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I go to Queen's University and I'm going into second year. My original intentions were to start off in science and go into chemistry this coming fall, hoping that would lead me to med school. But after seeing the difficulty of the courses and long hours I would spend in the lab I'm not so sure. I need a high GPA and although I enjoy chem it won't give me as high a GPA as taking something like classics persay. So the question is- do I stay in chem or switch programs into a no brainer so I can get the ultimate marks?? also leaving me time for volunteer hours and sport teams

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i've learned that there's no such things as GPA boosters. Do what you're interested in. I remember in first year I kept asking everyone which courses were GPA boosters, and common answers i got were linguistics, sociology, anthropology etc. Boy, did i ever hate those courses.. the readings were dreadfully boring and I didn't do so hot in those classes.

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Do what you love. You have three years left of your undergrad, and there's no sense in making yourself miserable doing something you don't like.

 

I don't know where you are, but at McGill, you have elective credits outside your major. If you REALLY can't resist GPA boosting, just fill those up with courses you know you can do well in. Or do a minor in something like classics - I did a second major in english literature and I think it helped me when it came to interviews because it made me stand out from the straight science major crowd.

 

I'm not saying that this is what you're doing, but don't assume that an arts major will be easier than a science major. I had one major in each, and I got mostly As in my science courses and mostly B+ in my arts courses. One person's bird is another person's challenge.

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^said what needed to be said. Draw a venn diagram(I literally did this), What you're good at in one bubble and what you LOVE/INTERESTED in another. The overlap is what you excel in and are good at, as you might have anticipated. Now pick from there and you're good.

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I totally agree that you should stick with what you love and you will do better at that, but there is some wiggle room, don't forget. For someone interested in chemistry and medicine, there is lots in between the two that you might still enjoy. Possible other closely related majors could include biochem, environmental science or life science. Maybe check those programs out and see if any of them are more amenable to you taking some GPA boosting courses while still being able to master the enjoyably challenging sciencey courses. You might not enjoy learning chemistry as much if you know you are sacrificing your GPA and ECs for it.

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I agree and disagree. Picking a course requires a mix of interest and ease of getting a good GPA. I am entering my fourth year and last year I picked a course on microbiology that I was really interested in. The course turned out to be pretty hard because the professor's testing was really odd. And in the end I never needed that course for my degree, just took it because I like it. My advice is if you NEED a GPA booster, then take easy courses. But you shouldn't lose sight of the courses you like either. It's hard to find the right balance, but balance is key

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Pick the field of study that you wouldn't mind pursuing as a temporary career. Many applicants do not get in their 1st or 2nd attempt and end up having to work for a year or more before beginning medical school.

 

Agreed. Also, make sure if you don't get into medicine at all, you can expand your career/do something else/stay in the job.

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