Can a Master's degree overcome an undergrad with a low GPA?

[AndyDude]

To all those who didn't meet the minimum GPA in undergrad for meds and decided to venture into Master's before being accepted to med schools. Is there a chance? Do such people exist?

 

My GPA is low (~3.2) and I've decided to go for Master's hoping if I do good here, I can possibly score an interview (conditional to my MCAT score, of course).

 

Is it possible?

 

Thanks for your time

[The Law]

It is possible, albeit highly unlikely. There are other avenues of action you may pursue though, if you check out the site (use the search) you can find out more.

[avenir001]

i think a masters will only help u at some schools and usually only if ur gpa is slightly lower than their cutoffs...with a cumulative gpa of 3.2, it's prolly a better idea to do a couple of extra undergrad/special yrs where u can get 3.7+, if u don't have a couple of good yrs already.

[AndyDude]

Thanks for the reply.

 

Let's say I spend two years to improve my GPA (since some schools like Western Ontario consider last 2 years) after my undergrad (so 6 years in total).

What sort of courses can I take? Is it any so long I have the prereqs or mainly the science ones?

[avenir001]

u can take anything u want...as long as they're not all 100/200-level courses...it's better if the courses are part of a degree tho cuz for example uwo only allows u to do one special year after ur degree..if u wanna do 2 yrs, they have to be part of a second degree...if u haven't graduated yet, u can just postpone graduation by a couple yrs and take some interesting courses that u can do well in...if u have graduated, u can look into whether or not u can get another degree in 2 yrs...if getting a second degree isn't ur thing, i'm not sure what other med schools' policies are when it comes to taking random courses outside of any degree, so u might wanna email them and ask.

[funkmunk]

I've heard the opposite (taking extra courses as an unclassified student to boost your GPA). The admissions committee sees through that plan and views it unfavourably. This is straight from a UBC advisor. They suggest going back for an additional degree, though make sure its a challenging one where you can demonstrate your academic ability.

[avenir001]

ya it's awesome if u can do a second degree..that's what i'm doing too...altho it doesn't have to be in physics...i've heard even basket weaving is fine...pick smth u're good at and would enjoy studying.

[The Law]

I've heard the opposite (taking extra courses as an unclassified student to boost your GPA). The admissions committee sees through that plan and views it unfavourably. This is straight from a UBC advisor. They suggest going back for an additional degree, though make sure its a challenging one where you can demonstrate your academic ability.

 

Yeah it really depends on the school, some schools wont like that (taking random courses as not part of a degree, simply to boost GPA). I don't know how competitive you would be at those specific schools though.

 

I'd send out an email to schools with good weighting formulas, just to see where you stand. It's also important to note, for schools with lower GPA cuts/requirements, you usually need a kickass MCAT score.

 

I would suggest continuing your education as part of a degree, but I'm not entirely sure if you can apply to UWO before reaching the 4th year of your 2nd degree (I'd look into that). Also, to clarify, UWO looks at your TOP two years not LAST two years (one year must meet cutoffs before interviews are given out, a second year must meet cutoffs before admissions are handed out). Queen's is the school that will look @ ur cGPA and if that doesn't meet cutoffs, then they will look at your last two years. U of M and Dalhousie also have ways of looking @ marks that might help you.

 

Depending on what your % average is, you might have a shot at UBC (they don't use GPA).

 

Hope this helps...

[dil123]

Yes it can. A lot of schools have lower GPA cutoffs if you have a Masters degree or PHD. Also you get extra points I've read somewhere. So like 95% of their decision is based on your gpa, MCAT etc, and then 5% extra is if you have these degrees.