A bit of help ? Un peu d'aide SVP ?

[perseverance_]

Hi (:

I am currently in my third session in cégep.

I am very interested in becoming a pharmacist.

However, my grades are not as great as they could be. I began with an R-score of around 32.3 and it has slowly dropped to 29.8, which is obviously n where near competitive enough to go into either one of those programs. It's very likely that it will drop even more after this session.

 

I know where the fault lies - with myself, obviously, but there's also the fact that I really have no interest at all in physics, which is the subject that I have the most trouble with. It always took me a lot more time to pound physics into my brain than any other subject and that took its toll on my grades. Also, the commute between my home and my cégep takes about 2h30 every day. (1h15 to get there and 1h15 to get home... by the time I get home, I'm exhausted). I also have trouble focusing and retaining information... I'm going to talk to my doctor about that. =/

 

After a while, I gave up even trying for more than a passing grade. I became very...unhappy after receiving my first r-score. It was like my world had ended. Anyways, since then, I've become more optimistic and I've been looking into alternative ways.

 

I've read a few of the threads on this forum and it appears to me that my best course of action would be to go into exercise science in Concordia, study well, and hope to get a competitive grade with which I can apply in UdeM or Udelaval.

 

My questions are:

- Will Concordia accept me ? My R-score for subjects such as physics is really quite low. ( I passed all my courses on the first try but my grades were always in the 60's).

 

- If I cancelled a class next semester and took it during the summer, would that affect my acceptance into Concordia?

 

- If/once I get into the program, what would my schedule look like? I know 4 courses is the maximum you take in university, but does that mean it would like something like what my schedule when I had 7 courses during the first session of natural science? How many hours per week is 4 courses? Also, how much can I manipulate my schedule? What I mean is... is it possible to have a schedule where I start at 9 and finish early in the afternoon so that I can start studying while the sun is out?

 

- The program is 3 years long and you get 90 (?) credits for completing it. Since cégep grades are no longer considered after 50 credits, does this mean I can do something like 3-4 semesters and then apply to other universities? OR do I have to finish the program, in other words do the full 3 years?

 

- Do you guys have any tips on how to deal with it all? I'm the first person in my family to go through this and I feel pretty lonely sometimes

[splash]

Usually at university, a 3 credits course = 3 hour of lecture/lab per week.

 

A normal semester will consist of 5 courses of 3 credits each (total of 15 credits). Here at McGill, we can only do a maximum of 18 credits/semester.

 

As such, compared to CEGEP, there will be only +/- 15 hour of classes per week at university. One of the disadvantages is that some courses can also be in the evening (e.g. 17h30 to 20h30). It really depends on the course or program.

[a1b1]

Hi (:

I am currently in my third session in cégep.

I am very interested in becoming a pharmacist.

However, my grades are not as great as they could be. I began with an R-score of around 32.3 and it has slowly dropped to 29.8, which is obviously n where near competitive enough to go into either one of those programs. It's very likely that it will drop even more after this session.

 

I know where the fault lies - with myself, obviously, but there's also the fact that I really have no interest at all in physics, which is the subject that I have the most trouble with. It always took me a lot more time to pound physics into my brain than any other subject and that took its toll on my grades. Also, the commute between my home and my cégep takes about 2h30 every day. (1h15 to get there and 1h15 to get home... by the time I get home, I'm exhausted). I also have trouble focusing and retaining information... I'm going to talk to my doctor about that. =/

 

After a while, I gave up even trying for more than a passing grade. I became very...unhappy after receiving my first r-score. It was like my world had ended. Anyways, since then, I've become more optimistic and I've been looking into alternative ways.

 

I've read a few of the threads on this forum and it appears to me that my best course of action would be to go into exercise science in Concordia, study well, and hope to get a competitive grade with which I can apply in UdeM or Udelaval.

 

My questions are:

- Will Concordia accept me ? My R-score for subjects such as physics is really quite low. ( I passed all my courses on the first try but my grades were always in the 60's).

 

- If I cancelled a class next semester and took it during the summer, would that affect my acceptance into Concordia?

 

- If/once I get into the program, what would my schedule look like? I know 4 courses is the maximum you take in university, but does that mean it would like something like what my schedule when I had 7 courses during the first session of natural science? How many hours per week is 4 courses? Also, how much can I manipulate my schedule? What I mean is... is it possible to have a schedule where I start at 9 and finish early in the afternoon so that I can start studying while the sun is out?

 

- The program is 3 years long and you get 90 (?) credits for completing it. Since cégep grades are no longer considered after 50 credits, does this mean I can do something like 3-4 semesters and then apply to other universities? OR do I have to finish the program, in other words do the full 3 years?

 

- Do you guys have any tips on how to deal with it all? I'm the first person in my family to go through this and I feel pretty lonely sometimes

 

Hey there,

 

its important to not give up and to continue fighting no matter what.

My cegep grades were almost exactly the same as yours, I then did 2 years of exercise science and got into med afterwards. Just because things dont go as expected in cegep doesent mean it's over, hopefully you can see where you went wrong and will fix the problems you had in order to do better in university.

 

To answer your questions, the grades you have are enough to get into concordia. 4 is not the maximum number of courses you can take in university, my last semester of exci i took 6, but usually you will have to do 5 courses a semester if you plan on finishing your degree in three years. You can manipulate your schedule to a certain extent, but most the courses are at a specific time. Your schedule will consist of something along the lines of morning (depending on your schedule you may start at 9, 10 or 11 am) to 3 pm. The program is 3 years long if you do 5 courses a semester, and yes cegep grades are no longer considered once you do 50 courses. You can also apply after your first semester and your third semester and give pharmacy a shot.

 

If you're truly interested in exercise science, I would recommend you read my posts on future_doc's thread, it gives a great summary of all the pros and cons of the program. Be aware, exci is not an easy program, you will have to work as hard as you ever have, but the program is fair, as in if you put in the work you get the results. Personally, I would recommend you choose a program that interests you so you may perform well in it, the more you like what your studying the more you will study and consequently perform better, whether that be exci or something else is up to you.

 

hope this helps!

[future_doc]

My grades in Cegep were far worse than yours. I got in to Exercise Science at Concordia, developed a strong work ethic, learned to prioritize, had no distractions, the material was voluminous and I got straight A's, resulting in acceptance to medicine. It is not hard, but is far from easy and requires lots of work.

[Hieu]

- Will Concordia accept me ? My R-score for subjects such as physics is really quite low. ( I passed all my courses on the first try but my grades were always in the 60's).

Yes Concordia will accept you if you get your DEC in sciences and you keep your R-Score higher than 25 or higher than 28 if you want the honnors program.

 

- If I cancelled a class next semester and took it during the summer, would that affect my acceptance into Concordia?

 

No, it would not affect your acceptance as long as you get your DEC in sciences with all prerequis courses and a R-Score higher than 25 before starting university at the end of August.

 

- If/once I get into the program, what would my schedule look like? I know 4 courses is the maximum you take in university, but does that mean it would like something like what my schedule when I had 7 courses during the first session of natural science? How many hours per week is 4 courses? Also, how much can I manipulate my schedule? What I mean is... is it possible to have a schedule where I start at 9 and finish early in the afternoon so that I can start studying while the sun is out?

 

4 courses = 12 hours per week in class.

Usually, a semester is 5 courses = 15 hours a week.

Most of courses in first year have 2 lectures ... so not a lot of choices.

 

- The program is 3 years long and you get 90 (?) credits for completing it. Since cégep grades are no longer considered after 50 credits, does this mean I can do something like 3-4 semesters and then apply to other universities? OR do I have to finish the program, in other words do the full 3 years?

 

Yes you can apply in pharmacy school after 3 semesters.

If you get a good grade (3,7 and over), you have a lot of chances.

[perseverance_]

- Will Concordia accept me ? My R-score for subjects such as physics is really quite low. ( I passed all my courses on the first try but my grades were always in the 60's).

Yes Concordia will accept you if you get your DEC in sciences and you keep your R-Score higher than 25 or higher than 28 if you want the honnors program.

 

- If I cancelled a class next semester and took it during the summer, would that affect my acceptance into Concordia?

 

No, it would not affect your acceptance as long as you get your DEC in sciences with all prerequis courses and a R-Score higher than 25 before starting university at the end of August.

 

- If/once I get into the program, what would my schedule look like? I know 4 courses is the maximum you take in university, but does that mean it would like something like what my schedule when I had 7 courses during the first session of natural science? How many hours per week is 4 courses? Also, how much can I manipulate my schedule? What I mean is... is it possible to have a schedule where I start at 9 and finish early in the afternoon so that I can start studying while the sun is out?

 

4 courses = 12 hours per week in class.

Usually, a semester is 5 courses = 15 hours a week.

Most of courses in first year have 2 lectures ... so not a lot of choices.

 

- The program is 3 years long and you get 90 (?) credits for completing it. Since cégep grades are no longer considered after 50 credits, does this mean I can do something like 3-4 semesters and then apply to other universities? OR do I have to finish the program, in other words do the full 3 years?

 

Yes you can apply in pharmacy school after 3 semesters.

If you get a good grade (3,7 and over), you have a lot of chances.

 

Thank you guys for answering my questions. ^^

 

But didn't a lot of people with an R-score lower than 25 successfully enter the program ? Like in different threads, I saw people with 24's get in.

 

Also, do people in university have the option of doing courses over the summer ?

[Hieu]

My grades in Cegep were far worse than yours. I got in to Exercise Science at Concordia, developed a strong work ethic, learned to prioritize, had no distractions, the material was voluminous and I got straight A's, resulting in acceptance to medicine. It is not hard, but is far from easy and requires lots of work.

 

future_doc have probably a high level of `grit`

Look at this video about `grit`:

 

Now how can we increase our level of `grit` to success ?

This is the question !

[future_doc]

^ Yes. I agree about grit, I.e., motivation, passion, perseverance, motivation, a strong and consistent work ethic no matter what. Stay on an even keel and remain equally motivated when failure or detours strike. This has been my approach and has proven to be successful. I admit to being far from the brightest light bulb in the class, or even close to it. But having "grit" is a winning formula. How to find grit? It needs to come from within you as a result of an overpowering desire to achieve your goals and the ability to go through self-sacrifice to achieve your goals, and to be adaptable to change as you encounter various problems along the way and find solutions what work for you.

 

Having faith in yourself is important as, when defeat appears looming, it is important to reinforce motivation and not allow yourself to become depressed or pessimistic! I.Q. Is not relevant in this battle.