Specialist/Major/Minor

[Guest Aldu77]

I will be a first-year student in the fall. Can someone explain to me the advantages to being in a specialist program vs. a program with 2 majors? I noticed that the specialist program is considerably more demanding--is it worth doing?

 

Thanks.

[Guest RXK]

hey aldu77,

 

i asked the same question around this time last year BUT you shouldn't fret too much about this until the end of first year when you then decide your POSt. for now, just focus on doing well both academically and personally and have a great first year!...

 

but, aside from that, specialists are intended to focus in depth on one area, such as the biochemistry specialist will focus on the realm of molecular biology. so, most of your classes will revolve around elaborating on this one subject matter and classes can be from many fields in order to do this. also, some specialists can be demanding (from what i've been told: i haven't begun one yet as i'm only entering second year) but remember that it's as demanding as you make it (ie. don't leave things to the last minute and with a good work ethic, you should be fine). as well, many specialists overlap with double majors, major + minors in the courses you have to take in order to fulfill your program requirements. so, a biology + zoology may be very similar to a biology specialist. additionally, specialists are often pursued by those who would like to do a subsequent masters degree/research in the topic of their specialist...

 

double major: double majors tend to be less rigid and may give you some leeway as to electives (but some can be more restrictive). they're a great option if you want to do something in the arts as well as the sciences (many people choose a db maj so they can get a bit of both worlds). and, like anything else, some can be more demanding them others. lastly, yes, you can do a masters/research via this route.

 

major + 2 minors: this gives the most flexibility in terms of course selection. you can do a bit of everything with this, and if you're the type to get bored of something really quick, then this might be for you. and, i believe you can do a masters via this route too.

 

difficulty of each: any one specialist, db major, major + minor combination may be very difficult and it really depends on the difficulty of the individual classes within the POSt.

 

also, each program has priorities for their students for certain upper year courses. so, you might want to take a look at what courses you would like to take and see if they have any restrictions. but, there are some exceptions to the rule if you have the right credentials (ie prerequisite courses, gpa) and can get permission from the department. but, this isn't a sure bet and only works rarely!

 

lastly, the purpose of first year is to one: give everyone the same background for upper year studies in the arts and/or sciences and two: to allow you to explore your likes and dislikes. so, in first year, concentrate on discovering what you like and pursue this as your POSt in any one of the combinations listed above...

 

okay, enough rambling and onto what you're really looking for: medical school. medical schools generally don't care about what you take in terms of POSt, just as long as you take their prerequisite courses (also, there are other requirements for each individual school that you should take a look at down the road).

 

 

hope this helps,

 

RXK

[Guest Jixe]

In terms of getting yourself admitted to medical school, there are are no advantages of choosing a double-major over a specialist.