Advice on trying again

[Guest DoNair]

I would like some advice from all you med students and soon to be med students.

 

I'm a UofA student who just finished my BSc. I had applied (unsuccessfully) to many med schools including UofA this year. My pre-req average was 3.56 and cumulative GPA was 3.4, according to the UofA application. (Inclusion of recently completed 4th year marks could push the pre-req GPA to 3.63)

 

(MCAT was PS-11, VR-9, N, BS-10 & PS-12, VR-7, M, BS-12)

 

I also applied to grad studies and was turned down b/c I couldn't get funding.

 

So my question is, how should I go about trying again for med?

 

Many people on this board suggest doing another undergrad year to boost up the GPA. The problem with that is that no single year of my undergrad career so far has been stellar. Each years GPA hovered around 3.4 (highest was 3.48). So simply doing another undergrad year wouldn't really help; I'd need to do at least 2 full years. But at this point all I qualify for is open studies. From what I've understood, I would need a FULL course load to upgrade the med GPA which I can't do in open studies. The deadline for applying for another undergrad degree passed already so I can't do that.

 

What would you guys suggest I do? Should I just go for one of those shady Caribbean schools (I've been looking at St. George's Univ.) or should I stick around here and upgrade? (Keep in mind that if I tried to upgrade I might waste a year before actually getting back in the saddle.)

[Guest Salkh]

Seeing as you have an entire year open to you, I would do some traveling, or do some volunteering, either abroad or here. As long as it is something you are interested in, you will certainly benefit from it. Besides strengthening your application for next year, it will also be a great experience for you personally. Good luck.

[Guest blinknoodle]

If you are willing to relocate, there certainly are other options for graduate studies.. you certainly don't need external funding for grad studies, rather a supervisor that is willing to take you on (they can pay you from their grants if you don't have external funding). I know that Toronto and UWO both have deadlines of June 1, and even those are flexible (you just need a willing supervisor). And not to downplay McMaster, but for their graduate program in medical sciences, only 30% of the students had external funding (which I think is completely different than how UofA works). I would however, only recommend graduate work if that is something that interests you. Research productivity can help overcome a lower undergrad GPA at some medical schools.

[Guest 0nsp]

Another idea would be to work on upgrading some pre-reqs in the next year. Without the added pressure of a full course load, you may be able to devote more time on the subjects that are giving you trouble. A really good pre-req GPA (worth 25%) can easily overcome a shoddy overall GPA (worth only 10%) at UofA, so I think that would be a good spot to start improving your application. If you're up for it, rewriting the MCAT is also an idea. Although yuor 31 is definitely competitive for UofA, re-writing and improving will also help offset your GPA (MCAT is worth 15%, again, more than overall GPA). Good luck!

[Guest DoNair]

What kind of travelling would be ok? Like just travelling overseas to visit family? Or does it have to be for some specific purpose like teaching English in Taiwan?

 

I know of this one girl who went travelling for 1 year after finishing her BSc and then came back and got into med. I always wondered how travelling strengthens a med application. Does it show maturity?

[Guest Cowgirl Jenn]

Some Advice,

 

I am a medical student at the UofA, but am no means an expert - I would still like to throw in my "two cents" however.

 

I'm not sure if UofA is your top choice, but you should realise that UofA places great emphasis on GPA, moreso than many Canadian schools. That being said, your best chances at getting into medical school are in Alberta as an in-province student. I would also like to point out that UofA dosn't put much weighting on graduate studies when evaluating med school applicants; however, UofC tends to weight grad school a bit more. As previously mentioned however, grad school takes a LOT of work and committment, and unless it is something you are very serious about, and really interested in/passionate about, it will be hard for you to get much out of it. It will also be difficult for you to do a truly impressive job if you aren't passionate about the research - and if you don't do a great job, it won't help you get into med, and may even make things worse.

 

You also mentioned upgrading/going back to school - make sure you are confident that you will be able to do things differently this time around and improve your GPA, otherwise this too will be a waste of time.

 

If you are already planning to take this year off, I definitly recommend that you make this year as productive as possible. Get in a load of volunteer hours (do something different, like build an orphanage in Mexico, or plant trees in BC), maybe get a research job or volunteer in a medical research lab....it would be great if you could get a presentation or publication out of some of this work. As for travelling, again aim for something related to volunteering. I doubt travelling to touristy areas or to visit family/friends will do much for your application.

 

As for medical schools overseas/in the US, be wary! Make sure any school you consider will certify you for work in the US/Canada, otherwise it won't do you much good...especially if you are from Canada, you may want to come back here one day.

 

Good Luck,

 

Jennifer

[Guest Braveheart]

I strongly agree with what Cowgirl Jenn has to say. UofA does place a great deal of emphasis on your GPA and so even if you did go overseas and do a great deal of stellar things extracurricularly, if you don't meet what they are looking for in the GPA, it won't get you an interview. Although this is the case for UofA, UofC on the other hand does not place as high of an emphasis on GPA. I've heard of students making it into UofC with marks that aren't in the Dean's List but they have had a great deal of life experiences and are more "mature" students.

 

So what I would do (and it's only my opinion by the way, you are free to agree or disagree) would be to get a whole lot of extracurricular experience by travelling, volunteering, whatever (anything that you ENJOY... if you like to travel, then travel. If you like to play sports, join a team- anything you do will give you a new experience and a new outlook on life and that will help your application). With that experience, aim towards applying to UofC (since you are in province so that will definitely help you out), but do consider UofA as well. Now, if you make it into UofC then great, but if not, consider doing that second undergrad degree for your UofA application the following year (but the thing is, the following year, your chances would be better because if you do well in your 2nd undergrad than your chances are better not only for UofA but UofC so you'll have 2 choices instead of 1). Sounds like alot of work but the thing is, when you have the year off from school this year to boost your extracurricular section, you'll obviously choose things that are fun (ie travelling, whatever you like) so it will seem kinda like a "break" though you are boosting your application credentials.

 

That's what I might do... up to you though.

 

As for applying to a "shaddy" med school as you had mentioned... I would definitely do more research about doing that before jumping right into it. The US med schools I hear do things very different than the Canadian schools. From what I know when you are choosing to do residency in Canada, it really doesn't depend on the reputation of the school you go to as all schools are relatively the same in their quality. However, in the US, reputation does matter so you don't want to be shelling out many $$$ for a school that won't get you the residency that you want. Also, from what I know it is very difficult to practice med in Canada if you do it else where so that is something you need to consider as well.... not to mention the cost of tuition (anywhere from $20,000 to $55,000 US per year tuition alone for some US schools. Do the math by x4 years).

[Guest btrots]

I agree with just about all the above.

 

I almost got myself locked into a masters degree in pharmacology. It`s something I`ve enjoyed, but not something I could be passionate about. So, long story short, getting admitted probably saved me from a couple blah years. Research is great a lot of the time (and looks good on your application), so if you can manage to get some exeperience w/o enrolling in a grad degree, might be worth while.

 

You can totally overcome a low GPA, trust me. I have an even lower GPA than you, think my BEST year (according to UofC anyways) was about 3.4.

 

Make the rest of your application as diverse as possible. Volunteer, even at home, but make it something original that stands out. Something that shows leadership and motivation. Travel`s also a great idea. In my interview, most of the questions revolved around a program for inner city youth that a friend and I put together, teaching in Japan, travel, and research experience. (Maybe that helps?) A year is a ton of time, you can really prop yourself up in that time.

 

Anyways, your thinking sounds freakishly like mine a couple years ago. Maybe if you`re willing, you could post more about the rest of your application so people on here can get a better idea of what specific advice to give. GPA is far from the whole story...maybe moreso at UofC than UofA, from the sounds of it.

 

b

[Guest DoNair]

So my degree was a BSc with specialization in Pharmacology. The cumulative GPA was 3.4 but that doesn't give an accurate picture. I had some really good semesters (GPA ~3.7) but then the next semester wouldn't be very hot and would bring down the avg for that academic year. In each of my 4 years one semester was hot and the other was not.

 

I am an active volunteer at the UofA Hospital, working once a week in CT and as needed as an Orientation leader (well over 200 hours accumulated so far). I racked up almost 400 hours at a seniors home on campus (Mewburn) and have volunteered with the S.U. for Orientation and WOW for the past 3 years.

 

The last 2 summers I worked full-time in a chemistry research lab (nanotech related), one summer on an NSERC. This involved working in the independently and in conjunction with others in industry. I didn't get any publications out of it (yet) but some of my experimental work was included in a PhD thesis.

 

I hope this helps you guys when giving advice.

 

It seems that everyone with low GPA's who get into med have had to do some incredible volunteering, like founding orphanages in Taiwan or stopping hurricanes with their bare hands. :b

 

Any advice you can give me would really help. I am clueless as to how to approach this...

[Guest btrots]

Hey donair...

 

Your volunteer experience sounds fantastic!

 

Only really a couple other things to suggest, based on my very limited experience with all of this...:\ . First, since you've got some time now, think about travelling somewhere (at least as long as it's something you'd be interested in). Doesn't hafta be a volunteer kinda trip, could even just be something for fun. It's really all about making yourself out to be as well-rounded as possible in terms of ECs and, perhaps more importantly, just general life experience.

 

Also, and I could be totally off base here, but you VR mark might be a factor that's helping to keep you back, assuming your MCATs are in order in your original post (9 first time, then 7). A friend of mine was rejected by UofC w/o interview, and the word was (from his doc uncle, who is well connected) that the only reason for him not getting an interview was his low VR mark. However, I think he got 7's both times, so the problem was that he didn't improve with the second attempt. But he was interviewed at UofA. He's a great guy, and super well-rounded, so he deserves it. (good luck K!)

 

Anyways, long story short, it's a @#%$ shoot in alot of ways! (I know it's been said before on here). However, the feeling I get from UofC is that you can make up for a weak point or two on your application if you shine in other areas. I really believe you can get in with your GPA as is. My personal opinion is that you can improve your chances more in a year by concentrating on areas beyond your GPA. But if the consensus on this board is that a higher GPA is pretty important, definitely ignore what I've said.

 

b

[Guest chemgirl]

I agree with 0nsp that upgrading prereq's would be a really smart move. I am a student at U of A, and when I first applied to medical school, I had cumulative and prereq GPA's of, say, 3.4 and 3.5 respectively. I upgraded my prereq GPA to 3.8 and that was enough to get me an interview. I did my upgrade within a grad studies program, and while I agree with Jenn that the U of A does not rank graduate students differently, the fact that you have shown the initiative to make an individual contribution to research with publications or presentations will probably come up in your interview and at that point it is a very positive thing. I think that if research is something that you can be passionate about, I would go for it. I wouldn't do it if you were JUST doing it to look better for the admissions committee. Now, as for volunteeting, I never went away to volunteer, but did a lot of work at the U of A hospital and with special olympics, which I was very enthusiastic about... so the moral to my long story is to find your passion for next year, woek hard at it, and then let your enthusiasm come through in the interview. You have to sell yourself, and that doesn't necessarily mean bragging, it means presenting yourself as the passionate, well-informed and well-rounded individual that you already are!

 

Cheers and good luck!