What is my best route at this point?

[UT1992]

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Hello,

I just finished my undergraduate studies in University of Toronto St. George doing a Human Biology and Physiology double major, with a 2.71 cGPA. What is the best route I should take? My options would be to do a graduate program in U of T to raise my GPA (Such as Radiology), to go to a Caribbean medical school, or to possibly do another undergrad to achieve a better GPA.
The cause of my terrible GPA would be my first two years in university, but in my last 2 years my GPA averaged at 3.35.
One of the routes I would definitely be willing to take is to get into a DO program, but many schools seem to have a bias for in-state students, and I'm also not sure if my GPA is high enough for them.
I also would be open to pre-med programs but I'm also unsure if my GPA or MCAT score is sufficient.

My MCAT score is 24, 9 Bio, 7 Physics and 8 Verbal.
I also have 1 year of Research under my belt with work on Drosophila, as well as 6 years of Volunteering experience within various hospitals.

My ultimate goal would be to obtain a MD or DO and practice in Canada or the U.S., but right now I'm scared because of my low GPA and MCAT scores. Any suggestions would be amazing!

 

[brew]

I think you should hold off going to the caribbean. I'm not sure you can handle medical school just yet. I think you should prove to yourself that you can do it before you start taking a massive amount of debt and time. Once you go there, you get no more second chances.

I think taking classes and making sure you can handle the course load would be best. DO schools allow grade replacement which will help increase your GPA significantly. Also it would be best to improve your MCAT. Being a Canadian, you will need higher stats than the average American accepted to DO schools. I think getting into a MD school would be much much harder for you than getting into a DO school. You don't need another undergraduate degree, but show that you can do the science and course work. Also study hard for the MCAT while taking a semester off or during the summer. If money is a problem, you will have to go slowly while taking night classes or figuring something out. It would be good to get a clinical job to get some more clinical experiences if you are lacking in that department. if money isn't a big issue to you, I would focus on GPA repair then MCAT repair. Good luck. It will take some time... but if you want it, you can achieve it!

 

[UT1992]

Hey, thanks for the reply! Money isn't a big issue but, lets say I do a 2 year graduate program, would that take precedence over my undergraduate GPA, since I heard some MD schools put people with masters and people in undergrad in different pools. Also can you clarify what you mean by no more second chances in terms of going to a caribbean medical school? I've read a lot of stories about them here, mainly how it should be everyones last resort, but I'm somewhat unsure by why caribbean medical schools are so terrible, is it because it's hard to come back to the states/Canada? Thanks!

 

[brew]

Hey, thanks for the reply! Money isn't a big issue but, lets say I do a 2 year graduate program, would that take precedence over my undergraduate GPA, since I heard some MD schools put people with masters and people in undergrad in different pools. Also can you clarify what you mean by no more second chances in terms of going to a caribbean medical school? I've read a lot of stories about them here, mainly how it should be everyones last resort, but I'm somewhat unsure by why caribbean medical schools are so terrible, is it because it's hard to come back to the states/Canada? Thanks!

Well, I'm not sure if you can handle the medical school coursework. Secondly, I hear about half the class doesn't make it because they take a lot of people with lower stats who aren't ready. They are for profit schools.

There are programs called special master's programs that stimulate the first year of medical school, but I don't think you can get into the reputable MD ones with your current GPA and MCAT score. They are also very challenging and should only be attempted when you know you can succeed in them.

You should look into grade replacement for DO schools. It is a really great way to increase your GPA. Don't get a master's in anything else. It will look like a nice extracurricular, but medical school admissions know that a lot of graduate programs have inflated grades and will not take them seriously. Repeat whatever classes you got a C or less in and your GPA will increase really quickly.

You can look into the postbacculate section of the forums to find out more about the special master's programs and other postbacc options.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/postbaccalaureate-programs.71/

The SMPs are listed here.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ms-smps-postbacs-et-al-june-2009-list.640302/

 

[AvrgPreMedKid]

I'm guessing you're about 22 years old, right? I would do a post-bacc program, or something to boost your GPA, and think about retaking your MCAT; however, a 24 is not bad for your first time. I wouldn't do caribbean until you're certain you can't get into a US MD/DO school.

I don't think caribbean schools are as horrible as people make them out to be. There are 4 legit caribbean schools in my eyes: Ross, American, St. George, and Saba. Saba is questionable to me, though. Also, most of the caribbean schools have 1-2 semester post-bacc programs to prepare you for medical school. Another thought is podiatry, the DPM degree. The schools are even less competitive than DO schools, but don't think they're easy. Podiatry is a legit field, especially if you know you want to do surgery. The only reason I'm not going to podiatry school (I got accepted to Temple) is that the military doesn't view them equally with DO/MD.

Whatever you do, don't give up. It might take some time to make up for past mistakes, but you can get in wherever you want, as long as you put in the effort (and you have the brains, of course).

 

[UT1992]

Well, I'm not sure if you can handle the medical school coursework. Secondly, I hear about half the class doesn't make it because they take a lot of people with lower stats who aren't ready. They are for profit schools.

There are programs called special master's programs that stimulate the first year of medical school, but I don't think you can get into the reputable MD ones with your current GPA and MCAT score. They are also very challenging and should only be attempted when you know you can succeed in them.

You should look into grade replacement for DO schools. It is a really great way to increase your GPA. Don't get a master's in anything else. It will look like a nice extracurricular, but medical school admissions know that a lot of graduate programs have inflated grades and will not take them seriously. Repeat whatever classes you got a C or less in and your GPA will increase really quickly.

You can look into the postbacculate section of the forums to find out more about the special master's programs and other postbacc options.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forums/postbaccalaureate-programs.71/

The SMPs are listed here.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ms-smps-postbacs-et-al-june-2009-list.640302/

Hey, thanks for the reply again! So do most medical schools prioritize undergraduate GPA compared to graduate school or masters GPA even from a reputable school?
And I've heard that some Caribbean schools tend to weed students out, but I'm hoping wherever I go that my experience in U of T would help me through it, since U of T is a relatively difficult school, and that I've improved my last 2 years, but I preferably would love to stay within the U.S. or Canada.
Thank you for the SMPs! This will be very helpful for my application process, so I'm assuming medical schools would weigh these programs heavily in terms of the GPA? Also would my GPA be sufficient for some of these programs?

 

[UT1992]

I'm guessing you're about 22 years old, right? I would do a post-bacc program, or something to boost your GPA, and think about retaking your MCAT; however, a 24 is not bad for your first time. I wouldn't do caribbean until you're certain you can't get into a US MD/DO school.

I don't think caribbean schools are as horrible as people make them out to be. There are 4 legit caribbean schools in my eyes: Ross, American, St. George, and Saba. Saba is questionable to me, though. Also, most of the caribbean schools have 1-2 semester post-bacc programs to prepare you for medical school. Another thought is podiatry, the DPM degree. The schools are even less competitive than DO schools, but don't think they're easy. Podiatry is a legit field, especially if you know you want to do surgery. The only reason I'm not going to podiatry school (I got accepted to Temple) is that the military doesn't view them equally with DO/MD.

Whatever you do, don't give up. It might take some time to make up for past mistakes, but you can get in wherever you want, as long as you put in the effort (and you have the brains, of course).

I am turning 22 this year! I'm definitely thinking a post-bacc or masters program to overshadow my terrible first and second year. I am also definitely looking into retaking the MCATs but the new format that will be implemented after January is somewhat worrisome for me. I was looking into Ross and St.George but I'm worried about residency, and how likely it is that I can come back to Canada or go to the U.S. to practice (I want to be a GP).

 

[AvrgPreMedKid]

I am turning 22 this year! I'm definitely thinking a post-bacc or masters program to overshadow my terrible first and second year. I am also definitely looking into retaking the MCATs but the new format that will be implemented after January is somewhat worrisome for me. I was looking into Ross and St.George but I'm worried about residency, and how likely it is that I can come back to Canada or go to the U.S. to practice (I want to be a GP).

If you want to be a GP, you're very likely to be able to practice in the US. Those big 4 schools I named allow you to get straight into a US residency. As long as you handle business on your USMLE's, you'll be fine.

 

[advair250]

Second undergrad is your only choice. Masters won't help At ALL since your stats Are abbysmal. You have to retake the mcat too, it's too low for North America.

You can get into the Caribbean, and will fail out after 1st or 2nd year. Prove yourself first before jumping ship.

Also, don't blame UofT, the "but UofT is so hard" excuse won't work with adcoms.

 

[UT1992]

Second undergrad is your only choice. Masters won't help At ALL since your stats Are abbysmal. You have to retake the mcat too, it's too low for North America.

You can get into the Caribbean, and will fail out after 1st or 2nd year. Prove yourself first before jumping ship.

Also, don't blame UofT, the "but UofT is so hard" excuse won't work with adcoms.

Hey, thank you for your input, I was wondering wouldn't a post-bacc program or SMP be a better route compared to a 2nd undergrad? And if I do a 2nd undergrad would they not look at my 1st undergrad marks? I am aware my 1st and 2nd year marks weren't spectacular but I believe I've improved from my 3rd and 4th year marks, at least to be considered for DO programs if I had those marks consistently. I also will write the MCAT again since I know 24 isn't competitive at all.

Also why do so many people fail within the Caribbean? Do you need a certain GPA there to stay, or is all you need to do pass? I'm very confused to why so many individuals flunk out.

 

[advair250]

Hey, thank you for your input, I was wondering wouldn't a post-bacc program or SMP be a better route compared to a 2nd undergrad? And if I do a 2nd undergrad would they not look at my 1st undergrad marks? I am aware my 1st and 2nd year marks weren't spectacular but I believe I've improved from my 3rd and 4th year marks, at least to be considered for DO programs if I had those marks consistently. I also will write the MCAT again since I know 24 isn't competitive at all.

Also why do so many people fail within the Caribbean? Do you need a certain GPA there to stay, or is all you need to do pass? I'm very confused to why so many individuals flunk out.

2nd undergrad would help with some Canadian schools, and would still show an upward trend for the US.

You won't get into any good SMP program with your stats. A post-bacc is the same thing as a second undergrad, if you do a BSc.

Your 3rd and 4th year marks aren't terrible, but they are not good either. A 3.35 is well below the averages for US medical schools. You need a few years of 3.8+ to show an upward trend and be considered.

Do more research. If you can barely get a 3.3 in undergrad, what makes you think you will get even a 3.0 in medical school where 70% is a pass? Getting a pass in the carribean is not going to get you a residency.

Do a post bacc or a second undergrad and get near 4.0 and then at least a 30+ on the MCAT. Then when you are confident in your academics, then you can take the gamble on the carribean or try for US schools or an SMP.