In a weird situation and I'm in need of some advice.

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teecee

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Hey Guys,
First off, thanks for any help you can provide!
Soo I am graduating from an undergraduate degree this spring and (for reasons that aren't worth mentioning) I am applying for the September 2015 round of med school applications (hopefully ubc but I'm open to anywhere in Canada). That means I will have a year in between degrees if I can get in on my first attempt. Which brings me to my first question. Which of these options would look best for entering medicine?

1) I got into ubc pharmacy for the fall that just passed so I am confident I can do it again. I like the options of going there for a year because it's a good back up if I ant get into medicine and I'll be in ubc so it might look better.

2) One of the labs that I have worked in has offered me a paid position which could turn into a master's if I don't get in on my first try. This option is good because I can guarantee myself a journal article and I get an income for a year (rather than pay for a year of pharmacy). Plus, it would give me a chance to work on my volunteer positions and community work.

I know a lot of you are against the idea of people going to pharmacy without any plans to finish. Please don't take that into consideration in this case. For the record,If i go into pharmacy I will do so with a completely open mind to the possibility of pharmacy as a career.

This leads me to my second question, which is: Do you think I have what it takes to get into medical school?

My GPA is currently 3.95 on a 4.33 scale and will hopefully get near 4.0 by the time I graduate. That is between 85% and 95% at UBC which I think is considered good. I also have a couple years experience in a lab at my university plus one year experience in the bc cancer research Centre. I have about 60 hours of experience in a home for alzheimers patients, I have about 40 hours of experience with a local autism charity organization, I've done a semester of coop at a drug synthesizing lab, I have been an executive of a science club at my school for one year, I play on my university ultimate frisbee team, I have been a league executive and volunteer in a local ultimate frisbee league for about 7 years, and I am a member of a separate league in vancouver as well.

I think it's also important to note that if my hours of out of class experience are on the low end, the second option where I don't go to pharmacy school wouldgive me more time to rack up experience.

Sorry for the long post! I sincerely appreciate any advice you guys can lend!
 
Your grades seem good.

I'd go with the lab position. Go to pharmacy school if you can't get into medical school after a try or two.
 
Definitely take the lab position. Pharmacy school is a waste of time and resources, both for you and for the person who wants to be a pharmacist and could be filling your spot. If nothing else, you'll get paid to work in the lab instead of you paying to get a degree you don't want or need.
 
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