There is not much to say about GPA except for the fact that it is the single most important and fundamental aspect of your entire application. I say this mainly for two reasons. Firstly, aside from the obvious fact that GPA quantitatively counts to a significant portion of your application, a good GPA gives you OPTIONS. It is the FIRST thing that schools look at, and often schools have high GPA requirements for out-of-province students. Therefore, stellar grades can drastically increase your chances of admission by allowing you to apply broadly. Coming from undergrad at UBC, this was especially true since I was not a successful applicant at my home school. However, my GPA opened the door to interview opportunities all across Canada and the U.S, including a top 3 American school. Ultimately, I was accepted at 5 or so different schools, and I truly believed that my GPA provided me with a chance for a shot at each of these institutions. Had I not worked so hard in undergrad to earn say an extra 0.1 on my GPA, I doubt that I would have been even remotely as successful. I've known too many applicants who could only apply to their own schools due to their grades. In most of their cases, the application process was stressful and nerve-racking because their future depended on a single admission (or rejection) letter. Applicants in Ontario may be more fortunate as there are six schools in the provnice (although a couple schools have no in-province preference), but some of my buddies here at BC weren't so lucky. With all this said, I'm not saying GPA alone will get you interviews or admissions, but working hard to get a good GPA will keep doors open at numerous schools.

The second reason why GPA is crucial is that it's PERMANENT. Of all application criteria, this is the one area that you can't change. Volunteering, you can always do more. MCAT, you can always retake. Interview, well you can always improve your interview skills. If you have the mindset of "if I don't get in, I will try again", all is good as far as EC, MCAT, interview go because you can always improve yourself, but a bad GPA will be a permanent stain on your application. So what type of GPA should you aim for? Go to "school profile" to check out the GPA requirements and the average GPA of accepted. Keep in mind that accepted OOP have higher grades. You could also use *Josh's med tool* to assess your chances at different schools with a given GPA and MCAT. I refrain from giving studying advice as I question its usefullness since different people have drastically different studying styles. All I can say is - crack open those books and start studying! Save the partying for med school, because that's where its at :)