ParaMed003 Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Hi All, I imagine this gets posted quite often and for that I apologize in advance. I'll just get into it though and hopefully someone will be kind enough to help out. So many moons ago (only 5 years ago =P) I was young and dumb and ended up doing only 1 year of university. While in university I decided early on I was going to become a paramedic and literally no longer cared for my grades. At one point I had dropped so many courses that if I dropped one more I would be kicked out of residence so I kept a lonely chemistry course i do believe is going to haunt me at present. I didn't show up to 1 class....didn't write any exams and thus received a 13% (how I received such a high mark is beyond me =D). After that I got into college and completed the paramedic grades with a low 90% average (doesn't matter though it was college courses). Now after 3 years on the road as a medic I just was accepted into a Bachelor of Science. I truthfully believe I can get a GPA of 3.7-3.8 over the next 4 years if I apply myself (hats off to all you 4.0 GPA....that's just crazy) My question to you all is.........even though I'm starting a brand new degree......and even though its 4 years long and im taking a full course load start to finish........When I go to apply to med schools is that 13% chemistry mark (And 72% philosophy, 63% biology) that is 7 years old going to come up in my GPA? AKA.......Should I not even bother? I appreciate any input at all.....and I do imagine I will get ripped apart for not dropping that course.....but like I said......I was young and dumb and hats off to anyone who said they wanted to be a doctor their whole life.....I wasn't one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdy Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 There are several schools that have weighting formulae that will benefit you. U of T, for instance, drops your three worst marks if you apply after third year, four if you apply after your degree is complete. U of O, I believe, considers only your most recent three years. Dal, Queen's, UWO, and a few others that don't come immediately to mind, look at only your best or most recent two full time years. I know Mac and MUN look at all courses ever taken, but not all schools do that. Reading lots of threads on this site, it's clear lots of people have a year or two of undergrad that has haunted them a bit, but still manage to get in by applying strategically and working on other parts of their application (ECs, MCAT) to help make up for a weaker GPA. Plus, you being a paramedic is something that will give you great insight and look really awesome on an application, I think. Don't lose hope! It's still doable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 Absolutely do the very best you can looking forward and not backward. You are motivated, no excuses, prioritize, have a strong work ethic, study smart and hard. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Real Beef Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 You should bother ... when you consider that is only 3 courses out of an another 40 courses you will have to take, those three courses wont have AS huge an impact as you imagine though they will impact you. Heck I got into Med this year and if you look at my early university transcript you will find one D, one F and an Incomplete. Of course that was my first degree and they only looked at my second but you get the gist that those 3 shouldnt ruin things totally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 There are several schools that have weighting formulae that will benefit you. U of T, for instance, drops your three worst marks if you apply after third year, four if you apply after your degree is complete. U of O, I believe, considers only your most recent three years. Dal, Queen's, UWO, and a few others that don't come immediately to mind, look at only your best or most recent two full time years. I know Mac and MUN look at all courses ever taken, but not all schools do that. Weighting formula only applies if you are taking full-course load every year. OP doesn't qualify for this. OP, a new degree is definitely a good idea. Just make sure you do really well, or else you will be wasting time and money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 really try to aim for 3.90 and above. you're safe with 3.80-3.90 but you're pushing it with 3.70-3.80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lost__in__space Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 You should bother ... when you consider that is only 3 courses out of an another 40 courses you will have to take, those three courses wont have AS huge an impact as you imagine though they will impact you. Heck I got into Med this year and if you look at my early university transcript you will find one D, one F and an Incomplete. Of course that was my first degree and they only looked at my second but you get the gist that those 3 shouldnt ruin things totally Good job getting in this year RB! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParaMed003 Posted July 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Thank you so much all for the reply. Defiantly going to give it my all. What happens from there happens. Cheers, and all the best on all your careers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.