Graduate school GPA and OMSAS

[Guest UAgrad]

Hi,

I'm in the middle of a 2 year masters, and am reapplying to meds this year. OMSAS didn't seem interested in my graduate transcript or GPA, although improving my marks was a part of my decision to go to grad school in the first place, as I was rejected largely on the basis of my undergrad GPA. I hear that some Ontario med schools don't even factor in the fact that you've done graduate work (Queen's). Is this true? If someone out there knows the policies of the Ontario med schools with regard to graduate applicants and GPA cut-offs, I'd really appreciate that information. I'm also applying to U of A, U of C, and UBC, so info from those schools would be useful as well.

[Guest therealcrackers]

Western will not incorporate your GPA from graduate school into their admissions process.

[Guest ckim01]

hi UAgrad,

I'm sort of in your shoes 2 years ago. My gpa isn't stellar but its been a dream of mine to practice medicine.

 

hearing your situation, it almost seems like doing grad school might not help with boosting my gpa. Do you think its worth doing a masters?

[Guest aneliz]

UWO will not even look to see if you have a grad degree under their current selection criteria let alone factor in the marks from it. Grad students are in the same pool of applicants as the undergrads and need to meet all of the same requirements. As of right now, there are no 'bonus' points given for having done any grad work.

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

Ottawa and UofT are definitely interested in seeing how you fared in your graduate courses, espeically if your undergraduate marks were on the low side.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest rabbit]

Hi. I have a MSc and was accepted at Queen's medicine (and Calgary) for this year.

 

My undergraduate GPA, while not terrible, was not exactly competitive for schools like Ottawa, U of T, Western, Queen's. Having the MSc definitely helped in the application process. It is true that Western does not look at your grad degree (in fact, they told me not to bother applying). Ottawa has a grad student policy provided you have an A average in grad school. Check out their website for all the details. But, to a large extent they evaluate graduate productivity (i.e. publications). U of T also places grad students in a different pool. They consider undergraduate marks (although to a lesser extent than the undergrad pool) and publications, scholarships, abstracts, etc. very important. The Queen's policy is to forward the applications of individuals with grad degrees if their undergraduate grades are just shy of the cutoff (this is how I got in). Calgary will consider grad school for your top two years of full-time study (this is how I got i there too). For both Queen's and Calgary the MCAT requirements are pretty high.

 

I didn't do a graduate degree to get into medicine and loved my MSc (I wanted to be a neuroscientist). From what I've seen and experienced, my advice is to carefully consider your options as it is 2+ years of your life with no guarantees about research productivity (or success of your project). Maybe your grades could get a boost with an extra undergraduate year. Anyway, some things to consider...

[Guest UAgrad]

Hey, thanks guys.

I agree, doing grad work is not something to be taken lightly. I love my program and it has actually changed my outlook quite a bit in that I can see myself continuing on in what I'm doing, if medicine doesn't work out. But in terms of applying to meds, I'm worried that it won't confer much advantage: my MSc, which will be in the area of International Health, is not the kind of degree where you have lots of papers, publications, and abstracts. In fact, I'm leaving shortly for Africa, where I'll be doing my research, and if my thesis gets published (if ever) it won't be until late next summer. I've done really well academically (the first year of my program was just coursework), so that part's fine. It's just that I've never published, which from what you've said will damage my chances at U of O and U of T. Western looks like it's out too (my undergrad marks probably wouldn't cut it), and Mac doesn't favour grad students unless they've already received their degree. That just leaves Queen's...should I even bother reapplying?

[Guest s sadry]

hey...would you mind posting some information on where you are completing your masters and the specific program? it sounds pretty interesting.

 

if you had a website that would be helpful.

 

thanks.

[Guest rabbit]

Sorry. Somehow I missed that you were already in a grad program. Even if you don't have publications now, you can still add to you CV by participating in conferences, publishing abstracts, giving talks. I'm sure your program has an annual research day of some sort. Definitely participate. The expectations for MSc students to publish is less than that for PhD students. Just remember that you are being compared to your peers. It all depends on the quality of the applicant pool. There are plenty of MSc students who get into U of T and Ottawa without peer-reviewed publication. Speak to your supervisor about opportunities to publish elsewhere (abstracts, books, etc.). Maybe he/she needs help writing something and there's your chance. Also, you can include publications that are in submission or in press on your application so keep that in mind.

 

As for reapplying, the first time I applied it was only to U of T and Mac, which I thought were my best chances. Needless to say, they weren't and i was rejected from both. This past year I applied much more widely, got two interviews and was accepted to both schools. You should definitely reapply. After all, you defintely won't get in if you don't apply. If you have a high MCAT score, Queen's is definitely an option. My undergrad cGPA was about 3.5 (best two years 3.75 I think).

 

Don't give up hope! There's no rush. I withdrew from a PhD program, worked for 3 years in a hospital and, at 29, am in first year medicine.