pursue a second undergrad degree to pull up the GPA...

[Guest well]

i just finished my degree in computer engineering and only got a CGPA of 3.3 (75-79%). i did pretty well in the first year but then depression hit really bad and my marks dropped. i have no volunteering experience and haven't taken all the pre med courses, but i am considering seriously of going into the MD/PhD program.

 

i am thinking of spending 2 years to pursue a second undergrad degree to take the required premed courses, to pull up the GPA, to get some volunteering experience, and also to prepare for MCAT.

 

on the other hand, some of my friends suggested me to go for a masters' degree in biomedical engineering or life sciences instead.

 

i am not sure if doing an extra degree would help to increase my chances of being accepted. i've had 4.5 years of undergrad study already (138 credits, with a minor). even if i go for a second degree (60 credits) and manage to do very well, i am afraid my GPA will still not be competitive enough.

 

i am wondering if it is worth it to go for the second undergrad degree. i am also thinking of an alternative - to apply for a less reputable med school overseas, but that would be difficult to practice in canada i guess...

 

also, will i be in a better position if i pursue a master's degree instead?

 

any advice/suggestions will be greatly appreciated

[Guest Ian Wong]

The first thing I would do is contact the medical schools where you hold provincial residency. These will be the school(s) where you would most likely be accepted. Try to find some admissions statistics of their medical classes, so you can see how your application stacks up against people who have recently been admitted into that program.

 

A partial list of statistics can be found here:

 

premed101.com/medschools.html

 

Then, you should talk to these medical schools to see how a second undergrad degree, or a graduate degree would be interpreted in your GPA calculation. If it turns out that a given medical school still looks at your undergrad marks significantly, then spending the extra years to get a Master's degree will not significantly improve your grades situation.

 

Once you have all of this information, then making a decision as to whether or not to go back to school, and in what program, should be much clearer. Having an Engineering background should give you plenty of job opportunities in those fields, but it sounds like that's not where your interests lie. Still, having a backup plan to medical school is a good idea, in my opinion.

 

Best of luck!

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3