futuredoc Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Hi everyone, I'm a new guy to this forum, and I must say I'm impressed with everything going on here (which is why I made this account!). Anyways, I am writing this first response largely because of anxiety. As you guys probably already know, getting into med-school is hard. As of such, I pretty much "hit the ground running". My first term GPA was 4.2/4.3 and I expect to finish the year with something like that. I belong to a few societies, and I have a solid shot at an NSERC research award. The only thing is, I plan to apply during third year. How easy/hard is it to maintain a GPA in second year (Biology major), and which universities commonly accept only two years experience? What kind of things do these universities like to see? I know some of these questions sound really dumb, but all this uncertainty of not knowing anything is freaking me out. PS Sorry for the long letter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 How easy/hard is it to maintain a GPA in second year (Biology major) That totally depends on the person. Some people's marks increase & some decrease. The good thing for you is, you don't actually have to maintain a 4.2/4.3 GPA to get in med school. In fact, with a 4.0/4.3, you're pretty much good everywhere in terms of GPA, as far as I know, and if it falls a bit below that, it'll still be good enough for most. So even if you don't maintain it as high as it currently is, you'll be fine. Do your best but don't worry too much about it. which universities commonly accept only two years experience? In Canada, I think most do. Read the individual university threads, try the search function or look at university websites to find out which exactly. What kind of things do these universities like to see? That really depends on the school (see above). In general, you need to show you're a well rounded person with a life outside of school (volunteering, sports, clubs, research, and/or anything else really) and good academic potential. For most schools, you will need to write the MCAT & do reasonably well on it, but I think with such high marks in basic sciences in your first yr, your odds of doing good are probably high. In general, I wouldn't worry too much right now. Keep doing what you're doing, it seems to work. When it's time to apply, you'll have lots of options. Apply broadly and you should have a good shot at getting in somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futuredoc Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Thank you very much for your advice. I know that I shouldn't really be that worried but I can't help it . Is it true though that you need like a 37R on MCAT? A few of these threads have been talking like that, and 37R is really high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Law Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Honestly, don't worry about it. Each school is different, but even if you get a bad grade most schools have weighting formulas. Especially with the grades you have, you shouldn't really be worried about the academic component of your application. Besides at Manitoba, and some Alberta schools... getting a 37R will make no difference in your application than if you had just met the cutoffs. Of course, aim for the top... but getting a 37R is not necessary. The main thing is that your score meets cutoffs, and since they change every year - you don't know what those cutoffs are going to be like when you apply. Had I decided to apply based on past few years cutoffs, I would not be interviewing at Queen's this year with my 28S... so just do your best, send in the application when it's time, and hope for the best! =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meredith Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Hi Futuredoc, I don't have much to add - Dalhousie only requires 2 years of grades. I just wanted to mention that I've heard that they really like a 4 year degree. I have a friend who applied in her third year with a 4.15-ish GPA (I forget exactly what it was, but it was higher than a 4.0), with lots of extracurriculars and volunteer experience, and she didn't get in and had to do a 4th year of undergrad. But she got in the next year at Dalhousie. (She's now a family physician - I'm older than most premeds, so this was a few years ago, and things might have changed, just wanted to let you know what I heard - so have a backup plan in place!) Meredith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futuredoc Posted February 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 I think Dalhousie requires a four year degree but they sometimes accept 3 year degrees.... I wonder if that is the same as 3 years of a 4 year degree? In any case I really appreciate the help I've been getting on this site. It has taken a load off my mind! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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