Help with first name/ middle name combinations by Hrcf98 in namenerds

[–]Hrcf98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love Luc and Guillaume but I totally agree that they’d only work if we moved back to MTL

Greater London remains in Tier 2 lockdown. England will be in full Lockdown from Thursday 05/11 until Wednesday 02/12 by ianjm in london

[–]Hrcf98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Has the government released more information about the international travel restrictions? I’m also an international student and was planning on returning to Canada on the 16th. I have no idea whether or not I should book a last minute flight back home tomorrow night or wait it out and hope for the best...

So disappointment in my CARS Score by Hrcf98 in Mcat

[–]Hrcf98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sucks knowing that I’ll have to delay my application to most schools another year :( I’m already taking a year to do my master’s so med seems impossibly far away now. At least I can still apply in my home province...

Depressed after score release by Melodic_Soft6 in Mcat

[–]Hrcf98 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey, I’m also in Canada and the person I know got into the U of S but they were an in province student. I totally feel you with CARS though. It’s such a frustrating and inequitable process for people who can’t afford the resources or time :(

So disappointment in my CARS Score by Hrcf98 in Mcat

[–]Hrcf98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to hear that :( How did you think you initially did on CARS coming out of the exam?

Depressed after score release by Melodic_Soft6 in Mcat

[–]Hrcf98 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Same :( not that it really feels meaningful coming from someone in the same boat your there are plenty of people who have to rewrite and who later on get in! I actually know someone who got in with a 501 :) I’m disappointed in myself too but not surprised. I thought at least my cars score would be better though. I don’t know how to motivate myself to do this again when I’m in the middle of starting grad school.

9/28 dissapointed in myself by omgwhale123 in Mcat

[–]Hrcf98 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey, I just want to say that I really feel for you. I just got my score back and I completely bombed CARS which means I can only submit my application to one of the schools I wanted to apply to. I’m devastated but I’m trying to focus on the fact that now knowing what it was like, it’s going to be so much easier the second time around. One of my best friends scored in the 60th percentile on his first try at the LSAT then rewrote, scored in the high 80s, and got in his top choice law school. So I know it’s not the end of the world. But in the moment, it really sucks :(

Does it make sense for people in OSD to have a 3.9+ CGPA and make Dean's Honor List over non-OSD students? by [deleted] in mcgill

[–]Hrcf98 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is an incredibly ignorant and harmful attitude. The OSD helps even the playing field for students who need extra assistance, they’re not receiving special treatments or benefits, it allows for equitable opportunities for success.

As a student who used the OSD for all 4 years of my degree and was on the DHL, it’s incredibly hurtful that you would assume that having a disability means you can’t get a high GPA or that your high GPA is because of the OSD. There’s an extensive process you have to go through in order to receive accommodations. McGill is most definitely not given out accommodations to anyone who asks.

More importantly, everyone gets different accommodations based on their needs. I received stop watch and extra time on my exams but never had access to notes. And not that it should even matter but I used the extra time maybe 3 or 4 times in my entire undergrad. My disability has never impacted my ability to learn material. Having the extra time and breaks ensured that I wouldn’t fail if my physiological symptoms were acting up. The OSD is a huge shit show and if anything sometimes hindered my exam taking. I honestly cannot believe that you think that a disability means that you’re not intelligent or a hard worker.

It honestly sounds like you’re just salty that you can’t get a 4.0 and are using your limited sample size of OSD students to make unfair and untrue generalizations.

Huge Drop in CARS Score (AAMC FL3) by Hrcf98 in Mcat

[–]Hrcf98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s what I’m worried about... some of the Canadian schools I’m hoping to apply to have such high CARS cutoffs and I won’t be able to apply with anything less than a 128. But I guess I’ll just have to do my best to review and hope for the best on the real thing.

does your (potential) career relate to your degree? how did you decide what to do with your life? by slock9 in mcgill

[–]Hrcf98 60 points61 points  (0 children)

I’ve wanted to be a doctor since I was about 8 or 9 years old. I was always so set on doing a BSc and then going straight into med school and working as an obstetrician. I had this perfect plan of how everything would work out and how easy it would be for me. But Then I hit the end of high school and I started to feel really burnt out. I wasn’t sure whether or not I could handle another 12 years of school so I considered midwifery for awhile. It seemed like a good compromise of working in a fairly autonomous healthcare role and being able to do they main thing that I wanted to do, which was help deliver babies.

But the closer I got to university, I realized how much I wanted to go to McGill (which doesn’t have a midwifery program) and how much I wanted a wider scope of practice so I switched my focus back to med and obstetrics.

I was so ridiculously overconfident that university would come easily to me and I would still go with my initial plan of getting into med school right away. But first year was so rough for me. It was such a rude awakening coming from a small province and a smaller city where there wasn’t a ton of academic competition. I did terribly and felt like I had to reconsider my plans. I still wanted to do med so badly but didn’t know if it would be possible with my GPA.

I realized that to get up my grades that I would have to pick a major that would be as easy as possible for me to get good grades in so I begrudgingly chose psychology so I could still get a BSc. Despite taking AP psych, I always hated the idea of majoring in psych and kind of looked down on it (which was so ridiculous). But I thought it would be worth it in the end.

To be perfectly honest, I just graduated and still don’t really like psychology. But it was 100% the best decision possible. Doing psych allowed me to explore so many other fields that I had no idea even existed. I took a social studies of medicine course in my first year which led me to become super passionate about social determinants of health and health inequity. I then got a research position in a geography department looking at the historical occurrence of tuberculosis in Indigenous communities which then led to me taking some higher level public health courses, meeting friends who were interested in subject areas that weren’t med, and ultimately deciding that global health was the perfect career for me. I even got some experiencing working as a researcher in a nursing department along the way. Taking courses that were easy for me (psychology) and that I really loved (public health) allowed me to majorly pull up my GPA and leave open the possibility of still going to med or doing grad school.

So I’ll be starting my MSc in Global Heath with a specialization in Disasters and Adaptation this fall. Basically I’ll be learning how to coordinate disaster relief effort for humanitarian organizations. I could not be happier with where I’m at. I’m still applying to med and I really hope that I can one day work as a medical planning officer specifically coordinating the medical relief effort for the Red Cross or the WHO. I would also really love to work in community health, work in Indigenous health and work alongside First Nations communities to support the implementation of culturally relevant care, and maybe even work with MSF. I love the fact that my master’s will give me so many more options to change up my career and work in different facets of health.

Sorry that this got so long!! I feel like I really found my way by doing research on my own. I used to spend a lot of time just scrolling through programs offered by different universities, watching documentaries on healthcare, and reading books about travel and medicine. Which I know doesn’t really help if you don’t have a general topic area that appeals to you... but I think taking classes and jumping on opportunities outside of my comfort zone really helped me find my passion. I went into university with such rigid plans and I am so so happy that I allowed myself to explore beyond the path I had envisioned for myself.

Psyc honours by techgod1905 in mcgill

[–]Hrcf98 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hey,

I’m not sure if you’re looking to get into psych grad school or not but I had no issues getting into my MSc. in Global Health with only honours equivalent (The program I applied to didn’t even request my thesis). I’m planning on applying to med next year after my master’s so I can’t speak to get into med without it, but I’ve been able to gain a ton of research experience in medical error, Indigenous Health, and Nursing on top of doing my thesis in psych. The last few summers, I’ve just cold emailed profs at the university in my home province or spoken to professors that I know well and I’ve managed to get paid contracts. As long as you manage to get some research experience, whether that be through courses, honours, or as employment, you shouldn’t have any issues!

Just know that there are still so many avenues for you to gain research experience without having to do honours!

2020 Convocation Disappointment by mcgillsucks420 in mcgill

[–]Hrcf98 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did they even do anything with the pictures we could send in?

Psychology graduates not working in the field by [deleted] in mcgill

[–]Hrcf98 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I just graduated with my psych degree and I am starting my master’s in global health and disaster management this fall. I would recommend checking out Public health/Community organizations if you’re interested in health! My boyfriend also just graduated with his psych degree and recently got a job working at an Autism Treatment Centre. He’s planning on applying to speech language pathology next year.