan B faster than we can notice.:hat

 

 

 

 

8o

[Guest TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

That may be true, but without a back-up plan, you could very well find yourself unmatched in 4 or 5 years' time, as we all know too well...

 

Best of luck!

Timmy

[Guest pappy mckeys]

Hey,

 

I agree with Timmy, its a lot easier for the news anchor to say that having already achieved his plan A. The reality is that some people, despite their best efforts, will never achieve their plan A. Having a plan B will at least allow you to make your own decisions about your life, instead of letting others make it for you. Your Plan B is a lot better than finding yourself in 5 years forced to do something you hate just to make ends meet. Just my 2 cents...

[Guest siobhansiobhan]

Based on your mcat score, and your gpa that you have posted elsewere, here's what i want to say:

 

Have a plan B of course

 

AND

 

get some advice, if you can, on what to do about med school - apply now to the states, don't waste time the way i did. the states is practically as good as graduating from cda. and your stats will get you in there. figure out what kinds of xtracurrics you could be doing.

 

AND

 

it's the feelings of whether to 'give up' that you can get to work on. only you will know 'how long is too long' because if you let someone else decide that, you may not like that down the road.

 

my plan b is now developed - i'll be a teacher, *and* i'll be applying to med for as long as it takes/as long as i'm interested. i didn't develop that plan b quick enough. develop those plan Bs and Learn about your other options - get a professional advisor, etc, so as not to waste as much time. and, you'll get to where you want. i can't imagine that your gpa and mcat will hold you back forever in the states, especially if you develop your extracurrics.

 

i'm more wanting to encourage you about getting the support you need to stay positive, clear-headed and decisive and active and working towards your goals, and feeling strong and smart and competent and able to get there.

[Guest siobhansiobhan]

by the way, if you are applying to the states, you can submit your application for next september any time you want right now. it's beneficial to do so as early as possible, too (before all the others with mcat scores start to submit in june) as they work on rolling admissions there, so if you have slightly 'lower numbers' you have more of a chance of an interview, when there are less other applications around. go fill out that form!

[Guest daryn]

Thanks siobhan, you've been a great help.

 

I will get the MSAR asap. Can't lose any more time than I already did.

 

Since I'm retaking the MCAT, do you think that I should aim for the middle tier or the lower tier as the safety schools?

[Guest siobhansiobhan]

check in the non-traditional apps thread, under 'in for the long haul' i just posted a link and a list of schools that offer interviews to canadians. it's a good start, you can also check the schools you're interested in, by calling and asking about chances for cdns. then, when you have msar, that's where you get a better idea. your gpa is about the average for matriculants in many of the mid-tier schools for the states. you'll see when you cruise through the hundreds of schools in the msar. you'll get a good picture. maximize your results by applying to as many as you can. the states really like extracurrics, so build that end of your ap - brainstorm what you have done that way. if you are retaking mcat in august, you can check that box, or you can allow the application to be forwarded and then update the schools later, and not lose the time - there's a current debate on sdn about which is better - check the box or not... check out sdn too if you're going am schools.

 

just apply really broadly. i wouldn't know how to advise you about which range to go for specifically. you could check mdapplicants, choose a range like yours, see where folks with your stats get accepted.

 

get your extracurrics going. with those going, and your gpa, looks like your gpa wouldn't be a problem at cdn schools either, just so ya know. and gpa is usually the big prob. so if it's only extra currics you gotta worry about, then get on it! there was a link through university of michigan/wayne state that i posted in the am forum once, about how to improve your app - suggestions like volunteer in a hospice...