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Becoming IP, is it worth it?


polarbear89

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Is it worth staying an extra year at McGill part time to gain residency and do pre-reqs part time in order to apply to McGill med the next year?

I'm already an Albertan resident but I have only done general chemistry and first year biology.

 

I will probably finish my degree with ~3.45-3.55 CGPA with a break down of:

Year 1: 2.61, Year 2: 3.6 (3.65 with summer courses), Year 3 : 3.88 and Year 4 probably will be similar to year 3 if not higher.

 

I know my CGPA is quite low so I was wondering if there is any point in staying and gaining Quebec residency while doing med school per-requisites or if I should just return to Alberta or go elsewhere after I complete my undergrad.

 

Thank you for your help

 

McGill doesn't like part-time semesters.

McGill is soft with GPA for IPs, but some complain it's the lottery.

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How come it is such a lottery? And why are they soft on GPA with IP?

 

They don't base their interview invites solely on GPA, they also consider the Abstract and CV Highlights. After the interview, GPA is no longer a factor. That's one of the reasons why they are soft on GPA.

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Do you know if they will forgive your first degree?

If you do a 2nd degree and you performed BETTER in it, they only look at the 2nd degree GPA and Science GPA. The first degree should not matter.

 

However, there are some clarifications that I need about that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

In many ways it is the lottery. I guess it is important to keep in mind the following

 

1) ALOT of people have high GPAs

 

2) Some people may apply with lower GPAs but there are many factors to consider. A 3.4 or 3.5 in English or something is not the same thing as a 3.4 in math, physics, and in other hard programs. McGill and I imagine other schools DO take that into account. Some schools are easier than others (cough Concordia Arts).

 

3) It is hard for them to choose among so many applicants. What do you propose?

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2) Some people may apply with lower GPAs but there are many factors to consider. A 3.4 or 3.5 in English or something is not the same thing as a 3.4 in math, physics, and in other hard programs. McGill and I imagine other schools DO take that into account. Some schools are easier than others (cough Concordia Arts).

/QUOTE]

 

As someone who did a minor in history, I can tell you that it's more difficult to do well in courses such as history or English, than it is do well in science courses. There's a lot more subjectivity in the marking schemes in these programs and professors are not so keen on just handing out 'A's, no matter how well written and researched your paper may be.

 

In a physics/chem/phys/bio etc... course if you study and do practice problems, it's easier to do well. While you clearly still have to work hard to do well, the exams are often multiple choice or the give you a problem and you need to work it out. In either case, you either know what you're doing, or you don't. Way less subjectivity. For these reasons, I believe that it's easier to do well in science programs.

 

Perhaps this is why McGill doesn't care what you've done your undergrad in. In fact, they seem to like people who are more well rounded, with interests outside the hard sciences.

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