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- Jun 2, 2019
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Hello everyone, long-time Canadian (willing to apply American) lurker here. I just finished my undergraduate in biology. My overall GPA is a 3.55, with my last four semesters looking like (4.33 scale):
Fall 2019: 3.86
Winter 2020: 4.18
Fall 2020: 3.84
Winter 2021: 4.0
The lower overall GPA is due to my shortcomings in the first year (2.8 GPA) and has a lot to do with the fact that I was 17 at the time, unsure of my goals, and also completely disconnected from my parents, friends, social network, etc by about an 18 hour drive which took a significant toll on my motivation and mental health during my first year. As I matured and came into myself, much of this remedied itself and my grades improved significantly with some hiccups associated with COVID-19 online classes in the fall 2020 semester.
I took the OAT (optometry admission test) in my third year and scored 99th percentile in multiple sections (gen chem, orgo, bio), and will be taking the MCAT very soon - hoping to get at least a 517 but I honestly believe I can get higher based on the practice tests so far.
I already have a decent amount of volunteer experience via shadowing my optometrist, being a Special Olympics coach, co-op at the hospital, however - following the MCAT I plan to get a minimum of 300 more hours in clinical and 300 more hours in volunteer experience during my gap year for when I apply to MD schools in 2022. For volunteer work, I will be working with special needs children as a sports coach, activity coordinator, etc and have been talking with the appropriate people about starting to volunteer firefight. Volunteering at the hospital is also a given, and optimally I would like to start scribing. I have no "formal" research experience/lab experience, although my degree was extremely hands-on and a lot of my "for-credit" work was made public to some extent (water quality testing in microbiology, etc).
I am torn between:
- Returning to my undergraduate to do a double major in biochemistry (w/ honors, which I currently do not have) to improve my GPA, acquire research experience, and get a better LoR.
OR
- Sticking with the above plan.
Unfortunately, even if I get a 4.0 in both semesters (shouldn't be a problem), my cGPA would only increase to 3.6. Additionally, I would likely be applying in 2023 if I went back to school as I would still need time to acquire all those hours of volunteer/clin experience.
If anyone has any guidance as to what the best route forward here is, I would be more than happy to hear it - especially if it's something I have not thought of/thought through fully yet. Canadian schools are tricky, and I know I don't totally stack up GPA-wise, which is why I am more than willing to make school in America work (given the opportunity.)
Thanks!
Fall 2019: 3.86
Winter 2020: 4.18
Fall 2020: 3.84
Winter 2021: 4.0
The lower overall GPA is due to my shortcomings in the first year (2.8 GPA) and has a lot to do with the fact that I was 17 at the time, unsure of my goals, and also completely disconnected from my parents, friends, social network, etc by about an 18 hour drive which took a significant toll on my motivation and mental health during my first year. As I matured and came into myself, much of this remedied itself and my grades improved significantly with some hiccups associated with COVID-19 online classes in the fall 2020 semester.
I took the OAT (optometry admission test) in my third year and scored 99th percentile in multiple sections (gen chem, orgo, bio), and will be taking the MCAT very soon - hoping to get at least a 517 but I honestly believe I can get higher based on the practice tests so far.
I already have a decent amount of volunteer experience via shadowing my optometrist, being a Special Olympics coach, co-op at the hospital, however - following the MCAT I plan to get a minimum of 300 more hours in clinical and 300 more hours in volunteer experience during my gap year for when I apply to MD schools in 2022. For volunteer work, I will be working with special needs children as a sports coach, activity coordinator, etc and have been talking with the appropriate people about starting to volunteer firefight. Volunteering at the hospital is also a given, and optimally I would like to start scribing. I have no "formal" research experience/lab experience, although my degree was extremely hands-on and a lot of my "for-credit" work was made public to some extent (water quality testing in microbiology, etc).
I am torn between:
- Returning to my undergraduate to do a double major in biochemistry (w/ honors, which I currently do not have) to improve my GPA, acquire research experience, and get a better LoR.
OR
- Sticking with the above plan.
Unfortunately, even if I get a 4.0 in both semesters (shouldn't be a problem), my cGPA would only increase to 3.6. Additionally, I would likely be applying in 2023 if I went back to school as I would still need time to acquire all those hours of volunteer/clin experience.
If anyone has any guidance as to what the best route forward here is, I would be more than happy to hear it - especially if it's something I have not thought of/thought through fully yet. Canadian schools are tricky, and I know I don't totally stack up GPA-wise, which is why I am more than willing to make school in America work (given the opportunity.)
Thanks!