mary001 Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 I have cgpa of 3.2 at mcgill for the past 2.5 years, and i have one year left. i am currently studying for the mcat, and will be giving it in september. My pre-reqs were taken at cegep level and I am in province for mcgill. I realize that i have very low chances of being accepted at most schools, and if i apply this round, i will only apply to mac and mcgill. I have stellar Ec's , everything from volunteering in a hospital for 2 years, volunteering abroad in a hospital for the summer, various student leadership positions to research experience in 2 labs at different hospitals. My parents want me to apply to international schools since they don't want me to reapplying again and they don't mind paying so much money but i want to try my best first to get into canadian schools. I am planning on raising my gpa in the last year since i won't be doing any extracurriculars this year as that is the reason for my low gpa. What would you guys suggest that i do? I will also be applying to some international schools but i am really not set on going that route before i try all my chances here at home. I have thought of doing a master's in public heath and reapplying with the last year grades next round but at this point, i am really confused to the general direction for the year after graduation and i am looking for some guidance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted June 16, 2012 Report Share Posted June 16, 2012 Depending upon MCAT and then CaSPER, you have a shot at Mac. And with a killer Abstract, you have a shot @ McGill. Realizing the difficulty of getting back to Canada as an IMG, you might also apply and start abroad. And you can still apply each year to med schools in Canada. This is defintiely an option. I am not too familiar with what goes on in Alberta, but if you became IP there, you need to investigate your chances there. I'm not sure that a Masters will help you all that much, let's see what others say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 You won't lose anything (except a little bit of money) so you should definitely apply this year. If you don't get in, I recommend staying back a 5th year. Study your a$$ off for the next 2 years and get a solid GPA. With a great MCAT score and your last 2 full course load years, you have a decent shot of getting in Canada. As f_d said, a Masters degree is not going to make much of a difference in your case since you are not competitive enough (yet! ) to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Henderson Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 There are a few things to consider here. Doing a Master's degree at your current state of affairs really only opens up the door to Queen's, with stellar ECs and meeting MCAT cut-offs, you could have a shot. Toronto also offers a lower cut-off to grad degree holders, but they're typically publication heavy-weights with still fairly competitive GPAs. The only way I would recommend doing a Master's degree to you is IF (big if) you are passionate about whatever your Master's degree would be in. If you enjoyed your time doing research and could see yourself happily doing that for a few years- then by all means. Never, ever do a Master's degree if its not something you're passionate about- it will be the most miserable few years of your life (numerous examples on these boards). If your goal is simply to get into medicine by any means I would strongly encourage you to follow Legion's advice. If you can create a competitive GPA for two years running then doors open up at Queen's, UWO, (with a good MCAT) and potentially other schools where there are weighting formulas if you qualify. I cannot comment on Quebec schools as I never looked into them, but I suspect you're better off taking this route as well. Alberta in province still requires a minimum of 3.2, and to be competitive you should try to put yourself as far above this as possible. Its out there as an option, but I would get that GPA as high as possible and score well on the MCAT before even considering a move to gain IP status. You would also want to ensure you had a strong back-up plan if you moved, as nothing is guaranteed. Make sure you take the time to assess the reason that you had a low GPA to begin with. Get your GPA and MCAT scores finalized and then you can post back for further advice as we'll know where you stand. In closing, definitely try at least 2-3 times in Canada before going anywhere else. The U.S. should be your second option, with your GPA it would likely be the D.O. route, but you can still come back to Canada and have full practice in B.C., Ontario, and others I believe (check the American forum- Mashmetoo is the expert on D.O. there). By going to the U.S. you can apply for Canadian residency on equal footing to other Canadians rather than entering the abyss of the IMG pool. Your last resort should be international, the last thing you want is to end up hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt with no assurance of getting a residency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiceWine Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 gotta raise that GPA! 3.2 is a bit low for med school in Canada. The extracurricular is decent, but you would need really good abstract (like future doc pointed out) plus superb reference letters. do well on the mcat, and apply broadly. good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost&Found Posted June 17, 2012 Report Share Posted June 17, 2012 Whats the breakdown of your GPA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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