Starting in September vs starting in January

[internationalstud]

Hello,

 

I am an international student and recently got done with my A Levels (British system). I applied to university of Saskatchewan and got accepted to college of Arts and Sciences. I could potentially get a whole year worth of credits because of my A levels, so I basically get to skip a whole year of university! If I decide to opt for a three year degree (90 credits) in Biology, does that mean that I can finish off university in two years? Now coming to my main question, will I have any problems later when applying to med and dental school if I choose to join the university in January instead of September keeping in mind that universities usually look for two years of undergrad and also state that the terms should extend from September to April?

[future_doc]

90 credits = 3 years, not 2 years.

 

Will starting in January advance your interests? I don't think so as you apply in the fall anyways. I would go to university for the normal academic year, Sept - May. Keep it simple.

[internationalstud]

90 credits = 3 years, not 2 years.

 

Will starting in January advance your interests? I don't think so as you apply in the fall anyways. I would go to university for the normal academic year, Sept - May. Keep it simple.

 

 

 

read up, I am getting credits for a whole year because of my A levels, won't that mean only two years for me as I would already have 30 transfer credits?

 

I would love to start uni in September too but it's kind of hard for my parents to pay the tuition in the next two months

[smthg]

Degrees are 4 years in every province of Canada, except Québec. So, if you have a year's worth of credits, you would have 3 years left That's how I did the maths, correct me if I'm wrong!

[internationalstud]

Degrees are 4 years in every province of Canada, except Québec. So, if you have a year's worth of credits, you would have 3 years left That's how I did the maths, correct me if I'm wrong!

 

I'm talking about the second option on this page:

 

http://www.usask.ca/programs/arts_and_science/biology.html

 

Anyways, can you help answer my main question? would joining university in January instead of September hurt my chances of admission to dental or medical school?

[future_doc]

I suggest you email adcoms of some med schools directly and get it from the horse's mouth.

 

You do understand that most med schools require MCAT and virtually all look at your ECs/volunteering to determine if you maintain active citizenship along with academic excellence, and to see if you have demonstrated traits sought after in physicians such as leadership, compassion, communication skills, time and stress management, critical thinking and problem solving, etc.

 

If you will be able to apply after just one year of undergrad, in addition to having attained a stellar GPA during the normal academic year, I am at a loss how you will show commitment to the community in just one year. Be careful what you wish for, it is not so simple as it appears and the devil is in the details, including having a competitive MCAT score so early in the game. And I advice you to go the normal academic year route and not do whatever you deem most expedient for you and your parents. The devil is in the details.

[rmorelan]

I'm talking about the second option on this page:

 

http://www.usask.ca/programs/arts_and_science/biology.html

 

Anyways, can you help answer my main question? would joining university in January instead of September hurt my chances of admission to dental or medical school?

 

 

at many schools a 1/2 normal year cannot be used in the application process - Western, Ottawa, Toronto.... Just so they can compare students easily they want people to have standard 5.0 credit Fall and winter years. So it isn't so much that it hurts you as it doesn't help.

[future_doc]

Thank you for clarifying this.

[future_doc]

With only one year of undergrad behind you, although you believe that you may be fast tracking, I do not see how you will be competitive in any application pool. I verily believe it will be a problem. More than likely, you will need to apply the following year, and shoold there be a blip in your GPA, you will need to do an extra year for your degree if this is possible. Sometimes, the fastest or shortest route is what seems to be the longest. Things often are not as simple as they appear.

[Cowbell]

I may be wrong here, but won't it take this individual awhile to get into medical school due to the time it takes to obtain citizenship?

[future_doc]

If the OP is neither permanent resident nor citizen, you are absolutely right! Not all med schools will take international students and the tuition is prohibitively expensive for those accepted. And becoming a permanent resident, if qualified, is not an overnight proposition. Indeed, another potential reason not to rush undergraduate studies.