Hello,

I have a long term goal of attending a Canadian med school, becoming a radiologist. However, the question becomes the path I am to take through undergrad.

I am a grade 12 student from Alberta, and I have recently been accepted to both Thompson Rivers University for a BSc., and McGill University for Kinesiology, which was my second choice (I'm still waiting on the status of my BSc. application there). I would play baseball at both schools, but McGill would allow me more time for studies as the baseball is less intensive.

I'm wondering what you guys think is the best path for me to take to get a med school acceptance, and why. I know that I will have to fill some of my electives with harder courses at McGill in order to meet the pre requisites, so that is to be taken into account as well in figuring out a "plan B".

So, with all that said, what would you recommend and why? (I have to convince my parents of my choice, which will take some through investigation)

Thanks in advance,

Nolan

To put it shortly, there is no right way.
No matter what anyone says, everyone is fair game (if they've got the grades) when it comes to medical schools. Medical schools look for more than robots with 4.0's and 45T's. They're looking for people who will be able to make a difference in this world, and be put in responsible of other people's lives.

Medical school is what will prepare you for that responsibility, a BSc is mainly to provide you with:
4 years to learn how to learn, and study.
Good study notes for your MCAT.

Everyone's pathway will be slightly different, but if you want to know my path (which has been in the making for several years now). There is obviously no gaurentee I'll make it into med school, haha, but this is what I'm going to do :D

1. Attend Mac, studying Life Sciences, in their unspecialized major. Instead of majoring in like bio for example, I would major in life science and I would be studying all the life sciences generally, studying how they're interconnected, and their impact on human life.
2. In third year, start writing my sketch, getting LOR's, and looking into taking an MCAT prep course. Might also get a CPR license.
3. Write the MCAT, and apply to Queen's, DeGroote (<3), and Ottawa.
4. A)If I get an interview: go to it, and hope for the best.
B)If I dont't get an interview, apply for an MSc program at Mac (my signature is the one I'm looking into)
5. A) If I get accepted, then my life is pretty much on hold for 3-4 years but I'll be fulfilling my dreams :)
B) After MSc, retest, and reapply. If I don't get an interview, I'll start looking into other health professions as well.
6. Try a third time, if necessary, because the third times the charm!

And that's as far as I've gotten.... Just thought I'd share!

I'm posting in order to make a statement: a lot of things change, and no plans are perfect. To put it shortly, haha. Since I posted my previous post, I have cancelled my offer to Life Science, and accepted my offer to McMaster Kinesiology.

Reasoning: I came to the conclusion that there are very few Medical School admissions made each year, in all of Canada. I am definitely not giving up on my goal; however, changing my approach.

After speaking with my doctor the other day, he gave me some very wise advice.

"If you want to go into Medicine, it is not easy, but it is very possible to achieve with hard work and determination." He then went on to tell me all of his friends and relatives that were pre-med, and ended up in a different profession. He then said, "You have to have a reliable back-up plan." So, I did my research and I stumbled across Kinesiology. Kinesiology at Mac is very science oriented, and provides students with the information and hands-on studies to practice as Kinesiologists after University. Essentially, I could obtain a job right after my undergraduate degree. I still plan on following that timeline I posted, but now I have a much larger safety net. Not to mention, Kinesiology at Mac is a much smaller program than Life Science and the courses are only open to Kinesiology students (most of them at least). I also get four electives each year, so I could end up minoring in Biology, OR take as many "MCAT Prep Courses" as possible.

Just thought I would share!

As a radiology resident, it makes me happy to see a budding young radiologist in the making... good luck Nolan!