Ontario - Canada - Best Bachelors Degree to get high GPA for med school & knowledge for MCAT & keep options open for Pharmacy, Optometry, Physiotherapy, Occupational. Therapy programs

[sheka]

Hi everybody, 

I am new on this board. I am an 11 gr  high school student live in Ontario close to 3 schools - UfT , Ryerson and York Uni. What is the best program in these Universities (and possible in other universities offering long distance learning) where it is easy to get a higher GPA but at the same time which allow obtaining the knowledge required for MCAT. I also want to keep other options open. If I do not get into medical school I would consider applying to programs such as Optometry, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy and others. So the goal is to find a program which would not be very difficult so I an obtain a high GPA , at the same time have enough knowledge to pass MCAT and get a good score and have all/most of the prerequisites  for other paramedical , medical programs such as those listed above. 

 

[Bambi]

Kin but you will need to work hard for top grades.

[DrOtter]

Always try getting into Mac Health Sci - regardless of what stats you have, it's definitely worth a try. If your end goal is truly medicine or healthcare professionals, 3-4 years of living away from home and OSAP debt are so so worth it.

Next woulb be Kin if you enjoy learning about the human body and some exercise science stuff. Personally, I think a Med Sci program (so Life Sci at UofT or Biomed at York, or some other comparable programs) might provide you with just a little advantage in the molecular biology aspects of the MCAT (e.g. enzyme pathways, biochem, etc.) but that can easily be corrected with self-study and practice.

[popfossa]

I second what DrOtter says. Mac Health Sci seems to be a incubator for producing healthcare professionals especially doctors. A lot of the students from that program get into medical school.

I personally would avoid U of T at all costs. It's a pretty cutthroat school and it may be harder to achieve higher marks (due to competitive environment and the prestige of the school). Also to add, pick a program in which you will enjoy. I know it's stressful to think about what program prepares you the best but trust me, you will learn the best if you actually like what you are doing. If you're super into the human body and movement then Kin/Human Kinetics would be awesome. Look into the programs as well to see how much flexibility you have. For example, in Human Kinetics at Guelph every student is required to take cell biology, and molecular cell and genetics bio. Thus, this would be advantageous if you are looking to take the MCAT. 

My main piece of advice is do not worry about the prestige of the school. Don't just pick U of T cause it's one of the top schools in Canada. Professional schools don't care at all where you did your degree. Pick where you think you will excel the most! 

[Medase]

as someone that went to UofT and excelled (3.9+), don't go to UofT. UofT isn't Harvard, there is no prestige in medical school admissions in Canada. Pick the easiest university so you can chill during your studies and explore/build ECs/have fun. Lots of students that do high end research in Toronto come from other universities, just keep your high gpa to get such opportunities

 

[bruh]

Like said above, Mac Health Sci is the best program to pave your path towards a high GPA which is the most important barrier to getting into med school in Canada.

If you don’t get into Mac Health Sci, go for an undergrad program in a small university, like Trent or Guelph. Even a life sci degree at Trent is easy to get a 4.0 in. 
Ryerson is also an easier uni, but not as easy as Trent or Guelph. 

Contrary to popular belief, York is actually not “very easy”. Especially some of the science courses. Psyc and Kin are easier at York, however. I went to York for undergrad and our Chem classes had a 50% average, Math classes 40% average.
I would rank from easiest to hardest like this:

Mac Health Sci > Trent = Guelph > Ryerson > York > UofT

Without revealing too much personal info, besides York I have taken courses at most of the institutions I mentioned above and truly felt a difference in difficulty of the material.

 

This is not to say a 4.0 is impossible at UofT, or that it’s attainable without hard work at the easier schools, but there is a difference between these schools and the different programs in terms of getting higher marks.

 

If I could go back in time, I would have gone to a much smaller uni like Trent or Guelph for my undergrad instead of York. Somehow people think these smaller unis are not conducive to pursuing medicine but it’s exactly the opposite! The fact that there are very few pre-meds at Trent is a good thing actually. Under no circumstances consider the name of the school as a factor in decision making if medicine/healthcare is your goal.

[Sunshine!]

Another aspect to consider is what you are good at. For some, courses that are more social sciences oriented are easier than sciences (math, chem, biochem, physics). If writing essays is easier for you, then I would recommend health sciences type programs. If you enjoy life sciences, then opt for a degree that's more science heavy. I would recommend looking at the course sequence for the different degrees and decide based on your strengths. Good luck!

[IloveMemes]

Mac health sci----> Western health sci -----> Kin 

But dont try to spread your eggs into a million baskets. If you want med, work hard towards that goal and find the best path, which may inadvertently eliminate other paths (e.g. dent, optometry, etc). You cant have every option and have it easy - strike a balance. 

[sheka]

On 6/30/2020 at 9:57 AM, Bambi said:

Kin but you will need to work hard for top grades.

thank you, is Kinesiology program so difficult or does it depend on the university? Do you need Physics to apply for the Kinesiology program or does it depend on university too?  

[sheka]

On 6/30/2020 at 10:33 AM, DrOtter said:

Always try getting into Mac Health Sci - regardless of what stats you have, it's definitely worth a try. If your end goal is truly medicine or healthcare professionals, 3-4 years of living away from home and OSAP debt are so so worth it.

Next woulb be Kin if you enjoy learning about the human body and some exercise science stuff. Personally, I think a Med Sci program (so Life Sci at UofT or Biomed at York, or some other comparable programs) might provide you with just a little advantage in the molecular biology aspects of the MCAT (e.g. enzyme pathways, biochem, etc.) but that can easily be corrected with self-study and practice.

thank you. I see the minimum mark required into Mac Health Sci is 90 so high.  I am assuming it is very difficult to study there and obtain good GPA because the program is difficult.  

[sheka]

On 6/30/2020 at 2:01 PM, bruh said:

Like said above, Mac Health Sci is the best program to pave your path towards a high GPA which is the most important barrier to getting into med school in Canada.

If you don’t get into Mac Health Sci, go for an undergrad program in a small university, like Trent or Guelph. Even a life sci degree at Trent is easy to get a 4.0 in. 
Ryerson is also an easier uni, but not as easy as Trent or Guelph. 

Contrary to popular belief, York is actually not “very easy”. Especially some of the science courses. Psyc and Kin are easier at York, however. I went to York for undergrad and our Chem classes had a 50% average, Math classes 40% average.
I would rank from easiest to hardest like this:

Mac Health Sci > Trent = Guelph > Ryerson > York > UofT

Without revealing too much personal info, besides York I have taken courses at most of the institutions I mentioned above and truly felt a difference in difficulty of the material.

 

This is not to say a 4.0 is impossible at UofT, or that it’s attainable without hard work at the easier schools, but there is a difference between these schools and the different programs in terms of getting higher marks.

 

If I could go back in time, I would have gone to a much smaller uni like Trent or Guelph for my undergrad instead of York. Somehow people think these smaller unis are not conducive to pursuing medicine but it’s exactly the opposite! The fact that there are very few pre-meds at Trent is a good thing actually. Under no circumstances consider the name of the school as a factor in decision making if medicine/healthcare is your goal.

Thank you. you wrote "Mac Health Sci is the best program to pave your path towards a high GPA " . Is it very easy to get high GPA in "Mac Health Sci? I was assuming not because I its a Health Sciences program and courses must be difficult there. Trent or Guelph - far from home. I would like to attend a school close to home. Psyc is it Psychology ? This wouldnt have though any of the courses like bio, chem to prepare for MCAT. Yes, I have heard from others that it is difficult to get high marks at UfT. May be i should avoid that then. What program is a good program at Ryerson?  

[sheka]

On 6/30/2020 at 1:04 PM, Medase said:

as someone that went to UofT and excelled (3.9+), don't go to UofT. UofT isn't Harvard, there is no prestige in medical school admissions in Canada. Pick the easiest university so you can chill during your studies and explore/build ECs/have fun. Lots of students that do high end research in Toronto come from other universities, just keep your high gpa to get such opportunities

 

Thank you. So it is indeed difficult to get a good mark at UfT. Why so? What do they teach there? Or you need to do a lot of research? What program at UfT did you take? What do you mean by "just keep your high gpa to get such opportunities"? 

[sheka]

On 6/30/2020 at 2:16 PM, Sunshine! said:

Another aspect to consider is what you are good at. For some, courses that are more social sciences oriented are easier than sciences (math, chem, biochem, physics). If writing essays is easier for you, then I would recommend health sciences type programs. If you enjoy life sciences, then opt for a degree that's more science heavy. I would recommend looking at the course sequence for the different degrees and decide based on your strengths. Good luck!

essays is easier for you, then I would recommend health sciences type programs? you meant social science? What if you dont get into med school or anotherhealthcare prof school? What will I do with the social sc. degreee? 

[sheka]

23 hours ago, IloveMemes said:

Mac health sci----> Western health sci -----> Kin 

But dont try to spread your eggs into a million baskets. If you want med, work hard towards that goal and find the best path, which may inadvertently eliminate other paths (e.g. dent, optometry, etc). You cant have every option and have it easy - strike a balance. 

I havent looked at the prerequisites, I will check later. I thought most of them should share the prerequisites. Besides , its difficult to get into med school and so i gotta keep my options open. 

[cubes868]

1 hour ago, sheka said:

Thank you. you wrote "Mac Health Sci is the best program to pave your path towards a high GPA " . Is it very easy to get high GPA in "Mac Health Sci? I was assuming not because I its a Health Sciences program and courses must be difficult there. Trent or Guelph - far from home. I would like to attend a school close to home. Psyc is it Psychology ? This wouldnt have though any of the courses like bio, chem to prepare for MCAT. Yes, I have heard from others that it is difficult to get high marks at UfT. May be i should avoid that then. What program is a good program at Ryerson?  

Mac HealthSci is very easy to get high grades in

[Medase]

1 hour ago, sheka said:

Thank you. So it is indeed difficult to get a good mark at UfT. Why so? What do they teach there? Or you need to do a lot of research? What program at UfT did you take? What do you mean by "just keep your high gpa to get such opportunities"? 

Why so?:    Grading curve doesn't have as many 4.0s than other universities per class. More focus on details in class contents

What do they teach there?: Don't know what you meant, they teach the exact same things as other universities but harder tests and more details

What program I took:  Biology specialist (but it was basically a mix of normal biology and chemistry classes with one actual molecular biology class)

What do you mean by "just keep your high gpa to get such opportunities"? : If you want research opportunities in Toronto and those big hospitals, you need to have a high gpa or packed CV to be competitive.

[DrOtter]

8 hours ago, sheka said:

thank you. I see the minimum mark required into Mac Health Sci is 90 so high.  I am assuming it is very difficult to study there and obtain good GPA because the program is difficult.  

Yes they do have a good filter for undergrad admissions but once you're in, the classes are very conducive to getting a high GPA. Lots of group projects, presentations etc. where your classmates are highly motivated and collaborative due to the nature of the program. 

[коронавирус]

1 hour ago, DrOtter said:

Yes they do have a good filter for undergrad admissions but once you're in, the classes are very conducive to getting a high GPA. Lots of group projects, presentations etc. where your classmates are highly motivated and collaborative due to the nature of the program. 

This guy gets it!

[Sunshine!]

16 hours ago, sheka said:

essays is easier for you, then I would recommend health sciences type programs? you meant social science? What if you dont get into med school or anotherhealthcare prof school? What will I do with the social sc. degreee? 

No, I meant health sciences degrees. Look at Queen's Health Sciences https://bhsc.queensu.ca/program-and-courses/curriculum or UOttawa Health Sciences https://health.uottawa.ca/course-sequence-bhsc-2019-20. Also, the employment perspectives with traditional premed degrees usually are not good.  

[TommyT]

Very useful info. Appreciate it.