VenaCava Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Hi, I am currently completing my B.A. in History (Honours), with a Minor in Pre-Medical Science, so to be prepared for the MCATS, but I am worried that MUN will look down on my decision to receive a B.A. instead of the B.SC... Does it matter overall? I mean I still completed all the physics, chemistry, biology, and math courses, but just as my minor! I am just curious to know if they look down on it, when they are reviewing my application in a few years? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astudentis Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 They say pursue what interests you, and pursuing an arts degree makes you well rounded with the addition to the minor in sciences. It not only preps you for the mcat, it will help you in med school. Med schools are always looking for diversity...so I think you will be good. (but keep in mind statistics shows that majority to students accepted have a bsc... but thats just because majority who take science, take it to go to med school) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premed_guy Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Hola. I've got a BA, with an extra year of pre-med science. MUN gave me an interview- and one of the folks on my panel was actually involved in their medical humanities electives program, so it actually worked out pretty well. I wouldn't worry about it. Just do what you enjoy, and what you think will give you a broad base of knowledge to come into medical school with. One of the students that gave the tour had an MA in History herself- so clearly it's not a "automatic reject" sort of thing. Hope that helps! - Premed guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w8kg6 Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Hey there, VenaCava Just to reitterate what the above people said, what degree program you graduate with doesn't even matter. Before I even decided I wanted to be a doctor, I had a chat about it with a family friend (this would have been back in high school, so like, 2003-04), and he said that most med schools couldn't care less what degree you hold. This isn't to say they don't care if you know the standard pre-med sciences or not, they just don't care where you learn it. Learn what you have to to get past the MCAT. Beyond that, it's the exact same as anyone else. I doubt the BA will help you, I know it won't hurt you; Frankly, you've got to jump through the exact same hoops as us science grads. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 The degree isn't really important. I know people in medical school with all kinds of degrees. The important part is that you are able to sell your degree during applications and interviews. You need to show them that, no matter what you did, it makes you a strong candidate with unique skills. If you are an arts major, maybe you have lots of knowledge about subtlety in human interactions, and it will make you have strong communication skills. If you did engineering, then maybe you have extremely strong problem solving and analysis skills, and you'll have an advantage in clinical decision making. If you did a BSc maybe you learned how to approach and synthesize large amounts of data in order to make sense of it. Business, good knowledge of how to act as a leader of a team of workers etc. Note: These are all very sterotypical so don't anyone think you HAVE to be like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VenaCava Posted February 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 First off, Thank you to everyone that replied! Secondly, I feel way better about completing my B.A. now, I guess I was just worried that it would automatically kill my chances of being a physician (which is one of the things I've always wanted to pursue). I just figured that, other than the standard science and math courses, there is really nothing else that can prepare you more for the content in med-school. All you can do is acquire the skills needed to succeed in such a challenging profession! Thirdly, what is the average cGPA that you should get to apply for MUN med school? I am in a 4.0 grading system, so I was figuring anything above 3.5 would be good. Also, do they look at every single year, as well as every single course you take, or is there a stronger emphasis on the cumulative GPA (cGPA)? Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astudentis Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Q10. What are the average MCAT scores and overall academic average/GPA of previous entering classes? The average MCAT scores have been 10's on each section and Q on the Writing Sample and the overall academic average/GPA has been about an 85% of previous entering classes. ----- and 85% would be a more than a 3.7 on a 4.0 scale Q11. How is the overall academic average/GPA determined? The overall academic average/GPA is determined by calculation of all courses over all years taken at the University/College level. if you simply visit their website, you can easily find answer to the questions you are asking..... http://www.med.mun.ca/Admissions/FAQ-s.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w8kg6 Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Yep, astudentis said it well. Just do your research, and you'llt be left with little speculation. With that said, I'd like to take this chance to clear up some misinterpretations: Some things above a 3.5 are good, others are minimal. I'm an NB student with a 3.6-3.7 on the OMSAS scale (which is based on 4.0). If I'm accepted, I expect I'll be in the bottom half of my year (meaning that 50% of ppl accepted have cGPA's above 3.7 OMSAS). Also, MUN looks at all of your grades. Fortunately, they do this to everyone, so you're not at a disadvantage so long as you've been consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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