Jump to content
Premed 101 Forums

Suggestions Needed for 2nd Bachelor's Degree (Programs that Are Memorization Heavy)


Recommended Posts

Hi!


I am a non-trad premed looking for second bachelor's degree options to improve my GPA. My profile is otherwise very strong, with 520+ MCAT and very decent ECs. I got 4.0 in the final year of my previous program and I certainly have the potential to do well in my 2nd degree. However, with so many undergrad schools and programs in Canada, I am really lost as to what to choose. I am mainly looking for a life-science based program that is memorization heavy and involves mostly objective grading (MC questions on exams are preferred). Job prospect is not a concern, and I am not looking for programs with a lot of subjective evaluation such as nursing/physio. I should have the prerequisite courses to directly enter the 3nd year of most life-science programs, and I am looking to finish the new degree within two years, as my MCAT would expire otherwise.

 

Any such programs recommended here would be truly appreciated. :)

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  Public or occ health at ryerson, 2 years, won’t help you with western tho due to 3/5 rule. I would highly consider job prospects as medicine is never a guarantee. Good luck. Some others have mentioned Athabasca but that’s mostly online which may affect your application to Ottawa and a few others but I’m not too knowledgeable in it. Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As @IMislove already mentioned above, you can go for Occupational Health and Safety (BASc) or Public Health (BASc) program at Ryerson. This program will most likely won't satisfy Western's 3/5 rule. They have an information session coming up on Jan 21st in case you are interested https://ryerson.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_b2Kq5ae2T7CTD9wikoMW1Q 

I also found another program at Guelph https://www.guelphhumber.ca/futurestudents/fcss#transfer which is of 2-2.5 yrs duration for a transfer students. The university also allows you to book a 15 mins meeting with their advisors for Q&A on their programs.

Athabasca and TRU are good options for online/distance education but can be cost intensive depending upon how many courses you take and whether you are using any transfer credits towards the degree completion. 

Hope this helps!

I am also considering these programs for a second undergrad starting this Fall. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/8/2021 at 9:01 PM, IMislove said:

  Public or occ health at ryerson, 2 years, won’t help you with western tho due to 3/5 rule. I would highly consider job prospects as medicine is never a guarantee. Good luck. Some others have mentioned Athabasca but that’s mostly online which may affect your application to Ottawa and a few others but I’m not too knowledgeable in it. Good luck.

Thanks for your reply! As a non-trad, I can easily go back to my previous industry, so I am not really worried about job prospect. But I still appreciate your suggestions. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 hours ago, nat_premed said:

As @IMislove already mentioned above, you can go for Occupational Health and Safety (BASc) or Public Health (BASc) program at Ryerson. This program will most likely won't satisfy Western's 3/5 rule. They have an information session coming up on Jan 21st in case you are interested https://ryerson.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_b2Kq5ae2T7CTD9wikoMW1Q 

I also found another program at Guelph https://www.guelphhumber.ca/futurestudents/fcss#transfer which is of 2-2.5 yrs duration for a transfer students. The university also allows you to book a 15 mins meeting with their advisors for Q&A on their programs.

Athabasca and TRU are good options for online/distance education but can be cost intensive depending upon how many courses you take and whether you are using any transfer credits towards the degree completion. 

Hope this helps!

I am also considering these programs for a second undergrad starting this Fall. 

 

Thank you for your detailed reply!

 

I am mainly looking for in-person programs at major schools such as UWO, McMaster, Queens, York, Waterloo, etc., as I do want to keep US schools as an option and they do care about school reputation. I will also look into your suggestion about Guelph as a back-up plan. Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I am also a non-trad a and looking for a second undergraduate degree to improve my application. My background is in computer science and I hardly took any courses related to medicine or biology. I prefer to have my second undergraduate in biology or a life science field, so at least I could get something from it that would help me in the medical school as well. After all, medicine is about the application of biology and you would have an easier time if you take the related biology courses (physiology, genetics, immunology, etc.) before entering the medical school. If you are into heavy science-based residencies (like medical genetics, pathology, or medical oncology), as I am, having a strong science background would help you further in your career. 

Medical school admit people from diverse backgrounds, but I repeatedly heard that people from non-biology background struggle with the fast pace of classes. It makes sense though, a person who took 6 credits in immunology in his/her undergraduate sitting beside a person who has a background in computer science in a class about auto-immune diseases. It makes sense that the second person would struggle more, especially when there is a competition in the class as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...