Cegepiens, Eng. & French, who need to choose an undergrad program leading to medicine

[HealthCareRocks]

Entering kiné at udem this upcomming septembre.

I do not know what to expect but I do have alot of physical activity experience and hopefully it will come in handy to get the grades.

 

I wanted physio but got refused because my 32,4 CRU got down to 30,5 which isn't enough to enter physio. ( 84% université and 16% cégep lowering CRU)

 

The admission lady who does both kiné AND physio told me that I will get accepted for sure next year in physio IF i score 4.0/4.3 my first semester in kiné. With the 15 more credits from that semester I will finaly be concidered 100% university student and hopefully get my CRU over 33.

 

Please if anyone who did kinésiology / exercise science has any information or tips to give me ...

mucho appreciado!

 

Thanks in advance!

[future_doc]

has completed his first year of undergrad in this program. And a number of members have been accepted for commencing in the fall. Good luck to all.

[a1b1]

This will most likely be my last "big" post to describe the exercise science program at concordia, as I feel at this point there is not much more that I can say that has not already been said. Also, over the past few months I have spoken with a couple of people on this forum who will be going to concordia in CEP in the fall (2012), and it will be up to them to post their opinions about the program.

 

Overall, first semester will probably be the more difficult of the two. The main reason being is your not used to the volume and your figuring out what to do in order to succeed. A friend of mine told me that this program is considered "an endurance program", in the sense that the material is not hard but you have to keep working. Its the equivalent of running a mental marathon if you will , you have to pace yourself and keep working hard and never give up.

 

Here is a description of my first year in exercise science :

 

I recall my first semester, I would read the teachers notes, read the book, and then make my own notes (which took ~5-6 hours per course - I took 5 courses first semester), then i would re-read my own self made notes to learn the material. This method has proved to be non-efficient. And as a result my grades were not great, they were good, but by no means were they amazing. At the end of the first semester, I went home with a feeling of regret, I felt as if I could of done better in a few instances and could of gotten an A instead of A- in 2 courses.

 

Moral of the story : each semester is about 15 weeks. Make sure to push yourself to your limits during those 15 weeks, and once you have reached your limits, exceed them and push yourself beyond said limits. Do not go home with feelings of woulda, shoulda, coulda. Sure, it may not be a pleasant 15 weeks , you will be tested mentally, physically and emotionally on levels you could not of even imagined, but if your serious about your goals and aspirations, and want them at any price, then it is up to you to give everything you have and more and to make it happen. Make sure to look back at the end of the semester, and be able to say to yourself, I did the best I could. This is exactly what I did in my second semester and I feel it payed off (more on this later).

 

Main flaws with my method in first semester : As i stated before, i would make my own notes from a combination of teachers slides and book readings, plus these notes were hand written. This was a method i would use in cegep, but it proved to be inefficient in undergrad, mainly because you dont have the time to rewrite by hand 30 hours worth of notes.

 

Why was it bad? :

- Time wise, very inefficient (you spend more time re-writing then learning)

- after 30 hours of re-writing notes your hand will hurt alot! lol (no joke)

- If at the end of the lecture there's something you dont understand, go and see the teacher right after and ask him questions! dont be shy to ask questions, in fact they like it when students are interested in the material.

- Re-writing errors, sometimes I would make mistakes when re-writing. Its hard to maintain focus for hours upon hours of re-writing notes when it feels boring and useless, as of such you are more prone to making mistakes, and consequently when you review your notes you will learn the mistakes.

- Re-writing can sometimes make things too specific. I recall for my first exam there were questions were I would go into too much details, and had I just kept it simple and studied the teachers notes I would of gotten the answers right, but instead i over analyzed a couple of things and this ended up being a big flaw.

 

At the end of my semester I realized that this was a poor method and decided to change it. Next semester I decided to learn everything and memorize nothing and more importantly, re-write nothing.

 

In exercise science, all the profs have slides or a course pack which is available to students. The best thing to do is to just study their slides and course pack.

 

What I did in my second semester :

- before each lecture, print the slides and bring them to class

- If the teacher is presenting a specific slide and he/she describes something that will make you understand a concept better, write it down.

- Go home, review the slides for each course at least once a week (~30 min per course)

- when studying the slides, understand the why and how of everything and dont spend time memorizing. The more you can understand, the less you need to memorize.

- If you still dont understand a concept, read the book, watch online videos or go to the teachers office hours.

- Always build up on new material, recall I said you must re-read the slides at least once a week, when doing so you must also review the previous slides. Lets say im reviewing the slides for chapter 4, before i review chapter 4, I will first review chapter 1-2-3 and make sure I understand them. This way your always building up on new information while increasing your understanding of the previous material (i found this to be extremely helpful in physiology).

- Be organized, many people could do much better had they been a bit more organized. Plan yourself a schedule of what your going to study tonight or the next day or for your entire week. Plan studying for exams 1 week in advance.

- Avoid cramming. Some people in my program will attempt to show off and claim they only study the night before, but in reality they study as much as I do or more! What I do usually is I plan my studying ahead, lets say I have an exam on Thursday, I will start some light reviewing on the weekend prior and then gradually increase my studying hours on the upcoming exams with each day until the exam day.

- Lab exams, practice practice and practice some more. Practice at home, practice at the learning lab, watch youtube videos on taping, anatomy and e.t.c

 

Extra Tips :

 

Study Groups : Im not much of a fan of study groups, once you get more than 1 person to study with it becomes more socializing then anything else. Personally, I always kept to myself and did my own thing and worked alone unless I was obligated to work as a team and It worked out fine. But i know other people have study groups and they claim that its efficient and an important part of doing well. If you can find 1 other person with whom you can get along well and study well with do so, but if you cant, its not the end of the world either.

 

Scheduling : Making a perfect schedule is an integral part of doing well. Plan your schedules in such a way that it works in your favor. Schedule anatomy labs on thursdays so that your tag test is on the last day of the week. Thursday's group always does the best. For the CATA labs try to have them on either wens/thurs/friday's, its good to have them late as well, more time to practice. Physiology and 252 labs, doesn't matter when you do them, there is not much benefit to doing them later.

 

Get to know your teachers : Don't be afraid to ask them questions about lectures, projects, assignments and e.t.c and getting to know them is also very important. As a result, the teachers will realize that your a motivated student who takes studying seriously and is interested in learning.

 

Picking Electives : Pick good electives! Pick an elective that is known for being at the very least a guaranteed A- and more importantly pick an elective that is going to reduce your workload. The last thing you want is an elective that is more work than one of your core courses. Ask students in your class which electives they have taken, what grades they obtained in it and how was the workload/difficulty. There is nothing wrong with getting some inside info. Also, asking upper year students about future core courses can be of great help. Knowing what to expect in advance is a big advantage.

 

Skipping Class : For some lectures, the teacher will basically just read off their slides and the exam questions will be questions on the slides/notes. In such cases, skipping the class to go practice for a lab exam or studying on your own might be a more efficient use of your time. In the last weeks of school when i was stressed on time, i would skip 3-4 lectures a week as I found it more efficient studying on my own at home. Overall, skipping classes and learning by yourself can work very well, but make sure you know what to expect from the teacher on his exams, and make sure you know you will be able to study efficiently at home.

 

Final Exams : You will most likely have 3-4 final exams back to back and they will not be easy! Best way to prepare for this is to study in advance way before. If you plan your schedule 1-2 weeks in advance and plan how much your going to study while increasing your study time for 1 course as the exam for that course approaches you will increase your odds of doing well in that course while having studied a bit for the other ones as well. Unfortunately, luck does also play a big part in this. Sometimes it does not matter how much you studied, if the material you studied does not show up on the exam then good game. The key is to study as much as possible so this way you have more odds of being asked something you know .

 

Overall, I felt as if my second semester was more about learning than it was about memorizing. As you get closer and closer to the end of the semester, you will have more work to do with much less time, so it is up to you to be efficient and use your time well. I remember for my anatomy final I did not have much time to study. I had 1 day to review everything and to learn 2 chapters from scratch. Instead of memorizing 50 pages of notes, I decided to understand the material instead of memorizing and it helped out a lot. The way to do this is to somehow logically link the new material you learn to older material in a way that it makes sense.

 

I hope this information helps you in doing better and in being 1 step closer to your goal.

 

If you ever have any more questions, feel free to send me a PM I will be more than glad to answer

[Robin Hood]

A few thought about Concordia Exercise Science program based on future_doc post:

 

1. It is hard to get A in ES.

 

_I think it is hard to maintain straight As with full load, regardless of ur major; and I highly doubt if ES is much harder than biochemistry, organic chemistry, advance cell & molecular biology. I personally found Mass-Spec, NMR, and Biochemistry 2 quite a challenge.

 

2. It prepares you for Med

 

_Sorry to say but 4 Human Anatomy & Physiology courses in ES are not listed equivalent and could not be used to full fill the biology requirement as one apply to McGill. That's mean, people in ES must take Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry courses outside their core classes.

 

I would say Cell and Molecular Biology is a better option considering the fact that students could get all the subjects listed in the MCAT's topic.

 

ES is not supposed to, since most of us here have done the science prereqs at cegep. Those who don't have cegep science (like OOP HS students who want IP statut) can do the cegep courses at Concordia. ES requires all the cegep science courses required for med, except for cegep Bio 2 and Orgo 1, but these can be completed during the Extended Credit Program (ECP) at Concordia.

[Robin Hood]

As I understand it, in nursing you won't get the prerequisites for med. THere is a member here who was going to do nursing and after investigation, went for Ex. Sc.

 

Speaking from no experience, I understand that biochem is very challenging and As are not so certain. In Ex. Sc., you must work incredibly hard but if you do and even if you were an under achiever in Cegep, you can do extremely well in Ex. Sc. See the thread create by PharmaDream on this Forum.

 

You still have lots of time sand can speak with counsellors and students in the biochem program or who graduated from it. Follow your interests as you are bound to do better.

 

McGill and UdeM Nursing require either a Science or a Nursing DEC. Students who will have to do Year 0 will have to do all the cegep science courses required for medicine.

But Nursing is subjective...

[future_doc]

people in ES must take Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry courses outside their core classes.

 

Absolutely not true.

 

And ES is a great preparation for med, in addition to giving you a Plan B that can lead to many areas in rehabilitation such as, e.g., a Masters leading to professional licencing in P.T. or O.T. (both of which are offered at McGill with a QY (Qualifying Year).

 

Although it is hard to be a straight A student in ES, it is very doable, provided you have an incredible work ethic and work smart for you - and I think it is easier to obtain than the other options such as biochem, organic chem, advanced cell and molecular biology.

 

Extra chem courses are required for U/O med school though. And U/O, like McGill, does not require MCAT.

[Robin Hood]

Hey Guys,

 

Not everybody from Cegep will get into medicine or med-pre at Laval, Sherby, UDEM or McGill.

 

And you need to apply for undergraduate studies and eventiually apply to medicine (or pharmacy or dentistry, etc).

 

You can go to McGill, UDEM, Laval, etc. and take a highly difficult course of studies in some sexy program where high grades will be extremely difficult no matter how much you study, and you won't necessarily be competitive in terms of ranking with your peers in the same program.

 

Some students thrive on looking for prestige in terms of university and course of study, thereby earning bragging rights, but perhaps, little else.

 

The B. Sc. Exercise Science Program @ Concordia is the BEST way to get a shot into medicine or other competitive health related programs! This is fact.

 

Many of you may have done poorly in Cegep. You will now have a second chance to wipe out your low and non-competitive Cegep grades and to transform from an academic ugly duckling into a swan. It has been done and many from the Concordia program have gone into medicine!

 

However, there is a caveat. Although Bs are realtively easy to obtain in this program, As require consistent hard work throughout the program and those who work hard and smart receive them - and there professional dreams come true.

 

Moreover, Concordia has Sepcialization Programs that I urge you to consider to make you even a better candidate.

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The Concordia Exercise Science Program - provided you are prepared for self-sacrifice, capable of discipline, focus, prioritization of your time, can control your stress level, you remain motiviated throughout, demonstrate an extremely hard work ethic and avoid distractions - will make your dreams come through for medicine.

 

AND for those students graduating from high school in other provinces, who come to Montreal for a year without going into full time studies, then go to Cegep and Concordia will likely end up at McGill in medicine as IP in Quebec.

 

Go to the search function and write in "exercise science", click on "Show Posts" and then "Go", you will find the information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADDENDUM:

The Exercise Science Program has now become very, very competitive and is no longer in the hidden backwaters where it remained. My having raised a curtain on the program here could have been a contributing factor to the increased popularity. In the circumstances, the academic strength of the applicant pool will determine the academic requirements that will fluctuate accordingly.

 

To add to what f_d is saying about hard programs: I went into a hard program (math) (I didn't have the CRC for ES). Turns out Math at University has nothing to do with the cegep courses. Calculus and Linear Algebre were doable, but other courses (like Discrete Math and Intro Statistics) were super hard. The class averages are ugly (maybe except LA, because it's easy). I was told here averages are C+, that half quit, and that a lot are put on probation. My advisor has seen people who are in Math and who had good mark in cegep math, yes still have a lof of difficulty with it, and on the top of that, Math is considered a strong program, people who get in are usually strong in cegep, but if you're not intrisingly good at it, you can't be above your peers. All of this to say that, yes, there are some programs that are unfairly difficult, and don't think that you will easily be able to do better than the rest with your hard work, especially that the programs f_d referred to and Math are mostly consisted of strong students, and the students have an interest in getting good grades (Math has COOP programs for Actuarial Sciences and Statistics students which require a GPA of 3.5) and because strong students usually like to keep with strong grades.

[future_doc]

Anybody entering this programin in the fall?

[vx777]

f_d:"The B. Sc. Exercise Science Program @ Concordia is the BEST way to get a shot into medicine or other competitive health related programs! This is fact."

 

Come on, seriously? What kind of data do you have to take this as fact?

No offense, this is your opinion, it is not fact.

[future_doc]

f_d:"The B. Sc. Exercise Science Program @ Concordia is the BEST way to get a shot into medicine or other competitive health related programs! This is fact."

 

Come on, seriously? What kind of data do you have to take this as fact?

No offense, this is your opinion, it is not fact.

 

Perception is reality. I consider this to be fact. I have no statistical data if that is what you mean. a1b1 carefully considered his options of other programs, went for this one, has done amazingly well after completing his first year of the program and is on his way toward medicine.

 

Admittedly, only a small portion of med students come from this relatively unknown program. What attracted me to the program, aside from cloning a med student, who went into med from it, was that you get to apply your theoretical knowledge with clients/patients and develop new skills. You reinforce your theoretical knowledge. And the knowledge and skills attained serve you well in med. The other aspect is that provided you work exceedingly hard, attaining As is well withing your grasp, the material is volumnous but not terribly difficult.

 

This program has given second chances to those graduating from Cegep with medicore grades to achieve excellence and go into medicine. Because it has become more popular, the academic requirements will change with the applicant pool and number of applicants.

 

Yes, it is an informed opinion. Happy? Why not ask a1b1 for his objective opinion if you are interested.

[vx777]

No thanks I'm not interested in enrolling in that program.

It's not about me being happy or not.

There are plenty of programs out there available for students who performed poorly to play catch-up at university level.

If you say something like, the program will prepare you well for med school, then it is probably right. But saying the program is the single best most outstanding one with a big, bold, capital-letters BEST can be misleading for some people who are looking for possibilities.

I'm not trying to flame anyone here. I'm just saying that you shouldn't take your personal opinions as fact, that's all, and I think this is reasonable that you do so for people who are looking for tips.

[future_doc]

You did amazingly well @ Brebeuf and are to be congratulated. And as a result, you had many options in undergrad. In particular, those who did poorly are more limited in options. That was my case. A med student led me to this program, assured me I could get in and through developing a strong work ethic (I had no choice) asnd making good decisions along the way, academically speaking I went from an ugly duckling into a swan.

 

To be honest, I am far from being the brightest lightbulb around. I need to work incredibly hard with distractions to achieve top grades. This is precisely what I did once entering this program. It also coincided with my interests. It was really a second chance for me - as Cegep grades do not need to follow you for purposes of application to professional school.

 

It is a perfect program for those looking for a second chance aand for those whose interests coincide with what the program has to offer. As the program has been relatively unknown, I created awareness of its existence and possibilities and several members here have entered the program.

 

Fair enough, I understand completely where you are coming from. And I wish you every success in your endeavours.

[Capucine]

No thanks I'm not interested in enrolling in that program.

It's not about me being happy or not.

There are plenty of programs out there available for students who performed poorly to play catch-up at university level.

If you say something like, the program will prepare you well for med school, then it is probably right. But saying the program is the single best most outstanding one with a big, bold, capital-letters BEST can be misleading for some people who are looking for possibilities.

I'm not trying to flame anyone here. I'm just saying that you shouldn't take your personal opinions as fact, that's all, and I think this is reasonable that you do so for people who are looking for tips.

 

Essaye pas, c'est impossible de présenter le moindre argument contre ce *fantastique programme* et contre la façon dont f_d le montre à TOUT ceux qui se demandent quel programme faire à l'université

[Robin Hood]

Essaye pas, c'est impossible de présenter le moindre argument contre ce *fantastique programme* et contre la façon dont f_d le montre à TOUT ceux qui se demandent quel programme faire à l'université

 

Moi je trouve qu'il est trop important de connaitre un bon programme qui te permet d'aller en medecine, parce qu'il y a des programmes ou tu vas pas avoir des bonnes notes peu importe l'effort que tu mets, comme Maths.

[Capucine]

Moi je trouve qu'il est trop important de connaitre un bon programme qui te permet d'aller en medecine, parce qu'il y a des programmes ou tu vas pas avoir des bonnes notes peu importe l'effort que tu mets, comme Maths.

 

Je connais des gens qui sont entrés en med avec math/actuariat =p

Le problème ce que exercice sciences n'est pas LE seul bon programme et f_d le fait un peu passer comme tel.

[Robin Hood]

Je connais des gens qui sont entrés en med avec math/actuariat =p

Le problème ce que exercice sciences n'est pas LE seul bon programme et f_d le fait un peu passer comme tel.

 

C'est bon si t'a Cote R est plus basse que 27-28.

Pour maths, oui il y a des gens qui ont des bonnes notes, mais il faut avoir un bon talent pour ca.

[Capucine]

C'est bon si t'a Cote R est plus basse que 27-28.

Pour maths, oui il y a des gens qui ont des bonnes notes, mais il faut avoir un bon talent pour ca.

 

Comme dans tout... Il n'y a aucun programme qui va te permettre de rentrer en med si tu n'as pas le moindre talent dans la matière enseignée...

[Robin Hood]

Comme dans tout... Il n'y a aucun programme qui va te permettre de rentrer en med si tu n'as pas le moindre talent dans la matière enseignée...

 

T'as raison, sauf que le talent en maths semble moins frequent que le talent en bio.

En passant, ca me rappel de David Med avec sa Biologie medicale de l'UQTR , mais au moins, sa strategie a ete payante, il aurait pas pu rentrer en med s'il etait alle en genie (son plan d'apres ce qu'il disait.

[future_doc]

Je connais des gens qui sont entrés en med avec math/actuariat =p

Le problème ce que exercice sciences n'est pas LE seul bon programme et f_d le fait un peu passer comme tel.

 

Bien sûr ES n'est pas le seul bon programme. Mais, pour ceux qui ne sont pas des meilleurs étudiants au cégep (comme moi), nous sommes en mesure d'entrer dans le programme de ES et compte tenu de la possibilité d'atteindre les meilleures notes en travaillant dur et en fin de compte, d'être accepté dans l'école de médecine.

 

De nombreux autres programmes ont des exigences plus élevées pour l'entrée et sont beaucoup plus difficiles à atteindre les meilleures notes. Ainsi, ES est une seconde chance, une voie pour atteindre nos rêves. C'est tout.

[future_doc]

Et c'est une préparation exellent pour la médecine.

[aquablue]

Et c'est une préparation exellent pour la médecine.

 

University category wise, there will be some ES people but people should keep in mind that many people do not come from ES. People are from microbiology, immunology, physiology, biomedical studies, pharm, biochem, anatomy and cell biology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, etc. They are ALL good preparation for medical school. MOST importantly, go to a program that you will be interested in or it will be a long 3/4 years! That means going to open houses, asking people in programs you are interested in what the program is. Evaluate your options.

 

Ask any medical student, classes are very diverse and people from all programs are represented. All roads lead to Rome providing you are willing to walk the distance.

[Robin Hood]

University category wise, there will be some ES people but people should keep in mind that many people do not come from ES. People are from microbiology, immunology, physiology, biomedical studies, pharm, biochem, anatomy and cell biology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing, etc. They are ALL good preparation for medical school. MOST importantly, go to a program that you will be interested in or it will be a long 3/4 years! That means going to open houses, asking people in programs you are interested in what the program is. Evaluate your options.

 

Ask any medical student, classes are very diverse and people from all programs are represented. All roads lead to Rome providing you are willing to walk the distance.

 

And that you can take the road, that's important. I used to like math but I saw it would kill my GPA (before starting to lose interest in it).

No one is denying that med classes are diverse, but you have programs where getting good grades or scoring more than your peers is so much hard.

Exemple: math is usually made of strong students, but half of them students leave it according to what I heard here, plus the bad feedback I heard from students, etc.

As for Nursing, I read bad feedback about it here (related to UdeM's program) (I also asked about McGill's program, but got no answer)

There are people who score well in all sorts of programs, but the exception doesn't make the rules.

[Hieu]

Le meilleur programme, et de loin, qui prépare aux études de médecine, autant la préclinique que l'externat, est le MSc en pharmacothérapie avancée option établissement de santé.

[Robin Hood]

Le meilleur programme, et de loin, qui prépare aux études de médecine, autant la préclinique que l'externat, est le MSc en pharmacothérapie avancée option établissement de santé.

 

Sauf que la majorite des gens ici (moi inclut) ne sont pas pharmaciens.

[Hieu]

Sauf que la majorite des gens ici (moi inclut) ne sont pas pharmaciens.

 

C'est une blague

Il y a un autre programme qui est aussi bon que la MSc en pharmacothérapie avancée ... c'est le diplôme complémentaire (soins spécialisés).