Medical school admissions

[Ranjit4]

Hello, I just finished my fourth and final year of undergraduate studies. I am applying to both Canadian and Caribbean medical schools, but I am uncertain as to whether I will receive admission in Canada. I had a very poor gpa in my second year which is pulling my entire cgpa down. I was thinking of doing a 5th year to bring up my gpa, but this will not guarantee me a spot in Canada. Another downside is that if I do a 5th year, I will have to wait until 2014 to start medical school in Canada. I believe my credentials are good enough to get accepted to the Caribbean (specifically Saba), but I want admission in Canada. Should I do a 5th year of undergraduate work to pull up my gpa and perhaps have a better chance of staying in Canada, or should I not risk the time delay and just start medical school at Saba?
I know Saba is reputable, but it is still a Caribbean school and residency is not a guarantee.
I would appreciate any insight and assistance.
Thank you.

[a1b1]

Originally Posted by Ranjit4

Hello, I just finished my fourth and final year of undergraduate studies. I am applying to both Canadian and Caribbean medical schools, but I am uncertain as to whether I will receive admission in Canada. I had a very poor gpa in my second year which is pulling my entire cgpa down. I was thinking of doing a 5th year to bring up my gpa, but this will not guarantee me a spot in Canada. Another downside is that if I do a 5th year, I will have to wait until 2014 to start medical school in Canada. I believe my credentials are good enough to get accepted to the Caribbean (specifically Saba), but I want admission in Canada. Should I do a 5th year of undergraduate work to pull up my gpa and perhaps have a better chance of staying in Canada, or should I not risk the time delay and just start medical school at Saba?
I know Saba is reputable, but it is still a Caribbean school and residency is not a guarantee.
I would appreciate any insight and assistance.
Thank you.

Look into the states and DO before choosing the Caribbean option, I don't know much about DO, but both of them seem like better alternatives.

[nosuperman]

Hey and welcome!

What are your stats and your priorities? That's important.

Personally I'd say get into Canada if it takes you one or two extra years because its worth it for the lower cost and increased access to residency spots without having to do an ROS.

If you abroad, you're greatly limiting your ability to come back, and if you do make it back then you're against almost insurmountable odds if you want a specialty outside of Family Med, Internal Med, or Psych AND you don't know if that situation will be getting worse with more and more Canadian med students coming through the system. What if you fell in love with something remotely competitive?

Next is the cost - tuition is much higher, attrition is much higher, and if you do make it back to Canada you owe the government a Return of Service agreement. Plus while you're in school you'll be writing presumably at least two sets of board exams (US and Canadian because you'd likely be gunning for the US) which would further be stressful.

Now all this assumes you want to get back and don't get me wrong - its definitely possible, you're just at a major disadvantage compared to Canadian grads. Personally, I'd go the DO route before going IMG because at least DO's can apply on par with US grads in Ontario and BC AND they can apply for most US residencies, whereas IMGs are pretty restricted in both countries.

[technicity]

Originally Posted by Ranjit4

...this will not guarantee me a spot in Canada.

Unfortunately, nothing will guarantee you a spot in Canada. Even if you were an aboriginal Quebec or Yukon former Olympic athlete with a 4.0 GPA and an extensive list of publications... there are still things that can go wrong.

That said, if your stats are not too far from the bottom limit of "competitive", I'd spend 1-2 years trying to get into a Canadian (or US) school before going to the Caribbean. Yes, the quality of education at (some) Caribbean schools is good, but residency will be much more competitive and the costs are much higher. Plus, it's not as if you'd be spending 1-2 years doing nothing!

If you gave us your stats (GPA in each year) we could give you a much better idea of how competitive you will be if you do a 5th year, but nobody can tell you if it will get you in for sure.

[Ranjit4]

Thank you all for your comments. I know there is no guarantee for admission in Canada, but hopefully I can increase my chances by taking time to increase my marks.
My gpa for each of my four undergraduate years are:
First year: 3.6
Second year: 2.8 (flop)
Third year: 3.6
Fourth year: 3.6

I remained quite consistent outside of my second year, but even if I hypothetically obtain a 4.0 next year, it still won't make my cgpa very competitive. However, I know some schools dont look at cgpa and instead take into account the best 2-3 years of study.
Please comment. I appreciate the time you're all taking to help me.

[Ranjit4]

nosuperman, congradulations on getting into western! I know how difficult it can be to get admission in this country.... Your hard work paid off!