Canadian Applying to US Med SChools

[Evilcheeks]

Hey guys, I'm currently going into my 4th at the University of British Columbia with a major in Biology and I'm a Canadian. My first year and a half in university was quite rough (in terms of my grades) and that has hugely set me back in my goal in getting accepted into med school. Based on what I've heard, Canadian Med Schools are much more difficult to get into and so I've been looking a lot into US med schools. I have a lot of volunteer experience: 1 year in genetic lab research (ongoing), executive at a humanitarian club, I will be volunteering at a hospital about once a week starting next September, and I also have been part of a program for a couple of years where we do science projects at low-budget elementary schools. I will be taking my first attempt at my MCAT this summer. I also have decided to not apply until I am done my 4th year, in order to boost up my GPA as much as possible before applying. I was wondering what my chances are in getting accepted into schools in the US and whether I should be realistic and start looking down a different path. Any help/recommendations/thoughts would be appreciated! Thanks.

1st year: 2.1
2nd year: 2.9
3rd year: 3.4

cGPA: 2.9
sGPA: 2.9

Predicted cGPA by graduation: 3.1

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[candbgirl]

Even if you were a US citizen your chances would currently be nonexistent. The average GPA for MD is around a 3.6 and not much lower for DO and those scores go up every year. For an international student you have to be better than a US student and not all schools even consider international applicants.


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[Evilcheeks]

Even if you were a US citizen your chances would currently be nonexistent. The average GPA for MD is around a 3.6 and not much lower for DO and those scores go up every year. For an international student you have to be better than a US student and not all schools even consider international applicants.


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Would you recommend I look into and apply to the Caribbean or to pursue a Masters and reapply?

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Would you recommend I look into and apply to the Caribbean or to pursue a Masters and reapply?

Neither, unless you genuinely want to do a Master's. US schools only care about your cGPA, which you're not going to be able to bring up enough. If you can do well (3.8+) this year then you have some reason to think that maybe if you begin a second degree you can continue doing that well and have a chance at the Canadian schools that look only at your most recent years.

That's the best case scenario, and it's only possible if you dramatically improve, even relative to last year. If you're not able to get 80's and above in UBC Bio then you haven't proven even to yourself that you could handle medical school.

 

[candbgirl]

Do not even think of going to the Caribbean. You are the perfect candidate for them. They will accept you, you write the check, You go and they eventually flunk you out. You are left with a pile of debt. Maybe Plan B,C or even D is something to think about.


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[Evilcheeks]

Do not even think of going to the Caribbean. You are the perfect candidate for them. They will accept you, you write the check, You go and they eventually flunk you out. You are left with a pile of debt. Maybe Plan B,C or even D is something to think about.


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May you elaborate on what you mean by Plan B, C or D? As in, are you referring to possibly looking at a different career choice, or looking for different paths in eventually getting accepted in the US or Canada? The only back-up plans I have thought of for myself was doing a Master's and reapplying or applying to the Carribbean. Any other ideas would be appreciated!

 

[gyngyn]

May you elaborate on what you mean by Plan B, C or D? As in, are you referring to possibly looking at a different career choice, or looking for different paths in eventually getting accepted in the US or Canada? The only back-up plans I have thought of for myself was doing a Master's and reapplying or applying to the Carribbean. Any other ideas would be appreciated!

You might want to go look at the Caribbean threads and the ERAS match thread to see what awaits if you follow that siren song.
It is a sign of maturity to have multiple back up plans. That doesn't mean you need to give up on medicine yet, but your current gpa puts you in a place that is quite distant from a competitive application in either the US or Canada.
As previously noted, Master's degrees do not remediate a weak undergraduate performance for US MD schools.
About a dozen US DO schools consider internationals and would allow you to more quickly improve your gpa by replacing old scores for new when an identical class is repeated.
There are a couple of MI schools that consider Canadians and seem to put more emphasis than average on recent grade trends (Wayne, MI State and C MI). Note that MI State matriculated only 2 internationals, C MI only 4 and Wayne, only 22, so it would still not be wise to put all your hopes on these schools.

 

[Evilcheeks]

Neither, unless you genuinely want to do a Master's. US schools only care about your cGPA, which you're not going to be able to bring up enough. If you can do well (3.8+) this year then you have some reason to think that maybe if you begin a second degree you can continue doing that well and have a chance at the Canadian schools that look only at your most recent years.

That's the best case scenario, and it's only possible if you dramatically improve, even relative to last year. If you're not able to get 80's and above in UBC Bio then you haven't proven even to yourself that you could handle medical school.

Wouldn't completing a second degree only take me longer versus if I completed a Master's? I would be interested in completing a Master's and it wouldn't be something I'd be forcing myself through--especially if it will help with my ultimate goal of getting into med school. Would there be a chance if I did get a 3.8+ GPA next year whilst still graduating in May? I am taking a year off after next year so my 4th year grades are included in my application.

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Wouldn't completing a second degree only take me longer versus if I completed a Master's? I would be interested in completing a Master's and it wouldn't be something I'd be forcing myself through--especially if it will help with my ultimate goal of getting into med school. Would there be a chance if I did get a 3.8+ GPA next year whilst still graduating in May? I am taking a year off after next year so my 4th year grades are included in my application.

A Master's is nice to have on your application, but your undergrad GPA is what matters. For the schools that only look at your most recent years you could apply 1-2 years into a second degree, depending on how you're doing.

But again, that's only if you really turn things around and do much better than you ever have in university. If you can't get those grades (use the upcoming year as a gauge) you should start considering other career paths.

 

[Evilcheeks]

Neither, unless you genuinely want to do a Master's. US schools only care about your cGPA, which you're not going to be able to bring up enough. If you can do well (3.8+) this year then you have some reason to think that maybe if you begin a second degree you can continue doing that well and have a chance at the Canadian schools that look only at your most recent years.

That's the best case scenario, and it's only possible if you dramatically improve, even relative to last year. If you're not able to get 80's and above in UBC Bio then you haven't proven even to yourself that you could handle medical school.

Why do you make it sound like 80's and above in UBC Bio should be a sure thing? Undergrad at Canadian schools are much tougher than most offered in the US, especially given UBC is consistently one of the top 40 universities in the world. I will handle medical school wherever I end up attending, regardless of any immaturity I may have had in my first couple of years of undergrad--but thank you for your motivational sentiment.

 

[NotASerialKiller]

Why do you make it sound like 80's and above in UBC Bio should be a sure thing? Undergrad at Canadian schools are much tougher than most offered in the US, especially given UBC is consistently one of the top 40 universities in the world. I will handle medical school wherever I end up attending, regardless of any immaturity I may have had in my first couple of years of undergrad--but thank you for your motivational sentiment.

Firstly I'm Canadian (undergrad and now med school) so I'm not interpreting any of this from the perspective of US schools. Also you're incorrect in thinking that undergrad in Canada is overall harder, although that's neither here nor there.

Secondly, look at the matriculating stats for UBC:
http://mdprogram.med.ubc.ca/files/2015/10/MED-2019-Admissions-Statistics-website.pdf

The bulk of successful applicants are coming from UBC, with an average GPA of 85%. I'm not saying that 80's and above are a guarantee, I'm saying that you demonstrably need those grades. I'm also not calling you immature, I'm saying that you have not proven yourself academically like every accepted Canadian applicant has. I'm not sure why you're annoyed that I suggested that you have to show that you can get the grades that are required of everyone else pursuing this career.

 

[Evilcheeks]

I didn't imply you called me immature I didn't mean it to come off that way, I just meant that was the reasoning for my low overall GPA to begin with. I understand the grades and effort required to pursue this career and I appreciate all the comments on the thread, I just took the 'you haven't even proven to yourself that you could handle medical school' in a manner that implies I'm incapable. Sorry for interpreting that way if that is not what you meant; ultimately, I know what I am capable of and if I don't become a doctor through a path from the US or Canada it will happen one way or another.

But a genuine thank you for the rest of your comments/assistance.

 

[NotASerialKiller]

I didn't imply you called me immature I didn't mean it to come off that way, I just meant that was the reasoning for my low overall GPA to begin with. I understand the grades and effort required to pursue this career and I appreciate all the comments on the thread, I just took the 'you haven't even proven to yourself that you could handle medical school' in a manner that implies I'm incapable. Sorry for interpreting that way if that is not what you meant; ultimately, I know what I am capable of and if I don't become a doctor through a path from the US or Canada it will happen one way or another.

But a genuine thank you for the rest of your comments/assistance.

I have no idea whether you're capable or not, but the crucial thing is that you show that you are. This is especially important regarding the Caribbean option you mentioned, because they will take anyone and then fail 40% of the class. If you've gotten a 3.8+ for a year or two at UBC then you have reason to believe that you can tackle a rigorous program (look into Ireland/Australia before considering the Caribbean regardless though). If you've never been able to get those grades even for a year and go to the Caribbean anyway, you're taking a huge, potentially destroying gamble. That's what I'm talking about when I said that you have to prove it to yourself. You can't just take it on faith that if you're a bright person you'll be fine as long as you get in.

Good luck next year, if you do well then you'll have real options.

 

[summergirl]

You need a higher undergraduate GPA. Do whatever you can to get that. You can consider DO schools because they do grade replacement.