helios Posted November 21, 2017 Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 Hi all, I am really interested in doing an MD-PhD at McGill eventually (I'm not planning to apply for graduate/medical school for another 2 cycles) but fear I am not really competitive enough based on my stats despite cultivating an interesting CV. Here is some information about me: -3.5ish GPA -No MCAT yet but I plan on writing it soon -I have about a year and a half of research experience from my undergraduate career, but currently, I'm working in a well-known lab and I will have 2-3 years of research from that by the time I plan to apply. -I currently lack clinical experience that wasn't from high school (I went to a health professions oriented school), however, I plan on shadowing some psychiatrists because that's a specialty I am very interested in -Otherwise I have a lot of leadership related extracurriculars from university (student government heavy), even got a full-tuition scholarship for merit/leadership Before anyone asks, I really want to live and practice medicine in Canada long term. As for the option of taking out a second undergraduate degree, that isn't in the cards for me right now because I work full time and do not have the finances for that (lol). One idea I had was getting a master and then applying to medical school, since plenty of MDs do research. Anyway, I would appreciate some feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi Posted November 21, 2017 Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 Try to become a permanent resident of Canada and live in Quebec, so you would therefore be IP (In Province) and your GPA (assuming you go through WES if your obtained your degree outside of Canada) would be in the competitive range for med school, although not necessarily for the PhD program. Otherwise, a 3.5 GPA is not terribly competitive for either or both programs, especially as an international applicant. I don't know if a Masters will help you - you are best off to speak with adcoms directly and receive feedback from the horse's mouth so to speak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEDusa Posted November 21, 2017 Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 I second Bambi, your best chances would be as a permanent resident and as an IP candidate. It would also depend on a few things. 1) your previous program, if it is part of a professional order a 3.5 GPA is worth more than an undergrad in biology for example. 2) you have to ace the Casper (20%) and your CV (10%) has to be very good to lift off as much weight as possible from the GPA (70%). A Master would help too. Without being too pessimistic, you are below average for IP applicants, but then again, I saw people getting interviews with 3.3 and 3.4 GPA ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nietzsche_hammer Posted November 21, 2017 Report Share Posted November 21, 2017 18 hours ago, helios said: Hi all, I am really interested in doing an MD-PhD at McGill eventually (I'm not planning to apply for graduate/medical school for another 2 cycles) but fear I am not really competitive enough based on my stats despite cultivating an interesting CV. Here is some information about me: -3.5ish GPA -No MCAT yet but I plan on writing it soon -I have about a year and a half of research experience from my undergraduate career, but currently, I'm working in a well-known lab and I will have 2-3 years of research from that by the time I plan to apply. -I currently lack clinical experience that wasn't from high school (I went to a health professions oriented school), however, I plan on shadowing some psychiatrists because that's a specialty I am very interested in -Otherwise I have a lot of leadership related extracurriculars from university (student government heavy), even got a full-tuition scholarship for merit/leadership Before anyone asks, I really want to live and practice medicine in Canada long term. As for the option of taking out a second undergraduate degree, that isn't in the cards for me right now because I work full time and do not have the finances for that (lol). One idea I had was getting a master and then applying to medical school, since plenty of MDs do research. Anyway, I would appreciate some feedback. The number of seats for international applicants is very limited like the previous posters have said come to Canada first. If you do a second degree McGill will consider only your last degree. Try to be a well-rounded applicant and practice your Casper. Apply broadly. There are paid services and group practices for the Casper. I did it last year and got in medicine. It's very possible. 3.5 GPA is not enough for Canadian schools you should get at least 3.8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 2 hours ago, Nietzsche_hammer said: 3.5 GPA is not enough for Canadian schools you should get at least 3.8. Well, McGill and IP, a 3.5 is possible other things being good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nietzsche_hammer Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 7 minutes ago, Bambi said: Well, McGill and IP, a 3.5 is possible other things being good. You mean exceptionally good. 3.5 is very low, there is still the Casper and CV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Agreed, but 3.5s who are IP have been accepted in the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDLaval Posted November 30, 2017 Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 On 21/11/2017 at 10:36 PM, Bambi said: Agreed, but 3.5s who are IP have been accepted in the past. Agree. I'm aware of at least 2 who had 3.5ish GPA and were admitted to McGill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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