FAQ: What are my chances?

[cupcakes2]

Soooo I think my sister is being pessimistic about not being able to get in anywhere. She really wants to do medicine but she really doesn't think her stats are even close to good enough for Canada:

 

cGPA: 3.2 (full course load in all years)

1: 2.7

2: 2.8

3: 3.0

4: 3.0

5: 4.0 (with honours thesis)

 

MSc (stem cells) GPA: 4.0 in all courses

MCAT: 42 (V14/P13/B15) (yay!!!!!)

 

-4 publications (1st first author)

-4 conference presentations/posters

-1 peer reviewed abstract

-Princeton Review tutor (1 year)

-paid undergrad research assistant (1 year)

-2 other part time jobs at the student union

-editor/contributor undergraduate health research journal

-1000+ hours of volunteering in health care settings, research labs, summer -camps, clinics, misc.

-bunch of graduate scholarships

-2 undergrad awards

 

She thinks she should just do PhD since she really likes research and it might give her an extra edge in a few years since her GPA is quite low. I think she still has a slim chance at Mac and Queens. Even Manitoba? Idk, I would hate to see her hard work (esp her MCAT?!?!?) to go to waste like that.

 

Thoughts?

[FuturePT216]

Soooo I think my sister is being pessimistic about not being able to get in anywhere. She really wants to do medicine but she really doesn't think her stats are even close to good enough for Canada:

 

cGPA: 3.2 (full course load in all years)

1: 2.7

2: 2.8

3: 3.0

4: 3.0

5: 4.0 (with honours thesis)

 

MSc (stem cells) GPA: 4.0 in all courses

MCAT: 42 (V14/P13/B15) (yay!!!!!)

 

-4 publications (1st first author)

-4 conference presentations/posters

-1 peer reviewed abstract

-Princeton Review tutor (1 year)

-paid undergrad research assistant (1 year)

-2 other part time jobs at the student union

-editor/contributor undergraduate health research journal

-1000+ hours of volunteering in health care settings, research labs, summer -camps, clinics, misc.

-bunch of graduate scholarships

-2 undergrad awards

 

She thinks she should just do PhD since she really likes research and it might give her an extra edge in a few years since her GPA is quite low. I think she still has a slim chance at Mac and Queens. Even Manitoba? Idk, I would hate to see her hard work (esp her MCAT?!?!?) to go to waste like that.

 

Thoughts?

 

Mac, but also U of T for sure!

[schmitty]

Soooo I think my sister is being pessimistic about not being able to get in anywhere. She really wants to do medicine but she really doesn't think her stats are even close to good enough for Canada:

 

cGPA: 3.2 (full course load in all years)

1: 2.7

2: 2.8

3: 3.0

4: 3.0

5: 4.0 (with honours thesis)

 

MSc (stem cells) GPA: 4.0 in all courses

MCAT: 42 (V14/P13/B15) (yay!!!!!)

 

-4 publications (1st first author)

-4 conference presentations/posters

-1 peer reviewed abstract

-Princeton Review tutor (1 year)

-paid undergrad research assistant (1 year)

-2 other part time jobs at the student union

-editor/contributor undergraduate health research journal

-1000+ hours of volunteering in health care settings, research labs, summer -camps, clinics, misc.

-bunch of graduate scholarships

-2 undergrad awards

 

She thinks she should just do PhD since she really likes research and it might give her an extra edge in a few years since her GPA is quite low. I think she still has a slim chance at Mac and Queens. Even Manitoba? Idk, I would hate to see her hard work (esp her MCAT?!?!?) to go to waste like that.

 

Thoughts?

 

Depends a lot on weighting formulae but it seems like she has a GREAT shot at U of T and Manitoba if she interviews well. This is very similar to me (3.35 GPA, no weighting at U of T for me), 39R MCAT with MSc. I managed to get into 4 schools so there is definitely hope!

 

U of T and Manitoba are her best bets I would think...

[cupcakes2]

Depends a lot on weighting formulae but it seems like she has a GREAT shot at U of T and Manitoba if she interviews well. This is very similar to me (3.35 GPA, no weighting at U of T for me), 39R MCAT with MSc. I managed to get into 4 schools so there is definitely hope!

 

U of T and Manitoba are her best bets I would think...

 

Wow, totally didn't consider UofT (was only thinking of the undergrad cutoff), you're right! Hmm, we just calculated the weighted average, it comes up to 3.4 for UofT (almost exactly like you! hehe). She does get a little nervous in interviews but this is definitely a good start. Btw, we read your story and it was super inspiring; thanks for sharing! You definitely deserved every last bit. Good luck with everything!

[future_doc]

McGill is long shot, but worth a try.

 

What about McMaster?

[schmitty]

Wow, totally didn't consider UofT (was only thinking of the undergrad cutoff), you're right! Hmm, we just calculated the weighted average, it comes up to 3.4 for UofT (almost exactly like you! hehe). She does get a little nervous in interviews but this is definitely a good start. Btw, we read your story and it was super inspiring; thanks for sharing! You definitely deserved every last bit. Good luck with everything!

 

Thanks!

 

And yes, she should make sure to practice her interview skills if she is granted an interview as I feel like this is a strong deciding factor with people like us who have 'low' GPAs. Also, make sure the reference letters are amazing (this is very important for grad applicants - I had 6 great letters from 5 people).

[n4now]

@ cupcakes2: MCAT: 42 (V14/P13/B15) (yay!!!!!)

 

that's an amazing MCAT score! may I ask, what did her study regimen consist of???

[fred245]

Soooo I think my sister is being pessimistic about not being able to get in anywhere. She really wants to do medicine but she really doesn't think her stats are even close to good enough for Canada:

 

cGPA: 3.2 (full course load in all years)

1: 2.7

2: 2.8

3: 3.0

4: 3.0

5: 4.0 (with honours thesis)

 

MSc (stem cells) GPA: 4.0 in all courses

MCAT: 42 (V14/P13/B15) (yay!!!!!)

 

-4 publications (1st first author)

-4 conference presentations/posters

-1 peer reviewed abstract

-Princeton Review tutor (1 year)

-paid undergrad research assistant (1 year)

-2 other part time jobs at the student union

-editor/contributor undergraduate health research journal

-1000+ hours of volunteering in health care settings, research labs, summer -camps, clinics, misc.

-bunch of graduate scholarships

-2 undergrad awards

 

She thinks she should just do PhD since she really likes research and it might give her an extra edge in a few years since her GPA is quite low. I think she still has a slim chance at Mac and Queens. Even Manitoba? Idk, I would hate to see her hard work (esp her MCAT?!?!?) to go to waste like that.

 

Thoughts?

 

Woah, 42 MCAT, yet 3.2 GPA? What happened in undergrad?

 

I'm always curious as to how this happens...did she slack off, or did she load up on ridiculously hard courses? Personal problems during that time?...etc

[wpggal]

My cGPA is quite low due to various personal issues going on in my first year and a half of university. Paired with bad study habits.

[user061]

I would appreciate any frankness and honesty here. Do I have any chance at all at any of the Canadian medical schools given my current GPA, and is there anything I could do to improve my chances over the next year?

 

- BC resident, pharmacy student (very personal reasons for switching to medicine from pharmacy at this stage)

- Will take MCAT next summer and apply next summer if I have any chance at all

- 1st year undergrad average: 75.8%

- 2nd year undergrad average: 78.8%

- 1st year pharmacy average: 81.0%

- 2nd year pharmacy average: 74.9%

 

ECs

171 hours on a recreational league sports team (will continue into the year)

624 hours working in a pharmacy (will continue into the year)

200+ hours of hospital volunteering (3 years at 2 hours/week)

1 year of Children's Hospital volunteering

2 years of World Vision volunteering

1 year of Canadian Blood Services volunteering

5 years of martial arts

 

Thanks guys, I would really appreciate any advice you might have.

[cupcakes2]

Woah, 42 MCAT, yet 3.2 GPA? What happened in undergrad?

 

I'm always curious as to how this happens...did she slack off, or did she load up on ridiculously hard courses? Personal problems during that time?...etc

 

(I let her answer this on her own)

 

This might fit better under the non-trad thread but I will tell my tale just because I think it’s important to let others know that it’s possible (wall of text alert!)

 

I had never been a “bad” student. Before my first year in undergrad, I had always put my academics before anything else and always did fairly well. Nearing exam time in my first semester of first year, there were a series of drastic unfortunate turn of events in my family. And I, always having been highly sensitive to my emotional environment, did not adapt well to any of it. My grades suffered significantly and the the mark is evident on my transcript where I have straight A’s in first term and C’s and a D+ in second. Following my first year, I entered a darker phase (which later turned into depression) and though I kept myself busy with volunteer work like I always had, I found my confidence quickly faltering. I found myself unable to stay focused, avoiding contact with my closest friends, lacking motivation, even becoming desensitized to poor academic performance. The only thing that brought me mental peace was reading and writing (and I did a LOT of this for ~5 years, which I think really played a role in my strong verbal reasoning score... I talk more about this below).

 

Anyway, I still refused to lighten my course load simply because I didn’t find the electives interesting. I still loved science and took all the “hard sciences”. During this time (maybe as a self-defense) I stopped worrying too much about grades and just immersed myself in really learning and letting myself be genuinely interested in my courses. And I can honestly say I don’t regret any of it. It was a huge growing process and it’s how I developed my passion for research. Sure, I didn’t spend time memorizing details on old exams and not even stuffing my brain with mindless details on a hidden slide, which may have helped me climb that extra 10-15%. Instead I spent that time branching out, looking up journal articles to fill the gaps in my curiosity. I loved learning; I just hated studying to specifically fit a mould.

 

I landed a research assistant job a summer before my fourth year, which really fueled my interest in research. I was allowed to direct my own project, conduct experiments, interpret and present my results in lab meetings. I loved how everything I had learned finally came together. It was then that I realized that my grades would probably not allow me to even get into grad school, no matter what research experience I had or how good my letters of recommendations would be. I realized I HAD to conform to the grading system because it was my only chance to academically prove myself worthy of admission. So I did. I spent an extra 5th year spending literally day and night balancing a heavy thesis project alongside my academics. I also started going in for regular counseling sessions to deal with my ongoing depression and past issues that were holding me back.

 

When I finally started seeing results (4.00 in final year), I regained a lot of the confidence I had lost over the years. I published my first paper. I graduated, not with “distinction” but with a truckload of invisible confidence and a pretty silver honour medal for my perfect final year average. I applied and got accepted into the grad school of my choice 4 months after graduation and devoted everything to the new exciting research I was doing. I loved it. After a year, I realized that although I was enjoying what I was doing, I wanted to be closer to people. I found myself thinking a lot about my old, dusty dream of studying medicine. I had convinced myself earlier that research would eventually fill that void, but I knew it probably wouldn’t ever... fully. And mostly, I didn’t want to look back and regret never trying.

 

So without second thoughts, I bought a set of MCAT books, and spent a little over a year during the second year of my masters studying. I came home every day from lab and set aside a few solid hours (on most days) to study and master the basics.

 

(For the person who asked about my MCAT study regime… this is for you!)

VERBAL: Verbal came much more easily and after I learned the type of questions that were typically asked, it was a steady upward climb on that section. I was used to frequently reading scholarly articles because of research. I had also spent a lot of my “low gpa undergrad years” and summers reading a lot of news articles and analyses on politics, sustainability, social issues, culture, arts, religion, philosophy, you name it. I was genuinely interested in most of these topics, so it helped. I also found that most of the practice passages for verbal were pretty interesting, which also helped to absorb key points and arguments while reading. KEY TIP: force yourself to read through opinion articles on different topics (good sources: Huffington Post, NYTimes, Time, The Economist, AlJazeera, BBC World, The Guardian, The Onion (if you like heavy satire), and even your local newspaper). Read reviews from high impact science journals (Nature, Cell, Lancet, etc). Lastly, the best tip I can offer for verbal is to BE OBJECTIVE. The questions that you will be asked don’t necessarily refer to what you think as much as what the author of the passage thinks. Pay attention to the tone of the article, what is the author arguing and why, what evidence does he provide to support his claims, what evidence does he use to contrast his argument?

 

BIOLOGICAL: Coming from a strong biology/biochemistry background, most of the biological section was review (including organic, which I A+’d in undergrad). Most of my better grades in undergrad were in biology and biochemistry so this was a fairly easy section to get through, especially since these were basics and I had taken many advanced courses after them. No real tips here other than to try and connect all the concepts in your head. Don’t try to study discrete units of information. Branch out and see if you can connect the dots because that what the questions will ask of you.

 

PHYSICAL: I spent, by far, the most time on physical. During undergrad, I got Cs and Ds in almost all physical sciences/math courses I took. Mostly out of boredom, difficulty, and serious lack of effort. Anyway, it was definitely the most difficult to get through and the only thing that kept me going was that I probably wouldn’t have to look at it much again.

 

OVERALL: I didn’t have time to attend MCAT classes because of lab/TA-ing/research so all studying was self-directed. I spent the last two months after my MSc defense going over practice tests and concepts (literally everyday, minus weekends). I also read a LOT in those two months to increase my reading speed, which was a definite plus. And I spent the last 3 days away from the books and just working out, praying and relaxing. My sister also used the same study technique (we studied around the same time) and she did extremely well as well. It also helped to have her as a study buddy/emotional crutch through this whole process.

 

Lol, sorry this turned out to be MUCH longer than I had anticipated but I guess you can read selectively (or not at all) hahaha. Good luck to all those applying!!

[FuturePT216]

^ This is great. Thank you so much for sharing your story!

[n4now]

thank you so much for replying! the story in general and the tips in particular are incredibly helpful and very much appreciated

[Bangbangbang]

I would appreciate any frankness and honesty here. Do I have any chance at all at any of the Canadian medical schools given my current GPA, and is there anything I could do to improve my chances over the next year?

 

- BC resident, pharmacy student (very personal reasons for switching to medicine from pharmacy at this stage)

- Will take MCAT next summer and apply next summer if I have any chance at all

- 1st year undergrad average: 75.8%

- 2nd year undergrad average: 78.8%

- 1st year pharmacy average: 81.0%

- 2nd year pharmacy average: 74.9%

 

ECs

171 hours on a recreational league sports team (will continue into the year)

624 hours working in a pharmacy (will continue into the year)

200+ hours of hospital volunteering (3 years at 2 hours/week)

1 year of Children's Hospital volunteering

2 years of World Vision volunteering

1 year of Canadian Blood Services volunteering

5 years of martial arts

 

Thanks guys, I would really appreciate any advice you might have.

 

Not to burst your bubble, but your chances are slim to say the least. UBC highly values academics and your average is low. Even with your worst year removed (assuming you took a full course-load in all 4 years) your average comes out to 78.23%. Using the AQ formula (pretty accurate) you would have an AQ of 10.77 meaning to get an interview you would need an insane NAQ (highly unlikely).

 

My advice would be to get an average >85% at min. Western, queens, and ottawa take a look at your recent academic performance. (best 2 year, last 2, and last 3 I believe). As for UBC, your chances are slim unless you get a 90+ avg your last 2 years of pharmacy. Your average would then be (83.12%) giving you approx. a 27 AQ. Then you would approx need a (35 NAQ). The cutoff for TFR was 62 I believe for last cycle at UBC.

 

Good luck!

[user061]

Not to burst your bubble, but your chances are slim to say the least. UBC highly values academics and your average is low. Even with your worst year removed (assuming you took a full course-load in all 4 years) your average comes out to 78.23%. Using the AQ formula (pretty accurate) you would have an AQ of 10.77 meaning to get an interview you would need an insane NAQ (highly unlikely).

 

My advice would be to get an average >85% at min. Western, queens, and ottawa take a look at your recent academic performance. (best 2 year, last 2, and last 3 I believe). As for UBC, your chances are slim unless you get a 90+ avg your last 2 years of pharmacy. Your average would then be (83.12%) giving you approx. a 27 AQ. Then you would approx need a (35 NAQ). The cutoff for TFR was 62 I believe for last cycle at UBC.

 

Good luck!

 

No worries, there wasn't any bubble to begin with. I know my grades are not the highest but I'm prepared to deal with and work with the consequences. Thanks for the advice however, it means a lot. Does that mean that I might have some chance at Western, Queens, or Ottawa if I get an average of around 85% in my last two years? If I do a Masters or PhD (maybe PharmD) after I graduate and do well there, do you think it will help in any way, or are my grades just bad enough that my chances will be slim no matter what? How do McMaster, Alberta, and Calgary look at grades?

[Evirus]

To give some background

 

Im studying towards BSc degree and entering third year.

Marks break down are the following:

 

1st year gpa was 3.70

2nd year gpa was 3.90

 

I am entering third year, and I am concerned with opening options for myself in case I cannot make it to medicine.

 

Third year, I plan to go with my full course load plus the work study program, and I hope get an work study job that is academically related so I can use my supervisors for reference for the application. I am afraid that I might not do well in third year and that pharmacy will be my thing to fall back on. My course load consists of my required courses for the degree and some prerequisites for pharmacy program as well. It is about 20 hours of class/lab time per week, and about 10 -12 hours of work.

 

If I do not get a work study position, I plan on studying the MCAT and write it in January.

 

Would this be too hard to achieve?

[schmitty]

To give some background

 

Im studying towards BSc degree and entering third year.

Marks break down are the following:

 

1st year gpa was 3.70

2nd year gpa was 3.90

 

I am entering third year, and I am concerned with opening options for myself in case I cannot make it to medicine.

 

Third year, I plan to go with my full course load plus the work study program, and I hope get an work study job that is academically related so I can use my supervisors for reference for the application. I am afraid that I might not do well in third year and that pharmacy will be my thing to fall back on. My course load consists of my required courses for the degree and some prerequisites for pharmacy program as well. It is about 20 hours of class/lab time per week, and about 10 -12 hours of work.

 

If I do not get a work study position, I plan on studying the MCAT and write it in January.

 

Would this be too hard to achieve?

 

Definitely not. I worked a lot more than this during my undergrad with a full course load (doing a specialist AND a major) and it was fine. Busy, but fine. Just make sure you use all your available time to not get behind on your course work since you need to keep that GPA up.

[McGillLabRat]

~3.95 cGPA

MCAT: TBA

Ontario Resident

 

4 summers of research - (1 volunteer, 1 paid @uoft, 2 at a prestigious uni)

3 years of research during school year (two were thesis projects)

- One "promised" pub, won't be published for a few years, three conferences w/ abstracts, two undergrad thesises (do these count for anything?)

 

ECs: (Below average I would say ) President of one club, long-term participation in a couple others

 

LOR: I have really good ones from research supervisors, but I really don't know anyone that could possibly write me another one from my other ECs.

 

So what are my chances? ><

Also, would they improve if I am applying to a MD/PhD program?

[schmitty]

~3.95 cGPA

MCAT: TBA

Ontario Resident

 

4 summers of research - (1 volunteer, 1 paid @uoft, 2 at a prestigious uni)

3 years of research during school year (two were thesis projects)

- One "promised" pub, won't be published for a few years, three conferences w/ abstracts, two undergrad thesises (do these count for anything?)

 

ECs: (Below average I would say ) President of one club, long-term participation in a couple others

 

LOR: I have really good ones from research supervisors, but I really don't know anyone that could possibly write me another one from my other ECs.

 

So what are my chances? ><

Also, would they improve if I am applying to a MD/PhD program?

 

If you get a decent MCAT and don't suck at interviews, then you are set.

[sk06]

Ontario resident, going into my 4th year

cGPA: ~3.2

VR: 8

BS: 8

PS: 9

 

Do I have any chance at all in Canadian med schools? Any feedback would be appreciated.

[BAMFtastic]

Ontario resident, going into my 4th year

cGPA: ~3.2

VR: 8

BS: 8

PS: 9

 

Do I have any chance at all in Canadian med schools? Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

Honestly, no.

You need to re-write the MCAT and get at 39+ if you want to get in with a 3.2

Start doing a masters and get your GPA higher. You might be eligible for some specific regulations surrounding graduate students (uOtt, UoT, Mac).

Quite simply, your MCAT is not strong enough. Sorry, but you need to keep at it!

You could apply to a carrib school, but I think that is a little sketchy.

[schmitty]

Honestly, no.

You need to re-write the MCAT and get at 39+ if you want to get in with a 3.2

Start doing a masters and get your GPA higher. You might be eligible for some specific regulations surrounding graduate students (uOtt, UoT, Mac).

Quite simply, your MCAT is not strong enough. Sorry, but you need to keep at it!

You could apply to a carrib school, but I think that is a little sketchy.

 

more UG would be better if he/she really is focused on med school.

[thestar10]

Honestly, no.

You need to re-write the MCAT and get at 39+ if you want to get in with a 3.2

Start doing a masters and get your GPA higher. You might be eligible for some specific regulations surrounding graduate students (uOtt, UoT, Mac).

Quite simply, your MCAT is not strong enough. Sorry, but you need to keep at it!

You could apply to a carrib school, but I think that is a little sketchy.

 

No grad degree will help those scores. A 2nd undergrad and mcat rewrite is your only shot at canadian schools.

[Lost&Found]

Ontario resident, going into my 4th year

cGPA: ~3.2

VR: 8

BS: 8

PS: 9

 

Do I have any chance at all in Canadian med schools? Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

Whats you GPA breakdown?

[sk06]

Whats you GPA breakdown?

 

Thanks so much everyone for your feedback. My GPA has been pretty disastrous, starting with around 3.65, 2.95, then 3.02 this year. Should I not even bother applying this summer until I improve my MCAT scores?