GPA and Undergrad

Well here's my first real post...
One real controversial topic is regarding the selection of courses/majors. In my opinion the actual controversy is multi layered. I'll try to split the topics with respect to the layers.

GPA's Importance
First off, GPA is the least subjective, most controllable (at first), and most important aspect of your application. While there are many counter arguments used against this statement, I strongly disagree with those arguments. Volunteer work, character sketches, MCAT, letters of reference, etc. are important, but not every school will look at all of these aspects. Some of these will be used as flags, some as tie breakers, some as a small or major part of the algorithm. You may put all your eggs in one basket regarding your dream school, but the best way to succeed is to increase your chances statistically (see read the section on Do The Math by Matt Might). It is important to keep yourself as competitive as possible. As well, MCAT's can be rewritten (and usually are); volunteer work can be increased after school. It's far more difficult to change a weak GPA than it is to improve on the other aspects (this is an unfortunate reality for me...). A weak GPA can be an unrepairable injury. These things are important to succeed of course but GPA is your number one priority. Also, some people will argue that you need to prepare yourself for medschool by challenging yourself or taking courses that are med related... I've yet to hear a single doctor agree to that statement. Nothing will prepare you for medschool and if you're not competitive enough to get in, you'll never know for yourself.

Bird Courses
Bird courses are another layer to this onion. For those of you who don't know, bird courses are courses that are considered easy. Wait? Are you saying there are courses that are ridiculously easy for everyone? Sounds too good to be true! Because in part, it is. Think about it logically. Everyone is different, including in their individual strengths and weaknesses. It seems illogical that one course would be easier than another for everyone. Also, just because it's easier doesn't mean you will do better. Some of my best marks have been from difficult courses (98.7% in Calculus I was not easy to come by!!). So some would say try to use statistics to your advantage? UBC posts the class distribution of grades for all their courses, sections and teachers. Due to my GPA deficit I researched to try to find all the bird courses I could. Well I noticed a few things here as well. Some courses had really high class averages (consistently looking at the same teacher over multiple years), but the professor would have a really low percentage of higher grades. I saw one teacher have only one A+ in 4 sections of a course that had about 200 students in each and class averages in the high 70's - low 80's. Hmmmmmm... Makes you think doesn't it. In my opinion, a bird course is purely subjective. So my main point:

Know Thy Self
This is where the truth starts to reveal itself. You are the defining point on what is easy and what is not. The courses which will be most interesting to you or easiest for you (not always the same thing, but sometimes there is a relationship) are because of your own individuality. Use this to your advantage! Find the courses that interest you and you can do well with. Find the teachers that teach for your style. Do this, and you have the highest chance of success. 

Stratagize, Then Attack!
There are some universal tips, but I will try to avoid stating some obvious ones (ex: study, time management, etc). Your strategy to how you approach the course is imperative.  Not all courses/professors are equal in their style. Some are subjective; some are objective. Some are problem sets; some are conceptual; some are straight up memorization. Don't waste your time doing practice problems for a memorization course or conceptual course unless you think it's the best way for you to learn the concept or memorize the information. It would be useless to try to memorize all the possible questions that could come up in the Calculus I final. Also, don't waste your study time reading a textbook if your teachers marks are strictly testing you on their PowerPoint presentation or vice versa.
I also highly recommend trying to balance a life. Workout, run, hobbies, girlfriends/wife/boyfriends/husband, whatever... These things will actually help you as long as you don't waste all your time. Social interactions and physical activity stimulates the brain.
There are many more things but simply this is the major extent of my habits. I will sometimes preread, review, and other study techniques, but I think it all comes down to strategy and effort. Find out what works best for you.

While writing this I listened to Fall In Archaea's Gatherings and Mars Volta's Roulette Dares

In The Beginning...

Welcome! As this is my first post I will try to introduce myself and this blog.
My name is Garret. I'm a "premed" in the sense that I'm currently completing my undergrad in hopes that I will be competitive enough to gain acceptance to medical school. I'm usually not a fan of what most people associate a premed as... but that is a different blog for a different time.
I've decided to blog my journey. Mostly for myself,  but also to help other premeds, as other blogs have helped me (prime example: medhopeful).
There are already many blogs like this on the internet, so why should I do this? My path is a little bit different than most. I have statistically the worst chance of reaching my goal than the others. I'm semi "non-traditional." Ironically, I'm not non-traditional in the traditional meaning of the word, but over time it's meaning has shifted away in the premed world.

Six years ago I went to college as a very different person. I was playing music, having fun, enjoying life and mostly not caring about school. In four years, I went in and out of school, dropping courses, failing courses, and really not doing well. I ended up with about three semesters worth of credits averaging around a C. It wasn't that I couldn't do it; I was repeatedly called the smart underachiever, even by those who didn't like me. I had disappointed many in my high school years and was disappointing many more in my college years. I didn't care though; I was having fun. Music was going well. I was touring and had many great experiences and opportunities. To this day, I still don't regret what I did outside of school, just inside.
Long story shortened: I fell in love, got married and decided to go start school from scratch (no such thing as starting over, especially without the UBC 10 year rule, but again another blog). So, now you're probably thinking I'm old... well I'm almost 25. Which in the premed world is too old to be considered normal but too young to be considered old.
I'm glad to say in my first two semesters back I've gained 4 A+'s, 3 A's and 3 A-'s.
That's me in a nutshell.

I will give advice, opinions and reviews on here but for the most part it will be a story. I hope to eventually include MCAT writing sample practices and (if I'm privileged) MMI responses. I hope that one day I can look back at these with a sense of achievement. Worst case scenerio: others can learn from me and succeed where I fail. If you could get one moral from my first post: don't go to school unless you plan on trying.

Well other than that... I'm currently listening to A Textbook Tragedy's Dude, I'm on Allese