Applying to med school with a new undergrad?

[atmagna]

Hi everyone I am entering my third year of university and I was thinking of dropping out of my science and taking a new program at a different institution. I am just wondering if when I apply to medical school will they just consider the marks from my new program and not my previous marks for admission? Also will grades will ever expire? (as in can I apply with grades I made in year 2005)

 

Thanks for your time

[loodogg]

Every class you have ever taken, from every institution you have ever attended, will be available for med schools to see. Some schools don't look at your cgpa, but your marks won't expire and must all be presented to med schools you apply to.

[10wattbulb]

Hi everyone I am entering my third year of university and I was thinking of dropping out of my science and taking a new program at a different institution. I am just wondering if when I apply to medical school will they just consider the marks from my new program and not my previous marks for admission? Also will grades will ever expire? (as in can I apply with grades I made in year 2005)

 

Thanks for your time

 

Your grades follow you everywhere, but med schools will calculate your GPA differently depending on their policies. Queens, for instance, will look at your cGPA (all your grades) and the GPA of your 2 most recent years (if you were full-time for these years). The GPA in your 2 most recent years is key, so you'd have a shot at Queen's if you do well in the next 2 years to come. Western looks at the GPA in your 2 best years, so you may have a shot there too in 2 years to come. At Toronto and Ottawa, they also have special ways of calculating your GPA (check them out). McMaster, however, looks at all your grades.

 

Now, one question that I often ask to people who do poorly in their sciences program is: why? Is it really the institution or the difficulty of the program that is the problem or is it simply not your strong point? Or does the problem lie instead with your study habits? It's important to figure this one out because if you do switch programs & institutions, you don't want to end up struggling all over again and repeating the same mistakes.

 

And if it's a life science program that you're struggling with, my other question for you is: how do you expect to do well in med school if you have a hard time in the life sciences? Med school courses will be in subjects like: pharmacology, anatomy, nutrition & metabolism... Are you actually interested in these types of topics, and can you do well in such courses if you put in the effort?

 

Ergo, before switching programs and moving to a different institution altogether to improve your GPA for med school, you have to ask yourself why medicine and whether it's really for you. Take some time to reflect and prepare a plan B, because the plan A might be very, very difficult to achieve.

 

BTW, if you do switch programs, switch to a program that genuinely interests you and that could lead you to your plan B (second best career choice). You don't want to end up wasting tons of $$$ and time by switching from program to program and taking a bunch of extra courses and end up with nothing in the end. Some people struggle a lot in the first year of their program only to end up doing very well in 3rd and 4th year, so take time to think about it all...