@Gurshan Gill I changed majors and had some struggles before deciding to do medicine. I busted my ass with upper division bio corses just to bring up my gpa to 2.7 or 2.8 and did well on my mcat and ended up going to a Caribbean medical school. It was hell dealing with my school but hey I made it...Unrelated but I remember my stupid clinical dean told our class "unless you get above the national average on Step 1 you will get 0 interviews for residency." I didn't and already have 15 interviews so far....moral of the story is never listen to doubters.
@Gurshan Gill every one is different and I went to MUA where it was cheaper and got help from my dad in the first two years and ended with like 190 k in debt. Caribbean med school isn't bad but I felt my school held me back rather act as an advocate for me. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for them though so it all evens outs. For those that can't get into DO or US MD school its a must to go Caribbean. I would recommend going to AUC, St. George, ROSS, or UMHS
Just thought I'd chime in as well. I got into the big 4 you mentioned with a 3.19 and 497. Decided against it and raised my GPA to 3.44 (54 credits all As) and 506, and I currently have 4 DO acceptances with 1 Texan MD interview (match results in March!)
Correlation does not mean causation...the vast majority of applicants are BSc (Bio/life science) majors which is why most successful applicants did those degrees.
Very true that correlation does not equal causation so I'd agree that we need more data to decide what the "superior" undergrad degree really is 🤔 However, the myth that I'm trying to debunk is that "traditional or cookie-cutter undergrads" are actually discriminated against when it comes to the selection process. Which I'm inclined not to agree with given the available data and published selection criteria of the schools :)
Thanks so much for the support Jasleen, I really appreciate hearing that :D I'm glad that the videos have been helpful and I think 2021 is going to be a great year 🔥
6:05 Another point: most of them aren't able to match into competitive specialties, so if surgery (for example) is your goal, it's possible but not advised go to the Caribbean route.
Totally agree that it makes the entire match process more difficult - but at the same time, I do know some doctors who have made it through and have matched into some more competitive programs (a friend of mine works as an emergency medicine doctor and they went to school in Ireland). Avoid if possible but if not, then be ready to work your butt off 💪
@@nxtgenmd True! I know of (not personally :p) a couple that were able to match into super hard specialties in Canada (which is even extra hard) and in the United States (a bit easier for IMGs but still difficult). That being said though, I honestly feel like they're more the exception than the rule. But like you said in your video, they grind like crazy! The amount of hustle you have to have to succeed in an IMG and match into a competitive specialty is insane so props to them.
Agree with everything except number 1. It is important to consider that people who do go into Business or Writing programs are usually not trying to apply to med school. So the number of non-science majors who are applying to med schools are already really low. If 500 bio majors apply and 100 get accepted then only 20% of bio majors get accepted to med school. However, if only 20 Business, English or Psychology students apply and 5 get accepted then that's a 25% acceptance rate for non-traditional students. However, the most important thing is your GPA, scores and ec so do what you like and put yourself out there.
Hey :) You're welcome to disagree and I see your point but number 1 in the video is the bad advice that "you should not take traditional premed degrees." There is no evidence that I could find that suggested that traditional premed degrees are being discriminated against in the selection process. The information that I've provided (although limited) shows that traditional premed degrees still make up the majority of medical school classes. I know your numbers are strictly for the purpose of a hypothetical example, but unfortunately we don't have the data to say that 25% of non-trade students are getting in - and in addition, many barriers to non-trade students still unfortunately remain in the selection process for some schools though things like heavily-tested science concepts on the MCAT and medical schools that still have mandatory science course requirements (which are included in traditional programs, but not in non-tradational programs). Given my analysis of class makeup, conversations with students and staff, and selection criteria I still think that its safe to say that traditional premed programs are not being discriminated against in the selection process and choosing a program based off of shock value is not in most students' best interests. However, the application landscape is becoming more and more accessible to non-traditional applicants in order to improve diversity of educational backgrounds.🤙
While I agree that you don’t NEED a family member in medicine to get in, it definitely helps. I have a friend from undergrad who had both parents as physicians and they advised her on everything from which bachelor’s program to complete to which extracurriculars to pursue.
Help definitely makes things easier if you've had it (at least imo) but on the other hand, I know students who come from a medical background and haven't been accepted yet because they couldn't get by the MCAT. We all just do the best that we can with what we have I guess 🙌 Part of the reason why I advocate for more med students to start RUclips channels is to get the information out there... even the playing field a bit 💪
Great video! Definitely can relate about trying so hard to find valid and reliable information from people - especially if there’s no one in your immediate circle in medicine. I definitely feel more calm after watching your video!
Maybe in the US not so much in Canada. Mostly because we don’t really have reference letters (more like reference forms). Premed advisors hold very little weight in the reference game in Canada
That's very unfortunate 😪 here in Ontario we're required to have 1 academic reference (like a professor) one non academic (charity organizer, manager, etc.) and then one of your choosing. I hope they don't change that any time soon
Thanks for this I am also someone who's aspiring to do medicine first in my family as well I'm yet to complete my schooling but yeah have tons of queries !!
No problem Brenda :D Glad to hear that 4th year is going well 🙌 a good MCAT does wonders for helping a lower than average GPA and don't forget that there are schools that will not look at your first few years. Btw I saw your instagram message, I'll get around to my DMs on the weekend, Best :D
thanks for the advice! one thing i worry about in the research aspect is schools like western and uoft for example have certain competencies/clusters they want u to embody based on ur ecs and both schools have one of these as some sort of scholarly activity (e.g. awards, publications conferences, etc.) for those of us w/o research and such what can we use to show for something like this?
Academic awards are a good substitute for the CANMEDs "scholar role". I won the MRSA award with the UHN and it would have filled the same role as research. Academic competitions like science competitions are also good examples!
So I want to choose the med route but I wanted you to ask your class mates or an advisor if you could. I wanted to know if you’re starting this journey and instead of taking all these bio, chem, physics, etc etc in person you decided to do them ALL online. But say you do really well. 1. I’m not sure if that impacts your GPA? 2. I wanted to know if this is a common route student take or they are advised to go in person? 3. I wanted to do Gemms at George Town but say I do get in, would then getting into a med school be more difficult if I took these classes online? What is the general play here?
2:27 lol the best part of the video and have gotten this advice so many times!!! I am abt to apply in June 2021 and if I had listened to that advice I would have never made it!!!
Sometimes I think about where I'd be right now if I'd have listened to the person who told me that for the first time 😒 Best of luck with the application cycle! Congrats on making it this far :D
Med school process is soulcrushing..i have a passion for psychiatry..years of volunteering, psych classes with A's, even memorized the DSM, ICD, PDR and other clinical manuals bc I ENJOYED, understood, and was passionate about helping clients unlike the many physicians who dgaf..the thing is..i'm terrible at the basic sciences..pre-med, years of organic chem etc when usually all you need is (obviously some traditional sciences) 2 chairs and a desk.. (A decade of hard sciences for a specialty thats mostly abstract is a crime to those who actually have practical and genuine care/ potential). I dont believe in the MCAT Anyone feel this way or know a way around this? Many MDs I've met admit to not knowing what theyre talking about, dont care and want you out ASAP and throw their monthly research magazines in the trash like change is anti-science.
thank you so much for making these videos, they're honestly so helpful and you're really good at explaining in a way that's easy to understand! 💖 I was wondering if you could maybe help me understand how my medical school application would be affected by the fact that I'm a co-op student? (i.e. taking fall courses, winter co-op, and then spring courses, bc i know that some school only consider fall + winter to count towards an academic year) 😢
I'm glad to hear that Mithra :D Co-op definitely makes things difficult in terms of the schools that do not consider summer courses. Here's a section from U of T's website:applymd.utoronto.ca/news/everything-you-need-know-about-wgpa To the best of my knowledge, the medical schools make exception to the "no summer school courses" rule if you're in co-op. You'd have to check with each school individually though. Hope that helps :)
@@nxtgenmd thanks so much for your reply! I got worried when I saw that a lot of schools don't count years where u only had 1 term of classes for GPA/ grade calculations and that often happens w co-op terms! 🥲
How does residency in Canada compare to USA? Are surgical residents pulling 80-100 work weeks in Canada or are there more restrictions on hours worked per week?
There's a lot of similarities and differences as well, particularly with the lengths of programs :) Family medicine is a 2 year residency in Canada for example, but lasts 3 years in the US. Surgery and Internal medicine are the really rough residencies by stereotype for us. We're supposedly "capped" at a certain number of hours but many of my friends in residency still end up working 80+ hours some weeks (or at least that's what I've been told). There are many factors that contribute to that, like which hospital you're at primarily.
Not at all* :D The myth is that studying BSc is not good because it's too cookie cutter. I disagree heavily with this. Study what you like and what you will do well in but also sets you up for the MCAT!
Amazing video 👏 i wanted to take the mcat in the summer of my 2nd year going to 3rd but I feel like I’m not ready for it. On the other hand I ask myself what if I’m just being lazy😅 lol, really confusing myself.
LOL you're not being lazy bro. Taking it in the summer after 2nd year is possible and nice because you have leeway if you mess up. On the other hand though, my personal philosophy is that you're better to take the extra year to prepare and develop as a student and then crush it in your first go, rather than planning to fail 💪🔥 you're gonna crush it eventually 🤙
So my major is in data science with a concentration in genomics and bioinformatics, do you think this is to “cookie cutter” ? I genuinely liked the description of this major and is why I chose it but now I’m kind of thinking about it :(
No :) the point I was trying to make is to not shy away from programs because they are "too cookie cutter." Get a great GPA, kill the MCAT, load up on ECs and references and you'll be totally fine with your major 🔥
They have such high GPA cut offs! I think recently, University of Ottawa lowered their cut off. It used to be a 3.8/4.0 but now is a 3.5/4.0 I believe.
I hear that a lot actually! I've had students tell me that the word on the street is that Canadian md schools are easier to get into... I don't know where that all started from either 😅
Ottawa's cutoff is 3.5/4 but they haven't accepted anyone in the English stream with less than a 3.87 for years according to what I've heard from friends! (not too sure about special applicant pools though). No MCAT required = crazy GPAs! 🥲
Diversity will change that. Students who are minorities who wouldn't make the cut are going to be now accepted because their ethnicity. That doesn't seen right if the competition is so fierce, take the best students and don't look at skin color or ethnicity
Hello. This video is instructional! I have been trying to search for a video similar to yours that really explains the topics in this video.Your lesson for sure is like the content from Dr. Ethan. Ethan's explanations are actually informative and I learned a lot for school! He is the most knowledgable health enthusiast in Nottingham and he explains conditions. I recommend you see his channel out and give the health enthusiast a subscribe over here! 👉 #MedicalStudentEthan
As a former Dean of Admissions for a major medical school, the advice in this video is excellent! I hope prospective students will take it seriously.
Thanks for your take on it David. I appreciate your input :)
I graduated with a 2.7 gpa in undergraduate and still got my MD officially today :). I’m living proof of #3 and #4
@Gurshan Gill I changed majors and had some struggles before deciding to do medicine. I busted my ass with upper division bio corses just to bring up my gpa to 2.7 or 2.8 and did well on my mcat and ended up going to a Caribbean medical school. It was hell dealing with my school but hey I made it...Unrelated but I remember my stupid clinical dean told our class "unless you get above the national average on Step 1 you will get 0 interviews for residency." I didn't and already have 15 interviews so far....moral of the story is never listen to doubters.
@Gurshan Gill every one is different and I went to MUA where it was cheaper and got help from my dad in the first two years and ended with like 190 k in debt. Caribbean med school isn't bad but I felt my school held me back rather act as an advocate for me. I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for them though so it all evens outs. For those that can't get into DO or US MD school its a must to go Caribbean. I would recommend going to AUC, St. George, ROSS, or UMHS
Just thought I'd chime in as well. I got into the big 4 you mentioned with a 3.19 and 497. Decided against it and raised my GPA to 3.44 (54 credits all As) and 506, and I currently have 4 DO acceptances with 1 Texan MD interview (match results in March!)
@@blueq4324 congrats
@Gurshan Gill google medical university of the Americas
"Don't memorize" almost cost me my first year, it's a horrible advice.
Correlation does not mean causation...the vast majority of applicants are BSc (Bio/life science) majors which is why most successful applicants did those degrees.
Very true that correlation does not equal causation so I'd agree that we need more data to decide what the "superior" undergrad degree really is 🤔
However, the myth that I'm trying to debunk is that "traditional or cookie-cutter undergrads" are actually discriminated against when it comes to the selection process. Which I'm inclined not to agree with given the available data and published selection criteria of the schools :)
NXTgenMD yea it shouldn’t be about standing out necessarily, it should be about who is the best medical school candidate.
Whenever I watch your videos I get so inspired you are amazing!! I’m so excited to watch your channel grow I just know big things are coming your way.
Thanks so much for the support Jasleen, I really appreciate hearing that :D I'm glad that the videos have been helpful and I think 2021 is going to be a great year 🔥
Love the new intro man! Great video! Keep up the great work
Thank you bro 💪 will do!
6:05 Another point: most of them aren't able to match into competitive specialties, so if surgery (for example) is your goal, it's possible but not advised go to the Caribbean route.
Totally agree that it makes the entire match process more difficult - but at the same time, I do know some doctors who have made it through and have matched into some more competitive programs (a friend of mine works as an emergency medicine doctor and they went to school in Ireland).
Avoid if possible but if not, then be ready to work your butt off 💪
@@nxtgenmd True! I know of (not personally :p) a couple that were able to match into super hard specialties in Canada (which is even extra hard) and in the United States (a bit easier for IMGs but still difficult). That being said though, I honestly feel like they're more the exception than the rule. But like you said in your video, they grind like crazy! The amount of hustle you have to have to succeed in an IMG and match into a competitive specialty is insane so props to them.
I was straight up told twice (two different advisors) that obtaining research wasn’t important
go to Ryerson for nursing, Macmed is on my list ! good to see RU grads out here
and its good to see more RU premeds out here 💪🔥 best of luck Andrew, hope to see you around sometime
Agree with everything except number 1. It is important to consider that people who do go into Business or Writing programs are usually not trying to apply to med school. So the number of non-science majors who are applying to med schools are already really low. If 500 bio majors apply and 100 get accepted then only 20% of bio majors get accepted to med school. However, if only 20 Business, English or Psychology students apply and 5 get accepted then that's a 25% acceptance rate for non-traditional students. However, the most important thing is your GPA, scores and ec so do what you like and put yourself out there.
Hey :) You're welcome to disagree and I see your point but number 1 in the video is the bad advice that "you should not take traditional premed degrees."
There is no evidence that I could find that suggested that traditional premed degrees are being discriminated against in the selection process. The information that I've provided (although limited) shows that traditional premed degrees still make up the majority of medical school classes. I know your numbers are strictly for the purpose of a hypothetical example, but unfortunately we don't have the data to say that 25% of non-trade students are getting in - and in addition, many barriers to non-trade students still unfortunately remain in the selection process for some schools though things like heavily-tested science concepts on the MCAT and medical schools that still have mandatory science course requirements (which are included in traditional programs, but not in non-tradational programs).
Given my analysis of class makeup, conversations with students and staff, and selection criteria I still think that its safe to say that traditional premed programs are not being discriminated against in the selection process and choosing a program based off of shock value is not in most students' best interests. However, the application landscape is becoming more and more accessible to non-traditional applicants in order to improve diversity of educational backgrounds.🤙
Hey man thanks a lot for making these vids, they’re super helpful I’ve learned so much!!
Hey buddy glad to hear that they've been helpful :D All the best!
While I agree that you don’t NEED a family member in medicine to get in, it definitely helps. I have a friend from undergrad who had both parents as physicians and they advised her on everything from which bachelor’s program to complete to which extracurriculars to pursue.
Help definitely makes things easier if you've had it (at least imo) but on the other hand, I know students who come from a medical background and haven't been accepted yet because they couldn't get by the MCAT. We all just do the best that we can with what we have I guess 🙌
Part of the reason why I advocate for more med students to start RUclips channels is to get the information out there... even the playing field a bit 💪
Great video! Definitely can relate about trying so hard to find valid and reliable information from people - especially if there’s no one in your immediate circle in medicine. I definitely feel more calm after watching your video!
Thanks Aisha :D I'm glad to hear that the video helped. Best of luck with everything 💪
What's worst is that medical schools are strongly preferring, or in many cases REQUIRING, committee letters from these exact premed advisors.
Maybe in the US not so much in Canada. Mostly because we don’t really have reference letters (more like reference forms). Premed advisors hold very little weight in the reference game in Canada
That's very unfortunate 😪 here in Ontario we're required to have 1 academic reference (like a professor) one non academic (charity organizer, manager, etc.) and then one of your choosing. I hope they don't change that any time soon
Thanks for this I am also someone who's aspiring to do medicine first in my family as well I'm yet to complete my schooling but yeah have tons of queries !!
No worries buddy! Don't hesitate to reach out if you've ever got a specific question 🔥
Best of luck💪
This was such a helpful video!! Thank you
No problem Brenda :D Glad to hear that 4th year is going well 🙌 a good MCAT does wonders for helping a lower than average GPA and don't forget that there are schools that will not look at your first few years.
Btw I saw your instagram message, I'll get around to my DMs on the weekend,
Best :D
thanks for the advice! one thing i worry about in the research aspect is schools like western and uoft for example have certain competencies/clusters they want u to embody based on ur ecs and both schools have one of these as some sort of scholarly activity (e.g. awards, publications conferences, etc.) for those of us w/o research and such what can we use to show for something like this?
Academic awards are a good substitute for the CANMEDs "scholar role". I won the MRSA award with the UHN and it would have filled the same role as research. Academic competitions like science competitions are also good examples!
Gotta like the video before even watching ❤️
❤️
Super helpful and encouraging! Thank you :)
No problem Esi :D Good luck!
So I want to choose the med route but I wanted you to ask your class mates or an advisor if you could.
I wanted to know if you’re starting this journey and instead of taking all these bio, chem, physics, etc etc in person you decided to do them ALL online. But say you do really well. 1. I’m not sure if that impacts your GPA? 2. I wanted to know if this is a common route student take or they are advised to go in person? 3. I wanted to do Gemms at George Town but say I do get in, would then getting into a med school be more difficult if I took these classes online? What is the general play here?
2:27 lol the best part of the video and have gotten this advice so many times!!! I am abt to apply in June 2021 and if I had listened to that advice I would have never made it!!!
Sometimes I think about where I'd be right now if I'd have listened to the person who told me that for the first time 😒
Best of luck with the application cycle! Congrats on making it this far :D
amazing as always, would you please make a video about MD/PhD programs as well?
Great idea dude :D I'll add it to the list
Your videos give me so much hope TY!
No problem Gresha! Keep working hard and good luck :D
Med school process is soulcrushing..i have a passion for psychiatry..years of volunteering, psych classes with A's, even memorized the DSM, ICD, PDR and other clinical manuals bc I ENJOYED, understood, and was passionate about helping clients unlike the many physicians who dgaf..the thing is..i'm terrible at the basic sciences..pre-med, years of organic chem etc when usually all you need is (obviously some traditional sciences) 2 chairs and a desk.. (A decade of hard sciences for a specialty thats mostly abstract is a crime to those who actually have practical and genuine care/ potential). I dont believe in the MCAT Anyone feel this way or know a way around this?
Many MDs I've met admit to not knowing what theyre talking about, dont care and want you out ASAP and throw their monthly research magazines in the trash like change is anti-science.
thank you so much for making these videos, they're honestly so helpful and you're really good at explaining in a way that's easy to understand! 💖 I was wondering if you could maybe help me understand how my medical school application would be affected by the fact that I'm a co-op student? (i.e. taking fall courses, winter co-op, and then spring courses, bc i know that some school only consider fall + winter to count towards an academic year) 😢
I'm glad to hear that Mithra :D Co-op definitely makes things difficult in terms of the schools that do not consider summer courses. Here's a section from U of T's website:applymd.utoronto.ca/news/everything-you-need-know-about-wgpa
To the best of my knowledge, the medical schools make exception to the "no summer school courses" rule if you're in co-op. You'd have to check with each school individually though. Hope that helps :)
@@nxtgenmd thanks so much for your reply! I got worried when I saw that a lot of schools don't count years where u only had 1 term of classes for GPA/ grade calculations and that often happens w co-op terms! 🥲
the 7 dislikes are angry pre-med advisors hahah
🙌
How does residency in Canada compare to USA? Are surgical residents pulling 80-100 work weeks in Canada or are there more restrictions on hours worked per week?
There's a lot of similarities and differences as well, particularly with the lengths of programs :) Family medicine is a 2 year residency in Canada for example, but lasts 3 years in the US.
Surgery and Internal medicine are the really rough residencies by stereotype for us. We're supposedly "capped" at a certain number of hours but many of my friends in residency still end up working 80+ hours some weeks (or at least that's what I've been told). There are many factors that contribute to that, like which hospital you're at primarily.
I'm waiting to hear back this month to see if I got any interviews and this definitely helped ease some of my anxiety - thanks for that! :D
Glad to hear that Netri :D best of luck with it! I'll keep my fingers crossed 🔥
Same I’m so nervous
@@MassimoMD Good luck to you!
I will be lucky to graduate college with a 3.5 so please keep me in your prayers because I'm going to need it. I need help
Live your life and stop judging your self worth on a number
Good luck Molly! Try not to beat yourself up too much, there are always ways to improve your application if you need to afterwards :)
Best!
I wanted to do bsc because that’s something i likes. So studying bsc i cant get into med school?
Not at all* :D
The myth is that studying BSc is not good because it's too cookie cutter. I disagree heavily with this. Study what you like and what you will do well in but also sets you up for the MCAT!
Amazing video 👏 i wanted to take the mcat in the summer of my 2nd year going to 3rd but I feel like I’m not ready for it. On the other hand I ask myself what if I’m just being lazy😅 lol, really confusing myself.
Fellow Persian premed in the house ✌️
LOL you're not being lazy bro. Taking it in the summer after 2nd year is possible and nice because you have leeway if you mess up. On the other hand though, my personal philosophy is that you're better to take the extra year to prepare and develop as a student and then crush it in your first go, rather than planning to fail 💪🔥
you're gonna crush it eventually 🤙
So my major is in data science with a concentration in genomics and bioinformatics, do you think this is to “cookie cutter” ? I genuinely liked the description of this major and is why I chose it but now I’m kind of thinking about it :(
No :) the point I was trying to make is to not shy away from programs because they are "too cookie cutter."
Get a great GPA, kill the MCAT, load up on ECs and references and you'll be totally fine with your major 🔥
Great video 👍🏻
Thank you man 🔥
Great vid!
Thanks buddy :D
OMG this was a great video! I definitely have heard this awful advice before jeje
Thanks Melisa :D Unfortunately I think we all have 🥲
Great video. SO many have never stepped into the med school... #SimTribe
Thanks my friend :D Unfortunately that's exactly the problem sometimes...
You’re great❤️
Thanks Elisa :D
This must mean I get a lot of bad advice from Reddit... Guess Reddit isn't a very good source. But you definitely are!
Premed Reddit is only good for memes... you can quote me on that 😂 Thanks buddy!
Please turn down that music
Can't change it once it goes up on RUclips 🥲 I'll keep it in mind for the next one!
I’m sad smh :/
🙁
I had no idea Canadian med schools were so much more selective!
They have such high GPA cut offs! I think recently, University of Ottawa lowered their cut off. It used to be a 3.8/4.0 but now is a 3.5/4.0 I believe.
I hear that a lot actually! I've had students tell me that the word on the street is that Canadian md schools are easier to get into... I don't know where that all started from either 😅
Ottawa's cutoff is 3.5/4 but they haven't accepted anyone in the English stream with less than a 3.87 for years according to what I've heard from friends! (not too sure about special applicant pools though).
No MCAT required = crazy GPAs! 🥲
Diversity will change that. Students who are minorities who wouldn't make the cut are going to be now accepted because their ethnicity. That doesn't seen right if the competition is so fierce, take the best students and don't look at skin color or ethnicity
Hello. This video is instructional! I have been trying to search for a video similar to yours that really explains the topics in this video.Your lesson for sure is like the content from Dr. Ethan. Ethan's explanations are actually informative and I learned a lot for school! He is the most knowledgable health enthusiast in Nottingham and he explains conditions.
I recommend you see his channel out and give the health enthusiast a subscribe over here! 👉 #MedicalStudentEthan
I'm Single 😍😥
nobody asked you