PreMedAK Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Hi guys, new to the forums just wanted to ask a serious question. Ill skip the details and get to the facts. I attend University of Ontario Institute of Technology (2nd year BHSc, Hons). Its a relatively new institution, opened up i believe 8 years ago. 1st year GPA-2.79 2nd Year Fall semister-2.19, i just failed Physics 1 and UOIT admins dont even have the courtesy to tell me this information, but wait heres the kicker i failed Physics 1 the prereq to Physics 2, and guess what they admitted me into Physics 2... the amount of fail. 2nd Year Winter semister- Realistic perception i can get a 3.75-3.85. That would make my overall GPA for 2nd year close to the 3.1 mark. EC's worth mentioning. Volunteering with 1 doctor. Problems in Life: Parents expecting the world out of me, every person i meet thinks im some sort of a high end achiever with great grades, and initial friendships are built on the trust that we can help each other out. After they find out my grades arent that tight and instead of mutual studying im lacking behind, those friends dissipate. UOIT is a 70% cutoff university, i lost 75% of my friend base from Highschool based on the expectation that i was a smart student, and now nobody talks to me since there all at different, "respected" institutions. Still not a problem, dont care about people that dont care about me. I have always wanted to become a doctor since i was a little kid, since my mom is a doctor. Half my family are practicing medicine across U.S and the U.K. Parents keep telling me any career besides Law and Medicine is shameful. Im so degraded with life that i absolutely dont even know if medicine is the profession for me anymore. I love helping people, but maybe because of my grades i will not have the chance to. Im asking for this, a realistic opinion on whehter i still have a shot at medschool in Canada. and if yes? what can i do further improve my CV by the time i graduate. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 you can get straight A's for the next two years, score well on the MCAT (i.e. > 10 11 11 R), and do a ton more EC's if your only one worth mentioning right now is shadowing a doctor even though it's possible, based on what you have said about yourself, realistically, my guess would be that you are not going to be a likely candidate for canada... try your best, because like i said, it is still possible... more importantly though, i would do some self-reflection, and look firstly at what is realistic for yourself, and secondly if medicine is even what you want to do... it sounds like your parents, like many other 'premed parents', are extremely pushy, have excessively high expectations, and are trying to live your life for you... and it seems to be not only stressing you out, but losing you friends (for some reason... didn't exactly understand that part), forming friendships based on helping eachother in school, and generally affecting your life... i don't doubt that you "have always wanted to go into medicine", but there is a good chance that you've always wanted this because it's what your parents require of you... the fact that you "love to help people" doesn't narrow it down to being a physician - there tons of fields wherein you can help people and affect their lives... do you even like science?... i would definitely look further into medicine and your life and make sure it is really what you want to do... not what your parents want you to do, and not just "what you have always wanted to do" good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonX Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Welcome to the forum! First of all, great job on the improvement in your 2nd semester of 2nd year! Med school in Canada is still definately possible for you. I advise looking up the individual admission sites (or even searching PM101) for details on how each school looks at GPA. Several schools such as Western and Queens look at your top 2 years so you would just have to rock your third and fourth year. Ottawa also looks at your most recent three years. Assuming the Physics dilema means you don't have a full course load this year, you would have to do an extra year... but it's definately still a viable choice. What I would do is look at all the schools I'm interested in and see what I would have to do to qualify for each. Ask yourself what went wrong at the beginning and what you're doing right now that you've improved. If you can push your GPA a little higher for the next two years, you have a good shot at some schools. Family expectations can be fustrating sometimes but don't be too hard on yourself. University is a big change for a lot of people and sometimes it takes longer for people to adapt or get in the right mindset. Be honest with yourself and your peers.. you're academic record isn't perfect but the fact that you've improved means you do have the capability to reach those As. Sure, it would have been nice to enter university and do well right off the bat, but it didn't happen. You can't change the past but you can definatly change the future. Let your parents know that you're doing your best to acheive your goals and show them your improvements. You're human, mistakes happen. Remember, they care about you. Sit down and have an honest talk with them... it helps in a lot of situations . As for your friends... if they want to leave you because you've had some difficulties, frankly, it's their loss. If they're only friends because of your grades, you have to wonder how good of a friend they were. Talk to them and tell them how you feel. Otherwise, there are tons of students at UOIT, if you're a good person, don't worry about making friends. It hurts to lose friends, but you can't force a friendship. With regards to your CV, there really is no "formula". At the end of the day, medical schools want to see that you ar a mature and well-rounded person. There are no mandetory things that med schools HAVE to see. Do what you enjoy and what you'll learn from. Try new things that you've never tried before. Also remember that what you make of the experiences you have is more important than quantity. Lastly, remember that there are los of professions out there where you can help people as well. Make sure you really know what being a doctor is about...it's a long journey and make sure it's actually what you want to do Why medicine? Why not nursing or teaching or the many other careers out here? I hope that helps! Sorry for the super longness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreMedAK Posted March 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Thanks for the reply guys, i always get the question why medicine? simply because there isnt anything else that interest me. I like playing video games, sports, history and food. The reason medicine is my choice since its what i grew up with. When I said that a majority of my family is in medicine, i meant majority. Most of my cousins are specialists in their own fields, my uncles, my moms are all doctors. Its not just "family pressure" its pretty much about pride and respect, call that old school middle eastern family pressure or me just being stubborn but if i want to sit on an equal sitting in my family i have to choose medicine. I can replace friends, but i dont think i can replace family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattg Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 if that reasoning works for you, that's cool, but just a heads up - answering "it's the only way i can earn my family's respect" when asked why medicine in an interview will be an automatic denial... you should know why medicine is the only thing you want to do... what about it? if the only reason is that your family has a lot of doctors in it and you feel that you need to go into medicine to be respected, i would reconsider and do something that makes you happy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrogirl Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 As long as you have a good back-up plan, just do your best and go for it. You really have nothing to lose by applying. I have about a 3.0 undergrad GPA, and people tried to tell me that I wouldn't ever get into med school, but I tried anyway. I didn't have high hopes, and I thought I would probably have to get a second undergrad degree to do it, but I actually ended up getting an interview at the UofC this year (and it's the first time I applied). Obviously I haven't been accepted yet, but I'm at least feeling like med school is actually possible for me now, even if I don't get in this year. So just do as well as you can in school, do your best on the MCAT, start improving your ECs, and see what happens. Have a good back-up plan, and remember that some people apply 2 or 3 or more times before they get in. But if it's what you want to do, there's no reason not to try, even if people tell you that you don't have much of a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hking03 Posted March 17, 2011 Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 Thanks for the reply guys, i always get the question why medicine? simply because there isnt anything else that interest me. I like playing video games, sports, history and food. The reason medicine is my choice since its what i grew up with. When I said that a majority of my family is in medicine, i meant majority. Most of my cousins are specialists in their own fields, my uncles, my moms are all doctors. Its not just "family pressure" its pretty much about pride and respect, call that old school middle eastern family pressure or me just being stubborn but if i want to sit on an equal sitting in my family i have to choose medicine. I can replace friends, but i dont think i can replace family. So, when someone asks you the question: Why medicine? Your response is: I like medicine because I grew up with it, the majority of my family members are physicians and I want to have equal standing in my family... Plus nothing else interests me... Perfectly valid reason, but I wonder how schools will view that... do you have any other reason for your drive to pursue a career in medicine? Oh, and like others have said- research the individual schools you want to apply to in Canada. Check what requirements they have and then you'll see where you stand a chance and what you'll need to work on. I would be realistic though, it's an uphill battle... even for applicants with four years of 3.7+ gpa's and a solid MCAT there are still difficulties in the admissions process. Just keep moving forward, keep informed about the different schools admissions process and be real with yourself about your chances based on the information you have... Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PreMedAK Posted March 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2011 I understand what you guys are saying, that just because the rest of my family are doctors doesnt mean its mandatory for me to become one. If i choose my own happiness i would rather choose something in the field of Music and Art, or maybe history but on the other hand my parents left their families behind when they immigrated to Canada just so they can see their sons become successful. Telling my dad whos eyes gleam everytime i talk about medschool is unreal, all his sadness of him leaving his parents, his family back home are gone (my dad was a 16 year Air Force vet). If i try to become happy, i crush my parents. Middle eastern cycles sigh...Thanks for the input fellas, im just going to continue to strive harder and put more effort into this. Even if im not doing it for me, even if im not doing it for the right reasons, ill become a doctor one day, one way or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloh Posted March 18, 2011 Report Share Posted March 18, 2011 I understand what you guys are saying, that just because the rest of my family are doctors doesnt mean its mandatory for me to become one. If i choose my own happiness i would rather choose something in the field of Music and Art, or maybe history but on the other hand my parents left their families behind when they immigrated to Canada just so they can see their sons become successful. Telling my dad whos eyes gleam everytime i talk about medschool is unreal, all his sadness of him leaving his parents, his family back home are gone (my dad was a 16 year Air Force vet). If i try to become happy, i crush my parents. Middle eastern cycles sigh...Thanks for the input fellas, im just going to continue to strive harder and put more effort into this. Even if im not doing it for me, even if im not doing it for the right reasons, ill become a doctor one day, one way or another. Break them. Your dad should draw happiness from you being happy and if not, well then its probably best for you to go your own way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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