Any hope of getting in in Canada?

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KettleOfFish

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I'm a Biochemistry student going into my 4th year, and I'm wondering if I have a hope of staying in Canada to do my MD.

I'm NOT doing a masters/phd to get in, as I'm getting married and can't really afford to gamble with more education without a guarantee.

I've got about a 3.5 GPA so far (3.3 1st year, 3.6 2nd, 3.5 3rd) and have taken honors levels of everything I could get my hands on (physics, physiology, calculus, biochemistry).

My MCAT was a 39P.

I volunteer with Big Brother's, help out with my Taekwondo club, am a member of the whitewater kayaking club at the university (probably on the exec this year) and am getting married in about a month and a half (not really an activity, but shows that I have a very active non-school life).

I work in a lab under a research grant (I've been here for the last two years) and also do 2 night shifts per week at the local hospital (environmental services in emerg).

So is there a chance of me staying in Canada or is it off to the Carribean/Australia/The USA/Elsewhere for me?

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your GPA is unfortunately going to give you trouble at most places and at the places it could be easily corrected for (Queen's) your WS will give you trouble. I don't have much good advice, but the US may be a better option especially with your MCAT. Good luck.
 
I think you still stand a chance, try less well known schools, like U of Mb.
Good Luck.
 
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It's definitely worth applying; your GPA is a little low but your program is challenging and your MCAT is outstanding. Your best bet will be your provincial school(s), but apply widely anyway. It's not that expensive (except for Ontario) and well worth it. Where were you born and where do you live? (If born in Quebec, you count as a QC resident, even if you live elsewhere and always have).
 
I think you still stand a chance, try less well known schools, like U of Mb.
Good Luck.

Actually...even they have their cut-offs. Your best chances are at places that take the best/most recent two years. You'll learn very quickly that once you have a 11/10/11/Q in Canada..everything above that is essentially the same.
 
Actually...even they have their cut-offs. Your best chances are at places that take the best/most recent two years. You'll learn very quickly that once you have a 11/10/11/Q in Canada..everything above that is essentially the same.
Their GPA is weighted though....depending on the exact grades that OP got, the weighting formula may help quite a bit. For example, if the 3.2 GPA is due to one really bad grade as opposed to just a row of B+'s, the weighted GPA will jump quite a bit. OP, U of MB lets you drop so many of your lowest grades per amount of total credits completed, so it's worth checking things out on their website.


The two best aren't going to go that far, I think....Calgary wants 3.6 for 2 best years, UWO wants 3.7, Queens wants 3.78, Dal wants 3.7 as well, so the OP won't meet the cut-offs at any of the "best 2 years" schools. I think U of MB is the only viable option right now, unless more full-time undergrad years are to be done.

On the other hand, I bet the OP will have success in the US, and possibly even snag a spot in the top 10. Though this is a difficult situation for someone with a family. Wayne State is one school that's very good for a Canadian with strong ties to Ontario, because you can cross the border to school daily, so it would allow the OP's husband to remain in Canada and work there and the OP to live with him and commute to school daily. Or alternatively, the OP could live on the US side with her husband, and the husband could commute to Ontario to work daily. So I think WSU is definitely an option to consider if you are married.
 
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