B. Comp Sci to Med

[chiller]

Hey Everyone, here is my dilemma, which I would like to hear some opinions on.

 

I am a NS resident who graduated from Bachelor of Comp Science about 2 years ago. My undegrad GPA was 3.45/4.30. Since that time i have worked in the government healthcare sector as application/database adminstrator. I have decided to make the jump in pursuit of Medicine, and am wondering what the best route is. I intend on writing the MCAT for January. My GPA is average, but I did score 1 'F' class in my final semesters, and most of the time I did not take on a 5 class semester load.

 

My plan is to take the MCAT during the Jan.25/26 writing. I plan on enrolling back into full class load in January (to do basic sciences that may help me apply to other schools), and also a full class load for the summer semester of 2008. While I am doing all of this, I would also be putting in time doing volunteer work.

 

How does this plan sound in terms of making me a competitive applicant? I have until September of 2008 to get my 'ducks in line' hence I am beginning to plan my actions now. Should I be taking courses so that they can see I would be capable at the basic sciences? Or would it be more beneficial just working? Does the 'F' hinder my chances, even though my GPA suffered very little? Does the lack of 5 courses per semester in my undegrad hinder me?

 

I would love to hear some feedback from anyone, espcially, in regards to applying into Dalhousie.

 

Also, would it hurt if i didn't take courses like organic chem and bio prior to taking the MCAT? I plan on taking a PR course, so I am hoping it prepares me enough to do well.

 

Thanks everyone, and good luck to all in your pursuit of the dream.

[THX]

I can offer a bit of information, although it's not tailored to Dalhousie. Your major problem is the MCAT, you should not take it before you've been through Bio at the very least. There isn't much orgo, so you can potential still do okay if you manage to get 50% of the orgo questions right (it won't be easy to it learn by yourself). But regardless of orgo, you absolutely must take Bio. It's not that this section hard, it in fact the easiest for test takers. But here's the kicker, the majority of those that take the MCAT have 2-3 years worth of bio, including genetics, biochemistry, cellular biology, physiology etc. You are putting yourself at a tremendous disadvantage if you haven't even covered the very basics yet (regardless of your mcat prep). You should really rethink this.

 

A lot of schools prefer seeing a full course load, but I'm not sure how clear cut this issue is.

 

I think it is going to be a tough road for you, but you can surely accomplish your goals if you put your mind to it. You need to do the following (in order, IMO)

 

1. Take prereqs and see how you fare in science courses

2. Boost up your GPA, might want to overload your schedule to make it happen faster.

3. Do the MCAT. You shouldn't be doing the MCAT before doing the rest, plus the MCAT is only valid for 3 years which means you'd be in trouble if you hit a snag.

 

Just my opinion though,

 

Good luck

[chiller]

Thanks THX.

 

Does taking courses to boost my GPA affect my chances of applying to schools? Are people generally supposed to take degrees when taking courses, rather than just random courses?

 

I have already completed a degree, so I do not know what the best route is to proceed in this endeavor.

[Julie]

I don't really know about Dal, but some schools do only consider courses taken towards a degree. However, you don't have to finish that degree for any schools (as far as I know), so you can just register for a second undergrad and take a bunch of courses. You can pick a degree with lots of electives if you want more flexibility in the courses you choose.

 

I agree with THX that it would be good to boost your GPA (although, again, I don't know what the cutoff is for Dal), and with 4 yrs of undergrad, you need to get really great marks and/or do lots of courses for anything to budge much. It might be hard & it might take some time, but it's totally worth it if med's what you really want.

[webshy]

Were any of your years full time, with a GPA of over 3.7? If so, doing a "special year" for Western might be an option. If not, I suggest doing two years of full time studies (minimum 5.0 courses per year). There are a number of schools that will only look at your best/most recent two years.

 

Western - best 2 years of full time studies; both years must be from the same degree, or one year from your degree plus a "special year"; can apply with only one completed year

 

Queen's - overall GPA (which you won't make) or most recent two years completed at time of application; cut-off has been 3.78 for last two years

 

Dalhousie - most recent GPA (though the committee has access to all your grades); cut-off for OOP is 3.7, I think 3.2 for Maritime applicants (which I'm assuming you will be)

 

Ottawa - weighted GPA of last 3 years; need very high wGPA (around 3.85) if not from the area....unless you are bilingual and interested in the french program

 

NOSM - same wGPA as Ottawa, but lower cut-off; very, very few non-rural applicants are accepted

 

Calgary - two year GPA; OOP applicants require high VR & BS scores due to the algorithm (ie: 11+)

 

Saskatchewan - believe they look at 2 years, but not sure of the details, since I'm not applying there; they have a long list of prerequisite courses

 

Definately, you have options! It may take a couple of years working on your GPA; however, med school is definately a possibility!

 

As far as the MCAT goes - my best section (12) was PS, and I have never taken university (or even OAC) physics. I think that if you learn the material via prep books, you can do very well if you have the ability to problem solve. The advantage of the prep books/courses is that you only learn what is actually needed for the exam, rather than all the material. If you put in the time, you can do well on the exam, even if you haven't taken the courses.

 

Best wishes to you!

 

Elaine

[chiller]

Thanks for the encouragement Elaine.

 

I will attempt my best to get in when I apply next september (for entrance of Sept.09). Essentially, I will be taking full course loads in both the upcoming winter and summer semester to hopefully boost my GPA a bit. That way when I apply into Dal and other schools, they can see that I am capable student coupled with my 2 years experience in Healthcare IT. If my application is well rounded enough, they may look at me as and realize I would be a valuable asset to the class.

 

I am just going to put my best foot forward, and try until I succeed.

[ftcnt]

thank you elaine, great summary