Really need some advice & guidance

[michkey104]

Hi everyone.

 

Long time lurker in these forums, but this is the first time I've finally decided to make a post here. I've been feeling a bit lost and was hoping to hear some of your insights regarding my situation.

 

A little about myself. I'm 21 years old, going into my 5th year of a BSc Bio major at UBC. To make a very long story short, due to various circumstances in my personal and family life, my marks have not been ideal, and thus my overall GPA has been horrendous to say the least. My average is only sitting at around 60%. Even if I ace my final year, I don't know how much it would improve my overall GPA. With this in mind, it seems that I have no chance in hell of getting into med through traditional means, and that I am going to have to tread a long and hard path now to achieve my goals.

 

Is there really any way for me to improve my GPA and AQ? I've heard of some people talking about a second degree, but I'm not really sure how that works. Would I get a "clean slate" so to speak to get a new GPA that the med admissions looks at, or will the horrible marks from my previous degree stick with me for the rest of my life?

 

I know some people have suggested medical schools outside of Canada, but honestly I just can't afford the huge costs involved, especially without the availability of student loans internationally. This is why I would really prefer to try and stay within Canada.

 

Coming out of highschool, I guess it didn't really occur to me how fast time would pass. I was sure I would know what to do when my undergrad came to an end, but now I really don't know what to do anymore. I was thinking about working for a year or two doing laboratory/research work or improving my NAQ, but ultimately I don't know how I could go about improving my GPA/AQ.

 

Thank you and sorry for the lengthy post.

[avenir001]

i think in your case, it would be a better idea to focus more on some other medical schools than just ubc...what i would suggest is that you do 2 more years and aim for a 3.8 (or marks in the 80-85% range)...u can either graduate this year and do a special year..or just take another year to graduate (u could add a minor in psyc or something)...with those u can apply to the "last-2-year & best-2-year schools" (eg. queens, uwo, dal)...if your 2-year avg is 90+%, you'll have a shot at U of S as well. in addition to the gpa, u'll also have to meet mcat cutoffs...have u written the mcat? if not, maybe try some practice tests to figure out where u stand..and set goals for yourself...make sure u don't just concentrate on getting that 3.8 gpa only to find out that u're only getting 7 on VR for instance..

anyway, just some things to think about. hope that helps.

[Blackkeys]

Wow! You're only 21! You've got plenty of time to remedy the situation and still get out of med school at a young age.

If I were you, I'd do another undergrad, as someone else suggested. Your old marks will always be with you but if you do a new degree almost all schools will use it, rather than the old one, to determine your GPA. i.e. it's the one they'll apply weighting formulas to, etc. Ottawa U, for example, will use your last three years of full-time university; Western and Queens, your last two. So do at least 2 more years of uni, get good marks and do all that other stuff that makes you well-rounded and interesting, and you could possibly be in med school by the age of 23-24.

 

For more specific info, browse around these boards and go to the websites of the individual schools that you wish to apply to.

 

Good luck!

[michkey104]

Thank you for the kind words everyone. I really appreciate it

 

I will definitely take your advice into consideration.

[jelly31]

I was in pretty much the same boat as you were, graduated from UBC as well. I took an extra full semester and a part-time second semester, which I did well in, then I did a practical-based Master's with lots of coursework to help boost my GPA. My MCAT was average but I also had some unusual and interesting ECs, which helped me get interviews. You can never really predict what each med school wants, but I also suggest that you do a lot of things you like (particularly with a community focus), apply broadly and don't give up! Yes, I will be a little bit older than the average matriculant (I think 24 is the average age) but I would not trade my experiences for anything - I believe they will make me a stronger, more compassionate physician. Best of luck.