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bhsc vs ba for applying to medical school 3rd year


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Hi, if I was a student who was aiming to maximize my chances of going into medical school in 3rd year (and to an extent 4th year as well), would a bachelors of science be more advantageous than say a bachelors of arts or any other degree? I know people always say that the program doesn't matter and only gpa counts, but anecdotally it seems that those that apply from science programs (and have equally high gpas) tend to more successful at getting offers and interviews into med. Is this true or just a result of a comfounding variable + sampling bias? Thanks and appreciate it

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10 hours ago, happychapter said:

Hi, if I was a student who was aiming to maximize my chances of going into medical school in 3rd year (and to an extent 4th year as well), would a bachelors of science be more advantageous than say a bachelors of arts or any other degree? I know people always say that the program doesn't matter and only gpa counts, but anecdotally it seems that those that apply from science programs (and have equally high gpas) tend to more successful at getting offers and interviews into med. Is this true or just a result of a comfounding variable + sampling bias? Thanks and appreciate it

I honestly believe it's just sampling bias. But there are few different factors that account for this:
- Peeps with BSc (or equivalents) have an easier time when it comes to studying for and taking the MCAT since they already take most/all the classes. They also don't have to worry about covering the bases with prerequisites (which is honestly all over the place in Canada).
- Surrounded by like-minded individuals, which might help for some more than others depending your personality and preference. Also gives access to EC opportunities since you have the connections.
- Depending on the profs, you also have an easier time accessing research opportunities if that's something you're passionate about. Especially if you're a fledgling 1st or 2nd year student looking to enter a lab.
But all those hurdles can obviously be cleared with a BA as well, it might just take a little more planning and discipline in advance and some people might get lost in the midst of adjusting to university life.

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I am a senior BHSC student and I agree with Dr.Otter. There is a huge advantage doing a Bsc when it comes to doing the MCAT just because they cover all the basics already biochem, orgo, physics, etc. You can definitely cover those as electives during your BHSC but why would you? It makes more sense to take easier electives. So when it comes to content review, its incredibly annoying to learn everything from scratch

I go to a BHSC program (not mac), and the students are definately not as smart. I'm not saying I am super smart but if you look at stastical breakdowns of Bsc and BHsc students taking the SAME course, Bsc on average students do 10% better. This I think, is because science attracts more "premed gunner" type people, and that BSC programs have higher entrance average than BHSC students. So this is a double edge sword in that its 'easier' to stand out' but its that everyone is pretty undependable besides a couple students. 

Again, Dr. Otter nailed the point, research opportunities are wayyyy more common in the Science faculty, but that doesnt mean as a BHSC student, you cant do research with science profs. You just need comparable research skills that you will need to learn on your own bc science students have labs that cover all of this on their own. That being said, health science has their own research that isn't wet lab work. There is alot of. policy, health promotion, and lifestyle research you can do....if that's your thing. 

During this cycle, I have seen people from both Bsc and Bhsc get into medical school. So just weigh your +ve and -ve. Do your research, see if the courses you need to take are intersting because bhsc courses were boring as hell for me. 

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