Second Undergraduate Degree Options In Canada After A Bsc

[med_gods 24]

Hello everyone!

 

Anyone have thoughts on some easy/useful second undergraduate degree options in Canada? I will be completing a BSc this coming May and am looking for some sort of second undergraduate degree program to boost up my GPA for med school. I feel like there's just so many options available and I am currently a bit lost as to what to apply to. Hoping to get a 4.0 GPA in this second undergraduate degree... 

[not my real name 86]

In general most schools will allow people to do second degrees, though there are different rules on how similar the new degree can be and admission timelines are often different. This should all be written on university admission policies.

 

Nobody can or should tell you what to study. A second degree can make you more competitive for some schools, but it is by no means a guaranteed route to medical school. The general thinking here is that your second degree should lead to a viable backup plan. If you don't know what that would be, talk to a career counsellor at your school.

 

What was your gpa trend? Do you know why you weren't able to achieve a 4.0? Upward trend? If you've been getting consistently under 3.5 regardless of effort, I would not advise immediately doing a second degree... You need to be sure you can get those As. Take some time to work, take a step back and think about what you can improve. This also gives you time to think about plan Bs. If you have been getting As consistently, then yeah maybe going right back to school is fine.

 

By the way, I'm a second degree student. Took off 5 years between my two degrees and am now happily in medicine. (Not that five years is neccesary)

[not my real name 86]

Oh, and I would consider writing the mcat before doing a second degree. Take a year to work and study, and try to kill that test. You need to know you can do well on the mcat for your second degree to be worth something.

 

Do look into mcat policies at different schools, just to make sure about their timelines (I.e. How long does your mcat score last).

[med_gods 24]

In general most schools will allow people to do second degrees, though there are different rules on how similar the new degree can be and admission timelines are often different. This should all be written on university admission policies.

 

Nobody can or should tell you what to study. A second degree can make you more competitive for some schools, but it is by no means a guaranteed route to medical school. The general thinking here is that your second degree should lead to a viable backup plan. If you don't know what that would be, talk to a career counsellor at your school.

 

What was your gpa trend? Do you know why you weren't able to achieve a 4.0? Upward trend? If you've been getting consistently under 3.5 regardless of effort, I would not advise immediately doing a second degree... You need to be sure you can get those As. Take some time to work, take a step back and think about what you can improve. This also gives you time to think about plan Bs. If you have been getting As consistently, then yeah maybe going right back to school is fine.

 

By the way, I'm a second degree student. Took off 5 years between my two degrees and am now happily in medicine. (Not that five years is neccesary)

 

 

Oh, and I would consider writing the mcat before doing a second degree. Take a year to work and study, and try to kill that test. You need to know you can do well on the mcat for your second degree to be worth something.

 

Do look into mcat policies at different schools, just to make sure about their timelines (I.e. How long does your mcat score last).

 

I started off okay with a GPA of about 3.8 in first year but in 2nd and 3rd year, I dropped to about a 3.5/3.6 because I picked a challenging program to major in, and for my last year I'm at a 3.89 now with 1 more term to go. It's been driving me crazy trying to decide on what type of undergraduate programs to apply to the past while and deadlines are coming up (a few are end of this month).  I do plan on redoing my MCAT this summer as I did not do too well in CARS. Just wondering, what were your first and second degrees? 

[NutritionRunner 84]

Choose something that you are good at, that you enjoy, and that can provide you with a back up career should you not get into medicine (unless your current degree already provides you with a good back up).

[not my real name 86]

I started off okay with a GPA of about 3.8 in first year but in 2nd and 3rd year, I dropped to about a 3.5/3.6 because I picked a challenging program to major in, and for my last year I'm at a 3.89 now with 1 more term to go. It's been driving me crazy trying to decide on what type of undergraduate programs to apply to the past while and deadlines are coming up (a few are end of this month).  I do plan on redoing my MCAT this summer as I did not do too well in CARS. Just wondering, what were your first and second degrees? 

 

Okay, I mistakenly assumed your GPA was quite lower than that... I am guessing your current cGPA could be around 3.7 by the end of this year (3.8, 3.5, 3.6, 3.9)?

 

First of all you do not need a "4.0". The exact number you "need" is not entirely clear, but you can look around at different forums and see that there is a range in accepted GPAs. A 3.8+ GPA is probably fine for most schools (even 3.7+). Ottawa is an exception, and I believe Toronto is higher as well. McMaster, Queens and Western are all fine with that range.

 

I believe a 5th year would make much more sense for you. You only really need one additional strong year. If you can pull off a 4.0 in a 5th year, you would have a cGPA of roughly 3.76. Your 2YGPA would be excellent. A second degree would only marginally improve your cGPA, and would have minimal effects on your 2YGPA compared to a solid 5th year. Getting a 4.0 in your 5th year and 3.9 in your 4th year, along with (I assume) a 3.6 in your 3rd year, you could actually have a 3.9 at Ottawa. Queens would be fine. Western would be fine. McMaster would be fine (GPA-wise) with a strong CARS (which you need to improve). So a 5th year could open up quite a few schools for you.

 

Can you extend your program? Do honours instead? Take a minor that involves more upper year classes? 

 

A second degree would have no benefit over a 5th year given your current stats. That said, there is no harm, so if there is something you *want* to study then by all means do a second degree. But you seem to be doing better in your upper year courses, so why not stick with that?

 

Finally, if your GPA is under the average, then make sure you have a strong MCAT and ECs.

[med_gods 24]

Okay, I mistakenly assumed your GPA was quite lower than that... I am guessing your current cGPA could be around 3.7 by the end of this year (3.8, 3.5, 3.6, 3.9)?

 

First of all you do not need a "4.0". The exact number you "need" is not entirely clear, but you can look around at different forums and see that there is a range in accepted GPAs. A 3.8+ GPA is probably fine for most schools (even 3.7+). Ottawa is an exception, and I believe Toronto is higher as well. McMaster, Queens and Western are all fine with that range.

 

I believe a 5th year would make much more sense for you. You only really need one additional strong year. If you can pull off a 4.0 in a 5th year, you would have a cGPA of roughly 3.76. Your 2YGPA would be excellent. A second degree would only marginally improve your cGPA, and would have minimal effects on your 2YGPA compared to a solid 5th year. Getting a 4.0 in your 5th year and 3.9 in your 4th year, along with (I assume) a 3.6 in your 3rd year, you could actually have a 3.9 at Ottawa. Queens would be fine. Western would be fine. McMaster would be fine (GPA-wise) with a strong CARS (which you need to improve). So a 5th year could open up quite a few schools for you.

 

Can you extend your program? Do honours instead? Take a minor that involves more upper year classes? 

 

A second degree would have no benefit over a 5th year given your current stats. That said, there is no harm, so if there is something you *want* to study then by all means do a second degree. But you seem to be doing better in your upper year courses, so why not stick with that?

 

Finally, if your GPA is under the average, then make sure you have a strong MCAT and ECs.

 

My school just got back to me -  I can do a 5th year BUT I can no longer do a honours or minor since I already am doing two specializations and that's the maximum at my school. Would schools frown upon the fact that I am doing an extra year of super random GPA booster courses when I could have graduated a year ago?