Question regarding second degrees

[dsheerin]

My story is one full of what Oscar Wilde would call 'experience', and is probably not that different (save a few minor details regarding dates, places, people et cetera) from the stories told and experienced by many other people posting on this forum.

 

So here it goes

I'm currently 27 years old and have started thinking about medical school (again). When I was a teenager my stated goal in life was to be an MD, i had it all mapped out and if I had followed my plan I'd be finishing my third year of medicine right now. And since i'm posting this story would be safe to say that at some point I deviated from 'the plan'.

 

I graduated high school with good marks, and started my undergrad at Trent University. During first year I suffered a break down of sorts and totally stopped caring about my education. I somehow managed to pass all my courses with an average in the low 60s. Second year I continued on the same course, except my marks got worse (ended the year in the 50s), about half way through third year I figured out that needed to stop worrying about stupid things in life and start focusing on what I wanted (however by this time my interests had moved away from medicine and towards getting a masters and PhD in anthropology). By the end of third year my marks had improved. 4th year saw more improvement, my marks were all consistently in the 80s and high 70s. And things got even better in my 5th year - though I never once cracked the 85 barrier.

I applied to grad school but was declined.

 

In the wake of this i rediscovered that I wanted to be involved in medicine, so took some courses at Fleming and applied for various paramedic programs and spent the last two years training to be a PCP.

 

And that brings us to now.

 

I'm currently evaluating my options in life. One of the options that's been rolling around in the back of my head is medicine. I know my undergrad marks would not be good enough to make it over the minimum cutoff hurdle, and i'm fairly certain my last two years wouldn't make it either.

So if I were to go back, what would I have to do and how does it work?

 

Do I go back and go back and start a second degree? And if so how does it work with the marks? Do they get lumped in with my first degree or do they stand by themselves? If they get lumped in with the first degree, does that mean I would have take 300 and 400 level courses?

[dbjones]

Hello,

First off, there are other posters who come from a situation similar to yours. I suggest looking around to find some more information.

Your first degree cannot be eliminated and those marks will eliminate you from certain schools such as McMaster and UofT. Best option for you would be to go back and start a second undergrad (maybe a science degree it will pay off when you write your MCAT). During your second undergrad do well in at least two years ( above the GPA cut off of 3.75) for Queens and Western. Queens takes your last two years, Western your best two years. Note: the cutoffs vary from year to year and Queens does not release the information.

With a balanced MCAT score, you pass the cutoffs and you will be granted an interview.

When you start a second undergrad you can transfer courses from your first undergrad for credits. So it will say it has been completed but there will be no mark. So technically it is possible to be in your 2nd or even your third year depending on how many courses were actually eligible for transfer.

For Western there are specific rules you must follow:

a. Must be full course load

b. 60% course load rule: courses that you take must reflect that year or study you are currently in. However, if you are in 4th year you may take a mix of 3/4th year courses.

Again, search around and you will find more information. It is best that you confirm any info I or anyone else has given to you on this forum by going straight to the source - med school websites.

[dbjones]

These threads may be of some importance for you to go over:

http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32374&page=2

 

http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32930&page=2

[fourtytwo]

It's nice to see a follow Trent student on these boards. I rarely hear of anyone else attending there.

 

Anyway, if I were you, I'd apply for UOIT's Bachelor of Allied Health. I think the deadline for applications is May 1st, but it might be May 15th. Regardless, you could get in for next year. It's a two year program leading to an Honours Bachelor degree. It's largely distance education, so you don't have to move to Oshawa (thank your lucky stars). It also means you can work as a paramedic while you're finishing that degree.

 

For bonus points, if you can secure a job as a paramedic up north or in a rural area, you put yourself at a great advantage for NOSM, which only looks at the degree with the highest GPA. I've heard that NOSM gives points for 5 years of northern/rural experience, but I'm not sure about that.

 

You have options. Queens looks at your most recent two years, Western looks at your best two years, NOSM looks at your best degree, and Ottawa look at your 3 most recent years (although you'd have to absolutely rock every single course you take, as I think Ottawa's GPA is around 3.9). But, realistically, you should be aiming for consistent 85% at the least in every course you take to be competitive at these schools.

 

All that aside, you should think about whether medicine is really the place for you. I did my undergrad at Trent, I know that the school isn't exactly competitive. The people who have strong study habits and put the work in pull down high 80s, especially in upper year courses -- it's just the way the faculty is. It's easy to think, "YES! I CAN DO THIS" when you've been doing college level courses for two years. Now, I'm not trying to discourage you. Follow your dream, but be realistic about it.

[dsheerin]

I've heard about that program at UOIT. I'm curious about how medical schools feel about a 2 year honours degree, particularly if part of degree is made up with transfer credits from college?

[dbjones]

I've heard about that program at UOIT. I'm curious about how medical schools feel about a 2 year honours degree, particularly if part of degree is made up with transfer credits from college?

 

I believe for Western at least they require a 4 years honours degree