Doctor Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Ok so, I'm in my final year of CEGEP and I'm applying to pre-med. However, as we all know, chances are very low. Therefore, I am considering an undergraduate degree in science. The question is where do I do this undergraduate degree, Mcgill or Concordia? I want to know where can I get a better GPA, is it easier to get a better GPA at Concordia to apply in med later? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Concordia. And here is the link to tell you all about the program I highly recommend - Exercise Science with Specialty. Read through the thread thoroughly. The material is voluminous and, therefore, you must work hard throughout the program, however, it is not difficult. Apply yourself and you will be a straight A student and be accepted directly into med school from this program. Moreover, gthe 2 internships allow you to apply your theoretical knowledge with elderly, chronically ill clients (patients), thus giving you an excellent preparation for medical school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Posted February 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 Right, thank you for your answer Bambi, but why don't you recommend Mcgill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Med Life Crisis Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 Go to McGill (seems counter-intuitive right? But trust me, the 85%-> 4.0/4.0 is a HUGE advantage, it gives you a lot of wiggle room). You'll get a better GPA and better opportunities for research and such. Bambi's advice is a bit outdated tbh. I went to McGill Physiotherapy, did 1 year (PT gave me a ~40 r score), and got into sherbrooke medicine in 2017. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanmari Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 I would also second McGill over Concordia - you can find an easier major in any university, but the GPA conversions for medical school applications are built into the system and you want to take as much advantage of that as possible. Yes some universities have a harder "rep" than others but that is an uncertain difference based on hearsay and one which you can overcome by choosing the right major and courses. The GPA conversion difference, on the other hand, is set in stone; the premed experience makes every undergrad life hellish no matter where you are and after four years of developing PTSD to maximize your chances, you don't want to find out the system is unfairly penalizing you based on some arbitrary conversion table. For Ontario applications as an example, OMSAS converts McGill's 85-90% to an OMSAS 4.0 whereas an equivalent "A" (85-89) from Concordia is OMSAS 3.9. Consult this table for how the marks at each university convert when applying to Ontario med schools - https://www.ouac.on.ca/guide/omsas-conversion-table/ As an addendum, imo an "easier major" consists mainly of two things; 1) the ease of individual courses in the major, and more importantly, 2) a lower number of mandatory courses/credits, allowing you to choose electives that are easier. Again, such things can be found at any university regardless of the university's reputation. Your interest in your major's subject matter is also important but much less so, given that the premed pressure will be at the back of your mind even with every interesting course. Just don't pick a major so uninteresting that you lose motivation to study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Posted February 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 3 hours ago, Med Life Crisis said: Go to McGill (seems counter-intuitive right? But trust me, the 85%-> 4.0/4.0 is a HUGE advantage, it gives you a lot of wiggle room). You'll get a better GPA and better opportunities for research and such. Bambi's advice is a bit outdated tbh. I went to McGill Physiotherapy, did 1 year (PT gave me a ~40 r score), and got into sherbrooke medicine in 2017. 1 Thank you, Med Life Crisis but how did your Physiotherapy give you an R-score? why not a GPA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Posted February 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 Thanks for the advice Hanmari! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Med Life Crisis Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 1 hour ago, Doctor said: Thank you, Med Life Crisis but how did your Physiotherapy give you an R-score? why not a GPA? My 4.0 GPA was converted into an R score by the french medical schools. You should do more research on this on the forums before applying, it's quite important. A 4.0 in biology would yield a much lower r score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Posted February 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 4 hours ago, Med Life Crisis said: My 4.0 GPA was converted into an R score by the french medical schools. You should do more research on this on the forums before applying, it's quite important. A 4.0 in biology would yield a much lower r score. Oh really? So the GPA depends on the type of degree we do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Med Life Crisis Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 3 minutes ago, Doctor said: Oh really? So the GPA depends on the type of degree we do? No the R score depends on the degree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 And the few people I know who applied to medical school with that Concordia degree, with top grades, all got into med school on their first and only application! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaPrince Posted March 18, 2019 Report Share Posted March 18, 2019 On 2/3/2018 at 6:53 PM, Bambi said: Concordia. And here is the link to tell you all about the program I highly recommend - Exercise Science with Specialty. Read through the thread thoroughly. The material is voluminous and, therefore, you must work hard throughout the program, however, it is not difficult. Apply yourself and you will be a straight A student and be accepted directly into med school from this program. Moreover, gthe 2 internships allow you to apply your theoretical knowledge with elderly, chronically ill clients (patients), thus giving you an excellent preparation for medical school. Hey Bambi, did you personally take this path? From Exercise Science with Specialty to medecine? Im currently in Exercise Science, but the topic you shared goes back to 2011. I think the program has changed a lot since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle1212 Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 On 2/3/2018 at 6:53 PM, Bambi said: Concordia. And here is the link to tell you all about the program I highly recommend - Exercise Science with Specialty. Read through the thread thoroughly. The material is voluminous and, therefore, you must work hard throughout the program, however, it is not difficult. Apply yourself and you will be a straight A student and be accepted directly into med school from this program. Moreover, gthe 2 internships allow you to apply your theoretical knowledge with elderly, chronically ill clients (patients), thus giving you an excellent preparation for medical school. I don't know before but how about now? I know the difficulty of the program can't really change but maybe the entrance yeah... is it still a good program for premed? Right now, people need 27 to apply for this prog. I'm interested and not sure if I'll be able to get those wonderful grades because I'm a francophone... I really like what I've seen online, about BSc Exercise science. xD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambi Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 Hi Sparkle, it’s been a long time since I took the specialty program. All I can tell you is that back in the day (I just completed a 5 yr surgical residency) the few students who took this path for medIcine all got in on their first try. You need to be highly motivated to attain the As required to be a competitive candidate for medicine. The Program is not difficult, it is a great prep for medicine, however, the material is voluminous - which means you need to work hard and you will be exhausted at the end of each semester. Quote Sparkle1212 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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