Hey, guys. I hope you guys can help me...
I am a Canadian-born applicant (3rd year) hoping to get into a medical school such as McMaster, UofT or Queens. I currently go to Baylor University in Texas.
My cumulative GPA is 3.77 in the hopes of getting it to 3.8 by the end of this semester. I haven't taken my MCAT yet, but I hope to also obtain a high score in it (the old equivalent to a 30+ I suppose).
According to the stats, these 3 universities are extremely competitive, with an average of accepted applicants with 3.9ish GPAs! However, I also realized that a 4.0 is obtained with at least an 85%. In my university, I need at least a 93% in order to get a 4.0 in a class! Therefore, it was extremely difficult in order to keep that GPA.
I also took some courses at a community college as well in which I have a 3.77 GPA in those courses.
So my first question is: will an application officer take into account the grading system of a certain school, and maybe use a conversion factor to give each application a 'fair' (if you will) GPA? I feel as if my GPA could be a lot higher if that is the case.
I have been enrolled in an organic chemistry-related research group for one semester, I am a TA for a freshman-level course for one semester, enrolled in an honors society for one semester (not very active) and fundraising chair for the African Student Association for a semester. Bear in mind these all started last semester.
My volunteering hours are extremely low. I have less than 100 hours. I also do not have any shadowing experience, but I will try and get that done this summer.
My second question is: how many hours of volunteering would be considered okay?
My last question is: lets say I get 100+ hours of volunteering plus adequate shadowing experience, plus a 30+ MCAT (old equivalent) score... will I have a shot at these schools? Do they have somewhat of a holistic view of acceptance?
Thank you so much and I appreciate any type of advice...
I am a Canadian-born applicant (3rd year) hoping to get into a medical school such as McMaster, UofT or Queens. I currently go to Baylor University in Texas.
My cumulative GPA is 3.77 in the hopes of getting it to 3.8 by the end of this semester. I haven't taken my MCAT yet, but I hope to also obtain a high score in it (the old equivalent to a 30+ I suppose).
According to the stats, these 3 universities are extremely competitive, with an average of accepted applicants with 3.9ish GPAs! However, I also realized that a 4.0 is obtained with at least an 85%. In my university, I need at least a 93% in order to get a 4.0 in a class! Therefore, it was extremely difficult in order to keep that GPA.
I also took some courses at a community college as well in which I have a 3.77 GPA in those courses.
So my first question is: will an application officer take into account the grading system of a certain school, and maybe use a conversion factor to give each application a 'fair' (if you will) GPA? I feel as if my GPA could be a lot higher if that is the case.
I have been enrolled in an organic chemistry-related research group for one semester, I am a TA for a freshman-level course for one semester, enrolled in an honors society for one semester (not very active) and fundraising chair for the African Student Association for a semester. Bear in mind these all started last semester.
My volunteering hours are extremely low. I have less than 100 hours. I also do not have any shadowing experience, but I will try and get that done this summer.
My second question is: how many hours of volunteering would be considered okay?
My last question is: lets say I get 100+ hours of volunteering plus adequate shadowing experience, plus a 30+ MCAT (old equivalent) score... will I have a shot at these schools? Do they have somewhat of a holistic view of acceptance?
Thank you so much and I appreciate any type of advice...