***PLEASE READ - I need your input***

[Guest Scott]

I'm going to do another year of school to boost my average. I'd like to be considered for Queen's university and the admissions office said I could do another year and take any courses I want at any level. That being said, I'm free to take courses that will surely boost ny average. My problem is that I can't decide what to take. Ottawa admissions says that I can apply for a particular program through the ouac or I can enroll as a special student and take courses by approaching the different departments. If I choose to be the latter then I have less chance of taking the courses I'd like to take, but applying for a degree program would mean that I would have to take quite a few classes (including core) from that program. I don't want to risk dropping my average (I'm shooting for 99% this year) and killing my chances of making the gpa standard for Queen's Meds. Currently my best two years is a 3.52. Should I go for the special student status? Does anyone know which Ottawa courses are the easiest? I know that this isn't the best prep for med school workloads, but I figure that I might as well choose the easiest or most interesting classes, since it doesn't matter what I take and I won't be judged for it by the admissions committee. This way I can ensure to get the marks I need to be considered. Thanks for any input you can provide.

[Guest Ian Wong]

Hi Scott,

 

First thing I'd like to do, is request that you not flag your Subject: markings with asterisks, all caps, or anything else. There's been a bit more of that now than usually, and it really breaks up the screen, especially if other people start doing it to get their message noticed as well. A little bit of noise will only breed more noise as people try to get noticed.

 

Second, are you absolutely sure that you have free range of the courses that you take? That doesn't sound like something I'd hear from the admissions committee; most medical schools don't like the idea of students taking a whole bunch of bird courses just to raise their GPA. It doesn't prove much, because most med school applicants have the knowledge to get A+'s in Basket-weaving 101 and Sun-tanning 150, but it's much harder to maintain a high GPA in a focussed degree program.

 

However, if taking whatever courses you want is the case, then I think you might be best off looking into classes that are either somewhat related to your previous degree, along with perhaps with a few diverse courses in things that you've always wanted to study but never had a chance. Don't worry too much about taking med school courses like Anatomy, unless you're genuinely interested in learning the material now.

 

I'd still want to double-check the courses stipulation. That doesn't sound quite right to me.

 

Ian

UBC, Med 3