ogrenci Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 I'm in the last 5 weeks of chemical engineering and I'm basically losing my mind. I'm in the midst of a class that apparently is actually a full time job that I get paid for in crappy (i.e. ~75% ish - average for the class) grades. It's a new professor and the course is widely acknowledged as being ridiculous and changes are going to be made... next year. Also, I have a heinous project class that is about to become more than a full time job as well. I practically live in a computer lab, and I say this without exaggeration. The thing is, I interviewed at both U of C and U of A this year and I'm desperately hoping I get in before the aforementioned class tanks my grades. BUT if I don't get in, am I bound for grad school? Will a lousy final year wreak my chances of getting in without it? My grades are pretty borderline but my mcat was rad (GPA = 3.6ish, mcat = 36R). Everyone says good things about an upward GPA trend, but what about an exponential downward trend, huh? Does anyone have any sage advice for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Well, do you REALLY want to do a Master's in engineering? You could avoid that pain by taking some GPA boosters as a nonclassifed student. That's what I'd do, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minderbinder Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Well, do you REALLY want to do a Master's in engineering? You could avoid that pain by taking some GPA boosters as a nonclassifed student. That's what I'd do, anyway. Agreed, altough a masters might help for some schools, like Queen's, U of T and Ottawa. Hopefully, you'll get in this year though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene_90 Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 With that MCAT score you could always look to the south. Many US schools give a ton of weight to the mcat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a41 Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Work, make money, reapply. I miss chem eng sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogrenci Posted March 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Hmmmm.... I would rather not do grad school right now. I REALLY want to go to med school and it would mean another couple years of not being where I want to be. I wouldn't mind the whole making money for a year business but sadly, there appear to be no jobs. It's more that I'm just incredibly frustrated because I'm in a class where I feel I can't win. Seriously, it feels like there is nothing I can do that will actually improve my grade. I'm so through with engineering. We're breaking up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermen85 Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 You are having tough time with Chemical Engineering?!!! What?! It's one of the easiest engineering stream in undergrad up there with environmental . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Well, I hope you get in this year so it becomes a non issue, but if not you ought to go do what you want. Meds is such a crapshoot that it doesn't make sense to do what you think they want as opposed to what you'd be happy with. And I agree, engineering is le suck. I switched out after my first semester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogrenci Posted March 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Silverman85 - Ima gonna punch you in the neck so hard. Kathryn - It just feels like the whole application process is jumping through hoops like crappy grades = grad school. I'd like to volunteer abroad but I just don't know if it will help my app if my grades are tres mal this semester. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Going abroad is an awesome idea. That's great life experience and will probably be a lot of fun. Just pick up a couple of athabasca courses for the gpa and you're good to go. You're really not in a bad position right now. Work and bank cash, pick up some extra credits, and work on your volunteer stuff. The money you can save now will come in handy when you do get that golden acceptance letter. Hell, I'm going to work and bank cash before I go too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermen85 Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Silverman85 - Ima gonna punch you in the neck so hard. Kathryn - It just feels like the whole application process is jumping through hoops like crappy grades = grad school. I'd like to volunteer abroad but I just don't know if it will help my app if my grades are tres mal this semester. I actually have a bad neck pain from last night..lol But on a more serious note, if you don't like engineering, a grad school is going to be even more of hell you, why put yourself and others in such torture? Now, if the whole purpose for you to volunteer abroad is to make your application look better in front of the admissions committee, then perhaps you look yourself in the mirror and think about why or if you will become a good doctor. As you said before, you have wanted to goto medical school for a long time and want it so badly, perhap now it is a good time to reflect what part of medicine that really interest you. Getting GPAs for the sake of meeting medical school cutoff, volunteering so it will only stack up your CV, I'm sorry to say this, these are the exact kind of people the admission committee trying to keep out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogrenci Posted March 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Actually, one of the major reasons I want to get INTO medicine so I can work abroad with MSF. I think volunteering abroad would be fantastic. Travelling is basically the best thing ever and j'aime beaucoup volunteering. More to the point, if I don't get in, I'd really rather volunteer abroad than take fluff courses (I kinda think they're a waste of time) or do grad work precisely because I feel that I'd be doing the later options strictly FOR getting into med school. But, given that I want to get into medical school at some point sooner rather than later I feel like I need to be a competitive applicant and thus make the improvements to my application that need to be made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a41 Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 You are having tough time with Chemical Engineering?!!! What?! It's one of the easiest engineering stream in undergrad up there with environmental . Maybe at your school.... Besides, everyone knows that Civil is the easiest. OP have you even tried applying to jobs? There are a lot of companies that are desperate for engineers (yes, even in this economic climate). When I almost didn't get into med school I started looking into working with Engineers Without Borders. That might sound like a good opportunity for you. Honestly, you can accomplish everything you've mentioned without even going to medical school! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-Stark Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Actually, one of the major reasons I want to get INTO medicine so I can work abroad with MSF. I think volunteering abroad would be fantastic. Travelling is basically the best thing ever and j'aime beaucoup volunteering. More to the point, if I don't get in, I'd really rather volunteer abroad than take fluff courses (I kinda think they're a waste of time) or do grad work precisely because I feel that I'd be doing the later options strictly FOR getting into med school. But, given that I want to get into medical school at some point sooner rather than later I feel like I need to be a competitive applicant and thus make the improvements to my application that need to be made. I'm not sure how much overseas volunteering actually matters insofar as admissions go. That being said, you don't need to be a physician to work with MSF - a background in logistics or international development is just as useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 I'm not sure how much overseas volunteering actually matters insofar as admissions go. That being said, you don't need to be a physician to work with MSF - a background in logistics or international development is just as useful. Volunteering is volunteering as far as they are concerned. Remember, every second stereotypical pre-med has an overseas volunteering trip now. It won't set your application apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermen85 Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Volunteering is volunteering as far as they are concerned. Remember, every second stereotypical pre-med has an overseas volunteering trip now. It won't set your application apart. It depends on the extent and what organization you volunteered for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In_Valid Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Eng isn't the only difficult program. I'm currently finishing up my honours degree in Chemistry. It's not the easiest of programs. =\ People who complain about organic chemistry have not taken inorganic, physical or computational chemistry. Orgo is the easiest discipline within chem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a41 Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 Eng isn't the only difficult program. I'm currently finishing up my honours degree in Chemistry. It's not the easiest of programs. =\ People who complain about organic chemistry have not taken inorganic, physical or computational chemistry. Orgo is the easiest discipline within chem. I'd have to agree with your assessment that orgo is the easiest. I did a program that was dually accredited in chemical engineering AND chemistry. Double trouble! (and a crapload of courses) We'd always scoff at both the chemistry students and the chemical engineering students from our high horses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLengr Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 It depends on the extent and what organization you volunteered for. Again though, that doesn't matter if it is overseas or not. Those criteria apply whether you are in Canada or Africa. If you do a amazing job overseas, it's no better then doing a amazing job in Canada. Just the fact that it is on another continent doesn't make it any more valuable than stuff done in Canada when it comes to application time. My point is the whole volunteering overseas lost it ability to give your application/CV an edge over the past 15 years. There are so many university kids doing it now it dilutes the kick it once had when someone reads it. Especially if that someone knows that there are all kinds of pay-your-way CV padding overseas programs around now (NOTE: I'm not saying this is every program, but there are lots out there). In fact, I wouldn't be surpised if there was at least an undercurrent of backlash against it in a minority of employers/programs. I know lots of professionals (Physicians, Lawyers, Engineers etc.), who see people who went overseas to volunteer and assume rich suburban kid who doesn't have to spend time working in the summer so they can eat in the winter. (AGAIN NOTE: This is not my opinion, nor I am accusing anyone of being such a person, nor does it mean that everyone falls into this catagory, but I have heard it expressed by multiple people who participate in the hiring/application process in the private, public and university sector). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogrenci Posted March 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 I would definitely agree that orgo chem was one of the easier chem courses I've taken (as compared to the colloid chem class that I have a midterm tomorrow in and should be studying for). But I think that comes from the same reason I've done ok in engineering, since orgo comes down to problem solving when there's just too much to memorize. Higher level chem courses are full of crazy. As per volunteering, I assessed it about the same as you guys. Neat but not particularly remarkable or helpful on an application unless you're in some sort of position of expertise or leadership. I certainly hope it wouldn't harm my application since I've been financially separate from my parents since I started university and would obviously work for and pay for it myself. In other news, I know EWB is a pretty sweet organization and that you don't need to be a doctor to work for MSF. However, I WANT to be a doctor for a number of well thought-out and researched reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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