Z3D Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Ok, I'm going to post my current situation in university, and I need some honest feedback. =P Right now, I'm a first-year at University of Ottawa, specializing in Biopharmaceutical Sciences. In terms of my grades, well, I'm not particularly impressed with them. Last semester, I had Physics, Gen. Chem, Intro to Organismal Bio, Technical Report Writing, and Calculus. I managed an A+ on every course except for Bio (B+). Converting my scores, this gives me a 9.4 wGPA and a 3.86 cGPA This semester, I have Physics II, Org. Chem, Experimental Psych, Cell Bio, and Calculus II. A+'s guaranteed for Physics/Chem/Calc. As for Psych and Bio, I"m not sure at this point. At the very worst (hopefully not), I'll get an A- in both subjects, although I'm positive that I can make one of them an A for sure if I study hard enough for my upcoming finals. This will either give me a 3.96 (both A's), 3.94 (one A and one A-), or yet another 3.86 (both A-'s), which I'm really hoping won't happen. Having a 3.86 cGPA will put me at a big disadvantage competitively, and things won't exactly be getting any easier. =P In terms of extra-curriculars, I did volunteer at 3 hospitals the summer before 1st-year (had nothing better to do, honestly), and I maintained volunteering at CHEO weekly for both semesters. By the time I apply, I'll probably have more than enough volunteer work done. Research is something I'll have to do later on because admittedly I've applied too late. =P I'm well aware that this alone will not get me in. I do have other extra-curriculars planned, and some big ideas that might really make me stand out on my final application. I can probably write a whole bunch more if someone asks me something I didn't think of, but my big question is this: Should I be worrying? Does my GPA need to climb up over the next three years to avoid being screwed? Anything else I can add to my hopefully-growing resume? =P If this helps, I'm planning to apply to the medical school in Ottawa, since it's so close to where I live. XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerena Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Last semester, I had Physics, Gen. Chem, Intro to Organismal Bio, Technical Report Writing, and Calculus. I managed an A+ on every course except for Bio (B+). Converting my scores, this gives me a 9.4 wGPA and a 3.86 cGPA Wait... what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyleh Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 If you're complaining about a 3.86 GPA you really need to go and pout elsewhere. No, you are not screwed. There are people on this board who have gotten in after failing courses. A B+ isn't going to hurt you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 You're fine. Especially because there are allocations for people who live in a certain vicinity to U of O med, you'll probably get accommodations from them such as a lower GPA requirement. Remember that you don't need a 3.9 something GPA to get into med. There are people who have gotten in with lower marks...your grades are fine, if you need the reassurance at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z3D Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Wow guys, thanks a lot for the motivation! =D It's not really so much complaining as it is of me worrying if I can make the cut-off. I had one medical school student at uOttawa telling me that I messed up because I got that B+, and basically scared the living life out of me with all the other things she was saying to me. O__O And also, there is the competitiveness amongst people, especially in my year, and I want to make sure that my extra-curriculars really do stand out and make me unique. Finally, I've seen uOttawa med school's GPA cut-offs, and mine just barely meets or ties with it so far. So yeah.... =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanillabear Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 If you're complaining about a 3.86 GPA you really need to go and pout elsewhere. No, you are not screwed. There are people on this board who have gotten in after failing courses. A B+ isn't going to hurt you. ++ I don't see why you would think you are "under the cutoff". The cutoff is DEFINITELY lower than a 3.86, which should be obvious if you actually looked up the cutoffs... don't mean to sound rude lol If one B+ meant the end of your med school chances... I think the majority of people on this board would be "screwed". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 You're still in first year. Remember to keep an upward trend if you want to go to U of O. A good first year is massively destroyed by a bad second year, because of the wGPA formula. But if you're francophone or from the region, I would just keep the good work up. I know for me, second year was really tough... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z3D Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 @vanillabear: Could you possibly link me to this year's cut-offs for uOttawa? I seem to be having trouble finding the most recent ones, and I'm just going off with what the med student told me. @thehumanmacbook: If I live 2 minutes away from U of O med, does that count as "from the region" (stupid question, I know)? =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corie Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Hi Z3D, Just look around you and read some recent threads and you'll get a sense of what people are struggling with (ie 3.5 GPAs) Now, if you want attention, this aint the place to get it. If the question was sincere, have you read the FAQ before posting? http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28154 It's still pretty accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corie Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 @thehumanmacbook: If I live 2 minutes away from U of O med, does that count as "from the region" (stupid question, I know)? =P Is that your primary residence? Where do your parents live? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markov79 Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 your grades are fine. but, you're prob screwed for the interview given your apparent lack of social awareness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z3D Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Corie: I live with my parents at the moment. I've lived in Ottawa for as far as I can remember. As for my questions and everything else, I'm truly being sincere, as hard as it may sound to believe. Given that there's almost nobody else I know who's in medical school or is applying, it's only places such as forums like these where I can get solid practical advice from experienced people. I do have to apologize about my GPA rant though, I've just heard so many rumours and everything else that I just decided to ask a bunch of people who are already in medical school or already applying. As for the FAQ thing, I have this bad habit of completely missing the stickies (HOLY &@&$ at that monster of a sticky) when I first register to a forum. Just one question: What do they mean when they place "very" besides >3.8? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z3D Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 your grades are fine. but, you're prob screwed for the interview given your apparent lack of social awareness. Lol, fair enough. I'm sure that over 3 years, there's nothing practice and hard work can't do to fix that, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corie Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Corie: I live with my parents at the moment. I've lived in Ottawa for as far as I can remember. As for my questions and everything else, I'm truly being sincere, as hard as it may sound to believe. Given that there's almost nobody else I know who's in medical school or is applying, it's only places such as forums like these where I can get solid practical advice from experienced people. I do have to apologize about my GPA rant though, I've just heard so many rumours and everything else that I just decided to ask a bunch of people who are already in medical school or already applying. As for the FAQ thing, I have this bad habit of completely missing the stickies (HOLY &@&$ at that monster of a sticky) when I first register to a forum. Just one question: What do they mean when they place "very" besides >3.8? The very next to 3.8 means "very competitive". And you have a much better shot for Ottawa university than you had thought. They like students from the National Capital Region. Good luck!! Although its a long way, as you said, hard work and dedication will get you far. Now, there are factors that is beyond your control like what the cut-off is or would a 3.86 be concidered competitive. But rather than worrying about stuff outside of your control, you should look at those factors within your control: like how can I know the material better to achieve a more competitive GPA? how can I develop my interpersonal skills and shine in the interview? how can I evaluate how suitable medicine is for me? A 3.86 is quite competitive. There are lots of stats posted on http://www.afmc.ca regarding who was accepted and the average/cutoff GPAs for every med school in Canada. May I suggest reviewing them? Go to Publications tab and look at the summary tables. Usually, the mean GPA of accepted students are around 3.8/3.9 Welcome to the forums ; sorry about my previous post. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Like Corie has said you're fine for Ottawa. In fact, you're very lucky to be from that region...and if you're francophone, even better. There are many people who would give up a lot for that geographic status or grades, so being considerate is part of the learning process Continue the hard work, and I'm sure that you will be able to get into U of Ottawa for medicine. Also, please contribute to the forum if you can...though it may prove to be more of a distraction later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corie Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Continue the hard work, and I'm sure that you will be able to get into U of Ottawa for medicine. Also, please contribute to the forum if you can...though it may prove to be more of a distraction later Haha - distraction? Me no distracted. Only been lurking the forums for an hour, have I? Yes, quite a distraction! Thanks for the reminder macbook back to crammin'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 I think if you're yoda, it would be: Distracted, I am not. Me no distracted sounds like a Jar Jar statement to me. Good luck Corie! Thanks for all the helpful posts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKY Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Houseman's midterms were kind of interesting last semester, you really had to study and know your stuff eh. I ended up with a B+ last year myself in Cell bio. Kind of shocked me a bit too because I had a 90+ going into the final. I ended up bombing the final which was worth like 60% because their attempt at an online midterm didn't pan out. Anyways, B+'s should be a wake up call, they are never good, try to keep at least A- for your lowest mark in a semester and you will do just fine. The odd B or B+ here and there won't kill you though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubcMDhopeful Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 your grades are fine. but, you're prob screwed for the interview given your apparent lack of social awareness. +1 10char Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z3D Posted April 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Well, I don't know. I don't really feel that I lack social awareness. I probably come off that way because of my ignorance about how the whole "med school" thing works. Given that most people around me don't know anything about it and I very rarely meet people who do know anything about medical school, I basically absorb any little thing I hear like a sponge. =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harryfeng Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Ok, I'm going to post my current situation in university, and I need some honest feedback. =P Right now, I'm a first-year at University of Ottawa, specializing in Biopharmaceutical Sciences. In terms of my grades, well, I'm not particularly impressed with them. Last semester, I had Physics, Gen. Chem, Intro to Organismal Bio, Technical Report Writing, and Calculus. I managed an A+ on every course except for Bio (B+). Converting my scores, this gives me a 9.4 wGPA and a 3.86 cGPA Exactly like my first year lol. but I screwed my 3 year. so be careful in your 3ed year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larrivee Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 You're fine, B+ is still a decent grade just keep em to a minimum. Your GPA is still around or slightly higher than the average GPA of students admitted to most schools. Seems like you may be lacking in EC's though, so if you want to be competitive all around you're going to want to work on those while keeping your guard up against the Bs. Good luck, work hard, keep your eyes on the goal while still finding time for fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanillabear Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 You're fine, B+ is still a decent grade just keep em to a minimum. Oh hot dayum... I had a B- in Organic I and Calculus and a B+ in Bio...ahhh 1st year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehumanmacbook Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 At least you don't have a C+, a B- and a B+... That really kills your average. Thank god for weighting formulas in ONT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corie Posted April 5, 2011 Report Share Posted April 5, 2011 Good advice given already. Watch out Z3D, don't let your guard down. First year is essentially review of grade 12. The difficulty gets harder fast and many students lose their dreams later on. Just don't get behind on your school work and set your mind on factors you can control! Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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