Starting over (and overcoming a very low CGPA)

[Betaville]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm a new graduate considering a change of field. Here is a summary of my post-secondary education:

 

McGill University:

B.A., 2003

Major concentration: Mathematics

Minor concentration: Social Studies of Medicine

CGPA: 2.17/4.0

 

University of Ottawa:

B.F.A. (Bachelor of Fine Arts), 2007

Major concentration: Studio Art

CGPA: 7.6/10

 

University of New Orleans:

M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts), 2011

Major concentration: Studio Art

CGPA: 3.88/4.0

 

Obviously I do not appear as a strong candidate for medical school. My early undergraduate studies were affected when I struggled with "coming out". I'm proud of my achievements since then; I hold a terminal degree in the visual arts, and I've exhibited nationally and internationally. However I've maintained an interest in medicine and now I am curious to know if medical school is a reasonable pursuit for me.

 

Is my best course of action to enroll in full-time studies for at least two years and redo the undergraduate science requirements?

 

Is there another route to consider?

 

Naturally I want to mitigate the effect of my grades from McGill. Will two or three years of full-time undergraduate studies replace my earlier grades? Is it actually possible to establish a new CGPA for the purpose of consideration for medical school in Canada?

 

I appreciate any straightforward and honest response.

 

Thank you

[Real Beef]

Without myself knowing the various policies of each medical school re: second undergraduate degrees or in your case the possibility of a third! I would start with that to give you an indication of which schools look at only select years of schooling. For example I am screwed at any schools that look at all years as I do have a GPA of 1.80 one year so I rely on schools that look at your second degree only.

 

Let us know what you have found and hope others can give you some more direction though ultimately you will have to some serious research and emaliing/callin the prospective med schools about your specific situation.

 

Beef

[war485]

I think you should recalculate your cGPA in terms of the GPA set by OMSAS and repost. It'll be easier to get an idea of where you stand.

 

Have you also tried writing the MCAT?

[Betaville]

Without myself knowing the various policies of each medical school re: second undergraduate degrees or in your case the possibility of a third! I would start with that to give you an indication of which schools look at only select years of schooling. For example I am screwed at any schools that look at all years as I do have a GPA of 1.80 one year so I rely on schools that look at your second degree only.

 

Let us know what you have found and hope others can give you some more direction though ultimately you will have to some serious research and emaliing/callin the prospective med schools about your specific situation.

 

Beef

 

Thanks, Beef. I'll let you know what I find.

 

A third undergraduate degree. Good grief!

[Betaville]

I think you should recalculate your cGPA in terms of the GPA set by OMSAS and repost. It'll be easier to get an idea of where you stand.

 

Have you also tried writing the MCAT?

 

war485,

 

Good idea: It'll be helpful to know my true CGPA, with courses from McGill and Ottawa considered in the count. The CGPAs listed above are exclusive of each other.

 

I have not written the MCAT. I would write after redoing some science courses.

[war485]

I didn't mean recalculate your true cGPA. I meant just change those GPA numbers you have into the OMSAS GPA scale (for each of your degrees). All schools have their own GPA scales I'm sure, but OMSAS seems pretty standard for Canadian med schools these days.

 

That brings me to another point: where are you living? (place of residence).

i.e. are you a Canadian, American citizen or both? If you are an American applying to Canadian med schools... there's pretty much zero chance.

 

about the MCAT, try and rock it hard. That's also an important factor to get you in.

[simpy]

Betaville - read my stickied post on this forum if you haven't yet. Getting into medicine is possible, but it's not very likely.

[Ekylo]

First off, nicely done on your career already !

 

What I advise you do is search up the medical schools you have an interest in applying at. Read their admissions page and FAQ .. they will tell you their specific policies with GPA, etc. Certain universities have weighting formulas (only take your best two years, etc) and other universities have lower requirements if you live in the province of the insititution.

 

The unfortunate truth is there is no way to REPLACE your GPA. You can only add to it and try and bring it up with extra years. But, again, certain schools have weighting formulas, which will probably be your best bet. If you are serious about medicine, you'll likely have to do more years of undergrad. If you chose a program where you can get transfer credits, you can maybe complete a third degree in 2 years. Medicine is a long journey and it will take a lot of dedication .. I would think carefully about whether you really want to leave your current career to pursue it. It is possible, but it will be a lot of hard work.

 

Hope that helps !

[Betaville]

I didn't mean recalculate your true cGPA. I meant just change those GPA numbers you have into the OMSAS GPA scale (for each of your degrees). All schools have their own GPA scales I'm sure, but OMSAS seems pretty standard for Canadian med schools these days.

 

That brings me to another point: where are you living? (place of residence).

i.e. are you a Canadian, American citizen or both? If you are an American applying to Canadian med schools... there's pretty much zero chance.

 

about the MCAT, try and rock it hard. That's also an important factor to get you in.

 

war485,

 

I understand now. I'll edit my original post with OMSAS scale grades.

 

Concerning residency, I'm a Canadian citizen. I expect to return to Canada in a couple of months.

[Betaville]

Betaville - read my stickied post on this forum if you haven't yet. Getting into medicine is possible, but it's not very likely.

 

simpy,

 

I read your post about second undergraduate degrees. It was very helpful. Thank you.

 

"Getting into medicine is possible, but not very likely." Even if a third undergraduate degree is pursued? I admit it seems excessive -- even desperate -- but I would commit to two more years of undergraduate studies if could make me competitive (assuming I achieve high grades, of course).

[Betaville]

First off, nicely done on your career already !

 

What I advise you do is search up the medical schools you have an interest in applying at. Read their admissions page and FAQ .. they will tell you their specific policies with GPA, etc. Certain universities have weighting formulas (only take your best two years, etc) and other universities have lower requirements if you live in the province of the insititution.

 

The unfortunate truth is there is no way to REPLACE your GPA. You can only add to it and try and bring it up with extra years. But, again, certain schools have weighting formulas, which will probably be your best bet. If you are serious about medicine, you'll likely have to do more years of undergrad. If you chose a program where you can get transfer credits, you can maybe complete a third degree in 2 years. Medicine is a long journey and it will take a lot of dedication .. I would think carefully about whether you really want to leave your current career to pursue it. It is possible, but it will be a lot of hard work.

 

Hope that helps !

 

Ekylo,

 

Thank you!

[Betaville]

I have a question concerning the policy of looking at the last two years of full-time undergraduate studies:

 

Suppose I complete two more years of undergraduate studies. It's been approximately 10 years since I enrolled in a science course, so I would redo the basics (biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and so on). For schools with such a policy, am I right in understanding that the admissions committee will consider only these two years? They would not take into account my earlier grades?

 

Naturally I would expect to have to answer questions about my past during an interview, if I was fortunate to be granted one.

[simpy]

I have a question concerning the policy of looking at the last two years of full-time undergraduate studies:

 

Suppose I complete two more years of undergraduate studies. It's been approximately 10 years since I enrolled in a science course, so I would redo the basics (biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, and so on). For schools with such a policy, am I right in understanding that the admissions committee will consider only these two years? They would not take into account my earlier grades?

 

Naturally I would expect to have to answer questions about my past during an interview, if I was fortunate to be granted one.

 

You should not redo the basics. Retaking a class will make you ineligible at Western, which is one of the three schools you will realistically have a shot at (Queen's, Western, and Ottawa). You will also want to do an Honours degree to be sure you don't run afoul of Western's policies.

 

Schools that only look at your last (or best) two years will only look at your last (or best) two years, provided you meet these schools criteria for doing so. If you do extremely well over the next three years and rock the MCAT while maintaining solid extracurriculars you will have a decent chance of getting into med school in Canada - assuming admissions policies don't change.

[Ekylo]

You should not redo the basics. Retaking a class will make you ineligible at Western, which is one of the three schools you will realistically have a shot at (Queen's, Western, and Ottawa). You will also want to do an Honours degree to be sure you don't run afoul of Western's policies.

 

 

This is usually the case, but in the OP's situation, the courses were taken 10 years ago. I don't remember exactly, but there is a rule that after ___ years, courses no longer count as prereqs, etc.

 

I would call the schools to confirm this.

[war485]

This is usually the case, but in the OP's situation, the courses were taken 10 years ago. I don't remember exactly, but there is a rule that after ___ years, courses no longer count as prereqs, etc.

 

I would call the schools to confirm this.

 

Was not aware of such a rule. I would also call the med schools you intend to apply for and ask about how they would consider such a situation. They might make an exception for retaking courses in this case.

 

Beta, which med schools were you thinking of applying for? It's gonna make a big difference since most schools have a preference for in-province residents.