I’m graduating this year with a biology degree and I’m trying to figure out the best way to improve my GPA specifically for Canadian medical schools.
Right now my GPA is around a 3.2. I had a really strong first year and my last year has also been strong, but my middle two years honestly hurt my GPA a lot due to some personal circumstances. Because of that, I got accepted into Open Studies at the same university and I’m planning to do an extra upgrading year.
My original plan was to retake some of the classes I did poorly in, but I recently found out that some Canadian med schools average the original grade and the retaken grade instead of fully replacing it. That made me wonder if it would be smarter to just take entirely new courses and focus on getting straight A’s instead.
For people who have gone through GPA repair/upgrading in Canada:
- Would you recommend retaking old classes or taking new courses?
- How much can one really strong extra year realistically help for Canadian med schools?
- Do Canadian schools look positively at strong upward trends?
- What else can I do over this next year to genuinely improve my chances?
For context, I’m also planning to write the MCAT near the end of the summer/start of fall. I already have some volunteering and healthcare experience, but I know my GPA is definitely my weak point right now.
I know a 3.2 isn’t ideal for Canadian med schools, but I’m hoping my strong first year, strong last year, and upward trend still give me some chance. I’d really appreciate honest advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation or successfully improved their application.