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Undergrad: Queen's vs Western


DreamDoc

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I am a highschool student planning to study science in university. I narrowed down the universities I would like to attend Queen's or Western. I just wanted some opinions on these schools from people who attended one of them. The Biomedical science program attracts me to Western and the name/reputation attracts me to Queen's. I am planning to apply to medical school in the states and was wondering if it would make a difference to which univeristy I attended. Thanks.

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makes no difference. don't go based on name/reputation. i know somebody from UPEI (not as well known as queens or western) that interviewed in the states.

 

pick the program that YOU like the best because you'll get better grades when you're learning something you actually enjoy.

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As the above posted... chose the one that fits you best (location is a biggy...)

 

I've spent my fair share of time at Western and would recommend it highly. The campus is gorgeous, and they keep pouring money into new facilities.

 

But generally when you ask a question like this the only answers favoring one over another will be a product of allegiance and pride. Among the bigger schools in Canada you have a nearly equal opportunity to accomplish what you're aiming for at any one of them (with the odd specific exception).

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Well, definitely pick the program you want over name / reputation, especially given that both schools have a good name. The main difference between Queen's Life Sci and Western Biomed is that Western has narrow specializations and Queen's is more general, though that's been changing lately. In terms of culture, my impression is that Western has somewhat more of the fashion / partying / sorority type of thing (could be good or bad depending on what you want), and it's bigger than Queen's, so it has somewhat more clubs and courses but a bit less of a community feel. They're really pretty similar though - good luck choosing!

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I disagree with the above posters, save your time and application money and just choose Western because everyone knows its the best university in Canada. Anyone who says it isn't is lying and is jealous.

 

PS: Look in this year's viewbook, the book you get that gives an overview about the school, I'm sure that one of the students featured in there is quite cool ... hint hint :-)!

 

But seriously, talk to students at both, visit each, and most importantly, check out the courses you will be taking and see if they interest you (very important!! read all the descriptions... I ended up dropping my major in 3rd year because i didn't check out the courses I'd be taking in 3rd year which sounded incredibly boring to me)

 

And then choose Western.

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Err.. I was totally confused about which University to choose earlier this year, but I ended up choosing Western and it was probably the best decision of my life. Note that I have only been here a month but have talked to a LOT of people here and done extensive research by myself. The professors are awesome, thoroughly go through the material, take all questions, and make sure every student is on the same page. I am in Health sci but share a lot of science courses with people in Biomed and they seem to be loving it. Overall, Western has a great sense of community, and random fun/ educational/ social events are frequent and EVERYONE has fun. Why I am stressing this is that plenty of my close friends went to various universities and they all seem to mention the difficulty of the material and the absence of fun (after frosh week :P). My basis for choice was the great balance it strikes between studying and having fun, you will learn a ****load over the weekdays, and party like no tomorrow over the weekends, its a thrillride! :D

 

So yeah, I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Western, however I will also state that US med schools won't care if you went to western or Queens so make your choice on basis of which you like more.

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I would recommend my alma mater Western. I had a great time there. Western parties hard and works hard and has an awesome atmosphere for one just starting university. Also the educational and research experiences I had while there definitely helped me get into med school. ;)

 

Just remember in the end it really is simply a choice of personal preference.

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Wow guys thanks a lot! Every single website I go to I always get the same answer :WESTERN ROCKS! So I am really happy to hear opinions from people specifically going into medical school. I agree with the reputation thing now that the date for applying to universities is getting closer. The only reason I mentioned it was because most of my friends are going to UofT because it's the "best" in Canada and has a good reputation. So I thought maybe it is important.

 

I have a question for the people who have attended or attending Western, I am not a party type of person and I have heard that Western is known as the "party" school and was wondering if it would affect my school work.

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Yeah Queen's was awesome. But I'm into tradition and rich history. I spent all my undergrad summers in Kingston and it was awesome. Definitely a beautiful city. There's also a fantastic engineering program at Queen's which I really enjoyed.

 

Every school "works hard and parties hard" so I wouldn't really use that as a selection factor. Remember, people came FROM Western to help us light that car on fire during homecoming 2005(?).

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At Western the motto is Work Hard, Play Hard. GO TO WESTERN...you won`t regret it. It opens up thousands of opportunities for you. come visit. In terms of being not much of a party person, I am not a party person either... but I have realized that you are always in charge. do what you want, hang out with people that are similar to you. seriously Western`s ``party school`` rep is overrated. At every university, it is up to the student to make what they want of their time at university. Western has the ``Best Student Experience``, whatever that may be. If a good experience constitutes getting a good education and resources to help you get high grades, then that will be what you are afforded. If you like to party, you can get some of that. COME TO WESTERN.

 

I don`t mean to bash but Kingston is a dump, along with Queen`s, unless you like really dead towns with many prisons and halfway houses. Kingston used to be pretty cool...probably 100 years ago. London is up and coming, it has a deep, rich history but the city looks pretty new and recent. It is full of construction, condos popping up everywhere. UWO pumps millions upon millions of dollars into facilities. There is a new massive campus rec centre coming in January, new Research centre being built, renovations and extenstions to the University Community Centre etc. It is a vibrant city, one that will be very hospitable to you, should you choose to come here. Everybody here, even in the city, loves Western. The research opportunities are great, extra cirriculars are great, everything here is great. pm me for more info if you need it. Western is where it is at.

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I don`t mean to bash but Kingston is a dump, along with Queen`s, unless you like really dead towns with many prisons and halfway houses.

 

Wow this couldn't be further from the truth. But OP, if you believe Queen's is a dump because an anonymous poster online said so I guess you should go to Western! I spent all of my summers in Kingston and it is a really beautiful city. The surrounding area is fantastic too, a lot of cheap golf, fishing, sailing, scuba diving (the thousand islands area is a popular destination internationally for this), etc. You have no idea what a dead town is until you've come State-side.

 

Btw, I was implying that Queen's has a deep and rich history. Similar to what you'd get at U of T, McGill, etc. but they've tried very hard to preserve it. Kingston's history (which is fantastic) is just a bonus. I guess people who go there are more laid back too (and don't feel the need to bash other schools on online forums).

 

For some objective advice, the new $252million Queen's centre (lol which is like $60m over budget) isn't scheduled to be done until (...I'm not really sure. I think the first stage is supposed to be completed this year?). If you like shiny buildings it might not be the best place to go quite yet. Why not U of T? That's definitely a different feel from Queen's or Western. As I mentioned, the motto at every school is "work hard, party hard" (that's pretty much the motto for University in general), but it might be more "party" than "work" at Queen's and Western. Another up and coming school is Waterloo. They've already managed to steal a Pharm school out of U of T, and they're probably working on scoring a Med school from Mac at the moment.

 

One thing I've found personally is that research opportunities are easier to come by at Queen's. Because of the smaller classes, the profs know you better (I can really only speak for my engineering experience though) and it is easier to find research work. I guess they're also desperate in my field though since everyone is going out and making $15-20k during their summer jobs.

 

Lol why did I write such a long post? Argh, embryo, histo and anatomy!

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I won't lie, I'm from Toronto and find LONDON to be a dump!! I've been living in London here for my 4th year now and well........ it sucks. Campus is great but off campus isn't that fantastic. There's really not much to do, yes I know all you other Westerners will argue with me, but compared to Toronto events, London's SunFest, The Western Fair and events like that seem kind of a joke. The restaurant scene isn't spectacular, the JLC has only some decent acts and the clubs are tiny and not very unique or interesting. I've even stayed here during the summer, and it was the worst summer of my life. I COULD go to Barney's or Oscars' for a cramped patio space but there's nothing amazing like Taste of the Danforth or anything like that. After a few years here, you grow accustomed to the lack of culture.

 

PS: about the construction going on in London... also a joke. And the reno to the UCC?? That building is SUCH a dump, it's utterly disorganized and really spaced out awkwardly. I think its one of the worst buildings on campus.

 

PPS: about the not partying thing... I'm not much of a partier either. That said, you will HATE residence unless you get a quiet/decent human being floor because my obnoxious res mates all were trying WAY too hard to show that they were cool and partied and puked in the halls pretty much every day, no joke and I hated it. Off campus is better but make sure you room with people with the same disposition as you. And try for a detached house and not a duplex or some sort of tiny apartment building with no noise laws or else you'll be really frustrated if you get a partying duplex mate or people beside your unit partying all the time when the super doesn't care.

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Let me apologize I didn’t mean to say that Queen`s is a dump. The campus is not bad. The town...well i meant what I said. Even London which is also pretty bad compared to Toronto (duh), has more action in it than Kingston. This is irrefutable. Also I must say that my floor was pretty quiet and I had a good roommate. This was my luck and was something that probably helped me. I definitely am biased, but I would urge anyone who is about to choose where to go for uni to visit western. Even if in the end you do choose queens.

 

Sorry to those i may have offended, but I love WESTERN.

 

PS: REZ life sucks. stay off campus for 2nd year!

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Bah, southwestern Ontario is boring

 

I love the east coast don't get me wrong, but give Ontario some credit!

 

SW Ontario has miles of sand beaches (Sauble, The Bend) and breath-taking sunsets in summer, beautiful colours in fall, a real winter with lots of snow to play in, and endless hiking trails in the spring...food fresh from the farm gate...proximity to Toronto and Detroit without actually having to *live* in Toronto and Detroit...The only thing SW Ontario lacks is bona fide mountains (Collingwood doesn't count) and a decent European-style rail system. It's a little flat, I'll grant you that. Oh, and it's not so great if you don't like humidity... But otherwise, it's just about perfect. For me, anyway. ymmv, etc.

 

pb

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Guest LookingForward
Bah, southwestern Ontario is boring, and Kingston, while pleasant, isn't a very vital city. Halifax >>> Kingston & London.

 

Exactly. I've been there, done that.

 

Why not U of T ?

 

I'd rather be at U of T than anywhere else to be honest... but too far.

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I'd take living in TO over London any day.... Not sure why you're selling proximity to *Detroit* as a good thing, though. :P

 

There are lots of good things about Detroit (concerts, professional sports, international airport). However I agree, there are a lot of really, really bad things about Detroit. What's the saying? Nice place to visit...

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