Need some guidance/advice

[Derizuri]

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Hey,

I'm newly registered to this forum but I'm certainly not new to the forum. I've been reading from this site for a year now. Anywho , I just wanted to know how much progress is lookin during my undergrad.

My cGpa suffered first year because of the weak science background from my highschool and there was just so much content to catch up on AND learn on top of that. I got the hang of it second semester but here's how my progress looks. I know I can definitely do better because I was already hitting 4.0 marks in second sem but it was too late.

1st semester - 2.1ish
2nd semester - 2.8ish
cGpa - 2.5-2.6

I also have ECs but i can easily fix those schedules around.

I currently volunteer at a retirement home where I assist with just socializing with residents who need company and play the piano for them. (200 hours at the moment)
I also volunteer at a rehab centre. (120 hours at the moment)
I also volunteer in the surgical wing of a hospital by going in and out of the recovery centre updating information from nurse/doctor to patient's family regarding their family member's status. (20 hours at the moment, just stArted)
I have a fundraiser for a school that I am currently working on and I also run marathons on the side. I do a lot of long distance running. I compete at the big events in my city and currently trying to improve time for Boston Marathon soon. I'm from Toronto btw.

I just wanted to know how med school is lookin for me ? I'm sure I can pull the marks up to atleast 3.5-3.6 (I plan on taking 6-7 summer courses per summer). I also have taken full course load every semester so I'm eligible for OMSAS weighing.

Thanks! Sorry for the long read.

 

[WarMedEagle]

I think you answered your own question. You say you can pull your gpa up to a 3.6, then do it and do well on the MCAT and you'll be fine.

 

[Derizuri]

I think you answered your own question. You say you can pull your gpa up to a 3.6, then do it and do well on the MCAT and you'll be fine.

Thanks but do you know what the bare minimum for MCAT would be? And is it more advisable to take it 3rd year or 4th?

 

[WarMedEagle]

There is no bare minimum as the schools look at your application as a whole. However, individual schools may have a minimum.

 

[NewTab]

Whoaaaaa why did you get a 2.1-2.8 gpa? Bruh, figure out what you did wrong my man and fix that. Look for tutors, sometimes colleges offer them for free or really cheap. Also go to office hours = free tutoring + rec letter.

 

[Derizuri]

Whoaaaaa why did you get a 2.1-2.8 gpa? Bruh, figure out what you did wrong my man and fix that. Look for tutors, sometimes colleges offer them for free or really cheap. Also go to office hours = free tutoring + rec letter.

Yeah , I went from a 2.1 to a 2.8. This sem I'm hoping to aim around 3.8-3.9 so far I'm falling under that but that can all change with exams. But so far I'm pretty confident. The first sem was really tough cause my highschool had a really weak science program and yeah I've been attending those now. Do ya think everything should be set afterwards? I've heard med schools lean towards upward trend GPAs, not that I was planning for that but it just seems that benefits me.

 

[Turkishking]

Hey,

I'm newly registered to this forum but I'm certainly not new to the forum. I've been reading from this site for a year now. Anywho , I just wanted to know how much progress is lookin during my undergrad.

My cGpa suffered first year because of the weak science background from my highschool and there was just so much content to catch up on AND learn on top of that. I got the hang of it second semester but here's how my progress looks. I know I can definitely do better because I was already hitting 4.0 marks in second sem but it was too late.

1st semester - 2.1ish
2nd semester - 2.8ish
cGpa - 2.5-2.6

I also have ECs but i can easily fix those schedules around.

I currently volunteer at a retirement home where I assist with just socializing with residents who need company and play the piano for them. (200 hours at the moment)
I also volunteer at a rehab centre. (120 hours at the moment)
I also volunteer in the surgical wing of a hospital by going in and out of the recovery centre updating information from nurse/doctor to patient's family regarding their family member's status. (20 hours at the moment, just stArted)
I have a fundraiser for a school that I am currently working on and I also run marathons on the side. I do a lot of long distance running. I compete at the big events in my city and currently trying to improve time for Boston Marathon soon. I'm from Toronto btw.

I just wanted to know how med school is lookin for me ? I'm sure I can pull the marks up to atleast 3.5-3.6 (I plan on taking 6-7 summer courses per summer). I also have taken full course load every semester so I'm eligible for OMSAS weighing.

Thanks! Sorry for the long read.

This is the thing, pulling your GPA is the most important thing right now. Seems like you have a lot of EC's, at this point, I would stop doing EC's and focus entirely on your GPA. If you can reach a 3.5, you may be in consideration. I think most medical schools just look for an cGPA around a 3.5, and they disregard ones below because you obviously know how competitive it is. Just pull your act together, and put in some work. After pulling GPA, focus on volunteering and research... Or just go back to volunteer when you're back into the groove of things.

 

[NewTab]

Yeah , I went from a 2.1 to a 2.8. This sem I'm hoping to aim around 3.8-3.9 so far I'm falling under that but that can all change with exams. But so far I'm pretty confident. The first sem was really tough cause my highschool had a really weak science program and yeah I've been attending those now. Do ya think everything should be set afterwards? I've heard med schools lean towards upward trend GPAs, not that I was planning for that but it just seems that benefits me.

Hmmm....well your only focus for the next year should be GETTING As As AND MORE As. Take easy psych classes or english classes if you need. Then you may want to consider DO schools because they offer grade replacement. If you got Cs/Ds in the prereqs (Biology Chemistry Physics Orgo) you should seriously consider a retake.

 

[Derizuri]

A lot of the prerequisites for the schools in Canada from what I believe are very broad. Like example ; UOFT is 2 FCE (life science) and 2 humanity courses. Yeah I'm focusing a lot more of my time into school, I'm still going to be running my ECs in the back and see how it fits in. I cut out a lot of my other hobbies and substituted it with studying, so I'm averaging around 6-7 hours of studying a day. Just really want to know if GPA is the only part im lacking in and when I pull it up to 3.5/3.6, would the rest be in place ?

Btw thanks for all the replies guys, really really nice and useful.

 

[moisne]

I went from a 2.1 to a 2.8. This sem I'm hoping to aim around 3.8-3.9

there is a HUGE gap between 2.8 and 3.8

You say you are confident you can pull it up to 3.5-3.6... Do you even know what you did wrong the first time and are you correct that?

 

[Goro]

I see NewTab got banned. Ahh, the sweet sound of the banhammer in action!

 

[Derizuri]

there is a HUGE gap between 2.8 and 3.8

You say you are confident you can pull it up to 3.5-3.6... Do you even know what you did wrong the first time and are you correct that?

Yeah but the 2.8 included a 4.0 in chemistry and a 3.6 in another course , but my other courses pulled it down (Biology). I realized I needed to put more focus onto bio and this semester I've been attending study groups and the office hours. I've been correcting it and I just need to stick to a strong schedule and I think I got that done. From what I understand it all really lies in my ability to prove myself 2nd year and on

 

[moisne]

Sorry, but how do you get a 3.6 in a class?

A- is 3.7
B+ is 3.6
Dude, i hated bio... lol I sucked at memorization

Yeah but the 2.8 included a 4.0 in chemistry and a 3.6 in another course , but my other courses pulled it down (Biology). I realized I needed to put more focus onto bio and this semester I've been attending study groups and the office hours. I've been correcting it and I just need to stick to a strong schedule and I think I got that done. From what I understand it all really lies in my ability to prove myself 2nd year and on

 

[Derizuri]

Sorry, but how do you get a 3.6 in a class?

A- is 3.7
B+ is 3.6
Dude, i hated bio... lol I sucked at memorization

Oh sorry that was a typo, that was supposed to be 3.7 haha , a 82 . And yeah I'm actually good at memorization but there was just so much to memorize at once because my highschool science was weak. For example, we didn't cover the resp cycle and photosynthesis. They briefly talked about it in highschool but that was about it, I had to learn that from scratch which wasn't hard but just an idea of where I started off

 

[tenblackalps]

This is the thing, pulling your GPA is the most important thing right now. Seems like you have a lot of EC's, at this point, I would stop doing EC's and focus entirely on your GPA. If you can reach a 3.5, you may be in consideration. I think most medical schools just look for an cGPA around a 3.5, and they disregard ones below because you obviously know how competitive it is. Just pull your act together, and put in some work. After pulling GPA, focus on volunteering and research... Or just go back to volunteer when you're back into the groove of things.

👍 Plenty of time for ECs later. Grades have to come first. It took me 3 years of straight A's to pull up a 3.2 freshman year to a 3.8. It only becomes more difficult as times goes on.

Edit: I just did the math: a 24 credit, 3.2 freshman year gpa takes 72 hours of 4.0 gpa work to raise the cumulative GPA to 3.8, exactly my experience.

 

[candbgirl]

I guess you can wait and see what you have at the end of the semester but maybe you need to go to the learning resource center now and get some help in study techniques/skills. You sort of mentioned something about things changing with tests. Do you have test taking anxiety? That can be fixed and the learning center can help you study more effectively. You have to get As to pull that GPA up. The time for excuses is over. Stop blaming your HS. Lots if people went to crappy HSs and are fine. Pick one or two ECs that you really love and continue those. Put the rest on hold for now. The agencies will understand if you tell them you have to focus on your grades for now. Grade repair is certainly possible but you have to work on it. You have plenty of time to get it together. Oh and don't even think about the MCAT. You won't be taking it got a few years.

 

[Derizuri]

Yeah I'll be focussing a lot of my time into my grades. I'm still going to be running the ECs but I'll put a lot more focus onto my grades, my ECs only take up around 6 hours a week. Thanks for all the great advice guys, From what I understand, GPA is repairable but will take a hell lot of time and hard work.