Queens's Life Science vs Guelph Biomed

[eh2000]

I have applied to both schools and heard great things about both. Does anyone have any information on which school is a better choice for preparation for medical school. I'm sure both are great but from what I have heard Guelph is slightly easier to get a better gpa because it is a little less competitive and has more support. It also seems like the school has a large focus on biology and the program seems interesting. People also seem to really enjoy Queen's so I am conflicted. Please let me know of your experience at either of these two schools. Thanks!

 

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

I did Biomed at Guelph and absolutely loved it, so I'm biased. The first year-2 years are pretty generic science/biology courses, and then in 3rd and 4th year you get a variety of courses you can choose from, like endocrine physiology, cardiology, cancer biology etc. which are very small class sizes. When I did undergrad there (many moons ago) they also had dissection-based human anatomy (they may have prosections now+/- dissection). The community is amazing and supportive, and it was pretty easy to get in touch with professors, especially in the later years. I also had professors help me with applying to medical school and interview preparation. There are plenty of research opportunities as well if that's something you're interested in. On the other hand, Guelph isn't associated with a medical school, which I know some people can be less comfortable with. It didn't stop me and several of my colleagues from being successful in getting into medical school though! I can't speak about Queen's but I've heard it's great as well. You have a tough choice!

[NutritionRunner]

I went to Guelph, although I didn’t study biomed.  Guelph has a lot to offer, including a lot of great support programs such as the peer helper program.  It was easy to get to know my professors, especially in third and fourth year courses, and I was able to complete an optional honours thesis with one of them.

Since veterinary medicine uses MMIs as part of their admissions process, just like med, and since Guelph has a lot of vet hopefuls, there are plenty of MMI practice groups available, either through career services or more informally.  When I was at Guelph, there were groups like Exercise is Medicine that were popular, and there were plenty of volunteer opportunities on campus (Health and Performance Centre, the Peer Helper Program, the Wellness Centre).

The dissection course is still available but very competitive to get into.  See the course calendar: https://www.uoguelph.ca/registrar/calendars/undergraduate/current/c12/c12hk.shtml (HK*3401/3402). There is also the prosection course available for those who don’t get into the dissection course, or for those who don’t want to do dissections.

[mew]

I'm a current Guelph student and I'm happy to answer any questions about the university or its science programs if you have any