Some help would be appreciated

[fides]

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Hello, I am new here as you can see i just wanted some honest and realistic advice. I am a 3rd year Health Sciences student currently enrolled at UOIT, i can come up with an excuse about how I have ADD or i partied to much but the simple fact is that I was lazy, non-hard-working, and not focused in any respect whatsoever. I had a very emotional conversation with my parents recently after my latest batch of flopped midterms came through. They asked me a simple question "What do you want from us? Do you understand the pain that we feel when we see our son wasting his life". I had no response, the only thing I did, and this is a bit embarrassing was cry and remain speechless. I have a 2.2 GPA overall, pretty bad pre-reqs, 1 LOR and 1 Sources of volunteer/research experience. From what i have described, I'm pretty much sunk with no hope in sight. I completely understand all of this, but I choose to believe that no matter how long it takes I will one day reach the podium that my parents and I at one focused point in my life imagined myself to be at.

That was a little intro. about me, hopefully it provided some insight. I'm thinking about switching/transferring out of Health Sciences into a Science-based major hopefully either Life sciences or Bio. (of any kind). I was thinking York, or if by any miracles UFT or Western.

The dilemma that I'm currently facing is that like i have already stated i did pretty horrendous in my midterms and any shot of getting an A+ is lost, but I still can retain A-, in my courses as long as I can ace the next 40-50% still left in the course.

I have a course called Health Information Management that is heavily group-based and my group is very unreasonable in in terms of the individual assessment ( assessment percentage x overall group mark= MY MARK [ e.g 15/15 =group mark, 3/5= individual assessment, 0.6 x 15 = my mark) I still have a 30% exam and 15% essay (group based) left. I at this point don't know what i might get in the course but from my calculations if I want at least a B- I have to get a 100% on the exam (with my study habits which i have recently taken the initiative to change might be a bit hard).

Should i drop the course? get a withdrawal and potentially get an overall higher GPA for this semester

OR

Keep the course? get a C+ affect my GPA (considering that i do smarten up, ace my exams in other courses and grab an A average)

The course is mandatory for me to get a Health Sciences degree, but I dont plan to continue in that direction.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Some advice:

1.So... finish out the class and do your best. Even a B wouldn't be that bad, I mean it won't hurt your GPA, amiright?
2. Not everyone can be a doctor. Have no idea if that's your plan or what, but you're posting in pre-allo so I am assuming yes. Your grades are low. That's not bad, life wise. That doesn't make you a waste of air, it just means you haven't found a passion. However, it looks like with you being a 3rd year and having a 2.2 GPA medicine might not be the field for you. Trust me, this profession is all consuming for most people. You, for the most part, cannot be lazy. Find work that is not so demanding.
3. Find something that interests you. Life is too short not to, you owe it to yourself. Don't achieve your parents dream. Develop your own dream and achieve it.

If you seriously only wanted advice in this class, then disregard points 2 and 3.

 

[fides]

Medicine is my dream as much as its my parents. You are correct in that i need to find a passion, hence the bad results in a non-academic intensive university. I at least believe now i have some drive and passion to pursue medicine since I cant myself in any other career besides it and like another poster that i read a thread from. In a medical environment or office i do feel comfortable but again this is just a "feeling", finals are coming very closely and I frankly speaking don't have the time or resources to ponder what my actual or definitive passion is out there. My current mentality is if I do it long enough I'll start to like it since i guess my problem is studying and honestly speaking I generally dont have something that I am pursuing to my fullest (passion for a craft). I like music but who doesn't? like styling and fashion, but again who doesn't like to dress good?

 

[fides]

bump

 

[tiedyeddog]

I at least believe now i have some drive and passion to pursue medicine since I cant myself in any other career besides it and like another poster that i read a thread from. In a medical environment or office i do feel comfortable but again this is just a "feeling",

Ok, no one else has responded so I'll just give some more advice.

This class doesn't really matter that much. You have too many credit hours behind you for it to make a significant difference. If you're going to have study crazy hard and if you don't think you can do it, then drop it. Only you can determine how hard you're willing to study. Based on your history that you presented, you will not be willing to work that hard. A W is not going to hurt you any more than your GPA already is.

Maybe you should consider becoming an RN or LPN, or whatever Canadian equivalent there is (I am guessing you're from up north.) Maybe become a medical coder (maybe ya'll don't have those). From what I've observed on SDN, getting into Canadian medical schools is downright insane, and they emphasize GPA more than in the US. You should consider not going into medicine and finding an alternative career, seeing as you will not be able to bring up your GPA to a competitive level. Everyone going into medicine has intense drive and passion, so that doesn't set you apart from anyone else in this field.

Sorry if this is a bummer, but maybe you wouldn't be disappointing yourself and your parents if you weren't setting yourself up for failure? I am really trying to help out here, not trying to put you down.

 

[fides]

Thanks for the help, and yea i do understand what you are getting at.

 

[Starlightembers]

As tiredeyedog said, you are nowhere near competitive. You will (likely) never be competitive for MD, especially considering how stiff the competition is in Canada and the few USMD schools that accept Canadians. It would be wise, at this point, to see if there are any alternatives that you would enjoy. If there are not, you really need to look at yourself. What is keeping you from getting good grades? Figure it out and fix it. Though I could be overly optimistic -- and, if so, I welcome a more seasoned member to correct me -- however, if you really are willing to dedicate the effort and time into this, you *may* be able to make yourself competitive for DO schools (which, through a combination of lower GPA/MCAT averages and helpful grade policies, *may* save you); IIRC, there are nineteen that currently accept Canadians.

I don't know how much you know about DOs. In case you don't know what that refers to, a DO is a medical degree offered in America that gives you the same rights, abilities and privileges as an MD. There are no DO schools in Canada; however, they do accept the degree and you will be able to go back. I suggest looking around the Pre-Osteopathic section of this forum for more information. This guide --> http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42401 <-- is also helpful for Canadians applying to DO schools.

Of course, you are nowhere near applying yet so, while that guide is good to look through, you first need to think about how you are going to fix this.

First, as I said, you need to figure out what is holding you back and how to fix it so that you can kill the rest of your undergraduate career. Do whatever you need to do, in every class you take from here on out, to get as many As as possible. Obviously, this is far easier said than done; however, it is essential.

While finishing your undergraduate career, retake as many classes that you got Cs (or lower) in as possible. If you got Cs (or lower) in the prereqs, you most certainly should retake them. (If you got Bs, consider retaking them; however, doing well in upper division courses might be more useful).

Now, though these retakes won't do much for MD schools, the DO application, known as AACOMAS, allows for grade replacement. So, if you retake a class with the same or similar content for the same or more amount of credit hours (Ex: Bio 101 was 4 credits. The Intro Bio course you retake it as must also be four credits) -- though not necessarily at the same institution -- AACOMAS will recalculate your GPA in the application to ONLY include the most recent retake. In other words, if you take class X and get a C- and then retake Class X and get an A+, the GPA in your application will only factor in the A+.

After you graduate with your BA/BS, you will likely need to continue taking retakes and (preferably) upper division science classes to get your GPA into competitive range. Depending on where you are when you get to this point, a Special Masters Program -- a one year Masters program designed to make someone more competitive for medical school -- may help.

During this time, you need to also continue working on your ECs. Volunteer more, research more, maybe get a leadership position in, etc.

If you choose to try this, understand there are still no guarantees. You will also be dedicating a lot of time and work to this. Only you can know if you are willing to do that.

Hopefully, I have been of some help. Before rushing in and taking my advice, however, I would wait until some of our members more knowledgeable on Chances and DO comment. Take what I have said as a starting point.

Edit: Also, doing well on the MCAT will be EXTREMELY important for you.

 

[fides]

As tiredeyedog said, you are nowhere near competitive. You will (likely) never be competitive for MD, especially considering how stiff the competition is in Canada and the few USMD schools that accept Canadians. It would be wise, at this point, to see if there are any alternatives that you would enjoy. If there are not, you really need to look at yourself. What is keeping you from getting good grades? Figure it out and fix it. Though I could be overly optimistic -- and, if so, I welcome a more seasoned member to correct me -- however, if you really are willing to dedicate the effort and time into this, you *may* be able to make yourself competitive for DO schools (which, through a combination of lower GPA/MCAT averages and helpful grade policies, *may* save you); IIRC, there are nineteen that currently accept Canadians.

I don't know how much you know about DOs. In case you don't know what that refers to, a DO is a medical degree offered in America that gives you the same rights, abilities and privileges as an MD. There are no DO schools in Canada; however, they do accept the degree and you will be able to go back. I suggest looking around the Pre-Osteopathic section of this forum for more information. This guide --> http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42401 <-- is also helpful for Canadians applying to DO schools.

Of course, you are nowhere near applying yet so, while that guide is good to look through, you first need to think about how you are going to fix this.

First, as I said, you need to figure out what is holding you back and how to fix it so that you can kill the rest of your undergraduate career. Do whatever you need to do, in every class you take from here on out, to get as many As as possible. Obviously, this is far easier said than done; however, it is essential.

While finishing your undergraduate career, retake as many classes that you got Cs (or lower) in as possible. If you got Cs (or lower) in the prereqs, you most certainly should retake them. (If you got Bs, consider retaking them; however, doing well in upper division courses might be more useful).

Now, though these retakes won't do much for MD schools, the DO application, known as AACOMAS, allows for grade replacement. So, if you retake a class with the same or similar content for the same or more amount of credit hours (Ex: Bio 101 was 4 credits. The Intro Bio course you retake it as must also be four credits) -- though not necessarily at the same institution -- AACOMAS will recalculate your GPA in the application to ONLY include the most recent retake. In other words, if you take class X and get a C- and then retake Class X and get an A+, the GPA in your application will only factor in the A+.

After you graduate with your BA/BS, you will likely need to continue taking retakes and (preferably) upper division science classes to get your GPA into competitive range. Depending on where you are when you get to this point, a Special Masters Program -- a one year Masters program designed to make someone more competitive for medical school -- may help.

During this time, you need to also continue working on your ECs. Volunteer more, research more, maybe get a leadership position in, etc.

If you choose to try this, understand there are still no guarantees. You will also be dedicating a lot of time and work to this. Only you can know if you are willing to do that.

Hopefully, I have been of some help. Before rushing in and taking my advice, however, I would wait until some of our members more knowledgeable on Chances and DO comment. Take what I have said as a starting point.

Edit: Also, doing well on the MCAT will be EXTREMELY important for you.

How about transfer to new university with a new science program like Chem, Bio, or Biomed, this will reset my GPA, re-take the pre-reqs that i did miserable in again. Maybe spend an extra year in undergrad, destroy the MCAT, and do alot of research, leadership based activities, shadowing and publications (potientially obv). Will this be some sort of realist alt. that can potentially make me a strong candidate, btw i do understand this is all said easier than done.

 

[doobydoob]

How about transfer to new university with a new science program like Chem, Bio, or Biomed, this will reset my GPA, re-take the pre-reqs that i did miserable in again. Maybe spend an extra year in undergrad, destroy the MCAT, and do alot of research, leadership based activities, shadowing and publications (potientially obv). Will this be some sort of realist alt. that can potentially make me a strong candidate, btw i do understand this is all said easier than done.

unfortunately, you cant "reset" your GPA as you are required to submit all of your transcripts.

 

[Starlightembers]

How about transfer to new university with a new science program like Chem, Bio, or Biomed, this will reset my GPA, re-take the pre-reqs that i did miserable in again. Maybe spend an extra year in undergrad, destroy the MCAT, and do alot of research, leadership based activities, shadowing and publications (potientially obv). Will this be some sort of realist alt. that can potentially make me a strong candidate, btw i do understand this is all said easier than done.

As was already stated, when you apply to medical school, you are required to submit all of your transcripts and, thus, every class you take and have taken will be calculated into your cumulative GPA.

DO grade replacement + (potentially) an SMP + high MCAT + solid ECs is really the only way to go about it.

 

[mishaS]

Like others have said, DO lets you replace grades, so that's an option, as is a masters program. I don't think anyone here is sugar coating that you've dug yourself into a hole, but if medicine truly is your dream, then you can attain it if you work hard enough, and dedicate yourself to it.

You said you were lazy, if you can't end that, you have no hope, none of getting in. Realize that things won't get easier when you get in and to get through everything requires dedication and passion. The dream of being a doctor is a romantic one, don't let that blind you to all the rigors involved in becoming one.