me again! 1 more Question.

[Momto2]

After reading through these forums I think I've figured it all out. What a great site this is!

 

I only need 1.5 credits to graduate from York U with a BA. What happens if I don't apply to graduate and take courses I need in order to successfully write the MCAT? Will any courses beyond my degree requirements count as electives but still be included in my GPA?

 

Then I think I am going to apply for nursing in 2012, to the 2 year stream, and try for med school. Great back up that has me with a great job working where I want to be most in the end.

 

Thanks again for the advice, this forum has totally helped me in the decision-making process.

[DeliciousMelon]

I would be weary of applying to nursing then trying to go med. I don’t have firsthand experience but it has been my understanding that it is frowned upon. Nursing is considered a profession of its own with a limited number of spots; if you take away a spot and then go for med it might not go over so well. Again you will have to get input from someone else who has been there but that was what I was told when I wanted to use nursing as a back up too.

 

Yeah I agree. I was talking to a doctor who did admission years ago and that's exactly what he said. I would be careful about using nursing or pharmacy as a backup. Maybe doing a second degree if you need to improve your gpa would be a better option?

[Mashmetoo]

Yeah I agree. I was talking to a doctor who did admission years ago and that's exactly what he said. I would be careful about using nursing or pharmacy as a backup. Maybe doing a second degree if you need to improve your gpa would be a better option?

 

Is this a Canadian thing? lol

 

It's a meritocracy, if the OP thinks she has the ability to pull it off, I say let her. There's plenty of pharmacists and people with prior healthcare careers in my class, no problems at all. The problem with the argument "you'll be taking a seat away from another profession" is that you can't predict individual behavior. - if given to another person, they could just as easily change their minds and withdraw from the program after a period of time after realizing it "wasn't for them". aka, happened to me in my masters program. Absolutely hated it.

[thehumanmacbook]

I think RyanMaverick is from pharmacy...he's got interviews.

[Momto2]

Doing a 2nd degree was the original plan and it's great, other than the fact that I'm already 34 (almost 35) and it doesn't have me necessarily working after 3 years if I can't get into med school in the end. Nursing has me working in a job I'm sure I will enjoy, and that's a REALLY important part of the equation given that I have 2 children and we really don't want to rent for the rest of our lives, kwim?

 

I wouldn't offer up the fact that I went into nursing as a back-up, obviously, and I think it's a pretty reasonable (aka buy-able) transition from 911 Operator to nurse to doctor, do you agree?

 

I don't feel badly about the possibility of taking a spot from someone else if I legitimately think I could work in this profession should it come down to it.

 

The question is, if I stay at my current Uni and don't start another degree or request non-degree status: will any credits I earn after my requirements are fulfilled be counted as electives toward my original degree and counted in my gpa? I'm still not certain. It's a great way of raising my gpa without having another school in my history, if that makes sense.

[Mashmetoo]

The question is, if I stay at my current Uni and don't start another degree or request non-degree status: will any credits I earn after my requirements are fulfilled be counted as electives toward my original degree and counted in my gpa? I'm still not certain. It's a great way of raising my gpa without having another school in my history, if that makes sense.

 

Yes, those credits will count towards your GPA. I have plenty of those myself.

[sunshinesky101]

If you do further courses as a non-degree candidate, some schools like Ottawa would not count them since they require you to be enrolled in a degree program (you can definitely take extra courses that don't necessarily meet your degree requirements and they will still look at it as long as you are still in a degree program).

 

For York specifically, if you do not apply to graduate, you can continue taking courses but I know that for just a BSc program (not the Honours one, only the 3 year BSc), there is a requirement of 90 credits but they limit students at 102 credits maximum and people have to petition to take more than that even if they need to take more to fulfill all degree requirements. So you might want to check on the specifics of the BA program that you are in.

[kylamonkey]

It depends on what you mean by "count towards GPA"- some med schools will count them, others won't.

 

Nursing 2-yr programs are great, but can be difficult to get outstandingmarks in. I think there's another sub-forum with lots of info...

http://www.premed101.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=60

 

There is some talk about the 2-yr programs. Some are actually filled with pass/fail courses that will make it difficult to apply to med school with them.

[Momto2]

If you do further courses as a non-degree candidate, some schools like Ottawa would not count them since they require you to be enrolled in a degree program (you can definitely take extra courses that don't necessarily meet your degree requirements and they will still look at it as long as you are still in a degree program).

 

For York specifically, if you do not apply to graduate, you can continue taking courses but I know that for just a BSc program (not the Honours one, only the 3 year BSc), there is a requirement of 90 credits but they limit students at 102 credits maximum and people have to petition to take more than that even if they need to take more to fulfill all degree requirements. So you might want to check on the specifics of the BA program that you are in.

 

I'm still technically enrolled in a degree program so I will have a look at see if there is a limit to how many courses I can take, thank you for that info.

 

now I just need to figure a way to get my Fine Arts majoring-self into those Calc, Bio, Chem, and Phyics courses!

 

 

It depends on what you mean by "count towards GPA"- some med schools will count them, others won't.

 

Nursing 2-yr programs are great, but can be difficult to get outstandingmarks in. I think there's another sub-forum with lots of info...

http://www.premed101.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=60

 

There is some talk about the 2-yr programs. Some are actually filled with pass/fail courses that will make it difficult to apply to med school with them.

 

I mean if med schools will look at any grades from next year as well as my already completed required courses. I have 6 p/t years and only 1 f/t year so I'm hoping this coming f/t year will be relevant in gpa calculation.

 

I will head over to that forum and have a look, I definitely want something interesting and challenging, but I'm not looking to sabotage any chance that I may have!

 

thank you all.

[kylamonkey]

OK- so some schools will, others won't. With non-trad students, everything varies on a case-by-case basis. If you have only 1 FT year, then your ability to apply to particular schools changes dramatically.

 

To further evaluate how they will look at you, I need to know a few things:

-Which schools are you planning on applyng to?

-Are you planning on applying THIS cycle? (submitting apps this fall/summer)?

 

As you're about to find out, schools are NOT nice to non-traditional students. Also- do you have sub-par (eg. below 3.0/4.0 GPA) from any given "year"?

 

There are ways around this, but you have to be careful. It's actually really good that you're here, bcause the admissions process is a big game and non-trads aren't playing by the rules, so we're at a disadvantage.

 

Sorry if I sound depressing, I'm actually nice in real life. If you want more and better info, feel free to PM me, and I'll do my best to explain how each school evaluates non-trads.