Is this an okay idea?

[lchauhan]

Last year in UofA i had a 3.4 GPA had some courses i hated but never dropped thus the low GPA. And I'm currently studying for my MCAT which is in August, if everything goes well on my MCAT i will do one more year at uofa. What i was thinking was after i completed one more year at UofA transfer to UofC and finish one more year there and then apply to med school. What do you think?

 

Just some backround information,

i was one of those laid back type of guys who partied had fun, and never cared for school, but then in grade 12 under the pressure of my parents and bribery i showed up for some of the classes and actually got decent marks to get into university. When i got in i didnt know what to do, engineering seems to typical and wouldnt suit me, and well i love science courses. So i decided to trying some science classes and throw some random options in there just to see the options available. anyways long story short i thought medicine would suit me best, not sure if it will but what the heck lets give it a shot right. and now im here planning a charity event, volunteering and doing something i should have done years ago. I may not have a chance of getting into med school but it a start to something right.

 

Any advice? even if its not productive its okay, sometimes salt helps to keep people motivated

[007]

I don't understand why you would transfer to UofC for a final year.

[xi88]

What is your rational for transfering to U of C, and because you'd only be transfering to UofC for one year, you'd still have to graduate with a UofA degree. Also remember all your marks follow you when you transfer. More importantly, for us to answer your question, are you finishing your second year? What is your overall GPA?

 

Congrats on turning yourself around. However, if your overall GPA is around 3.4, its not competitive for any med school in Canada. If 3.4 is your overall over 2 years, the max GPA you can get (all 4.0s for the rest of your undergrad) when you apply would be 3.6 if you want to get into med right after 4th year, and 3.7 if you want a 5th year. Unfortunately, although these GPAs would meet some cutoffs, they still arent very competitive for Canadian med schools without some super spectacular volunteering and ECs.

 

You can score a great MCAT, raise your GPA a bit, and apply to american schools.

[silvrsleuth]

well, a 3.4's not stellar, although you can certainly raise it a bit. however, i'm not of the school of thought that says, "you'll never get into a canadian school with THAT gpa, so give up now" (not that xi88 was saying that, but you'll definitely hear it on this forum). you can't go back in time now, and not every med student fits the perfect profile, so if you DO decide on medicine, just keep doing your best, move forward, and sell it like crazy in your personal statement. remember, things change, people change, and one thing that we tend to forget is that UNIVERSITIES change too. additionally, your GPA might be calculated differently at different schools, so it might not be as bad as you think. however, it never hurts to look into american schools, if you feel so inclined, when the time comes.

 

it's not clear why you would transfer, unless you think you stand a chance of getting better grades at UofC. that, in my opinion, would be dangerous thinking. better to stay where you are now and pull your marks up, rather than having to explain that you tried to transfer to an easier university (although that might not be why you're doing it. not sure).

 

however, it sounds like you're unclear on medicine in the first place. remember, there are a lot of non-medicine careers that are rewarding and might suit your interests better, but we seldom get exposed to them because we think of doctors and nurses being the gatekeepers to those areas. I suggest that you do some strategic volunteering. you can do the hospital volunteer thing, but i personally think that type of thing is more suited to people who KNOW medicine is where they're going. find something unique in your area where you're working with people directly, ideally with a health/education focus. this will help you to clarify your goals, boost your EC profile, and allow you to pad your resume in a meaningful way.

[lchauhan]

Thanks for the advice so far,

 

For the first question, ive only completed my first year in university at UofA, and the reason for transferring to UofC one because i thought it would mark easier than UofA even though im not totally worried about that, just because i want to go to med school at UofC instead of UofA and thought it would be easier transition.

 

Everyone is saying different things about marks, some say its easier in UoBC to get in and some say in province is easier, depending on marks. Anyways whats your guys opinion of marks and where the cut off is? Obviously MCAT still plays a factor but looking at marks with average MCAT scores what would be a typical GPA for 3-4 year students without a degree compared to one with?

 

 

And i do thank all you guys for your input i really do appreciate it.

Thanks,

Lchauahn

[Renin]

Thanks for the advice so far,

 

For the first question, ive only completed my first year in university at UofA, and the reason for transferring to UofC one because i thought it would mark easier than UofA even though im not totally worried about that, just because i want to go to med school at UofC instead of UofA and thought it would be easier transition.

 

Everyone is saying different things about marks, some say its easier in UoBC to get in and some say in province is easier, depending on marks. Anyways whats your guys opinion of marks and where the cut off is? Obviously MCAT still plays a factor but looking at marks with average MCAT scores what would be a typical GPA for 3-4 year students without a degree compared to one with?

 

 

And i do thank all you guys for your input i really do appreciate it.

Thanks,

Lchauahn

 

I did really terrible 1st year at U of A. They just bulldoze you, eh? Anyway, I went home to Manitoba after that

 

Sorry, I don't know anything about U of C, but just wanted to lend a note of encouragement. *pats shoulder akwardly*

 

Yes... anyway...

[silvrsleuth]

 

Everyone is saying different things about marks, some say its easier in UoBC to get in and some say in province is easier, depending on marks. Anyways whats your guys opinion of marks and where the cut off is? Obviously MCAT still plays a factor but looking at marks with average MCAT scores what would be a typical GPA for 3-4 year students without a degree compared to one with?

 

not sure i understand what you're saying here. are you asking what the average gpa is of a student applying to med school before they've graduated (ie: in their 3rd year) as opposed to the gpa of graduating students?

 

if so, i'm not sure how anyone would know this, beyond saying that if you're applying in your 3rd year, you may have to have a slightly higher gpa, to prove that you can do the work required of you. but it would very much depend on how the particular school calculates grades, right? are they dropping lowest courses? are they taking your last three years? last two?

 

if that wasn't you're question, sorry!

[Kines.]

lchauhan: IMO, transferring to UofC for your last year would be counter-productive for you in pursuit of medicine. I don't know about how different marking is between UofA and UofC, but I can't imagine it's much different. I know for UofA, if you apply as a 4th year student (or higher), they drop your lowest year. So your 3.4 year could be dropped if you apply in your 4th year and do better from here on out. Also, over the course of your degree you'll make contacts for EC's and volunteering and moving to Calgary will not help you continue building your resume of personal attributes: I think it will only make it more difficult to maintain a solid network of contacts to verify your involvement in things. And both UofA and UofC will look at you as an in-province student, so you have equal chance of getting in at both. But going back to your grades, remember that UofC's interview is worth 50% of your application, plus your personal attributes section in the initial application. So grades are not the only thing that matters, and I think you'd be hurting yourself to try and make big changes (i.e. move to UofC) while you're trying to beef up your EC's, volunteering, working, etc. that goes into your personal attributes section.