U Of Calgary Health Sciences And Neuroscience

[mikedavs]

Hey Guys,

 

So I have no clue what to major in next year. I heard the three Health Science degrees at U of C are very english based, a subject I hate more than anything. Also, I read somewhere that the medical science classes you take along with the BHSc's degrees are very hard and they lower GPA's. Is this true? I really need some help. Additionally, I was wondering how hard the neuroscience program is to get into. I'm very interested in the brain and the nervous system in general. In my opinion, it is the most fascinating organ in the body. I just don't know what to do. I could go into biological sciences and call it there, but I hate ecology and you have to take some of those classes in the general bio program. I need help, any advice???

[Lancia Stratos]

I think the most important thing when going into a degree is choosing a program that you will intrinsically enjoy. This is hard because sometimes high school doesn't prepare you well at all for what a program might be like. For instance, I loved chemistry in high school, but really hated it in university as it was all so theoretical. This is something you have to keep in mind: What aspects of the subject do you like? Is this what the degree is going to focus on? Maybe if you are somebody that likes lots of different things, a good program at U of C is the natural science program, which essentially allows you to choose two majors or areas to focus on. You will also have to consider the difficulty of the program and how well you feel you will be able to perform in it. GPA isn't everything, but having a GPA of >>3.7 is almost a must at most schools.

 

Not to be discouraging, but a high number of people entering University want to go on to a professional program and many don't make it. Its vital to choose a degree in a field you could see yourself working in, or there are job prospects for. You need a fallback. I have seen a few people go into the health science and neuroscience programs at U of C because they thought that it would give them an edge when applying to medical school - it doesn't. Then they end up with a degree they only chose because of medical school ambitions and are really limited in what they can now do. 

 

So there are definitely lots of things to consider...

 

Good luck!

[Olle]

I'm just a first year at UBC so don't take my words seriously.

 

I would choose U of C Neuroscience. 

You are basically guaranteed research positions throughout the 4 years of university, and their class sizes are ~30 so you have a lot of contact with your TA/profs.

There's this internship program where you have an opportunity to work in Neurosci labs at prestigious European institutions such as Oxford, and Karolinska. That's cool, and not too many undergrads have that opportunity. 

 

With all this research opportunity, it gives you a chance to brush up a med application that emphasizes your research abilities, in other words it makes your resume unique, even if you end up not going to medical school. 

 

When you get a research position, you attend an annual undergrad science seminar, where you present what you've found over the past academic year. So again, a lot of opportunity to make friends, a close support group, and many professionals. And the fact that you have multiple of those is a huge plus to your application.

 

I heard BHSc is really difficult to get good GPA's. My friend ended up going there but apparently, the first thing his prof said was that they won't be giving out A's for many of the medical science courses, which speaks of the difficulty. One of my friends' rant was that the students there are so stuck up and uncooperative, in an environment that requires you to be cooperative. 

 

All in all, PLEASE just don't be the high school me who would choose PRESTIGE over practicality.

Funny thing is, I was in your position, ASKING PREMED101 like you, about the neurosci program, and how it fares to BHSc and UBC.

Now, a few months later, I'm getting my a** destroyed at UBC, and regretting not going to Calgary for neurosci ( not because of grades).

 

Good luck OP

[squishy23456]

I'm just a first year at UBC so don't take my words seriously.

 

I would choose U of C Neuroscience. 

You are basically guaranteed research positions throughout the 4 years of university, and their class sizes are ~30 so you have a lot of contact with your TA/profs.

There's this internship program where you have an opportunity to work in Neurosci labs at prestigious European institutions such as Oxford, and Karolinska. That's cool, and not too many undergrads have that opportunity. 

 

With all this research opportunity, it gives you a chance to brush up a med application that emphasizes your research abilities, in other words it makes your resume unique, even if you end up not going to medical school. 

 

When you get a research position, you attend an annual undergrad science seminar, where you present what you've found over the past academic year. So again, a lot of opportunity to make friends, a close support group, and many professionals. And the fact that you have multiple of those is a huge plus to your application.

 

I heard BHSc is really difficult to get good GPA's. My friend ended up going there but apparently, the first thing his prof said was that they won't be giving out A's for many of the medical science courses, which speaks of the difficulty. One of my friends' rant was that the students there are so stuck up and uncooperative, in an environment that requires you to be cooperative. 

 

All in all, PLEASE just don't be the high school me who would choose PRESTIGE over practicality.

Funny thing is, I was in your position, ASKING PREMED101 like you, about the neurosci program, and how it fares to BHSc and UBC.

Now, a few months later, I'm getting my a** destroyed at UBC, and regretting not going to Calgary for neurosci ( not because of grades).

 

Good luck OP

You're friends full of it. I know plenty of health sci kids at U of C and they give plenty of A's in those classes. A good chunk of neuro kids make it to med - not sure if type of people in the program or if the program helps them somehow...