Jump to content
Premed 101 Forums

Where to go? (Conflicted about undergrad)


Recommended Posts

On 5/10/2018 at 11:22 AM, Aurora1415 said:

Hi,

I was accepted to several undergraduate life science/medical science programs, but I am unsure about where I should go. If anyone has attended the following programs listed below, could you tell me about your experience? (e.g. quality of education, competition, bell curve, academic or extracurricular opportunites, atmosphere of the university/campus, etc.) For me, I feel like there are several pros/cons for each program/university, and I just don't know where I should go.

McGill Life Sciences, Western Medical Sciences, uOttawa Biomedical Science, Queen's Science, Waterloo Biomedical Sciences, McMaster Life Science, McMaster Integrated Science. 

Thanks! 

All of these programs have a high quality of education. In my experience, any program with the word -med- in it will definitely have a large body of premeds.

I decided to transfer to a different university & major because the first school/program wasn't for me. If I could give advice to myself back in high school it would be to go where you feel you have the best fit, not what you think looks prestigious or is the hardest to get into.

Your academics and extracurriculars are what you make of it and you can succeed anywhere. :) All of these universities have good opportunities for research if you decide to do that.

I recommend going where you feel the most comfortable. I would also factor in any admission scholarships you have and the distance to your home. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, caramilk said:

All of these programs have a high quality of education. In my experience, any program with the word -med- in it will definitely have a large body of premeds.

I started at Western Medical Sciences but decided to transfer to a different university & major because it wasn't a good match for my personality or upbringing in a very rural town. If I could give advice to myself back in high school it would be to go where you feel you have the best fit, not what you think looks prestigious or is the hardest to get into.

Your academics and extracurriculars are what you make of it and you can succeed anywhere. :) All of these universities have good opportunities for research if you decide to do that.

I recommend going where you feel the most comfortable. I would also factor in any admission scholarships you have and the distance to your home. 

Thank you for your advice! I think I'm leaning towards either McGill or Western right now, but I'm worried that I won't be able to maintain a high GPA given how competitive these two programs are.Was it hard to maintain a high GPA at Western? Are marks bell curved?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm in Biomedical sciences at uOttawa !

As far as the quality of education goes, you're getting your money's worth. I can't compare it to other school's, but I'm satisfied with what I've learnt. There's definitely the possibility of getting involved provided that you manage your time well. Ottawa is not really the most exciting city but it can be fun if you want it to be.

Being bilingual is definitely a huge asset, it allows you more freedom in your course selection, and you can avoid taking difficult english courses by taking the french counterpart (for instance, cell bio in french is easier than the english cell bio). Some profs curve, others not. In general the courses are fair enough to where you don't need a bell curve, but if the class average is low enough, profs will usually curve.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions and congrats on your offers of admission !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Aurora1415 said:

Thank you for your advice! I think I'm leaning towards either McGill or Western right now, but I'm worried that I won't be able to maintain a high GPA given how competitive these two programs are.Was it hard to maintain a high GPA at Western? Are marks bell curved?

In my first semester the marks were bell curved up A LOT because the class averages for some of my classes were extremely low. For example, the physics I took had a class average of 33% after the midterm, lol. So if your marks aren't what you want after the first midterm don't freak out. I feel like the reasons for the low midterm marks in first semester are due to the class not knowing how to study properly for university, as well as low grades to weed people out. I've heard that this happens at other schools too. As long as you are at the top of the curve, you will be fine. You have to be aware though that not all professors curve so you cannot count on it. So after the first midterm, if the prof announces that the class average is X, assess where you are compared to X. If you are below the average then it's definitely time to get help.

I don't think it's hard to maintain a high GPA in Western Med Sci but it's definitely not easy either. Most science classes in university typically require a lot of studying to do well (if you are a non-genius like me haha). The first semester is usually particularly hard as you are finding your groove in university but it gets easier as the years go on. 

Goodluck making your decision and congrats on so many acceptances! Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...