suziep100 Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 I'm just wondering Let's say I end up with low ~3.8 wGPA (~3.6cGPA) at the end of 4th year, with a downward trend. In this case, would I be better off doing a 2nd undergraduate degree and then apply, or should I do a masters degree? Also, if I were to do a 2nd undergraduate degree, would doing a 2nd degree at McMasters health sci look bad at U of T? Would they think that I'm doing the degree simply to raise up GPA for med school (I mean that's what I'm doing here, but will it look bad)? I am currnelty majoring in biology Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 I'm just wonderingLet's say I end up with low ~3.8 wGPA (~3.6cGPA) at the end of 4th year, with a downward trend. In this case, would I be better off doing a 2nd undergraduate degree and then apply, or should I do a masters degree? Also, if I were to do a 2nd undergraduate degree, would doing a 2nd degree at McMasters health sci look bad at U of T? Would they think that I'm doing the degree simply to raise up GPA for med school (I mean that's what I'm doing here, but will it look bad)? I am currnelty majoring in biology what is your year by year breakdown (including which years are full course load), and whats your mcat? also, how would you get into mac health sci from your current situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patho_Medicus Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 I'll be honest. I don't see how a second "undergrad" degree would show that you're strengthening your profile. To me, you're done degree with a relatively okay cGPA..do something that will make you grow, not more of the same. They will know for sure that you did a second undergrad for cGPA raising purposes, and not for personal growth. However, if the second undergrad was perhaps in a drastically different field or something you always wanted to explore and somehow ties with your medical school dream then maybe its a good thing. But Mac health science just sends the wrong message. My personal advice is to pursue research, it will help you grow in many ways and provide you with skills that will be very valuable to you as a physician. If you're going to puruse something, pursue a degree that will benefit you in the longer run and not something you think would get you in medical school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quackster Posted March 15, 2011 Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 don't do a Master's just to get into med school. period. do a Master's because you have a passion for research and because you plan to make it a significant part of your career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slashsev Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 well said! they will be looking at your masters specifically to weed you out, thats y they look a productivity.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glysomac Posted March 31, 2011 Report Share Posted March 31, 2011 If your goal is specifically to go to UofT to do research, then it may make the most sense to do a Master's degree in your area of interest. Because Toronto does do a more holistic review of applicants, your lower UG GPA wouldn't mean sudden death to their adcom, and if you had been productive as an MSc student, they may give you a second look. If you'd simply like to get into medical school somewhere in Ontario (or Canada) and UofT is one of several possible choices, it might make more sense to do a second undergrad. Unless you have a passion for research, an MSc could be two wasted years (for your and the supervisor funding you) and a lot of Canadian med schools (esp. in Ontario) don't factor it in at all. I know of several students at UG-focused schools like Western for instance who did two undergrad degrees with the clear purpose of gaining admission and it obviously didn't hurt them. Bottom line: an MSc. only makes you appealing (in a less predictable way) to a limited number of schools, whereas a second undergrad may give you a more reliable advantage at numerous schools focused on UG GPA. Don't do a MSc for lone the purpose of med school admissions. These people are in graduate programs everywhere and they are often pretty unhappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suziep100 Posted April 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2011 Then let's say that I do a 2nd undergraduate degree in something that I was always interested in, such as engineering, and then apply. I am debating between pursuing a 2nd undergrad degree versus masters degree. Like what people mentioned above, my biggest fear with masters degree would be that I will be greatly limiting my med school choices to few schools, only to find myself getting rejected. Also, based on my performance on my 4th year thesis project, I can't help realizing that I have 0 talent in research. I enjoy designing the experiment itself and analyzing results, but when it comes to performing the actual lab techniques, I just can't get it right. So basically, if I am doing such a horrible job with my thesis, I am not sure how well I can survive as a masters student. Out of all schools in Ontario, I am specifically interested in U of Toronto, and U of Toronto is my number one choice of all Canadian medical schools. I am also considering US MD schools (dual citizen) as well, and because of my low science GPA, I think I am leaning towards raising my science GPA. Also, my last question is, let's say I have fairly high marks (~4.0 GPA) in pre-req courses - orgo, general bio, gen chem, physics, math, general biochem, but I absolutely tanked (~B-B+ range) senior year level science major courses. Would this be looked upon unfavorably by U of T and US schools? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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