Is it Realistically Over for me

[supevenacava]

I landed a whopping 78.2% sessional average my first year. That would translate to a high 3.3x OMSAS-wise. I got a D in Calc II (final didn't go well and a I got the highest grade for my benchmark bracket).

For the rest I landed a lot of A-'s and B+'s. Couple of A's. Without the D, my GPA translates to a 3.7x OMSAS-wise (insanity).

At this point I could transfer into engineering. I would have to retake the Calc II course and would have to score higher to allow me to get into a good specialization.

I'm looking into 5-year Caribbean Programs as another option. I am afraid that it will be really hard for me to match into the US as I will classify as an IMG (not U.S. IMG)

Or I can continue down the same path and hope I get near-perfect GPA's for the next 3-4 years.

For reference, I am a Canadian Citizen studying at UBC. I am IP for Alberta.

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[Goro]

Plenty of time to improve. Seek out your school's learning or education center.

Did you go to professor's office hours for help?

Under no circumstances go to any of the Carib predators.

 

[supevenacava]

Plenty of time to improve. Seek out your school's learning or education center.

Did you go to professor's office hours for help?

Under no circumstances go to any of the Carib predators.

I realized what I did wrong, it was primarily me trying to fit in studying with my religious commitments near the time of the exam for Calc II. To be realistic, I could have deferred the exam to have more time to study. I had 3 exams scheduled for Sunday all day and Monday morning. In addition I also had my religious holiday being on Saturday. I take the blame.

I'm not blaming those circumstances for my lack of performance, it was 100% my fault for not taking more caution. I am taking a semester off to spend time with my family due to some personal reasons. I am taking external classes right now and so far they're going as good as ever. However, I contemplate dropping them as they're primarily for the Caribbean.

I did go to office hours often for my chemistry and biology classes (i love organic chemistry and biochem so I would just sit for fun sometimes). The D in Calc II that I got was solely due to me bombing the final. I forgot a formula.

It's just Calc II tanking my GPA. I do not know what to do. I cannot justify my lack of performance in any way on an academic explanation standpoint. I would be way better off with a 3.7x at this time.

To be competitive in Canada I need at least a 3.8 cGPA. That would be impossible to achieve even with straight 4.0's the next 3-4 years.

Referring to your comment about Caribbean schools, I completely agree that they are predators. However, it quite possibly could be my only shot at medicine.

 

[chilly_md]

Moved to Pre-Allo as OP is not close to applying. DO schools are an option if you improve going forward. Caribbean is never an option.

Be mindful of whether transferring into engineering is worth it. If you like biology and chemistry and did poorly in Calc II, double downing on more advanced math courses might not be the best idea.

 

[supevenacava]

Moved to Pre-Allo as OP is not close to applying. DO schools are an option if you improve going forward. Caribbean is never an option.

Be mindful of whether transferring into engineering is worth it. If you like biology and chemistry and did poorly in Calc II, double downing on more advanced math courses might not be the best idea.

Thanks for your input.

Do you have a rough idea of what GPA a Canadian applicant needs to enter into a "Canadian-Friendly" US MD and a DO school? My MCAT prep is going extremely well so far so I am not too worried about my MCAT score. Just my GPA.

 

[chilly_md]

Thanks for your input.

Do you have a rough idea of what GPA a Canadian applicant needs to enter into a "Canadian-Friendly" US MD and a DO school? My MCAT prep is going extremely well so far so I am not too worried about my MCAT score. Just my GPA.

US MD is difficult for international applicants. Considering you are just starting your 2nd year, you should be more concerned about getting A's in all your classes going forward and less about the MCAT. Scores do not last forever even if you do well on them. They expire after a couple years (each school has their own cutoff for that).

 

[Mr.Smile12]

First, if your goal is to practice medicine in the United States, your path must take you to the US for premedical coursework or experience. While there are many schools (though not all) that have matriculated Canadian applicants, you need to know which schools and connect with those students on how they navigated the process well before you are at the point where you will apply. Issues regarding your major are yours to tackle, but you don't need a math-heavy curriculum to get into a US medical school.