Canadian Pre Med (what are my options and chances)

[GamblingDream]

So I am in a bit of a weird position at the moment. I have always wanted to be a Physician and did rather well in high school. I am currently enrolled in my local university (known for their small class size) in the BSc program. I finished my first semester 2 years ago with underwhelming grades ( an A, B+ and a C) and as I was half way through my second semester I had some tragedy in the family and took about a year off to recuperate. Last year I went back to classes easing my way in taking non science courses since I was questioning my career path. I currently have a cGPA of 3.28 and a total of 29 credits. Going back to the science courses this semester was quite a challenge as I had to relearn most of the general stuff i had forgotten. I decided to drop Calc 2 and focus on Bio and Chem and in order to ensure that i would do well and catch up. My plan is to take 4 course every semester (summer included to make up on my lost time) afterwards and get a good Gpa to offset my first semester. After looking at my canadian med schools and their average acceptance rate and Gpa scores i got rather discouraged. I know i have options to go for a DO or other schools abroad but I'm worried about never being able to return home to practice medicine. I have yet to obtain any note worthy extracurricular nor any Shadowing/Volunteering. Im really worried that if I devote myself to this path I will never see it succeed.

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[GamblingDream]

I realize i sound a bit negative in this post but i really want some advice before i complete commit myself to this path.

 

[Saxappeal1]

So a couple of things OP:
1. Be optimistic, because you only have 29 credits in front of you. Especially since medical schools really like upward trends!
2. On that note, your GPA is fixable over time. Kill your other prereqs for a while and you'll see what I mean. I had like a 3.33 for a sort of similar reason and after 4 semesters I was up to a 3.5.
3. You have a lot of time to fix your lack of EC's. Make long-term investments in shadowing physicians, hospital volunteering, non-clincally related volunteering, maybe join a pre-med group to help you find local opportunities.
4. Since I'm not Canadian, I can't be too specific with help since I'm not sure how their process works. But, rest assured, 1-3 still stand as viable advice most likely.
5. What I have heard about the Canadian process, however, is that when time comes to take your new MCAT, be sure you do well in your verbal section (or whatever equivalent it is for 2015+ MCAT'ers...) because they like good science scores (that goes without saying) but especially like good verbal scores.

 

[GamblingDream]

So a couple of things OP:
1. Be optimistic, because you only have 29 credits in front of you. Especially since medical schools really like upward trends!
2. On that note, your GPA is fixable over time. Kill your other prereqs for a while and you'll see what I mean. I had like a 3.33 for a sort of similar reason and after 4 semesters I was up to a 3.5.
3. You have a lot of time to fix your lack of EC's. Make long-term investments in shadowing physicians, hospital volunteering, non-clincally related volunteering, maybe join a pre-med group to help you find local opportunities.
4. Since I'm not Canadian, I can't be too specific with help since I'm not sure how their process works. But, rest assured, 1-3 still stand as viable advice most likely.
5. What I have heard about the Canadian process, however, is that when time comes to take your new MCAT, be sure you do well in your verbal section (or whatever equivalent it is for 2015+ MCAT'ers...) because they like good science scores (that goes without saying) but especially like good verbal scores.

Thanks for the advice. I thought I was in a bad position due to my previous performance/circumstances. I think volunteer early now is something i should really do since it'll give me a better understanding of the career im choosing.

 

[novak123]

For what it's worth, my first semester I got 3 B-'s and a C (2.53 gpa). Right now I'm sitting on a 3.84 gpa. After some hard work, anything is possible.

 

[UBC2014]

With only 29 credits under your belt, pretty much every school in Canada is still an option, as with US schools that take Canadians.

You just need to put your head down, do well in school, rock the MCAT and get life experience.

Don't count yourself out before you even started.