I Screwed Up, Do I Still Have A Chance?

[keepingitreal]

I'm currently in my 3rd year and I faced straight rejections this year with a mediocre GPA of 3.89. It was discouraging at first as it always is with rejections, but I was determined to bring up my GPA and increase my chances for next year. I got a 4.0 in my first semester this year and was confident I'd be able to maintain it until I received my grades for this semester and saw that I received a 2.7 in one of my courses. I was absolutely shocked. I went to see my final and because of one stupid mistake on one question that was worth the most marks, I screwed up my entire mark for the course. I feel devastated right now and I haven't been able to properly eat or sleep this past week. I worked so hard this entire year balancing my extracurriculars and academics on top of having to commute 4 hours a day. I don't even know how this happened as I genuinely studied for the course and never made a mistake so disastrous before. I know it might seem like I'm overreacting right now, but it's honestly been so hard for me to face this as I've never received a mark this low before. I was also 0.5% away from receiving a 3.0 and my prof refused to give it to me, even though I actually had reason for it. I don't mean to seem like a grade grubber or anything, but there was legitimately merit for it and my prof is known to be hardass with this kind of stuff. Anyway, are my chances completely ruined for this upcoming application cycle or do I still have a shot? I already don't have a chance at most schools because of my CARS score. My overall MCAT score is 514: 130 (Chem)/130 (Psych)/128 (Bio)/126 (CARS). I'm also still waiting on 2 of my marks for this semester, so who knows how those went. And I know most schools put more weight on 3rd and 4th year which makes me really worried. 

 

I don't even know what to do anymore, I just feel completely discouraged and disappointed with myself and can't even enjoy the summer having this hang over me. 

 

I appreciate any advice and thank you for hearing me out. 

[Edict]

Sorry to hear that, that is truly difficult to go through and experience. I'm sure you will pull through, good luck! 

[DoctorAM]

Could you provide a year-by-year breakdown? 

 

Year 1: ?

Year 2: ? 

....

 

would be easier to understand your situation

[keepingitreal]

Could you provide a year-by-year breakdown? 

 

Year 1: ?

Year 2: ? 

....

 

would be easier to understand your situation

Year 1: 3.86

Year 2: 3.91

[puma88]

I don't think you are in a bad situation. You are still only in your third year. If it is any consolation, I had a lower CARS score (125) and wGPA (3.85) than you and received interviews at Queen's and UofT. In terms of school weighing the last two years more, I believe Queen's is one of them and one my last two years GPA was quite unstellar. I am a MSc student though, I think this may have helped me for getting an invite at UofT...but then again, if you look at the invites thread, grad students with lower GPAs than me got interviews at UofT and some with higher GPAs did not - thus, GPA is not the only factor in securing interviews/acceptances. Since your GPA is still competitive, I wouldn't worry too much and try your best for the upcoming semesters.

 

You are still very much in the 'game' and have a good shot at med school admissions. I hope this makes you feel better! Good luck! 2.7 in one course is not the end of the world.

[GH0ST]

I'm currently in my 3rd year and I faced straight rejections this year with a mediocre GPA of 3.89. It was discouraging at first as it always is with rejections, but I was determined to bring up my GPA and increase my chances for next year. I got a 4.0 in my first semester this year and was confident I'd be able to maintain it until I received my grades for this semester and saw that I received a 2.7 in one of my courses. I was absolutely shocked. I went to see my final and because of one stupid mistake on one question that was worth the most marks, I screwed up my entire mark for the course. I feel devastated right now and I haven't been able to properly eat or sleep this past week. I worked so hard this entire year balancing my extracurriculars and academics on top of having to commute 4 hours a day. I don't even know how this happened as I genuinely studied for the course and never made a mistake so disastrous before. I know it might seem like I'm overreacting right now, but it's honestly been so hard for me to face this as I've never received a mark this low before. I was also 0.5% away from receiving a 3.0 and my prof refused to give it to me, even though I actually had reason for it. I don't mean to seem like a grade grubber or anything, but there was legitimately merit for it and my prof is known to be hardass with this kind of stuff. Anyway, are my chances completely ruined for this upcoming application cycle or do I still have a shot? I already don't have a chance at most schools because of my CARS score. My overall MCAT score is 514: 130 (Chem)/130 (Psych)/128 (Bio)/126 (CARS). I'm also still waiting on 2 of my marks for this semester, so who knows how those went. And I know most schools put more weight on 3rd and 4th year which makes me really worried. 

 

I don't even know what to do anymore, I just feel completely discouraged and disappointed with myself and can't even enjoy the summer having this hang over me. 

 

I appreciate any advice and thank you for hearing me out. 

 

If I recall.... 2.7 is around B- or C+ right? 

 

You're not alone..... I had a few B- grades too and I was still able to make it. If anything the grades wasn't the biggest factor holding me back... it's my mentality and how I handled pressure and setbacks. It'll be good to reflect on your downward trend and plan on what you're going to do about it. 

 

That said, if you think you can't get over this obstacle, then give up. If you hate the idea of giving up and have what it takes to get back up, then don't give in. There's no simple way around this. 

 

- G 

[_ _]

I'm currently in my 3rd year and I faced straight rejections this year with a mediocre GPA of 3.89. It was discouraging at first as it always is with rejections, but I was determined to bring up my GPA and increase my chances for next year. I got a 4.0 in my first semester this year and was confident I'd be able to maintain it until I received my grades for this semester and saw that I received a 2.7 in one of my courses. I was absolutely shocked. I went to see my final and because of one stupid mistake on one question that was worth the most marks, I screwed up my entire mark for the course. I feel devastated right now and I haven't been able to properly eat or sleep this past week. I worked so hard this entire year balancing my extracurriculars and academics on top of having to commute 4 hours a day. I don't even know how this happened as I genuinely studied for the course and never made a mistake so disastrous before. I know it might seem like I'm overreacting right now, but it's honestly been so hard for me to face this as I've never received a mark this low before. I was also 0.5% away from receiving a 3.0 and my prof refused to give it to me, even though I actually had reason for it. I don't mean to seem like a grade grubber or anything, but there was legitimately merit for it and my prof is known to be hardass with this kind of stuff. Anyway, are my chances completely ruined for this upcoming application cycle or do I still have a shot? I already don't have a chance at most schools because of my CARS score. My overall MCAT score is 514: 130 (Chem)/130 (Psych)/128 (Bio)/126 (CARS). I'm also still waiting on 2 of my marks for this semester, so who knows how those went. And I know most schools put more weight on 3rd and 4th year which makes me really worried. 

 

I don't even know what to do anymore, I just feel completely discouraged and disappointed with myself and can't even enjoy the summer having this hang over me. 

 

I appreciate any advice and thank you for hearing me out. 

1) Third year applications are very rarely successful. View it as a trial run with OMSAS, CASper, etc. Look at how much more prepared you are for next year, compared to if you hadn't applied? I can 100% assure you I would have gotten 0 interviews as a third year applicant, no doubt. I wasn't the most competitive this year either, but I still got 2 in Ontario + my home province. And my GPA was a lot lower than yours lol..... And I can't tell you how many others I know who got all rejections in 3rd and then multiple acceptances in 4th 

 

2) Your GPA is NOT mediocre. Again, it's nothing to worry about. Yeah, that 3.96 seems intimidating at Toronto, but know you get the weighted GPA! So who cares about one 2.7? They will drop it! That's again, the difference in applying 3/4th year

 

Take this as feedback. Your GPA was more than fine for Queen's, for example, so perhaps this indicates ECs might be a good area to focus on this summer, or even consider re-wording your OMSAS application descriptions. There is nothing here that suggests you won't be competitive next year. 

[ieatpremeds]

Your GPA is fine. I almost failed my entire set of first midterms in undergrad. Just focus on the next one and keep pushing forward, keep your GPA around a 3.9 and try to get meaningful experiences out of your ECs.

[B A T M A N]

What's your overall 3rd year GPA?

 

3.89 is good enough GPA wise for interviews barring your ECs. 

[deathvvv]

2.3 in first year physics. Got in med school. Start residency this summer. Ull be fine

[keepingitreal]

thanks for your replies everyone, I really appreciate it. 

What's your overall 3rd year GPA?

 

3.89 is good enough GPA wise for interviews barring your ECs. 

my 3rd year GPA ended up being 3.84 and around 90% if converted to percentile. it's really bothering me knowing that it could've been so much higher. so overall for my 3 years I guess it'd be around a 3.87. would that still be competitive? 

[_ _]

thanks for your replies everyone, I really appreciate it. 

my 3rd year GPA ended up being 3.84 and around 90% if converted to percentile. it's really bothering me knowing that it could've been so much higher. so overall for my 3 years I guess it'd be around a 3.87. would that still be competitive? 

i know this isn't what you want to hear, but the only answer we can say here is 'probably'. GPA is important, but it's not the only factor. So you're probably competitive, but there really is not way to say for sure. I was accepted with a much lower cGPA than that, and I know people with much higher GPA's than that who were rejected. 

[Simba12]

To mirror what everyone else is saying, your GPA is fine. I got into UofT this year with a lower GPA (granted, as a grad student). Focus on keeping your grades high for fourth year, and pursue your passions outside of school. Really does make a huge difference. 

 

Also, as someone who has spent days worrying about outcomes re: med school, I can relate, but I'll also tell you not to. Enjoy your last year of undergrad, try again, and if need be, try yet again. Take a breather, revise your plan to med, and stay positive It's not impossible, especially not based on the information you've provided here.

[The 8th Hokage]

thanks for your replies everyone, I really appreciate it. 

my 3rd year GPA ended up being 3.84 and around 90% if converted to percentile. it's really bothering me knowing that it could've been so much higher. so overall for my 3 years I guess it'd be around a 3.87. would that still be competitive? 

Are you eligible for UofT's weighting system? What would your GPA be with that in place? Honestly based on your current stats, I would say that your GPA only really rules you out for Uottawa( longshot). Maybe consider redoing your mcat this summer (even though 514 is an impressive score) as an increase in your CARS score can make you significantly more competitive for Mac and possibly even land you an interview at Western.

 

Other than that, I wouldn't worry about your GPA too much, it is solid. Good luck to you and hopefully you can land some invites/acceptances in the next application cycle

[keepingitreal]

thanks again for the replies everyone, it means a lot. Does anyone know what my chances would be for the Ottawa U French stream? I'm an out of province student and I was in French immersion lol. 

 

Are you eligible for UofT's weighting system? What would your GPA be with that in place? Honestly based on your current stats, I would say that your GPA only really rules you out for Uottawa( longshot). Maybe consider redoing your mcat this summer (even though 514 is an impressive score) as an increase in your CARS score can make you significantly more competitive for Mac and possibly even land you an interview at Western.

 

Other than that, I wouldn't worry about your GPA too much, it is solid. Good luck to you and hopefully you can land some invites/acceptances in the next application cycle

 

if I calculated correctly, my weighted GPA would be 3.94 in 1st year, 3.97 in 2nd year and 4.0 in 3rd year. I'm just worried that my CARS score will pretty much rule me out for Queens and Mac entirely as it's hard to get in with that score, what are your thoughts? I feel that redoing the MCAT would be risky since I'm not sure how confident I am in bringing up my CARS score, as well as the fact that I'm working full time this summer. 

[medic77]

My first year GPA was 0.67 (full course load). Accepted this year. You're over-thinking it. As everyone else said, use 3rd year application as a trial run. Best of luck!

[The 8th Hokage]

thanks again for the replies everyone, it means a lot. Does anyone know what my chances would be for the Ottawa U French stream? I'm an out of province student and I was in French immersion lol. 

 

 

if I calculated correctly, my weighted GPA would be 3.94 in 1st year, 3.97 in 2nd year and 4.0 in 3rd year. I'm just worried that my CARS score will pretty much rule me out for Queens and Mac entirely as it's hard to get in with that score, what are your thoughts? I feel that redoing the MCAT would be risky since I'm not sure how confident I am in bringing up my CARS score, as well as the fact that I'm working full time this summer. 

 

Honestly, your CARS score will definitely reduce your chances at Mac where your chance at an interview would have to come from a stellar Caspar score. As for Queens, they are generally a black box when it comes towards invites to interview. Personally, I believe they look at the MCAT score more holistically in which case a 514 is pretty good. However, your CARS score will prevent your from getting an interview at Western and most of the OOP Canadian schools.

 

As for next year, your UofT wGPA will be 3.97ish which is fantastic and so with good ECs/LOR/essays, I'm sure you will get an interview.