masters or 2nd undergrad?

[mjolnir80]

let me start off by saying that ive already read other threads

i just want an opinion on my own situation.

im a 4th year undergraduate student.

I wasnt aware of the policy some schools have about having a full course load ( like UWO and U of T)

and so i took summer courses and didnt take a full coruse load (4 classes a term) in my 2nd and 3rd year

I have a decent MCAT score ( 34p) and my GPA should be around 3.6 after this term. I have decent EC's and good references

now i dont think im going to get into med school this year so im trying to decide what to do next year.

my two options are to either go for a second undergrad or get a masters.

I was just wondering which option would increase my chances of getting into med school more ( assuming that i do well grade wise)

Also do any schools consider your grades in a masters program? ( i know some of them give you a +.2 to your GPA if you have a masters)

And does it matter what subject you do your second undergrad in? does it matter which university you do it at?

 

Thanks in advance

[jojoluvsu2]

Are you sure you can get consistently better (>3.8, hopefully more like 3.9) marks?

 

Take a look through the sticky to see which schools will only take your second UG/best years into consideration (or like Ottawa will weight your more recent courses more). Those are the schools where a second UG will benefit. A school like UofT will still consider all your marks and because you didn't take full course loads they won't apply the weighting formula.

 

A grad degree will help with other career prospects should med school not work out. However, some schools who give a 0.2 boost to GPA only do so if your UG GPA meets the cutoffs.

 

It doesn't matter what your second UG is in, or where you do it. Western has their 3/5 requirement, but rumor has it that they are changing their policy so no idea what they'll require down the road.

[Dr.Henderson]

The only school that gives you 0.2 added to your GPA with a Master's degree is Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), which would be useful if you fulfill their mandate of recruiting potential physicians for Northern Ontario (i.e. they primarily select residents of Northern Ontario, with some from other rural areas).

 

Other schools give advantages to Master's Degree holders like a lower GPA threshold or other considerations (check the sticky thread at the top of this forum for school specifics).

 

A Master's degree should only be undertaken if you ENJOY whatever the Master's degree is in, whether its thesis or course based. A Master's degree is a huge undertaking and if you're doing it for the wrong reasons (just to get into med school) its going to be incredibly draining on you and you won't get all that you could out of it. If, however, you find a project or program that you know you'd really enjoy then all the power to you- enjoy it! To answer your question about whether schools consider your grades- the answer is some do. UBC and UofC for example off the top of my head, but check the sticky thread.

 

Your GPA isn't too far off the mark, so if you think you can pull it up with a second undergrad then go for that- but only if you're certain you can. Again, this should be in something that you're interested in and could use should med not work out. As the previous post said- read the sticky on second undergrads to get a feel for what options are available.

 

We would need to know your section scores on your MCAT, but the P is going to be a problem for schools like Queen's where the cutoff is usually a Q or an R, verbal is also used as a cutoff at Queen's and other schools- so a re-write might be in order despite your awesome numerical score if these schools are of interest to you.

 

There's also the Alberta approach that you may see mentioned in this forum. Alberta has the shortest residency requirement to be considered an in province applicant. With your GPA, MCAT, and assuming good extracurriculars and references and you would have a good shot at interviews. Again, your move there would have to be backed up with an alternative plan. If you decided to do a Master's degree or second undergrad at an Alberta school you'd fulfill this requirement just as you would with a job there.

 

The BIGGEST thing to do here is make a plan and stick to it. Set a time frame (mine was 5 years) and follow through- it absolutely needs to include a back-up plan. No matter what you do keep volunteering and being active in the community.

 

Best of luck to you!

[mjolnir80]

thanks for the replies

 

just one more thing. would it matter if i got a 2nd undergrad in an engineering program?

[jojoluvsu2]

It doesn't matter what your second degree is in any more than your first. But keep in mind whether you're doing the 2nd UG just to boost GPA (engineering might not be the best idea) or to have more career options afterwards (engineering would be a good idea!)