Hello,

I would like some advice towards achieving my goal to enter med school at macmaster and become a doctor. Based on the following facts, I would appreciate if someone can provide some information and advice to help me decide if it is even achieveable.

Goal:
To get admission into macmaster med school, and become a doctor, preferrably pediatrician.

Who am I:
I am a 36 years old housewife having an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering with a GPa of 3.0 and my high school percentage was 95%. I have foreign credentials.

Since my three kids are school going now, I want to dedicate my attentions towards achieving my dream, my husband fully supports my ambitions.

I came to know that many cometitive undergraduate programs at macmaster do not consider students with second degrees. I am considering taking highschool biology to fulfill prerequisite requirements for admission to some undergraduate program

Questions:
Is my age a factor towards realizing my goal?
Can I get admission based on my high school percentage, if I fulfill prerequisite requirements?
Which graduate program should I also consider andd what are he odds of getting into med school after completing a graduate program?
What are my other options, considering engineering is out of question?
Am I dreaming?

Any helpful advice, comments and critique is appreciated.

Thank you,
Asma

I'm not sure how long ago you completed your degree, but many programs have time-limits regarding how recent high school and/or university courses have to be in order to count for anything. These rules vary between schools, so you should look at the ones you're considering to see what they require. The situation is further complicated because you would probably have to get your foreign credentials assessed by World Education Services.

Just because your undergraduate degree is in engineering, that doesn't automatically mean it doesn't count for med school; you can enter med school with any undergrad degree provided you meet the prerequisite courses. I'd check to see if you could meet med school requirements with the degree you've already completed.

High school marks are completely irrelevant for med school, and I suspect they'll be irrelevant if you apply to an undergrad program if you apply as a mature student but I'm not 100% sure. At most, they'd probably just look to see that you have taken equivalent prerequisite courses.

I'm not sure if you could take equivalent Ontario high school courses and then apply with those courses, ignoring the previous university work you've done. This would probably best be answered by an admissions person from a university.

Why are you also considering a graduate program? It seems like that adds unnecessary work if you're already thinking of doing an undergrad degree and then medical school...why do you want to add grad school in between?
Some med schools offer a slight advantage to students with a graduate degree, and others don't care. It depends on the school, and you should look up the requirements to any schools you're interested in.

I'm not sure what you mean by "other options considering engineering is out of the question"?

First off, before answering this, I would like to say that what you have posted is inspirational even to those of us that aren't mature students or the like. I wish more people had your ambitions and outlook.

Answers:

Is my age a factor towards realizing my goal?

- Not in a negative sense. There have been and will be many doctors (MDs, Ph.Ds...) that completed their studies at around your age or later. My grandfather was at one point one of the top MDs in Europe and he finished his medical degree at around your current age. If anything, you have a leg up; both because admissions committees enjoy seeing mature yet confident, knowledgeable and directed students, and your personal values by now surely emulate an ideal candidate for studentship (you are older, you know what your priorities are, etc.)

Can I get admission based on my high school percentage, if I fulfill prerequisite requirements?

- I'm not sure I understand your question entirely BUT from what I gather you're asking if you can enter a second degree in something other than engineering just under your high school percentage. Unfortunately, they would want both your highschool and university transcripts when considering you for a second degree (I'm currently applying for a second degree in engineering, it's a headache, I know!)
I think you're able to get into science programs here even if you've completed a prior degree, although their are some stipulations. In general, I think the rule stands mainly for those that have taken a degree in a specific faculty and wish to return for a second in the SAME faculty. If you, for instance, whilst having an engineering degree, applied for a bachelor of science, I'm pretty sure there wouldn't be an issue...


Which graduate program should I also consider and what are the odds of getting into med school after completing a graduate program?

- Depending on your interests, as it seems you're more mathematically/engineering/applied sciences inclined, I would suggest looking into the biomedical engineering program at McMaster, or otherwise. There are plenty of engineering programs with a biological slant (e.g. work in computer, robotic, mechatronic, electrical, biomedical engineering). If you're looking for a SCIENCE graduate program, its more varied - and really depends on current abilities and interests. Regardless, if you complete a M.Sc. or M.Eng. with exceptional grades and references you're pretty much set to get into medical school somewhere as long as you have the prerequisites for that specific school and a fancy shmancy CV/resume/story to tell...

What are my other options, considering engineering is out of question?

- If engineering is truly out of the question (I don't think mac would let you do another one), your best bet is to excel at an (interesting!) science degree (integrated science might be for you... take a look!) and apply to medical school in your third or fourth year of the degree. Complete the MCAT (if necessary) and all that jazz ahead of time and take a look at your options.

Am I dreaming?

- No. You're also not the first!

I tried. Take what I say with a grain of salt, and be sure to consider everyone else's replies They probably know more about it than I do.

Cheers and GOOD LUCK

Originally Posted by zwitter

Step 1, spell McMaster right

Step 2 Realize some people in academia are just pretentious and not knowledgeable and must resolve to nit picking spelling mistakes to prove that they actually know something.

Originally Posted by ofomkcidtae

Step 2 Realize some people in academia are just pretentious and not knowledgeable and must resolve to nit picking spelling mistakes to prove that they actually know something.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t9_KOioomjI/TwvMFLDbpeI/AAAAAAAABS0/oFyH3JqkyBA/s1600/oh_baby.jpg

Anyways, I have nothing to contribute. But you definitely have an advantage in getting into med school due to:

1. valuable life experience
2. female who already had children/family
3. financial stability

All are 3 are very valuable to med school. And when you apply don't be ashamed that you are an older applicant, be proud that you spent time with your family, and is now prepared to realize your dream.

...milf?

You might consider a continuing education programme to get you back into the swing of things. I know there is a...metallurgy/iron/steel six month certificate course? Alternatively, Mohawk has some medically-oriented programmes, if you are interested.
And, no, you're not dreaming! Go for it!

I'm sorry to break it to you, but the chances are slim to none.

First off, have you taken the MCAT? The MCAT is a vital component of admissions to McMaster University's medical school.

Secondly, your GPA of 3.0 is low compared to competitive applicants. To be competitive, you should have roughly a 3.7 average. Most of the time, you need to supplement this 3.7 average with great extracurriculars. I personally don't see the likelihood of you being able to raise your GPA to this competitive score.

Thirdly, if you want to use your high school marks in your application, you have to apply to special international medical programs which allow you to do so. McMaster does not accept high school marks in the admission process. Keep in mind that if you do elect to go to a foreign medical school, the chances of you re-entering Canada to practice medicine is slim to none.

Just curious... what don't you like about the engineering field and makes you want to switch to a health care field.

Originally Posted by Schen

I'm sorry to break it to you, but the chances are slim to none.

First off, have you taken the MCAT? The MCAT is a vital component of admissions to McMaster University's medical school.

Secondly, your GPA of 3.0 is low compared to competitive applicants. To be competitive, you should have roughly a 3.7 average. Most of the time, you need to supplement this 3.7 average with great extracurriculars. I personally don't see the likelihood of you being able to raise your GPA to this competitive score.

Thirdly, if you want to use your high school marks in your application, you have to apply to special international medical programs which allow you to do so. McMaster does not accept high school marks in the admission process. Keep in mind that if you do elect to go to a foreign medical school, the chances of you re-entering Canada to practice medicine is slim to none.

Just curious... what don't you like about the engineering field and makes you want to switch to a health care field.

Sorry to break your bubble but a 3.0 GPA in engineering is not low, she pulled off a B average in one of the most difficult majors. Many will attempt pursuing it, a mere few will obtain the degree. For example, I recently took 4CL4, we had approximately 130 students and it went down to 40 or so students. At the end, the average on the final was 40 percent. I ended up getting a 7 in the course, or a 3.0 GPA.

All she needs to do now is to write the MCAT and if the scores are impressive enough, it is likely she will be able to enroll in medical school without any problems. However, having foreign credentials, the application process may take a little longer, if not at all.

Good luck Asma!

Also, you really can't judge the GPA if it's from another education system entirely. Different places have different standards, you don't actually know what the 3.0 represents. And like I said before, a lot of schools have limits as to how old your grades can be before they won't count them anymore.

There ARE mature students who get accepted into McMaster medical school, including people in their late thirties and forties. Mac posts the stats each year for their class, including age, GPA, MCAT VR score and degree program.
Honestly, the biggest thing working against the OP is that she's an international grad. And if I understood the post correctly, she is considering returning to school prior to applying to medicine, so having domestic credentials might help a lot.

Extra-curriculars won't be the same, but that doesn't mean they're worthless. Any type of involvement in her kids' activities/school would count, for example. And if she does return to school prior to medicine, that gives more time to do other things like volunteering. Lol, the application asks to list everything since the age of 16...in twenty years, there's got to be something in there

I'm not even 100% sure the application process is identical for a mature student. It would be best to discuss this with admissions people directly.

Originally Posted by Bhaltair

Sorry to break your bubble but a 3.0 GPA in engineering is not low, she pulled off a B average in one of the most difficult majors. Many will attempt pursuing it, a mere few will obtain the degree. For example, I recently took 4CL4, we had approximately 130 students and it went down to 40 or so students. At the end, the average on the final was 40 percent. I ended up getting a 7 in the course, or a 3.0 GPA.

All she needs to do now is to write the MCAT and if the scores are impressive enough, it is likely she will be able to enroll in medical school without any problems. However, having foreign credentials, the application process may take a little longer, if not at all.

Good luck Asma!

I never said a 3.0 GPA is low in engineering. To clarify, a 3.0 GPA is low compared to other applicants applying in the same pool.

I've never had experience in an engineering program so I can't judge whether is 3.0 GPA is low or high. But from what I've heard, medical schools don't account for a low GPA because of a particular program's workload or difficulty. A person in music with a 3.0 GPA and a person in engineering with a 3.0 GPA won't have any differences between them in the medical school committee's eyes.

Why do you even want to become a doctor? The prestige? The money?
It's also probably too late for you.

It's never too late!
http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/main/news/new...tion_2012.html

Wow. Who wants to spend 7+ years in their mid-40s becoming a doctor? I sure wouldn't.

> Wuerzburg, Germany
Respect for being a fellow German, though.

Well, to each their own, and it helps to be supportive. All the best to Asma K!

Cheers, right back at ya! No need for the negativity to the OP though...