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Varsity sports vs. higher gpa?


Rene_90

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hey,

 

Firstly i just want to say that this forum is great and that everyone here seems to be very helpful.

 

So on the my questions:

 

1. I am currently in grade 12 (no this isn't another what were your grades in high school and how do i stand post) and next year i will be going into science and most likely major in bio. My goal is to one day be a doctor and i was wondering if participating in a varsity sport (swimming for my case) is worth the somewhat lower GPA? I will be medaling at conference championships from my first year and i will probably win a few events before i graduate and hopefully a top 5 at CIS before i graduate. I would also most likely get some sort of leadership recognition from swimming as i will probably end up being captain of the team 3rd and 4th year. All that being said i will be practicing over 20 hours a week witch will ultimately lead to a lower GPA average. So do you guys think its worth it or would a higher GPA look better as an applicant.

 

2. As you may have noticed in the post my writing skills are somewhat sub-par mostly because French is my first language. I will be attending an English school so my question is should i take 2 full semesters of English writing first year as it won't hurt my application GPA for most schools (last 2 years of study/ best 2-3 type thing). Will this be too much considering i will be taking chem,bio and phys all with labs first year also. Another of my concern is that it would be too far back by the time i take my MCAT's to really help me.

 

 

Sorry for the huge post i just wanted a bit of advice before making my decision on these subjects.

 

Any advice would help

 

Thanks

 

Rene

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If you are applying to Canadian med schools, definitely go for the higher gpa. I've had some admissions experience, and the most common reason for someone to be unsuccessful was because their academics did not meet required cut-offs. It's VERY difficult to make up for a mediocre GPA once you have it, whereas it's a heck of a lot easier to beef-up extra-curriculars and volunteer experience later on.

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Rene,

 

As a former varsity athlete (track) who trained 20+ hours per week also, I whole-heartedly encourage you to do the swimming. The personal gain, camaradarie, and experiences are worth so much more for the rest of your life than I can express.

 

Plus, I did better in the years I was training heavily than when I wasn't, because I felt that part of my life was missing when I wasn't running. When you're busy with swimming, you'll need to budget your time effectively and that will force you to work hard on school when you can.

 

In the worst case scenario, you will not do as well as you want to in school, and then you have the option of stopping swimming to focus on academics. Even if you don't get in after your undergrad, you have other ways that you can upgrade your academics afterward (e.g. Master's, research, etc.)

 

Are you going to UBC? Great swim program, and then you're in-province for UBC applications also; UBC heavily weights extracurricular activities.

 

In the end, this is your choice, but I support sports. Don't give up what you enjoy now in your life--you never know what your path will become.

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Rene,

 

As a former varsity athlete (track) who trained 20+ hours per week also, I whole-heartedly encourage you to do the swimming. The personal gain, camaradarie, and experiences are worth so much more for the rest of your life than I can express.

Amen, brother! (sister?) Team sports are awesome. Also, the student lifestyle can be bad for your health, and remaining active in sports is a great way to avoid the freshman 15, sophomore 30, and the like! It also vastly expands your social circle.

 

 

Plus, I did better in the years I was training heavily than when I wasn't, because I felt that part of my life was missing when I wasn't running. When you're busy with swimming, you'll need to budget your time effectively and that will force you to work hard on school when you can.

 

Yes....also, no one says it will be grades OR sports. You might just be one of the many people who can maintain a healthy 3.7+ AND be involved in sports. Just be wise - I'm assuming you don't have to work, because juggling school and varsity sports will be tough enough. You WILL need to get some healthcare volunteer experience, so be prepared to find some room for that in your schedule. Research can be done in the summers, if you are interested in that. Also, I'm not sure what the season is for swimming, but I'm sure that like other varsity sports, it's only full-on for a few months per year, and during the downtime when there are no competitions, you will have more time. Be prudent and schedule harder classes and those that have labs for the off-season semester.

 

In the worst case scenario, you will not do as well as you want to in school, and then you have the option of stopping swimming to focus on academics. Even if you don't get in after your undergrad, you have other ways that you can upgrade your academics afterward (e.g. Master's, research, etc.)

 

Yeah...but you are unlikely to ever a chance to be a high-caliber competitive athlete again, especially in a team sport, once you've graduate uni (or graduated HS, but didn't continue the sport in uni). I played varsity soccer in HS, and LOVED it. However, when I went on to uni, I had to stop: 1) I had to work to make some $, and FT courseload + 20 hours of sports + 15 hours of work was going to be impossible 2) my uni had a very high-ranked women's soccer team, so if I did make it onto the team (likely not), I would've had to double my efforts to be on the same level. But I really wish I had tried out! I remained active in some intramurals, took random exercise classes, but it just wasn't the same - the team spirit isn't there, and neither is the rush you get when you are about to go out on the field against the other team (or hop in the pool, in your case).

 

In the end, this is your choice, but I support sports. Don't give up what you enjoy now in your life--you never know what your path will become.

 

Amen, again!

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Hey Rene, everyone who has posted so far is right. If you have a mediocre GPA, it is hard to climb out of that hole in the Canadian admission system (I mean, it's definitely possible given all the weighting formulas - but you don't want to put yourself in a position to need them).

 

The better your GPA, the more schools you will find yourself competitive at when you apply. That being said, it is definitely possible to do varsity sports and still get excellent grades! It will require a lot of hard work and dedication on your part, but if you really want it (and I mean really want it) - then you can manage.

 

While you are doing varsity, you will not have much time to do much other extracurricular activities though... but you can diversify your experiences over the summer (use your summers wisely!!).

 

You may also consider doing some sports that require less commitment in first year, and then aiming for varsity in a later year (so that you will have become accustomed to university before having such a rigorous extracurricular activity on your plate).

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Hey Rene,

 

I would say go with the sports....You will see it time and again in university...laziness breeds more laziness...those who do the most EC and volunteer work usually have a better work ethic and excel in their academic performance as well. Plus your varsity experience will teach you self-discipline, and team-work which are very important qualities for MD applications.

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I know this is about varsity sports but I am a first year student who is confused about how much EC and volunteering is enough...I've been in the university for one term now, and it seems all I've done is being an executive member of Chinese Student Association, fencing, intermural soccer, and now looking for senior homes to volunteer in. In the pre-med society at UWO, it says the more, the better, and there are 48 spots to fill in for EC and volunteering...is it really true? :(

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I know this is about varsity sports but I am a first year student who is confused about how much EC and volunteering is enough...I've been in the university for one term now, and it seems all I've done is being an executive member of Chinese Student Association, fencing, intermural soccer, and now looking for senior homes to volunteer in. In the pre-med society at UWO, it says the more, the better, and there are 48 spots to fill in for EC and volunteering...is it really true? :(

 

Yep. There is 48 spots but they do not all have to be filled in. It is more quality than quantity in this case. Also, you can include stuff from the time you were 16, so it does add up!:)

 

Best of luck and I was wondering if you could pm me with your opinion on UWO( pros, cons, advice, etc.)

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