Hi, im not really familiar with the med school system. Im new (first year) and my goal is to get through and to med school as efficiently as possible (meaning i dont want the fastest and weakest route nor do i want the absolute lengthy path that takes forever). BUT Im willing to put lots and lots of effort, but i would like to hear some advice.

Ive heard that after second year, undergrad students go towards their MCAT.

First of all, besides mcat scores specific interviews in getting into med school, what else is there one would need? (besides dedication and active participation S: ?)

and say you do phenomenally on ur mcats after second year but you still have an intention of finishing a bachelor....do you have to redo the mcat S: or can u just carry the good marks through? (again sorry if the nature of my questions sound stupid, i just need as much help as possible)

Wrong section to post a question in.

It depends on the med school. Most schools consider the MCAT scores valid even after 5 years after taking the exam.

Originally Posted by herBs

Wrong section to post a question in.

I'm pretty sure you can post a question wherever..

do some research into the med schools you want to apply to, make sure you get all the prereqs down first
there's no set rules for getting into med school, maybe get some experience working/volunteering in a hospital, make good relationships with teachers and try to be a well-rounded person?

Originally Posted by J. Dorey

I'm pretty sure you can post a question wherever..

He posted this in the Introductions section which should only be used for intros really, anyway the topic got moved.

Originally Posted by sam_akbari

Hi, im not really familiar with the med school system. Im new (first year) and my goal is to get through and to med school as efficiently as possible (meaning i dont want the fastest and weakest route nor do i want the absolute lengthy path that takes forever). BUT Im willing to put lots and lots of effort, but i would like to hear some advice.

Ive heard that after second year, undergrad students go towards their MCAT.

First of all, besides mcat scores specific interviews in getting into med school, what else is there one would need? (besides dedication and active participation S: ?)

and say you do phenomenally on ur mcats after second year but you still have an intention of finishing a bachelor....do you have to redo the mcat S: or can u just carry the good marks through? (again sorry if the nature of my questions sound stupid, i just need as much help as possible)

People need a high GPA, a high MCAT score, extra-curriculars, letters of recommendation, a personal statement (which is like a short essay) and some more stuff.

Your MCAT remains for 3 years, not 5, most of the time. If you write it after your second year, it should be good even if you apply during your 4th year.

I say that you should see where your first and second year marks are and decide from there.

If your marks are consistently high for both years I'd say go for the MCAT, if not there is no need to take it so quickly.

Originally Posted by Alchemist11

People need a high GPA, a high MCAT score, extra-curriculars, letters of recommendation, a personal statement (which is like a short essay) and some more stuff.

Your MCAT remains for 3 years, not 5, most of the time. If you write it after your second year, it should be good even if you apply during your 4th year.

Every Ontario school acknowledges MCAT scores for 5 years to my knowledge.

Originally Posted by Fight0

Every Ontario school acknowledges MCAT scores for 5 years to my knowledge.

Interesting, you might be right, I think I saw a US based question instead of a Canadian based question.

I guess most places in the US have an MCAT count for 3 years, and in Canada it's 5 years?

Originally Posted by Alchemist11

Interesting, you might be right, I think I saw a US based question instead of a Canadian based question.

I guess most places in the US have an MCAT count for 3 years, and in Canada it's 5 years?

Yeah, I think that is a good rule of thumb.

Hi there!

In order to be considered competitive, you should be aiming for an MCAT score of 30R (and above).

If you have excellent first and second year marks and medicine is what you want to do. I would recommend you apply. If you get an interview and then get accepted, you can defer a year and finish your Bachelor degree.

Honestly though, med school requires 4 years plus anywhere from 2-6 years of residency, I wouldn't bother with finishing up a bachelor's degree.

Also, keep in mind that every province except for Ontario gives preference for applicants who reside in that province. So if you're applying to BC, residents of BC get more seats and they're cut off for MCAT and interviews are lower than for out-of province applicants. This means that you have to have as close to a 3.8-3.9 GPA in order to be considered competitive outside of Ontario.

GPA calculation of diff med schools:
-Western and Queen's take your top 2 years of university
-Calgary and Alberta drop your lowest year.
-Manitoba drop 15 credits if you have 90-95 credits. They drop 30 credits if you have 120+ credits.
-UBC drops 30 credits if you have completed 3 years.
-Dalhousie takes last 2 years
-Ottawa weigh your upper years more (GPA of first year x1, 2nd year x2, 3rd year x3)/6
-UofT drops 6 of your lowest classes if you apply with your 3rd year marks and if you have had a full course load throughout all 3 years.

-Most universities require a year of physics, bio, chem, orgo, biochem, and english (some require a year of physiology)
- if you have these pre-reqs you're pretty much set.

-You also need to have an autobiographical sketch, an essay, and 3 reference letters
- the sketch lists all of your extra-curricular activities (work, volunteering.sports, music etc)
-the essay talks about why u want to be a doctor

To cover all your bases I think a candidate should roughly have:

GPA - 2-3 strong years of at least 3.7+, preferably in later years as well. With Ottawa's wGPA, it's probably best if your later years are closer to 3.9. The rest of your gpa should be solid too if you're looking at Mac (Around 3.8 is probably good). Higher is better in general but at some schools it doesn't matter once you can hit cutoffs.

MCAT - I'd say aim for a 32 Q-R, with a 10 in PS, 11 in VR and 11 in BS.

Strong ABS - which hopefully reflects who you are as a person.

Originally Posted by albalks

-Most universities require a year of physics, bio, chem, orgo, biochem, and english (some require a year of physiology)

In Ontario you don't need physics, orgo or English.

Originally Posted by crazyfree

In Ontario you don't need physics, orgo or English.

I meant that if you take these courses then you've covered all the requirements of all schools in Canada.

Also, Ontario schools such as Queens and Toronto require a full year of humanities, might as well take English if you plan on applying outside of Ontario.

Queen's requires one year of physical sciences and you can take either physics, general chem, or orgo to meet the requirement.