Siguy Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Hey Guys, I`m going through as much of the forums here (as well as other resources) to try and suss out my situation, but I`d like to know if anyone with experience has any advice they can give to me for my situation. My undergraduate GPA is terrible, flat-out. I barely have a 3.0 average from 4 years of a science degree at UWO. These marks are by far my greatest issue. Heres the positive thing; I have a 37Q MCAT, (9 p, 14 bio, 14 V), in the 98th percentile overall. My extracurrics are also really good, I was a support worker for 3 summers for kids with developmental delays, and that has been my motivation to go into medicine. I also love volunteering. I`ve worked on building a garden for a food bank, I currently volunteer at a kids rehabilitation hospital, I volunteered for 2 months at an allergy clinic, (where i got to go to orlando to present research, I may get a paper from that as well). Right now I`m volunteering for a surgeon at st mikes doing data entry, and I`m volunteering in a electrophysiology lab where I will be starting a masters in september. The allergist and neurologist i volunteer for are both head of their departments at uoft. I go through fits of despair because even though I`ve accomplished a lot since graduating, i feel like my undergrad GPA will hold me back no matter what. I`m not sure whether a masters will help or a second undergrad is better. I`ve done the research but really i`m inconclusive as to the right decision. I`m in one of those fits of despair right now so I thought I`d reach out and see if anyone can offer some advice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 A 2nd undergrad with a high GPA will get you there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwo4life2011 Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Just a few questions for you: 1) Do you have a 3.7+ GPA in any of your 4 years? 2) What year did you take your MCAT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ondansetron Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 what future_doc said and also, did you by any chance read the sticky titled: "thinking about a second undergraduate degree" by simpy? in the nontrad forum? That will definitely help you gain perspective. It certainly helped me a lot in trying to come up with a plan after my first miserable undergrad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siguy Posted May 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 hey future_doc, thanks for the advice! but do you think a masters could also be the way to go? And nwo4life, I have pretty average grades through, no stellar years. I had very little direction/motivation in undergrad I wrote my mcat the summer after fourth year. (so last summer). ondansetron, I am currently reading it! Its tough to get through because he's a straight shooter, making me question everything, but I guess thats what I need! Thanks guys! Any other tips/advice is also greatly appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 I think the Masters will be of minimal help compared to the other option, i.e., more bang for your time with a second undergrad. But I am sure others with direct experience of which I have none will chime in. If you are commited to the Masters, it is likely you will still need a second undergrad degree in my view. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwo4life2011 Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Ya, unfortunately you are going to have to put in a couple more years towards a second degree. At this point, a masters will not help improve your chances of getting into medical school. I only aksed when you wrote your MCAT because you have to be aware that it may expire as you complete your second degree. If my memory serves me correctly, MCATS are valid for 3 years. Thus, you could apply to Western during the final year of a 2 year second degree, provided you start your new degree this September. I am currently on a similar path like yours, so I can relate to how you are feeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outlaw Posted May 31, 2012 Report Share Posted May 31, 2012 Plan to finish a second UG in 2 years. Get a 3.7+ in year one and apply conditionally to UWO during year 2. If the cutoffs stay put, you will get an interview. Also look into Manitoba. Their pre-interview scoring is 27.3% gpa and 72.7% mcat. Assuming you took 4 full years, they will drop your worst 30 credit hours (or the equivalent of 1 full year). I'm not sure if your mcat would overcome your weak gpa, but it's definitely something to look into. EDIT: Your mcat is good at western for 5 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Henderson Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 I think the Masters will be of minimal help compared to the other option, i.e., more bang for your time with a second undergrad. But I am sure others with direct experience of which I have none will chime in. If you are commited to the Masters, it is likely you will still need a second undergrad degree in my view. ^^ This. I have an M.Sc. and that got me over the hump to get in at Queen's since you get a separate review so long as your undergrad cGPA is above 3.0. Since 3.0 is the minimum and they're looking to see that you can handle the med curriculum I would say that a 3.0 on the dot would be a risky endeavor for the sake of one school. Toronto says 3.0 as well, but that's generally not the case, grad applicants have somewhere in the realm of 3.6+. Further, Queen's just uses the MCAT for cutoffs pre-interview, so while you'll have cleared the cutoffs your stellar MCAT score doesn't help in any capacity beyond that (as far as we know). I'd read through the sticky on second undergrads and several other threads in which the option is discussed in this subforum and go from there. You want a program that will maximize your chances at the highest GPA possible. Further, you want to make sure that you can get a competitive GPA in the first place- i.e. make sure you address whatever the issue was the first go around before you decide that's what you want to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiceWine Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Hey Guys, I`m going through as much of the forums here (as well as other resources) to try and suss out my situation, but I`d like to know if anyone with experience has any advice they can give to me for my situation. My undergraduate GPA is terrible, flat-out. I barely have a 3.0 average from 4 years of a science degree at UWO. These marks are by far my greatest issue. Heres the positive thing; I have a 37Q MCAT, (9 p, 14 bio, 14 V), in the 98th percentile overall. My extracurrics are also really good, I was a support worker for 3 summers for kids with developmental delays, and that has been my motivation to go into medicine. I also love volunteering. I`ve worked on building a garden for a food bank, I currently volunteer at a kids rehabilitation hospital, I volunteered for 2 months at an allergy clinic, (where i got to go to orlando to present research, I may get a paper from that as well). Right now I`m volunteering for a surgeon at st mikes doing data entry, and I`m volunteering in a electrophysiology lab where I will be starting a masters in september. The allergist and neurologist i volunteer for are both head of their departments at uoft. I go through fits of despair because even though I`ve accomplished a lot since graduating, i feel like my undergrad GPA will hold me back no matter what. I`m not sure whether a masters will help or a second undergrad is better. I`ve done the research but really i`m inconclusive as to the right decision. I`m in one of those fits of despair right now so I thought I`d reach out and see if anyone can offer some advice Have you thought about applying to US schools, where they may be more MCAT oriented? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpy Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 Thanks for the nice posts about my sticky Siguy, sorry it's a tough read - but I think it is really going to apply to you. This is because to maximize your chances at Canadian universities you will need to do another 3 years of undergrad and apply after that - meaning it will be 4 years before you start medicine. Now of course you could start earlier (i.e. you could start another Honours degree this fall and apply for conditional acceptance to Western; or you could get very lucky with CASPER at Mac), but to bring your full range of options online (Queen's / Western / Ottawa / small chances at a number of other schools) it's going to be another 3 years of undergrad. And a lot of this work could be undone by getting something like a 3.4 in your third year of undergrad (so much for Ottawa and Queen's). Also, you have a great MCAT score but depending on timelines you may need to rewrite it, which adds further uncertainty. So it's a long path with a small margin of error. But if you know it's what you want, and you're able to put everything you have into it, then I think you've got a pretty good chance. One thing you might also consider is going overseas. Yeah, the chances of getting back to Canada aren't great, and the chances of getting a good residency in the States are slim (and getting worse quickly), but if you're set on family medicine your chance of landing a residency anywhere may be greater than your chance of getting into medicine in Canada. Anyway I don't mean to sound depressing, because it sounds like you've taken some time off and found motivation through doing so. If you REALLY want it, go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinre Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 I'd go for the 2nd undergrad degree while applying to American schools this year. Your mcat is good except the PS section will cut you out of western right away even if you had the gpa to apply next cycle as suggested by simply, which is why I'd say American schools may be your best bet now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prof.A.DumbleDore Posted June 1, 2012 Report Share Posted June 1, 2012 The 9 in PS is fine. Cutoffs for this past cycle; Biological Sciences: 10 Physical Sciences: 9 Verbal Reasoning: 11 Writing Sample: O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siguy Posted June 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2012 Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm definitely more and more leaning towards a second degree. I guess I should be contacting schools to find out whether online would be an option (I need to work, and that would be the easiest way). Simply- I didn't mean it like that! Your thread was tough talk but definitely something someone like me needs to hear, thank you! I am also definitely thinking about applying to american schools as well. I guess now I have the delicate task of telling my future-supervisor that I'm not interested in being his slave. I'm sure he'd be only too happy anyway, since he can get someone with a more legit GPA who will have their own grants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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