mood123 Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Hey, so this is my first post on this forum and its basically a few simple questions... 1. do you think McMaster Life Sci is a good alternative to Health Sci?? 2. How does it fair against western's medical science? 3. Is a high GPA attainable? 4. Has anyone gone to medical school through mac's life sci? Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughboy Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Somebody pass the popcorn, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fakedoctor Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 No one has ever gotten into med school from mac life sci. When the interviewers see that you took life sci at mac its equivalent to saying that you went to clown school for 4 years or even worse Queens! All joking aside.... 1. I can personally talk about health sci at UWO and wouldn't recommend it if you are set on med school, I would stick with the hard sciences I personally found them easier and more straight forward in terms of grading, but not everyone shares this opinion. 2. UWO med sci and mac life sci are both pretty good programs pick the school that best suits you. I've liked UWO so far 3. Surely If your smart enough to get into those programs then you should be smart enough to have figured out that it depends how hard and how smart your willing to work and nothing else. In academia every one is equal and it is by definition a meritocracy... So is a a high GPA attainable? Of course study hard and do good on exams it really is that simple to get a high GPA. 4. I think I made my point already. no offence to Queens I'm sure you're all plenty smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mood123 Posted August 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Lool you're a funny guy, but people say that uwo med sci is the next best thing after mac health sci... So I'm stumped!! Second best pre med program or life sci??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicardoKaká Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Queen's FTW, besides we have a better campus than McMaster anyways... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickynote Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 I'm in 3rd year life sci and am taking 4/10 courses THIS year from the BHSc program, and over my first 2 years I took 2 courses in the BHSc program as well. So if you're set on BHSc, then life sci is your best bet! It's a fantastic program and let's be honest: out of all the other schools listed here (UWO, Queens) McMaster is the only one in the top 100 universities in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mood123 Posted August 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 I know that, that's one of the main reasons why my parents want me to go there; but I heard it's hard to get a good GPA there as averages are often purposely brought down?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickynote Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 At the end of the day, your average at any institution is governed by your effort and drive to put in the work. Now do Mac Health Scis have things easier than most (grade inflation)? well yes. But you aren't going to get a lower GPA in life sci at mac than med sci at western just because it's Mac. Both programs have the same calibre students entering 89-90+ averages so it's really up to you. I personally chose Mac because I really didnt like the Western campus or community. Life sci lets your specialize in a million different things and really you should just make your decision based on how much you like the campus, the community, and if the academic and research institutes/centres at that institution maybe interest you. I liked Mac because it is huge in Immunology and infectious disease research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mood123 Posted August 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Thanks @stickynote, I really wanna do life sci but I heard uwo med sci has grade inflation too (like health sci). I honestly wanna go where it'll be easier. I mean I'll still work hard but if my efforts are not being recognized then that won't be fair! Do u feel life sci is fair? And not favouring the health sci counterpart?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickynote Posted August 17, 2016 Report Share Posted August 17, 2016 Thanks @stickynote, I really wanna do life sci but I heard uwo med sci has grade inflation too (like health sci). I honestly wanna go where it'll be easier. I mean I'll still work hard but if my efforts are not being recognized then that won't be fair! Do u feel life sci is fair? And not favouring the health sci counterpart?? well I mean health sci is extreme, but I think life sci is very fair and reasonable to those who put in the work. Don't pick a school because one allegedly grade inflates more than the other, just pick based on the school and program. Like I know med sci has different specializations than life sci. Also Life sci you get to specialize after 1st year, whereas med sci it's after 2nd year. All these are important things to consider. Pick the program that offers the courses and specializations that catch your eye is what I'd say. And again, life sci is fair if you put in the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 8th Hokage Posted August 18, 2016 Report Share Posted August 18, 2016 I'm going into my 3rd year at Med Sci and can confirm to you that Med Sci does not inflate grades. The courses are fair and are built to grant success to those who stay on top of the work and study smart. The general class avg for 1st year med sci courses are in the low to mid 70s. Furthermore, 2nd year is harder than the first year where the class average for courses is in the high 60s and low 70s. The 3rd and 4th years are supposedly significantly easier, where the class avgs are upwards of 80. Overall, I would say that this is reasonable considering that only HS students with 90+ averages are admitted to the program. In the end, Mac Life Sci and Western's Med Sci are of very similar difficulty and so that should not be the factor when you choose the program. In the end, either program will prepare you well for the rigors of Medical School, where research and plenty of opportunities are available at both schools. Lastly, both schools are responsible for a huge number of students admitted into med school, so take that as you will. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mood123 Posted August 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 @UwoMedSci2018 thanks man that's really helpful! But which do u personally recommend? Cause if 3rd and 4th year inflate then it's a good thing right? Im not trying to make it easier for myself I'm j trying to be realistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artier Posted August 19, 2016 Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 People shared their experience from both programs. Go where you want. No one can say if one program is objectively easier than the other because obviously no one has done both. And even then I don't think it would mean anything because courses/specializations/professors at both schools may vary significantly in difficulty.It really doesn't matter where you go because you are either smart, hard-working, and dedicated enough to get in or you are not. In all honesty, it matters more where you are currently living (how far your parents/support structure would be, residence vs. commuting, scholarships, extra-curricular opportunities, etc.) which we have no idea about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nachoolibre Posted August 19, 2016 Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 I think its important to mention the grading scales between the two universities. Mac uses a 12 point scale whereas UWO gives you the face value %. If you get a 90 at UWO, it shows up as a 90 on your transcript whereas at Mac, it shows up as an A+. This means when converting grades for OMSAS and other grad school applications, Mac students get an advantage since an A+ represents 90-100 and gets converted to a 95-96 based on where you apply (similarly for A, A-, etc.). There is a drastic drop in the lower grades which I guess balances out the conversion but if you have a lot of A's and A+'s, Mac students get an advantage (speaking from experience from the past dental school app cycle, lots of UWO students complained about this unfairness). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artier Posted August 19, 2016 Report Share Posted August 19, 2016 I think its important to mention the grading scales between the two universities. Mac uses a 12 point scale whereas UWO gives you the face value %. If you get a 90 at UWO, it shows up as a 90 on your transcript whereas at Mac, it shows up as an A+. This means when converting grades for OMSAS and other grad school applications, Mac students get an advantage since an A+ represents 90-100 and gets converted to a 95-96 based on where you apply (similarly for A, A-, etc.). There is a drastic drop in the lower grades which I guess balances out the conversion but if you have a lot of A's and A+'s, Mac students get an advantage (speaking from experience from the past dental school app cycle, lots of UWO students complained about this unfairness). Actually, just to clarify for the OP, although it is true that the way the grades are displayed on transcripts at both institutions are different, this has zero impact on OMSAS. OMSAS will convert the UWO % to the GPA for each course based on the grade (A+, A, etc.) and as such a 90 and 100 would be treated equally. I can understand why it may cause a discrepancy for dental school applications, but for Ontario meds, this is a non-issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mood123 Posted August 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2016 @artier and @nachoolibre that's a good advantage I guess but I'm honestly concerned about fairness. I always hear that mac favours its health sci and I get get more opportunities for research and coo, etc. I honestly wanna go to McMaster, but if I'll be reduced as a life sci student then I don't wanna go there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artier Posted August 20, 2016 Report Share Posted August 20, 2016 @artier and @nachoolibre that's a good advantage I guess but I'm honestly concerned about fairness. I always hear that mac favours its health sci and I get get more opportunities for research and coo, etc. I honestly wanna go to McMaster, but if I'll be reduced as a life sci student then I don't wanna go there I honestly don't even know what you mean by "reduced as a life sci" or "favours its health sci". I can assure you that does not happen. The difference between the two programs is that they take different courses, end of story. Unless individuals decide they want to act "elitist" for whatever reason, but that shouldn't bother you. If this is honestly the only thing holding you back from Mac life sci, then go there because this is not an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanam Posted August 20, 2016 Report Share Posted August 20, 2016 1. do you think McMaster Life Sci is a good alternative to Health Sci? If you did not get into Health Sci I'd say Life Sci is a great alternative! I was in Mac Life Sci before specializing into Biochemistry. 2. How does it fair against western's medical science? I can't answer this as neither I nor anyone I know went to Western's Medical Science program. 3. Is a high GPA attainable? A high GPA is definitely attainable in either program. 4. Has anyone gone to medical school through mac's life sci? Me and a few of my friends have gotten into med school after starting at Mac Life Sci Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nachoolibre Posted August 20, 2016 Report Share Posted August 20, 2016 @artier and @nachoolibre that's a good advantage I guess but I'm honestly concerned about fairness. I always hear that mac favours its health sci and I get get more opportunities for research and coo, etc. I honestly wanna go to McMaster, but if I'll be reduced as a life sci student then I don't wanna go there You won't be looked down upon or reduced if you go to life sci. They recently implemented new changes to the life sci program that brings more laboratory course options and PBL learning styles to life sci students so they're trying to make it along the lines of Health Sci. Again, you have the opportunity to take some health sci courses and have lots of opportunities to do research. Mac Life Sci is definitely fair and there are a lot of bird course electives that are GPA boosters (Natural Disasters, Water, Energy and Society, Stats, etc etc.)! I'm sure UWO med sci program is just as great but if you want some sort of Mac health sci exposure, Mac life sci isn't a bad option!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mood123 Posted August 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2016 I never knew u could take health sci courses; and I final question lol (sorry to many) what's the cutoff for McMaster life sci? I'm most likely gonna apply there. And any insight into how university life will be like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mood123 Posted August 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2016 Also how you're preparing to apply to med school?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mood123 Posted August 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 24, 2016 bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickynote Posted August 25, 2016 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 Cutoff for life sci I think hovers around 89%, but could have changed since I applied. You certainly can take healh sci courses in life sci, and I would recommend it as they have been consistently some of my easiest and most interesting courses. Only caveat here is that if you're bitter about not getting into health sci I know a lot of life scis that find it annoying to be around health scis all the time. Doesnt bother me much, but something to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardiacArrhythmia Posted August 25, 2016 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 Cutoff for life sci I think hovers around 89%, but could have changed since I applied. You certainly can take healh sci courses in life sci, and I would recommend it as they have been consistently some of my easiest and most interesting courses. Only caveat here is that if you're bitter about not getting into health sci I know a lot of life scis that find it annoying to be around health scis all the time. Doesnt bother me much, but something to think about. Last point is definitely something key OP should think about. In terms of cutoffs, I heard it rose for Life Sci and Kinesiology to be in the low 90s now. Then again, my sources didn't provide me with evidence to support their claim, so take it with a grain of salt haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blu Posted August 25, 2016 Report Share Posted August 25, 2016 One thing to keep in mind is you can transfer from Mac Life Sci to Health Sci after first year. It's by no means guaranteed, but a fair number of people manage to get in (~15? last year). However, I don't recommend it if you're just transferring for the mythical "grade bump"; only consider this if you're interested in the unique course structure and learning style. It's not clear from your post if Health Sci was your first pick. Can't speak from first-hand experience, but you can definitely do well in Life Sci if you keep up with the work, and of course people from Life Sci get into medical school. It's a very good 'alternative' to Health Sci (even better for some people), and if you choose Mac, you'll be able to take some (not all) Health Sci courses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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