Non trad route to get into Qualifying Year McGill ?

[Boa]

Wow, I haven't posted on pm101 in ages! It's good to be back

So guys I would like to have your opinions regarding my situation...

Like most people on the forum, I had the firm intention of becoming a doctor coûte que coûte (cost what it may?) but after struggling through my bachelor degree I realized that I am not suited /willing to go through all the ''non-trad route'' and explore other options. For about a year and a half I have shadowed multiple professionals (I was a research assistant in a neuroscience lab for a whole summer, I also shadowed 2 neuropsychologists, 1 physiotherapist and 3 occupational therapists).

Anyway, so this summer I realized that I really enjoyed shadowing the occupational therapists and I decided I want to make this as a career ( especially an OT specialized in neuro-rehabilitation!). The problem is, I realized this waaay too late...I am finishing my Bsc in Neuroscience (from concordia)this spring and I will graduate with a horrible gpa (we are talking below 3.0 here...).

So obviously I cant apply to the mcgill QY (at least 3.0 is needed).

I was thinking of meeting with an academic advisor in OT from Mcgill to explain my situation and ask them how I could improve my application. Repeating failed courses is not an option and I would like to avoid starting a new bachelor's degree. I was thinking of taking some anatomy and physiology courses as an independent student for a year, get straight As and then apply for the 2014 cycle. Does that make any sense?

For now, I have decent ECs (volunteering, research experience, shadowing) and I can get serious letters of recommandations. The only thing that im missing are the grades. And I don't know if it helps but I also speak French (they say knowledge of French is recommended).

 

What do you guys think?

 

Thank you for taking the time to read!

 

Boa

[try]

Hi Boa,

 

Are your last 60 credits higher than your first 60? If you have a 3.5/4+ then you may qualify for some of the other OT schools. If not, I would suggest getting your GPA up any way possible and applying for 2014. You have probably taken your share of challenging courses, so start taking some easier courses that can guarantee you those A's and A+'s ! I made myself an excel spreadsheet where I convert each of my grades and prospected grades to the ORPAS scale to see what my admission GPA range is to see if it is within a competitive range. This might be a good idea to see exactly how many courses you will need at what grades to become competitive! Are you bilingual? U of O generally has lower gpa requirements as the program is in French. Good Luck!