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What do I do after 4th year?


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Hi guys,

 

I am so sorry if this is a repeated question. I am just so confused and unsure...

 

I just finished my third year of undergrad at UofT. Unfortuantely, I didn't do great on my first two years so it ruined alot of what I originally planned. My third year went ALOT better though. By the end of third year, my cGPA is around 3.4 and my third year was a 3.8.

 

I plan to apply to western for their conditional acceptance in this coming cycle. I REALLY wanted to apply to UofT as well but my cGPA is just below the 3.6 cut off...I am sure my GPA will be better by the end of fourth year, but that means, I have to take a year off to apply...I am not sure what to do in this year?

 

Should I apply for masters programs and start a masters or should I take a 5th year with a full course load to improve my GPA?

 

This decision will affect my 4th year course selection because I will have to do courses from related masters program as opposed to courses I can easily get a 4.0 in ;)

 

With such stats, should I bother applying to MAC?

 

sorry for the rant, I'd appreciate any input....

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Hey there, you have a few different options ahead of you!

 

First of all, have you done your MCAT? You need it to apply to UofT, UWO, Queens, etc...

 

Second, when you are applying to UofT in your 4th year, they will drop your 3 lowest credits from your GPA which will definitely make your wGPA a lot more competitive! If you meet the 9/9/9/N cutoff, then definitely apply to UofT.

 

Also, Queens looks at your 2 most recent years. If you have >3.7 with your 2nd and 3rd year GPA, and meet MCAT cut-offs (which are unknown, but it's safe to have 10/10/10/R) then you get a guaranteed interview.

 

If you don't get in this cycle (I really think you should apply though), then consider doing a 5th year. That way, if you do well in 4th year you can use your marks from 3rd and 4th year to apply and maybe even the UOttawa weighting system might work in your favour.

 

Grad school isn't your only option and I strongly recommend going into it if you are not GENUINELY interested in the research you would be doing. It would be painful for you to get through.

 

Hope everything works out for you!

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Masters will only improve your application at some schools. In my opinion, it seems you are on the right track to repeat the 3.8GPA in your fourth year. Two years of a solid gpa like this will be enough to surpass the cutoffs at several schools. In my opinion, take the year off or take a 5th year if you want ( to further improve your cGPA for UofT, etc or maybe you will have 3 solid years above 3.85 for Ottawa).

In this year off work, travel, or do whatever. If you want to pursue a Masters there is nothing stopping you, since it does improve your application but keep in mind that is another two years of hard work.

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Hey there, you have a few different options ahead of you!

 

First of all, have you done your MCAT? You need it to apply to UofT, UWO, Queens, etc...

 

Second, when you are applying to UofT in your 4th year, they will drop your 3 lowest credits from your GPA which will definitely make your wGPA a lot more competitive! If you meet the 9/9/9/N cutoff, then definitely apply to UofT.

 

Also, Queens looks at your 2 most recent years. If you have >3.7 with your 2nd and 3rd year GPA, and meet MCAT cut-offs (which are unknown, but it's safe to have 10/10/10/R) then you get a guaranteed interview.

 

If you don't get in this cycle (I really think you should apply though), then consider doing a 5th year. That way, if you do well in 4th year you can use your marks from 3rd and 4th year to apply and maybe even the UOttawa weighting system might work in your favour.

 

Grad school isn't your only option and I strongly recommend going into it if you are not GENUINELY interested in the research you would be doing. It would be painful for you to get through.

 

Hope everything works out for you!

 

Thanks for your response, you are so sweet :)

 

I am going to write my MCAT on Aug 5th (so will know the results only by september 7th) so I might start my application late depending on my scores. I was also wondering in that regard, do I still contact profs for reference letters even though I am not sure I will be applying this cycle?

 

I wish I didn't have to waste a year though...:(...I have yet to decide how to waste it lol, masters or 5th year...

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Masters will only improve your application at some schools. In my opinion, it seems you are on the right track to repeat the 3.8GPA in your fourth year. Two years of a solid gpa like this will be enough to surpass the cutoffs at several schools. In my opinion, take the year off or take a 5th year if you want ( to further improve your cGPA for UofT, etc or maybe you will have 3 solid years above 3.85 for Ottawa).

In this year off work, travel, or do whatever. If you want to pursue a Masters there is nothing stopping you, since it does improve your application but keep in mind that is another two years of hard work.

 

Thanks for your response :)

 

I hope to get into UofT as a first choice, that's why I was considering a masters...I like the idea of taking the year off but I still feel bad for wasting it...sigh..

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Thanks for your response, you are so sweet :)

 

I am going to write my MCAT on Aug 5th (so will know the results only by september 7th) so I might start my application late depending on my scores. I was also wondering in that regard, do I still contact profs for reference letters even though I am not sure I will be applying this cycle?

 

I wish I didn't have to waste a year though...:(...I have yet to decide how to waste it lol, masters or 5th year...

 

Well, I wouldn't consider taking a year off "wasting" at all. Although it might be hard to come to terms with the fact that you may have to take the year off, you can really embrace the time off and utilize it to the best you can. Do something you enjoy that would really add to your application. Do something you enjoy period. Explore.

 

It's hard to think of life as long term sometimes but in the end, it is a year. I constantly tell myself this and my mom consoles me with this fact as well in midst of my MCAT woes. If my MCAT goes bad this year and I can't apply, I'm actually looking forward to my year off and I already have in the back of my mind a whole bunch of things that I want to do...(things that I wished I could do in undergrad but made excuses for lol). I'd also love to build up more experience in areas that I'm genuinely interested in. I think I would almost enjoy that more than heading straight into med school after undergrad actually lol (contemplating it but it's a trade-off. I'm pretty sure "wanting to explore life and do something fun" won't count as a deferrral excuse haha) . When else are you going to have the freedom to do anything you want with your time right?

 

I would highly advise against pursuing grad school if you don't like research or you think it's better to do "at least do a Master's" rather than taking a year off.

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