Thinking About a Second Undergraduate Degree?

[Legion]

Thank you,

 

any advice on what honours programs to complete?

 

Whatever interests you. Med schools don't care about your program of study. Take something you enjoy so that you can get high marks.

[apache]

mmm, cause why the hell does anyone deserve it over me, lol... that's how i think everyone should think (it's seriously like biological, it's almost pondered automatically before i have time to think it through), i'm like come ****ing on when people are like i can't do it, look at person x who do it... im like thinking in my head, yeeah, and you'd totally own their ass... you can do almost anything, seriously... all you need is a little insanity, and a few all nighters, lol... kidding, sort of .

 

adhd primarily inattentive type (the uniagnosed lazy people, usually girls by 2 to 1 ratio, diagnosed in 20's via neuropsych, etc.) with high (appropriately socially expressed (ses or culture plays a big role here) oppositionality do very well.

 

the hyperactive impulsive types with high oppositionality also tend to pile on co-morbid depression and the gamut... sucks to be that kid your gym teacher had to tackle in grade 4 i guess, lol.

 

Other important things to add:

 

Be realistic: There are many excellent hard-working candidates who get rejected each year preinterview and most of them worked harder than you, so why do you think you have a chance.

[taiga gal]

hi all, any help would be great

 

i plan to email school about this but have a general question..

 

i am going to start my 3rd UG , this week, by distance. i am getting advanced standing for a 3 yr Arts degree, so they will give me 48 credits.so i need to do 42. so i figure that will take me 2 years. 30 credits would be a full time year. i will apply again to NOSM next year, i would be in my 'third' year and would have the gpa from a year of courses in 'second year'. but i think they want full time years. i don't need to do full time years to achieve this degree, i would have my transfer credits, and i work full time and have a toddler, so, it would be better to spread out the credits. does anyone have any info on this? maybe i should do the second year at 5 courses per semester, have that gpa for omsas, then finish up with the 3rd p/t year.

 

thanks for any help

[criminologist003]

As my first post on this forum, I am hoping to get some opinions as to whether I should complete a second undergrad or try and go a masters route.

 

My situation is reversed compared to most. I did my undergraduate in Criminology and my marks are:

 

1st Year: 3.79

2nd Year: 3.79

3rd Year: 3.30

4th Year: 3.30

5th Year: 3.80

 

My fifth year was only one semester, part-time, to make up for the courses I did terrible in during 3rd and 4th year. My grades went significantly downhill during those last two years due to my financial situation, not a lack of motivation. At the time, I had not even thought about wanting to be a doctor, but after a particular volunteer activity I participated in, I realized that being doctor was what I absolutely wanted to do.

 

During all my years in university, I volunteered a fair bit and worked part-time. However, now I'm unsure if I should do just a few full year undergrad science course, a full second undergraduate degree, or a masters degree. I know if I did a second undergrad, I could pull a 3.9-4.0 GPA.

 

All opinions (no matter how critical) are greatly appreciated.

[future_doc]

As my first post on this forum, I am hoping to get some opinions as to whether I should complete a second undergrad or try and go a masters route.

 

My situation is reversed compared to most. I did my undergraduate in Criminology and my marks are:

 

1st Year: 3.79

2nd Year: 3.79

3rd Year: 3.30

4th Year: 3.30

5th Year: 3.80

 

My fifth year was only one semester, part-time, to make up for the courses I did terrible in during 3rd and 4th year. My grades went significantly downhill during those last two years due to my financial situation, not a lack of motivation. At the time, I had not even thought about wanting to be a doctor, but after a particular volunteer activity I participated in, I realized that being doctor was what I absolutely wanted to do.

 

During all my years in university, I volunteered a fair bit and worked part-time. However, now I'm unsure if I should do just a few full year undergrad science course, a full second undergraduate degree, or a masters degree. I know if I did a second undergrad, I could pull a 3.9-4.0 GPA.

 

All opinions (no matter how critical) are greatly appreciated.

 

Masters degree won't help you. Second undergrad degree, full course load, with competitive grades.

[mdamda]

Could anyone shed light on accelerated nursing program as a second degree and an option to applying to medical school? Has anyone been through the experience and if so how do the courses pass and fail qualify to be considered for medical school. Any information or a referred link to other sources would be appreciated.

[Pink Tulip]

I would also like to know about that ^.

 

I'm struggling between the options of doing a Master's degree or 2nd undergraduate (kind of) in an accelerated BScN. My GPA isn't too horrible for med school but still sits below average unfortunately and I never had a terrible year, but I never excelled either (mostly due to the nature of qualitative marking courses I had to take in my degree and select lack of motivation).

 

Any advice would be appreciated. I'm looking at applying to med schools across Ontario for the next two years while I complete either of these degrees, knowing that if I do a Master's I would have to complete that first before accepting an offer (from what I understand and read from Queen's, not sure how other medical schools take this or if they do deferrals of acceptances).

 

Also knowing that some schools include summer courses and some don't makes it really confusing to actually calculate my GPA properly as I took many summer course 2nd and 3rd year (for pre-requisites and preventing a 5th year because I'm too lazy for that and felt it was a waste of time when I had a whole summer to use up).

 

I'll list my GPAs here and maybe someone can help me decide:

1st year: 3.72

1st year summer: 3.7 (1 course)

2nd year: 3.68

2nd year summer: 3.35 (2 courses)

3rd year: 3.67

3rd year summer: 3.85 (6 courses)

4th year fall: 3.5

 

These are still kind of approximate guesses, but when I applied to ORPAS they sent me a nice paper containing my cGPA (3.63) and subGPA (3.68) and considering they use the same scale as OMSAS, that's what I'm looking at for accurate GPA scores right now.

 

I've had a change in heart and wanted to really try and pursue medicine but I'm not sure if this is even a competitive GPA or whether I have enough ECs, volunteering and work experience (though that is a completely separate topic). So I'm wondering what my best option would be, do a master's or do a BscN (I'm debating between those two because if I never get accepted to medicine I will have fallback degrees that will still make me happy in life).

 

Thank you everyone! :)

[Dan888]

Hey guys! GREAT thread and some much support here..

 

I am strongly considering doing a 2nd UG now that i've been rejected with my 1st UG mark (shoud've known better... I'm sitting on a 3.2 UG GPA).

 

1) how many years should I do to improve my chances (I know Queen's would be 2 years, but how about UofT?)

 

2) would it even matter if I transferred credits to my 2nd UG degree if schools like UofT/mac count EVERYTHING in their cGPA calculation? Also, are you able to pick and chose which credits to transfer from your 1st UG degree into your 2nd UG degree (given they're relevant to the subject/degree)?

 

Thanks,

D

[simpy]

1) how many years should I do to improve my chances (I know Queen's would be 2 years, but how about UofT?)

 

Queen's is 2 years, Western would be 2 years, Ottawa would be 2-3 years. You'd be able to continue applying to McMaster throughout. A lot depends on your MCAT.

 

Toronto is probably out of the question for you unfortunately. You would need 5 more years of undergrad (at 3.9+) just to hit their minimum GPA (3.6), and almost no one is admitted with the minimum GPA.

 

Your chances would be improved for Toronto if you did another 3 years of undergrad with 3.9+ and followed that up with a very strong Master's or PhD.

 

Unfortunately, Toronto is one of the most unforgiving schools for people who have made mistakes.

 

2) would it even matter if I transferred credits to my 2nd UG degree if schools like UofT/mac count EVERYTHING in their cGPA calculation? Also, are you able to pick and chose which credits to transfer from your 1st UG degree into your 2nd UG degree (given they're relevant to the subject/degree)?

 

The courses you transfer to your second degree don't matter. All schools look at specific GPA criteria - i.e. GPA over your 2 best years or last 2 years. Schools that look at your second degree GPA (i.e. NOSM or McGill) will simply look at your performance in that second degree (so if you have done 2 years of a second degree they will just look at those 2 years).

[future_doc]

I would also like to know about that ^.

 

I'm struggling between the options of doing a Master's degree or 2nd undergraduate (kind of) in an accelerated BScN. My GPA isn't too horrible for med school but still sits below average unfortunately and I never had a terrible year, but I never excelled either (mostly due to the nature of qualitative marking courses I had to take in my degree and select lack of motivation).

 

Any advice would be appreciated. I'm looking at applying to med schools across Ontario for the next two years while I complete either of these degrees, knowing that if I do a Master's I would have to complete that first before accepting an offer (from what I understand and read from Queen's, not sure how other medical schools take this or if they do deferrals of acceptances).

 

Also knowing that some schools include summer courses and some don't makes it really confusing to actually calculate my GPA properly as I took many summer course 2nd and 3rd year (for pre-requisites and preventing a 5th year because I'm too lazy for that and felt it was a waste of time when I had a whole summer to use up).

 

I'll list my GPAs here and maybe someone can help me decide:

1st year: 3.72

1st year summer: 3.7 (1 course)

2nd year: 3.68

2nd year summer: 3.35 (2 courses)

3rd year: 3.67

3rd year summer: 3.85 (6 courses)

4th year fall: 3.5

 

These are still kind of approximate guesses, but when I applied to ORPAS they sent me a nice paper containing my cGPA (3.63) and subGPA (3.68) and considering they use the same scale as OMSAS, that's what I'm looking at for accurate GPA scores right now.

 

I've had a change in heart and wanted to really try and pursue medicine but I'm not sure if this is even a competitive GPA or whether I have enough ECs, volunteering and work experience (though that is a completely separate topic). So I'm wondering what my best option would be, do a master's or do a BscN (I'm debating between those two because if I never get accepted to medicine I will have fallback degrees that will still make me happy in life).

 

Thank you everyone! :)

 

If I were you, I would do a 2nd undergrad degree, be highly motivated, work my @$$ off striving for a3.85+ GPA. I know, easier said than done.

 

While your GPA is not horrible and quite good actually for anything other than med, you need to move it higher. You mentioned an issue with motivation. It is important to remain motivated throughout, keeping the goal in mind!

 

I've read on this forum that it is difficult to attain a high GPA in nursing; if this is so, then you may not achieve your goal. Good luck!

[ctemplet]

Hi Simply, really great post. I'm hoping you have some advice for my situation based on your experience.

 

-In my first undergrad, I spent too much of my first 2 years drinking beer and being a teenager, but then I turned it up for 3rd and 4th year:

1st year: 2.5

2nd year: 3.0

3rd year: 3.9

4th year: 3.9

 

-After undergrad, I was pretty interested in research so I did a MSc, which I recently completed in August 2012.

 

-My MCAT score was 11/08/12/S (BS/PS/VR/WS); I'm planning on retaking this summer in hopes of upping that PS score

 

-I was rejected pre-interview from all schools I applied to.

 

-Now I'm considering my next plan of attack. I'm thinking is I enroll in a 2nd undergrad degree and if work my butt off, I can get 3.9+ and pile on some more ECs.

 

-After looking at the sticky, I'm thinking this will help me for schools like Alberta, Calgary, and Ottawa. Just looking for any feedback/advice on other schools or things I should look out for moving forward!

 

Thanks again!

[Belle_MD]

Could anyone shed light on accelerated nursing program as a second degree and an option to applying to medical school? Has anyone been through the experience and if so how do the courses pass and fail qualify to be considered for medical school. Any information or a referred link to other sources would be appreciated.

 

I did a second entry BScN program at U of O and absolutely loved it...lots of people say its hard to achieve high grades in nursing but if you work hard then you absolutely can - plus if you can't excel in nursing I would question your ability to excel in medicine. I worked hard and finished with a 3.96 gpa overall so it can be done. It's also great to have the career option afterward. But beware - many schools won't accept a nursing degree as they don't consider it full-time studies (bc of pass/fail clinicals). Be sure which schools you want to apply to before you make the decision to go into nursing. I am back doing yet another degree because of this very problem...but I have no regrets!

 

GOOD LUCK!!

[maybenow]

Hey 2nd degree'ers, any of you consider the difficulty of you institution before starting over again?

[Anon0707]

In the last week, I've finished my second undergrad degree and have been accepted to medicine. I constantly see people posting both here and in the general forum about whether doing a second degree is the right option, and there really aren't any stickies or any other resources addressing it. I thought posting my experiences might help others down the road.

 

Doing a second undergraduate degree is not a great way to apply to medicine. If you are an applicant who has a GPA that is almost competitive (or better), a second degree is a waste of time. A graduate degree is a much better option because it not only improves your chances of getting into medicine, but it might improve your chances of landing competitive residencies later on.

 

However, if you are an applicant with an uncompetitive GPA in your first degree, a second degree may be your only option. For instance, my GPA through my first four years was a 2.1 - not only was I ineligible at all Canadian (and international for that matter) medical schools, I would not be accepted at any graduate program. To pursue medicine, it was necessary to do a second degree.

 

Doing a second degree to enter medicine is extremely difficult. There is much less room for error than in a first undergrad degree (a bad semester can ruin everything). You will be the odd person out in classes - you'll be the sixth-year student in a first-year class. You will be joining clubs with 17 year-olds. Your friends will find success in their pursuits and you will feel left behind. If you're in a relationship, it will suffer. You will probably enter into even more debt. And the worst part is that during the application process, medical schools can (and will) judge you based on your past mistakes rather than on more recent successes. The application process can be both capricious and arbitrary - even if you get a 4.0 in your second degree, kill the MCAT, and have amazing extracurriculars you may still never get in.

 

Be Honest and Take Time

 

If you are considering a second undergraduate degree, begin by being brutally honest with yourself. You should first consider where you went wrong. If you did not do well in your first undergrad because you had a physical or mental health issue, has it been completely resolved? Do not begin a second undergraduate degree if not. Take time off and get well - or at least take that time and learn ways to succeed despite the challenges you face before trying again.

 

Did you not do well in your first undergrad because you weren't motivated to succeed? If so, are you really motivated now? Someone PM'ed me saying they had just finished their first undergraduate degree and had done very poorly, but within the first week after finals they had suddenly become motivated to succeed. This is highly unlikely. They might suddenly realize they have graduated and now have to face the real world, but this feeling is not the same as being motivated to succeed. Probably within a month of re-entering a university program this person would lose motivation again. Again, my advice is to take time off of school. Take a minimum of two years and try out different jobs, volunteer, travel, make new friends, live in a different city (or country), just do something different. Time has a way of granting increased clarity - maybe with time you will discover your "motivation" for medicine was simply your perception of what others wanted you to do (which appears to be very common). Or maybe you will discover an innate desire to become a physician.

 

Maybe you didn't do well in your first undergrad because the program was too hard. This is a tricky one. There are a number of reasons for a program being too difficult - maybe it's something you don't enjoy, maybe you haven't adopted the right learning styles for the material you're being taught, maybe you work best in teams and your program is brutally individualistic, or maybe (and this is highly unlikely) your program really is just unfairly difficult. Again - be honest with yourself. One of my friends once asked me about doing a second undergrad to get into medicine, saying that they did poorly in life sciences because they hated it. My first question: "If life sciences was too hard because you don't like the material, how are you going to find medical school?" Another one of my friends was considering a second degree in life sciences after doing three years of a business program - she didn't do very well in her business major but said she hated it. On the other hand, she LOVED her life science electives and had nearly straight A+'es in them. A second degree for her was a no-brainer.

 

You may also have done poorly because you feel that you are not smart enough to succeed. This is VERY rare. I only mention it because I have seen one case of someone who was doing everything right but just couldn't crack 80's. This person loved the material, was working extremely hard, had very good study habits, was very motivated, and found good balance and had a great support network. If this is legitimately your situation, I would question whether medical school would be a good option. I'll just leave it at that, but honestly, this situation is very rare and if you think you fit into this category, consider first if you have actually done everything possible to succeed.

 

If you are still set on a second degree, you need to think about the answer to this question: Why do you want to be a doctor and not a worker in an allied health field? Again: you need to be honest. If your first answer is "because I enjoy helping people," I would reply with, "do nurses help people? Do police officers help people?" and so forth. Write out a list of why you want to go into medicine and figure out if that list is exclusive to being a physician. If it turns out you'd be equally (or more) happy being a nurse or an EMT - do that instead. If, after working in that field, you decide you'd like to apply to medicine (or do a second degree) at a later point you still can - and your application now has some very relevant work experience on it.

 

I don't mention all of this above to discourage you. I only mention it because getting into medicine through the second degree route is very difficult. If you are realistic, in a good place health-wise, motivated, had some proven academic success, and are certain that medicine is the right career, then you have a decent chance of success.

 

Most importantly, remember that there is absolutely no rush to get into medicine. We are always pushed to get ahead and succeed. This works great for some people but not for everyone: some of us need more time to find our niche. Life is a marathon, not a sprint - take some time to sort everything out, it will be worth it in the end.

 

The Practical Side

 

For those of you still reading, I'll get into the more practical side of things. Your primary consideration should be where and in which field to do a second degree. Consult the sticky at the top of this page regarding second degree policies at schools. Be VERY CONSCIOUS of what each school looks for in terms of a second degree - for instance, Western has very strict requirements for that degree. Take the time to review everything before selecting courses within a program (if you aren't paying attention you can very easily kill your eligibility at Western). Also, make sure you are going to be eligible at more than one school. Schools can change their admission requirements which can completely ruin you. It happened most recently with UBC's abolition of the 10-year rule which has seriously compromised the chances of some pretty incredible people both on and off this forum.

 

As for picking a program, send lots of e-mails to departments. Unfortunately, in Ontario it's becoming increasingly difficult to do second degrees (I suspect this may be due to "reach higher" funding being tied to increasing enrolment and second degree students may not count as this). Lots of schools will let you though, so check with programs. Pick one that you're very interested in, and have done well in academically during your first degree. It may be best to pick a program that can also let you review for the MCAT - but this is going to vary for people (if you haven't taken a physics course for instance, try to take one at some point).

 

Generally speaking, it's best to make yourself into a traditional applicant. In addition to performing well academically, you should balance this with extracurriculars - research, clubs, volunteering, etc. A great tip I can offer is to do your best to turn your life and experience into a narrative - if you did poorly during your first degree because you spent too much time playing video games, develop some resources for people who play video games excessively on campus. If, during your time off from university you became a parent, develop resources for other parents on campus or work on programs to empower parents to find change. This makes your application - and your answer to interview questions - much more compelling.

 

Just remember, GPA is king. If you have engineered world peace in your second degree but only have a 3.6 GPA in it, you're going to have a very hard time getting into medical schools in Canada.

 

Also, do start thinking now about the MCAT. Doing well on the MCAT will make your life easier by enabling Queen's and Western as options. You are much more limited if you cannot make cutoffs at these schools. So start practising early (for instance, if you find the verbal section difficult, start reading a lot).

 

Above all, remember that if you are pursuing a second degree you probably have an advantage (however small or obscure) over many first-year students coming in. Make sure to utilize it. As someone with a second undergraduate degree, you not only have to be as good as someone who has only done one degree, you have to be better. Think carefully about ways you can accomplish that. It IS possible to enter medicine from a second degree - but you need to do everything you can to maximize your chances.

I have a question regarding second undergraduate degrees. I'm just about to enter my 4th year of my first undergrad degree, and unfortunately due to my second year GPA, my overall cGPA has suffered. I really have a passion for medicine, and don't want to give up on that pursuit, however after graduating I'm not sure what would be a good choice for a second undergraduate degree (which I think is my best option for getting a shot at pursuing medicine). Do any of you who've gone through this experience care to share your experiences and what you would recommend? Any clarification is much appreciated!!

 

*Also will be writing my MCATs this summer!

[future_doc]

It depends upon your strengths and interests.

[reverie]

Wow, great thread! Thanks so much! Unfortunately for me, I see no other option besides a second undergrad degree. However, I've been trying to apply into programs and I'm unable to register in a program similar to my own (Biochemistry). Do you think that taking another degree while taking my core sciences in the side would be suffice? Some schools give priority to their science students first for the core courses, which was why I was hoping to stay within the science field. Is there any sort of degree that can be completed in, 2-3 years instead of the usual 4? My current GPA isn't very strong at all, not even for Master's programs. Any advice?

[maybenow]

reverie, if you've already done a Biochem BSc, it's unlikely you'll get to do it again. Most schools will issue you 2-3 year degrees by virtue of having so many transferable courses. If you choose a science-type degree, then you'll have done most of the "degree" requirements already, those requirements being, for example, a math/stats, a social science/english course, first year bio, chem, etc etc.

 

It's hard to give you specifics, but yes, you'll end up finding lots of ways of doing science undergrads in 2-3 years because through your biochem degree, you'll already have taken lots of courses that'll give you credits.

[lostboy]

Has anyone tried doing a second degree completely by distance ed/online (Athabasca perhaps)?

I know schools require a minimum of X number of courses between September and April, so I was wondering if there are any accredited Universities in Canada that would meet those requirements while being completely online. Or have the admission committees set up their requirements in a way that would make it impossible to do an online degree?

[mmwc]

Has anyone tried doing a second degree completely by distance ed/online (Athabasca perhaps)?

I know schools require a minimum of X number of courses between September and April, so I was wondering if there are any accredited Universities in Canada that would meet those requirements while being completely online. Or have the admission committees set up their requirements in a way that would make it impossible to do an online degree?

 

I've emailed western, queens and ottawa about completing a second degree online. Both queens and western has said that an online degree was an applicable second degree, whereas ottawa has said that they take online courses are prerequisites, but not an entire degree completed via distance. Queens was also a little bit nonspecific when they answered my email, stating that they accept online courses but not quite addressing an online degree.

 

Hope that helps.

[nem90]

Has anyone tried doing a second degree completely by distance ed/online (Athabasca perhaps)?

I know schools require a minimum of X number of courses between September and April, so I was wondering if there are any accredited Universities in Canada that would meet those requirements while being completely online. Or have the admission committees set up their requirements in a way that would make it impossible to do an online degree?

 

All Canadian schools with exception of Ottawa allow you to do an online degree. Don't ask me why Ottawa felt the need to be unique..

 

Someone on here did an online degree and managed to get into NOSM. Keep in mind NOSM considers your best degree.

[Rabu]

Hello everyone,

I recently completed my HBSc in Biology and I was wondering if I will be allowed to do a second degree in a related field such as Biochemistry, Psych, or Molecular Biology. It is my understanding that you will not be allowed to complete a second degree in a program that has substantial overlap in course requirements with the first degree. I am just wondering what constitutes "substantial overlap" in terms of how many credits are allowed to be transfered between degrees.

Thank you

[NutritionRunner]

Hello everyone,

I recently completed my HBSc in Biology and I was wondering if I will be allowed to do a second degree in a related field such as Biochemistry, Psych, or Molecular Biology. It is my understanding that you will not be allowed to complete a second degree in a program that has substantial overlap in course requirements with the first degree. I am just wondering what constitutes "substantial overlap" in terms of how many credits are allowed to be transfered between degrees.

Thank you

 

It depends on which university you are applying/accepted to for your second degree. Most universities will only transfer over 2 years worth of credits from your first year, but there are a few exceptions that will transfer over more. Some universities specify the amount of overlap that there can be in terms of required courses between the two degrees (such as 25%); others don't specify an exact number. Some universities won't allow you to complete the same "type" of degree as your previous degree (ie. if you have a B.Sc. you can't do another B.Sc., but must do a BASc, BA, BEng, or some other type of degree). Just about every school I looked at wouldn't let you do a second undergraduate engineering degree if you already had an engineering degree, even if the two disciplines of engineering were radically different.

 

So you really need to check with the university where you plan on doing your second degree. Their calendar should outline the details. For example, Guelph has the following page in their calendar: http://www.uoguelph.ca/registrar/calendars/undergraduate/current/c04/c04-postdeglop.shtml

 

which includes the following details about second degrees:

Second Degrees

 

Students from the University of Guelph or from another university may be admitted to and graduate with a second undergraduate degree from the University of Guelph, under the following conditions:

 

Students who have graduated with their first degree must apply to the University of Guelph for admission to the second degree program. A maximum of 10.00 credits may be transferred from the initial degree program.

 

In-course University of Guelph students may apply to graduate with two degrees at the same convocation. A maximum of 10.00 credits may be transferred from the declared program to the undeclared program.

 

In a) and , the course content of the second degree program must be substantially different from that of the first. A second degree is judged to be substantially different if:

 

The specializations are in different subject areas as listed in Section XII--Course Descriptions; or

 

The schedule of studies requirements are substantially different (no more than 25% overlap).

 

This rule is also applicable to different subject areas within the same degree program, allowing, for example, a second B.A. or B.Sc. degree to be awarded as long as the criteria are met.

 

(Note that a one-semester regular class at Guelph is 0.5 credits, so 10.0 credits in common between the two degrees is essentially two years of credits).

[Rabu]

Thank you for the informative post! I will contact the school directly to find out their policies.

[AJD13]

Hi Everyone,

 

I’m hoping there are some non-traditional applicants out there who may have experienced a similar situation to mine and can offer some advice or guidance

 

I completed my 1st degree several years ago with cGPA of 2.43/4.0. That certainly wasn’t going to get me in to Medical School so I decided to take some time and really evaluate what I wanted to do with my life and come up with a plan to achieve that.

 

I entered the corporate workforce just over 2 years ago and began to fill my schedule and explore my options. This is what my schedule looks like today:

- 40hrs/week working (Mon-Fri 8-5)

- 4hrs/week volunteering at the local hospital

- 2hrs/week volunteering with children with disabilities

- 3hrs/week Softball

- 5hrs/week Equestrian sports

 

Many of the experiences I have had since completing my first undergrad have reaffirmed my desire to attend Medical School. So, I finally decided to return to do a second undergrad, on top of my current schedule.

 

To date I have completed 3 courses with a cGPA of 4.0/4.0 (amazing what a little motivation can do!). I started with the 3 courses to ensure I could successfully complete the school work while still maintaining everything else. So far, so good, but here is the issue; my first choice school would be Ottawa, followed by Queens (though I am open to any suggestions).

- Queens accepts 3 courses/semester

- Ottawa requires applicant to do 4 courses/semester for the wGPA

 

I have e-mailed Ottawa looking for guidance as to how they would view a student who worked 40 hours a week (to support myself and pay for my tuition) but took only 3 courses/semester (instead of 4/semester Sept-Apr) as a result. I’m not sure if my work experience while completing my degree would be considered an asset (I can manage many things at once, handle a heavy work load etc.) or if the school simply won’t consider that fact as they are primarily focused on the applicant’s GPA.

 

Ottawa has been incredibly vague in the responses to me (understandable I suppose as they don’t want to commit to something just in case).

 

I can’t imagine I am the only one facing this dilemma, so I am hoping there are other non-traditional applicants out there who many have had experience with a situation like this? If you have, I’d love to hear from you!

[NutritionRunner]

I can’t imagine I am the only one facing this dilemma, so I am hoping there are other non-traditional applicants out there who many have had experience with a situation like this? If you have, I’d love to hear from you!

 

Unfortunately if medical schools want full-time years of study, then they want full-time years of study. They don't care if you are working two jobs, have elderly parents to take care of, etc., they want to see full-time studies.

 

People in your situation either save up before going back to do a second degree, take out loans to support them during their second degree, work part-time and go to school full-time during their degree, have a spouse that can support them while they are in school, or, in a few cases, work full-time and go to school full-time (yes, these people are amazing and tend to have flexible programs and/or flexible working hours). Those who do both work and school full-time tend to drop their other commitments, but work is most definitely an EC!

 

Good luck.