University : Medicine

[Guest aman07]

Hey everyone, I'm new to this board and have just graduated from high school in Manitoba this year.

 

 

I am just getting ready for University this coming September and am interested in Dentistry, Medicine or Pharmacy for my future plans, although medicine interests me the most.

 

In high school, my overall average was about 78%, more

importantly, in grade 12 it was a mediocre 73%. I know I could have done a lot better, but I chose to be interested in other things, and I just really did not focus in my final year. Moreover, my pre-calculus mark was horrible, and I do not like math very much.

 

Now, I will be attending U of M in the fall, and would appreciate any tips regarding doing well in my undergraduate and succeeding to get into medical school.

 

Here is what I will probably be taking for first year:

 

BIOL 1020: Biology 1 Principles and Themes

BIOL 1030: Biology 2 Biological Diversity, Function and Interaction

CHEM 1300: Structure and Modeling in Chemistry

CHEM 1310: Introduction to Physical Chemistry

ENGL 1200: Representative Literary Works

PHYS 1020: General Physics 1

PHYS 1030: General Physics 2

 

Also, is my goal of becoming an MD realistic even though my high school marks were only average?

[Guest sunE]

There's a couple ways you can look at this. Do you have a realistic chance? Of course you do. You have a zero GPA at this point because you haven't taken any courses yet. Admissions committee's don't look at your high school marks.

 

However, the question you should be asking yourself is: are my high school marks indicative of what my GPA is going to be like? If you are ready to get the minimum 3.6 agpa for U of M then that's good. But to be competitive, you should have it higher obviously.

 

Basically, get some good marks and take it seriously.

 

But keep in mind, at the moment GPA isn't the make it or break it for U of M. Currently it only counts towards 10% of your PAS entrance score for the faculty of med. So don't get overly worried about your marks.

[Guest aman07]

Did you go to U of M?

 

Do you have any tips that you might be able to give me on how I can attain and maintain a high GPA during my undergrad, especially first year? Thx.

[Guest NRC boy]

Find some really smart friends like SunE, Jag, and Jeesing. Then copy off each other for your entire undergraduate degree. Sorry guys I had to let the cat out of the bag, my bad.

[Guest sunE]

Did you go to U of M?

 

Do you have any tips that you might be able to give me on how I can attain and maintain a high GPA during my undergrad, especially first year? Thx.

 

No I didn't go to U of M, I went to U of W.

 

As for tips, the only one I can truly give you, other than being just too specific, is don't fall behind. Don't let everything pile up.

 

It sounds easy now, but stuff piles up when taking full course loads. And then lab stuff adds on that. I don't know how many times I said to myself "okay sunE, now this term, stay on top of things and study earlier"....that lasted for about a week before I fell behind again....

[Guest VS12]

I guess I can add something here.

 

I graduated high school with a mid 70ish average. And I may not be the best example cause I got waitlisted... which sucks... but it's better than being flat out rejected... and shows I was at least somewhat close. It was actually one of the things I talked about in my interview; the fact that I started to shape up after high school. If anything, I think it shows initiative and growth and maturity to do well in university despite low high school marks

 

So the take home message is that high school marks are, by and large, useless. They don't really indicate anything other than one's motivation in HIGH SCHOOL. Hell, my personal take on high school is that it should be the time you try out new things. Girls/Boys. Drugs (not that I'm advocating it). Beer. Parties. Whatever. Get that stuff out of your system early on so that it won't be a completely new thing for you when it really matters (re: University), and you go all crazy. I also think that for some people, taking it easy in high school is better cause you won't burn yourself out academically... I mean, 4 years of high school + 3/4 years of undergrad + 4 years of med school... that's alot of time to be given'r in your studies. Cutting out 4 of those high school years is gonna work wonders for you. If you can motivate yourself to do well in university, then you're money.

 

The way I look at it is, there are two types of people who get into med school: the ones who are naturally smart and charismatic and all that jazz, and those who bust their asses cause they may not be as naturally smart. Both will end up with an MD. So if you put the time and effort into doing well, you'll eventually find success.

 

BTW: You are like the younger me or something. I too did terribly in precal. I also had a 70ish average. And I took those exact same courses too. Eery.

[Guest aman07]

lol, yeah I use to be really good in math until grade 10 pre cal. I didn't understand it from the start, and it's just too complex and I never really did well in it.

And did you go to U of M? If so, was first year difficult for you, and what were the chem courses like?

[Guest Jag]

I agree with the sentiments posted already. High school was all about partying and getting hammered, as well as studying for a final exam only an hour beforehand. In grade 12, my locker was full to the top with rye and coke bottles. Undergrad was very similar in the partying and getting hammered aspect, but my locker wasn't full of booze.

 

Anyways to get back on track, highschool doesn't mean @#%$. It has little bearing on how you will perform or how good of a doctor you will become. Undergrad is an entirely new ballgame, everyone starts on the first day with a perfect 4.50 GPA and its all about what you do with it and how badly you can make that 4.50 drop. I did terrible in grade 12 math too, I got like 60% on the final exam. Hell, I got 50% on my first three university calculus tests... I HATE math. Math and chemistry, I hate them both and thus did terrible in both.

 

As SunE said, stay on top of things and don't let things fall behind. I heard once the rule of thumb was to study 1-2 hours for every hour of university lecture time (not my advice, but take it as you please). A few days before a midterm or final exam in university, just lock yourself down and eat/sleep/breathe textbooks, and you'll be fine. Highschool-style studying won't cut it anymore.

[Guest nayab9]

I took chemistry in my first year at U of M, and if you can, see if Smirnova still teaches the class - she was an amazing prof!

I hated chemistry in high school, because I really disliked my teacher, but Smirnova was so amazing that somehow I ended up with an A+ in chem 130! Woooh =o

[Guest sunE]

Highschool-style studying won't cut it anymore.

 

That is so true. I used to come 5 mins early to a class to study and pass the test in highschool. It was a joke. I think that slack attitude is what contributed to my 65% on the very first chemistry test I took. But that was the "kick in the pants" I needed to put me on the right track.

 

As well, I literally threw out about 9 bottles filled with rye and coke. Near the end of the year, my locker stunk from all the booze, lol.

[Guest VS12]

Yeah I went to the UofM. I took the same stuff as you, but I also took calc I in first term. In terms of difficulty... first year isn't too bad. Alot of it is stuff you've seen before, especially in terms of the sciences aspect of it. It may be a bit of a shock though, because unlike high school, no one is coddling you along and no one really cares how you do. Profs won't get on your case to improve your marks... it's all self-directed. I mean, it's easy to say that you are gonna be diligent about studying, but life ALWAYS gets in the way, and you're forced to scramble in the last few days before an exam. It still is that way with me. I think first year will be fine for you as long as you don't put too much on your plate. Don't work 20 hours a week, take a full course load, do lotss of extracurrics, etc, like I did in first year, without first seeing what you're capable of handling first. Incorporate the extra stuff later on, when you've got a handle on the academic part.

[Guest NRC boy]

So no one was really down with my cheating idea huh? Fineeeee then. I will sum up this thread:

 

1) Highschool marks = garbage

2) SunE and Jag drank wayyyyyyyy too much in highschool and in university

3) Dont be a hero and pack your course load along with tons of EC's

4) Cramming before a exam barely works (I say barely cause I have pulled this off before even in university)

5) Don't let shizz pile up or else you're screwed

6) Study till your brain feels like its gonna exploded and then study some more.

 

 

According to SunE and Jag, in the 7 years we went to school together they claim that they never saw me studying. This is @#%$ since i DID study u jerkfaces. I just wanted to throw that in there.

 

7) Even if u manage a perfect 4.5 GPA throughout undergrad realize that this is not even close to getting you into med school here in Manitoba. (4.5 agpa + < 9 MCAT = Burger King Employee of the Month) Just being realistic ppl.

[Guest sunE]

2) SunE and Jag drank wayyyyyyyy too much in highschool and in university

 

Hey I've calmed down. Jag's the booze hound now.

[Guest akinf]

I would suggest adding Calc 1 and calc 2, or sociology or economics. Your course load isn't bad, but it seems that first year science doesn't really get any harder than what you already have. Someone mentioned styaying caught up in your classes, that is actually quite important. It will be the difference b/w an A+ and an A when exam time gets hectic.

[Guest Apraxis]

You seem to have varied interests, having remarked that you're also interested in Pharmacy and Dentistry. If you want to go into Pharm, then be aware that you can apply to the faculty following one year of courses. However, you must ensure that you take all of the required courses in one year, else you won't be able to apply immediately following your first year of undergrad. Check out the Pharmacy bulletin posted on the UM Admissions page, or send me a private message with your e-mail address and I'll send you some detailed information.

 

One of the most critical mistakes many students make when they first enter university is not doing proper research into various careers. Do this now and you'll save a lot of time and grief in the long-run. If Pharmacy and Dentistry are also of interest to you, then you owe yourself to find out how you can meet the admission requirements of these programs and Medicine concurrently rather than receiving a rejection letter from one and then modifying your path later on.

 

Again, private me if you want to know about the various options. I was accepted to Pharmacy this year, but will likely turn down the offer in favour of Education (I have a few more days to decide); hence, I speak from personal experience.

[SUNNY]

You seem to have varied interests, having remarked that you're also interested in Pharmacy and Dentistry. If you want to go into Pharm, then be aware that you can apply to the faculty following one year of courses. However, you must ensure that you take all of the required courses in one year, else you won't be able to apply immediately following your first year of undergrad. Check out the Pharmacy bulletin posted on the UM Admissions page, or send me a private message with your e-mail address and I'll send you some detailed information.

 

One of the most critical mistakes many students make when they first enter university is not doing proper research into various careers. Do this now and you'll save a lot of time and grief in the long-run. If Pharmacy and Dentistry are also of interest to you, then you owe yourself to find out how you can meet the admission requirements of these programs and Medicine concurrently rather than receiving a rejection letter from one and then modifying your path later on.

 

Again, private me if you want to know about the various options. I was accepted to Pharmacy this year, but will likely turn down the offer in favour of Education (I have a few more days to decide); hence, I speak from personal experience.

 

Hi Apraxis, I'm thinking of pursuing pharmacy this year and was wondering if you might be able to help me out. I attempted to contact you but was unsucessful due to the forums inablity to find your user name. Thanks, Sunny

[Kuantum]

Apraxis is from the old ezboards forums. If you are considering pharmacy, your top priority is having a high GPA. I mean at least a 4.0 (for all you non-MBs, we go on a 4.5 scale) if you want a reasonable chance. The qualifications get more insane year after year.

[aman_07]

Ok, so let's just say that I DO have the exceptional marks throughout undergrad. What else can I be doing to advance my position and get ahead of the rest of the competition for medicine?

[Kuantum]

Trying to get insight into the career and preparing for other careers in case medicine doesn't work out. Also, I seriously do not recommend taking a focused approach towards the General degree because a lot of students are left hanging if they don't get in after their 3rd year. I think its just impractical to only think about the present and not consider what all other possibilities might occur.

[aman_07]

What do you mean when you say?

 

That you do not recommend taking a focused approach towards the General degree ???

Please explain.

[nrc boy]

Wow its been so long since I've been on here, everything looks like trash now. Anyways, Sunny if u need more information about pharmacy admissions feel free to contact me. I got into pharmacy at the U of M a couple of years ago but declined the offer because I wanted to do med a lot more and didnt want to waste my time going through the pharmacy route.

 

As for Kuantum, here are a few things I would suggest you do to make yourself more competitive for med.

 

1) Find a research job (ie. co-op, summer student, watever) Research is foundation of medicine, blah blah blah

2) Clinical experience - volunteer in a place where u interact with patients a lot so that you can relate these experiences to questions they ask you in the interview

3) Work on your interpersonal skills - this is the key to getting into med. The interview can crush you if cant communicate. Dont get me wrong, theres a few ppl in my class that got in with NO social skills whatsoever! However, this is rare. Those ppl must of got 14 or 15 on there MCAT's or something.

 

Alrighty, back to studying for my block 1 mid-term.

 

PS - Block 1 is gay

[Kuantum]

Wow its been so long since I've been on here, everything looks like trash now. Anyways, Sunny if u need more information about pharmacy admissions feel free to contact me. I got into pharmacy at the U of M a couple of years ago but declined the offer because I wanted to do med a lot more and didnt want to waste my time going through the pharmacy route.

 

As for Kuantum, here are a few things I would suggest you do to make yourself more competitive for med.

 

1) Find a research job (ie. co-op, summer student, watever) Research is foundation of medicine, blah blah blah

2) Clinical experience - volunteer in a place where u interact with patients a lot so that you can relate these experiences to questions they ask you in the interview

3) Work on your interpersonal skills - this is the key to getting into med. The interview can crush you if cant communicate. Dont get me wrong, theres a few ppl in my class that got in with NO social skills whatsoever! However, this is rare. Those ppl must of got 14 or 15 on there MCAT's or something.

 

Alrighty, back to studying for my block 1 mid-term.

 

PS - Block 1 is gay

 

Thanks for the advice, but I submitted my UofM application Friday, so I don't think I can really work on those things at this point. I was actually giving some advice to the other guy/gal.

[SUNNY]

Hey nrc boy, thanks for the offer. I've sent you an PM.

[Ninjzz]

I've had to change my ID on account of the transition to vBulletin. Get back to me and I can still give you some info on Pharmacy.

 

- Ninjzz -