Canadian, cGPA: 3.39, sGPA: 3.5, MCAT: 30

[TStallion17]

Hello,

I graduated from Univ of Toronto. Upward trend, 3rd year honors list. Ten's on MCAT (30).

Worked in private clinics (1+ year)
Volunteered in hospital (2 + year)
- ER, Long-Term Care, ICU
Soccer Coach (2 years)
Shadowed general surgeon for a couple days
Research: 1 literature review & (2 years lab work)
some more leadership stuff...


Do I have a shot at any low-tier schools? Would taking another year to get 3.45cGPA help A LOT?

Thank you

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[bannie22]

uoft 0.o

i tink ur cgpa is slightly low.
but low tier might be alright since ur canadian

 

[TStallion17]

Thanks for the input bannie.

You think I should take another year for 3.45cGPA?
Low-tier is my best bet as a Canadian you suppose?

 

[Stratego]

I expect you know your chances applying through the Canadian process.

As far as applying to US allopathic schools, considering that internationals are held to a higher standard, I'd say you have little chance of an acceptance at MD schools as you are. You would however be competitive for DO schools in the US. To have a decent chance at allo schools, consider spending another year getting As to boost your GPA to 3.45 and retaking the MCAT to get a higher score (at least a 33), keeping in mind that the median stats for US candidates are 3.65 and a 31.

For more information on Canadians applying to med schools both in Canada and the US, do a search in this forum using the search term "International" and you'll find more useful feedback.

 

[PermanentWaves]

What kind of upward trend are we talking about? What province are you in?

If you're in Ontario, Northern Ontario, Queen's and UWO both only look at your last two years, and UOttawa looks at your last three years. MCAT cutoffs at these schools are extremely strict though. From last year, the cutoffs were:
UWO: 9 PS, 10 VR, 11 BS, Q
Queens: 9 PS, 9 VR, 9 BS, R or 9 PS, 10 VR, 9 BS Q

Queens did not publish their cutoffs, but those were the deduced cutoffs on the premed101 forums based upon who was getting interviews and who was getting rejected. Making the cut-offs doesn't guarantee interview, but at least 95% of applicants who made the cut-offs (both GPA from last two years and MCAT) got interviews. Post-interview, your grades and MCAT are no longer strongly taken into account.

Good luck.

 

[nonamesleft]

What kind of upward trend are we talking about? What province are you in?

If you're in Ontario, Northern Ontario, Queen's and UWO both only look at your last two years, and UOttawa looks at your last three years. MCAT cutoffs at these schools are extremely strict though. From last year, the cutoffs were:
UWO: 9 PS, 10 VR, 11 BS, Q
Queens: 9 PS, 9 VR, 9 BS, R or 9 PS, 10 VR, 9 BS Q

Queens did not publish their cutoffs, but those were the deduced cutoffs on the premed101 forums based upon who was getting interviews and who was getting rejected. Making the cut-offs doesn't guarantee interview, but at least 95% of applicants who made the cut-offs (both GPA from last two years and MCAT) got interviews. Post-interview, your grades and MCAT are no longer strongly taken into account.

Good luck.

Those MCAT cutoffs are also associated with crazy high GPA cutoffs though. For western, I believe the cutoff was slightly above a 3.8 unless you were from western's underserved region.

Otherwise..I don't know what your "other leaderships" are but we have similar stats, and I'm applying this cycle. I started early and haven't gotten any rejections yet so maybe we have a chance?

Let me know how it goes if you decide to apply this cycle!

 

[JJMrK]

It's gonna be tough, OP. Your stats are below average for US matriculants, and you're applying from Canada. I don't think a 3.45 will make much of a difference. What might make a difference is a higher MCAT score.

 

[TStallion17]

Thank you everyone for the all the help.

Nonamesleft is correct about the high GPA cutoff that most Canadian schools have. Unless you reach the cutoff, you have zero chance of interview. MCAT means nothing in Canada - all you need is three 10's (anything below 10 is rejected) and nothing more.

I'm hoping that Stratego is right, that I might have a chance at an interview with 3.45 GPA and slightly higher MCAT. However, JimmerJammer seems to be a heavyweight here at the forums so if he says 3.45GPA won't make much of a difference, I might have to take his word for it. Perhaps with 36+ MCAT, a 3.45GPA might be enough for interview??

GL Nonames, I'll be "subscribing" to your MDapps to check how your application process is going.

On another note, can anyone list for me the low-tier, private med schools in the US that would be my best bet?

Thanks again.

 

[nonamesleft]

Unless you reach the cutoff, you have zero chance of interview. MCAT means nothing in Canada - all you need is three 10's (anything below 10 is rejected) and nothing more.

Personally, this has never made sense to me. It's not like education is even across the board. Science programs at schools like UofT are a lot harder than..say Waterloo (known for engineering/math, not science), even if it was just in terms of what courses need to be taken to graduate.

On another note, can anyone list for me the low-tier, private med schools in the US that would be my best bet?

Depends on your ethnicity. Howard, Meharry take a lot of internationals, but mostly URMs. Otherwise...GWU.

 

[PermanentWaves]

Those MCAT cutoffs are also associated with crazy high GPA cutoffs though. For western, I believe the cutoff was slightly above a 3.8 unless you were from western's underserved region.

Roughly 3.75 for last two years at either school. That's why I was curious at to the nature of the OP's upward trend. I've seen people make the cutoff with cGPAs below 3.0. They just did poorly in their first two years, and stellar in their last two. In the case of Western and Queen's, the latter is all that matters.

Good luck.