Guest Medhopeful Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Hello, First and foremost, this is a great forum, I'm no where near applying to med school, and I can feel the anxiety, the pain and the joy of some posters. This is truly a great forum with invaluable help. Thanks IAN. I have done my pre-reqs, but sadly, twas > 8 years ago. They must be repeated. I did them @ cegep. Luckily, I do not have a Bachelors degree as of yet. So, I was wondering, let's say I would want to major in B.com for example, would I have to squeeze in the pre-reqs in the B.com degree (and might have the undergrad GPA sink a bit) or 2. go for some of those post-bacc program in the states (Harvard extension, Bryn Mayr) for 1 year after the undergrad if it is competitive. or 3. Take the pre-reqs at a local CEGEP (i'm from quebec). then do the bachelors.. ? Can someone shed some light for me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest j282 Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Hello: You can complete the pre-reqs within the Bcomm degree. I believe at UofT you have 6 full courses outside of the degree that you can choose from. You can fill in the pre-reqs within these courses. As far as those 1 yr post bach programs. Those will not exempt you from the requirement of having to complete 15 courses (or the equivalent of 3 years at University). Just curious what have you been doing since high school, workwise, career wise, education wise? How old are you now? These other factors may also work to your advantage in the "life experience" department of your application. Good Luck j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mimicat65 Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Hi there, I may be wrong... but MY understanding of the "post Bacc" programs in the states is that they are for people who already have a degree (hence the name: "post baccalaureate"). If that is the case, then that may not be an option for you if you haven't completed an undergraduate degree already. I did a BComm and and MBA, then decided after the fact (much after ) that I wanted to pursue medicine. Although there aren't "post bacc" programs in Canada per se, I just went back as an undergrad and took all the courses I needed over a 2 year period. If I were you, I would try to fit the prereqs into your BComm program, and if there isn't enough jiggle room in that program, then just take one extra year to fit them in. I actually found it easier to make good grades in the science courses than in the commerce and arts courses where there is much more subjective grading schemes. Just work hard and get the grades you need. Good luck, Mimi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Medhopeful Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Thanks for the insight. I'm 28. I started a company in computer security and got bought out recently. We had major clients such as banks and public utility companies. I have a couple of publications in comp. sec. Did some conferences, etc. Now I have a bunch of free time on my hands, and decided to continue pursuing medecine (always wanted to, but got caught up during the tech boom after cegep.. ) I am now shopping for an undergrad degree that I would love, and I don't want comp. sci. I've pretty much exhausted that subject. Since I had a business in IT, I figured B.com would be a good pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Medhopeful Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Hi mimi! I meant, do the B.com @ mcgill, get a good GPA and once the B.com completed, do the post-Bacc program.. Always wanted to go to harvard 8o (even if it's just the extension school for premed requirements) I have a feeling doing pre-reqs with the young and energetic pre-med crowd @ mcgill might just be too cut throat for me. Then again, harvard extension is probably just as cut throat, but hopefully a bit more geriatric :rollin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mimicat65 Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Hi Medhopeful, Sorry, I see now that I misread your OP. That sounds like a good plan. Just remember the cost of school in the US is a bit of a bummer... actually I did my MBA (2 years) in the Boston area (not Harvard though ) - lots of fun and a great experience. When I started the Cnd exchange rate was at $1.16 and when I had to repay my loans it had tanked to $1.50. Doesn't make much impact on a one week vacation, but two years of tuition plus living expenses bite. I would think that most post-bacc programs would be just as competitive as undergrad in Canada too, just something to keep in mind. Having done your prepwork elsewhere would give you one more thing to distinguish yourself from the crowd of applicants though too - definitely an asset. Good luck whatever you decide, Mimi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest newbee Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Just Curious Mimicat65 What field are you working in now with the MBA and Bcomm. DId you need work experience between before you could go and do your MBA? Have you started your pre-reqs? Have you applied yet? Did you ever work in Investment Banking or Consulting? Why the big switch? Sorry about all the questions, I just want to know about alternative plans should the medicine thing not work out Thanks Newbee :b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mimicat65 Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Hi Newbee, I had two years work experience before going for my MBA - it was not an absolute requirement, but the average #years work experience in the full-time program at my school was 5, so I was on the lower end. At some schools it is a requirement, and at others they don't care. I worked, after MBA in the money markets as a dealer (foreign exchange and gold, and some money and capital market products) - clients were Canadian corporations and prov govts and multinational corps with field offices in Canada. I loved the high pace, but was unfulfilled by the actual work. It was challenging intellectually at times for sure, and the pay was great, but burnout was pretty high and I just felt like I wasn't contributing much to the welfare of anyone other than shareholders.... you know what I mean? :\ So I left that field after about 6 years (moved east), and for the past 6 or so I've been home with kids and doing a bit of contract work here and there...just to keep my brain working. Went back for science courses 1.5 years ago, and am waiting to hear if I got in for this Sept. - I ONLY applied to Dal b/c don't want to move my family again. That's my story - hope it helps. A business degree is definitely a good backup degree, but the MBA helps open more doors. As an aside, you don't need a business/commerce undergrad to enter most MBA programs - in fact I thought there was a fair amount of repetition between the two programs. So maybe a science undergrad, then MBA as a plan B to medschool might be a good path - keeps both options open. Good luck, Mimi;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest newbee Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Very Helpful post Thank you for your insights. I heard its really hard for women to break into finance. Is this true? Did you have many problems? What made you leave finance? Was it just because it was unfulfilling or burnout/ the kids etc? Finally, Why MBA in the US? Are the programs better in the States? Sorry for all the questions, I guess I'm a bit of an eager beaver with all this career stuff Thanks again for your input Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mimicat65 Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 No problem Newbie, I don't think it's hard for women to go into finance at all - as long as you get some credentials. There were lots of women going through the training program I went through, and they all did well in the trading environment. But, I think there is alot of variation between different corporate atmospheres (ie. some may be still more male-dominated than others). My reasons for leaving were a combination of things - a bit of burnout, not feeling fulfilled, still yearning for medicine (which I "considered" pursuing before deciding to go for my MBA), and personal life changes (wanting to have children, losing a close family member, husband's desire to move back east)... it just seemed like, if this wasn't something that I could see myself doing for most of the rest of my career, this was a good time to get out. In my experience, many of the people that stay in that profession long-term are burnt-out and longing for a career change, but once they get more entrenched in that industry it gets pretty hard for many of them to give up the $$. Also, the longer you are in, the more "specialized" your skills appear to other potential employers, making it harder and harder to career jump. In terms of MBA in the states, I had close family ties with the Boston area, so it just felt like a great place to attend school. The school I attended was recommended by a prof from my undergrad who was really sold on it, and they offered me $$ to go.... good enough reasons for me. Also, I grew up and attended undergrad in a small town, and knew that I really needed to broaden my horizons a bit - and going to the US was a good way to do that. As a payback, that grad school was what caught the eye of the Canadian recruiter scanning my resume, getting me into the financial world in Toronto. I think it's always nice to have something different on your resume that makes you stand out from the crowd, so that they remember you. And no, I don't think that in general MBA programs in the US are better than those in Canada - there are some great programs in Canada from what I hear, and lots of variation in programs in both countries. I think what is most important in choosing your program, is knowing what you eventually want to do and picking a program that prepares you well for that and maybe helps you develop a network of contacts. I was lucky to land a job in Toronto, but all of my contacts developed during my school years were in the Boston area. If I hadn't gotten something early, I probably would have been looking for something in the US northeast, but I really wanted to move back to Canada for personal reasons. Some programs are more "corporate", some are stonger in Finance, some stronger in marketing, some (mine) are "entrepreneurial" in nature. You've gotta do some research - if you think you want to work in investment banking for instance, make some contacts in the industry and find out what programs they recruit from most, what their opinions of the different schools are, etc. A different industry may have different opinions/preferences completely. Hope this helps, Mimi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest magsky Posted July 11, 2003 Report Share Posted July 11, 2003 Good luck to you - I also have an undergrad degree and an MBA and am now strongly considering a career in medicine. Glad to hear there are others out there like me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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