Guest ckim01 Posted August 24, 2005 Report Share Posted August 24, 2005 Just wondering if those of you already in med school can share your wisdom. I am currently going into 4th year.. i have a mediocre gpa (slightly below 3.6). I am going to apply to medschool this year but I am not too hopeful that I will even get an interview. My question is... I am thinking whether or not I should do grad school or take a year off and travel. I really need to boost my gpa but at the same time, I don't know if grad school is something that I will enjoy. I don't want to do grad school if it is something i will hate but will do it if it will help me obtain my dream career. Anyone who was in my shoe can share your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Koppertone Posted August 24, 2005 Report Share Posted August 24, 2005 It depends where you live and what your local GPA cutoffs are. If you don't exceed the GPA cutoff for your chosen school this year, then chances are you won't for the next year either. That being said, it never hurts to apply to multiple school. As for grad school vs. travelling I think it really depends on if you think grad school will boost your grades and if you will find the experience worthwhile. Keep in mind that (most) med admissions committees frown upon people trying to get into the med program when they're in the middle of a masters/doctorate. That is not to say, however, that you can't finish your research while in med (I know several people who are doing that very thing). Research can be a rewarding experience, but to get the most out of it you really have to have an interest in what you're doing. If you can't find anything that you like researching... then I suppose travelling might be worthwhile. However keep this in mind: it never hurts to have another degree, you get paid to do graduate research, and even if you don't manage to get into med you'll at least have something really respectable and worthwhile to fall back on. I'd say put some effort into exploring different fields (ie. psychology, biochemistry, genetics, medical/clinical research) and see what you could become passionate about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest therealcrackers Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 Some schools look favourably on graduate applicants, but a lot of schools will focus their admission criteria on your undergraduate GPA. My grad work helped my application and my interview (content stuff), but it did NOTHING to help me GET an interview at U of T or UWO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ckim01 Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 therealcracker> What do you mean by saying that your grad school didn't really help you?? med schools I've researched such as UofT have a much lower gpa cutoff for students who have done their masters. I'm really leaning towards doing a 1 year masters now... unless my gpa this year is a 4.0 or something amazing like that. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest therealcrackers Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 I mean just what I said. I didn't get an interview at U of T despite having done grad work (AT U of T), and it didn't matter one bit for my interview at UWO. I hadn't FINISHED my grad work when I applied, however... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AngrySmurf0T9 Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 The University of Toronto has a seperate set of entrance requirements and considerations for graduate students. They are certainly viewed very differently then undergrads as more emphesis is placed on research and less on marks. About 25% of my class are graduate students. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted August 30, 2005 Report Share Posted August 30, 2005 I think if you look CLOSELY at med school admissions criteria, there are few schools which you can use a Masters to overcome a poor undergrad GPA. And for some, while technically you can do grad school and then get in, they are often on the lookout for applicants using grad school ONLY to get into med school. I'd suggest looking carefully at which schools you want to apply to and whether grad school would give you a better chance of getting in. It isn't an automatic yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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