Question from a Ontario HS (New Curriculum) Student

[Guest Indigo]

Hi, I'm just another gr. 11 student preparing myself for University, as it is just around the corner. I am in the new Ontario Curriculum, and we are currently choosing our classes for our final year of high school.

 

I was just hoping that someone here could help answer a few of questions that have been bugging me.

 

1) What are the pre-requisites?

 

2) How does Queen's treat students that are applying for Medical School, but have either:

 

a) Taken a course Twice (Ie. English 12 in grade 11, than tried to attain a higher mark by re-taking English 12 in grade 12.

 

Dropped a course (Ie. English 12 In grade 11) and re-taking the course IN grade 12.

 

3) What is the recommended average to graduate with, to be considered for Queens?

 

Hoping to hear from anyone out there soon Thanks in Advance,

 

-Indigo

[Guest UWOMED2005]

I don't think there's a medical school in the country that looks at your High School transcripts. So as long as you get into an undergraduate program (in ANYTHING - the major doesn't matter) you're interested, you've done all you can ACADEMICALLY at this point. That being said, at the moment med school applications in Ontario ask you everything you've done since the age of 15 so you can improve your application at this point by getting involved in activities you're interested in (sports teams, volunteering, student societies, etc) or achieving awards or leadership roles.

 

Having said that, most med schools require certain prerequisite courses. This varies by the school but can include 1st year bio, 1st year chem, 1st year physics (unusual prereq - but useful for the MCAT,) 1st year English, varying numbers of arts (or at least non-science) credits, 2nd year organic chem, and the odd 2nd year bio/biochem course, depending on the school. You'll want to choose a program that interests you, that you can excel at (Med schools don't look at %, but you'll need a certain minimum GPA to get in,) and that you can fit the prereqs into either as electives or as part of the program itself.

 

Hope this helps - this is pretty general info. Someone else might be able to help you with Queen's specific questions.

[Guest QM6]

Hi Indigo,

 

High school marks and classes have absolutely _nothing_ to do with med school admissions, so as long as your grade 12 courses and marks can get you into an undergrad programme at any university you'll be fine. You usually have to take the grade 12 science courses (physics, chem, bio) as prereqs for university classes. The only thing that might be looked at from before university are any extra-curriculars that you might have started while in high school and have stuck with throughout undergrad - otherwise, you're a clean slate starting 1st year university.

 

As for getting into Queen's for undergrad, I think the minimums from high school were around 85-90%, depending on the programme.

 

You're still quite a ways from jumping through the hoops of med admissions, so don't worry about it yet! There's a lot more out there than just getting in to med school... take your time and enjoy the easy life. Just a thought. Good luck!

[Guest Indigo]

Sorry, I wasn't aware that Undergrad came BEFORE Med School, I thought they were both one and the same :lol

 

So, as long as I can get into any of the undergrad programs at say queens, I am eligible to enter Medical School after I complete the 4 year undergrad? Or does the undergrad have to be science-related?

 

Thanks again!

 

-Indigo

[Guest UWOMED2005]

It can be anything, and you can apply after 3 years (either not completing the degree, or completing a general BSc or BA.)

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there Indigo,

 

You can do your undergrad degree in absolutely anything you wish, as long as you also take some courses to satisfy the course requirements set out by some medical schools. These course requirements vary not only by school, but sometimes by year, so it's best to check directly with the school, if it's of interest. As an addendum, many schools seem to have moved to highlighting the importance of breadth and diversity of experience along with stressing that any degree is acceptable when applying to medicine, so you're much better off completing a degree in some subjects that interest you.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[Guest aneliz]

Keep in mind that med school admissions are fairly competitive too...so you should choose your undergrad program carefully so that it will give you a viable 'plan B' too (should you not get in). Med school admissions are far from a sure thing...and plenty of exceptionally well qualified students are turned away every year due to the low number of places in med school. Don't worry about med yet...you are still at least 4 years away from even being able to apply...and a lot can change between now and then! Enjoy your last year of high school, do the best that you can and choose an undergrad degree and school that is a good fit for you. One other point, going to Queen's for undergrad will not increase your chances of going to Queen's for med. As an example, in Western's first year med class this year, only 22 of 133 students went to UWO for undergrad. The rest of us are from all over Canada...I think that there is at least one person from just about every university in Canada.

 

Good luck!

[Guest Indigo]

You guys have been of tremendous help!

Just a few last tid-bits to iron out

 

Say I enroll at university X in a business undergrad, I complete that, then apply for med school with no background information on biology...except for gr 12 biology in high school....is that possible? Or would that be the equivilent of going on a suicide run? .. as in trying to apply for med school without any real knowledge of the field.

 

Or, is it better to try and get into a science undergrad, and from there gain more knowledge, finish the science undergrad and THEN try to get into med school?

 

I guess I'm still not too clear at what med school really is, do you learn from scratch?

 

Sorry if these questions are bothersome, but Im just a curious student

 

Thanks,

 

-Indigo

[Guest UWOMED2005]

You could totally do a B. Com (Bachelor of Commerce) to get into med school, but you'd have to make sure there is enough space to take the necessary prereqs (see my original post in this thread) with the program. Alternatively, you could take extra courses during the summer or take an extra year.

 

BTW - there seems to be quite a few Queen's grads here at UWO meds. . . and one of the the Queen's moderators mentioned they had quite a few UWO grads in their med program. If you're in interested in Queen's meds, maybe you should think about doing your undergrad here. (just joking - it really doesn't matter!)

[Guest hammer]

Hey Indigo,

 

I was in a similar position when I was choosing an undergraduate program in high school. If you'd like to know more about med school options with a commerce degree, email me at businessskool@yahoo.com

[Guest Indigo]

You guys have really helped clear some important things for me, thanks again guys!

 

Hammer: I tried to email you but it says there is no such account on yahoo.

 

-Indigo

[Guest hammer]

Indigo,

 

Sorry, but I mistyped my email address. It should have been:

 

biznessskool@yahoo.com

 

(note the "z")

[Guest Ian Wong]

Floating to the top...

 

Ian