u/PatternHistorical445

I have been looking at applying to medical school internationally but I am unsure about the financial aspect of it all. My GPA (3.8) may be a bit low here, so I think I have better chances elsewhere.

If I do get accepted into any of these places, it is not a priority of mine to match back to Canada. If I do decide to return to Canada, I would likely choose FM, which is easier to match back with.

I can pay $300,000 out of pocket for tuition and expenses, which is all my savings, really. With that, if you were me, would you choose to study abroad if you could not get into medical school in Canada? Considering it can be 400-500k in total (is it more?), what are my options to cover the rest of the money? Is getting some OSAP possible?

I'd love to hear about the experiences of anyone who studied in these places, or if you studied somewhere else in Europe.

I want to apply to med school in Ontario, but I will be around 28 years old if I get accepted in the 1st round. However, my one concern is my 3.8 undergrad GPA (this will be my GPA for all schools that I plan on applying to). Otherwise, I'm confident in my resume and the rest.

Here are my two questions:

- Is 28 years old a bit too... old? Or, let's say I don't get in till 3rd or 4th try (if I do get in), is 30 or 31 or 32 an odd age to start med school? I know this seems like a dumb question to ask, but I'm comparing myself to students who enrol right after their undergrad. Or does it really make no difference?

- Be 100% honest with me. Should I even apply with this GPA? I already know UofT is not an option because of the internal cutoff. And so (other than TMU and York, which don't need MCATs), I can only really apply to McMaster, Western, and Queen's. Do I even have a chance at any of these 3 schools with this GPA? I am afraid to invest in all these fees (MCAT, books, CASPER, applications, etc.) if I truly have a very, very low chance.

Thank you!