Finding my interest

[Guest archchivalry]

It seems like unrelevant question, but

I just need help, so excuse me if it's not

right to ask question like this here.

 

I'm a highschool student, and I read FAQs carefully,

and I found out that I should do something

I enjoy and like in undergrad so that I'll do well

and also, it will be my back up plan.

 

However, I am still undecided what major I am interested

or what subject I like. I'm not even sure whether I will be

Love/hate to be a doctor.

 

So, my question is (too much introduction?)

What is the best way to find what my interest is?

(I took sort of career quizes online, but doesn't seem very helpful, guidance counsellors did not work well either)

Is it going to be serious problem to do undergrad program

that I don't really enjoy that much?

 

Thanks for your reply.

[Guest therealcrackers]

I shall attempt to answer your question.

 

 

In verse.

 

 

Do you wanna be a doc?

Do you wanna tend a flock?

Do you like big words a lot?

Would you rather smoke some pot?

 

Do you like biology?

Do you dream psychology?

Doth some stirring prose incite

Thy feverish hand, reposed, to write?

 

Do you argue night and day?

Do you win each sport you play?

Can you write your name in kanji?

The US lost Vietnam; gee...

 

Do the ancients stir your bones?

Can you draw queens and gutter crones?

Can your mind spin DNA

Thru its 3 forms, B, Z and A?

 

Thinking orgo makes you cringe?

Would you rather fix a hinge?

Do you ponder speed of light?

Or have you ever had stage fright?

 

My little verse may not inform

You as to what for meds is norm

I took a stranger road than most

And now perhaps my mind is toast...

 

Your heart's desire you may not know

But with your brain, you've far to go

Investigate the choice you've got

Life has variety, try the lot

 

If meds is truly what you want

Then undergrad need be your haunt

Through study courses you will see

If 'tis your calling, like 'twere for me

 

Youth isn't wasted on the young

On keg of laughter, pull the bung

Mix serious study now with glee

And seize your opportunity...

 

 

You may not know until you get there what you want. Sometimes that's the best way; because then your mind is open to all the possibilities that can come before you. Many of the medical schools in Ontario will be doing away with course prerequisites from undergrad by the time you'd be ready to apply (not the MCAT, tho --- you might still have to write that for several of the Ontario schools, and others across the country), so that "un-limits" your options a bit.

 

Have fun and good luck.

[Guest aneliz]

cheesy poetry and not terribly helpful....

 

First you need to identify what courses you like the best in high school... start off general: do you like science courses most? maths? languages? social sciences? Try and decide if you are an 'arts' person or a 'sciences' person... that is the first decision.

 

Then, is there any specific area that you like a lot: like biology? or english? or history?

 

If you aren't successful at finding a favourite that way, flip through a university course catalogue and put a star beside courses that sound interesting to you (ie something you want to take). Hopefully a pattern emerges. If you are really stuck, apply for some of the interdisciplinary programs, like arts AND science. That way you can do a little of both until you decide....or do a little of both all the way through and NEVER decide between the two!

 

You don't need to know exactly what you want to do when you finish high school... you need to know what general areas you like and dislike and then choose a program that you think is interesting. But don't worry...you can always switch around! Many, many people switch majors or even programs (ie BA to a BSc) during their undergrads.

 

If you have some time during high school, I recommend doing a co-op placement in something that you think you are interested in (like medicine)...it is a great way to see what the area is really like on a daily basis and get a better feel for your interests.

 

Good luck!

[Guest Ian Wong]

What is the best way to find what my interest is?

What subjects do you enjoy in school? Arts, Science, Computers, Business? From there, Arts can lead you towards Philosophy, Languages, Music, History, Sociology, Anthropology, etc. Science can lead you towards Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Immunology, Anatomy, etc. There's also applied fields like Engineering, with a ton of subdisciplines within it. Or other health programs like Kinesiology, Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Nursing, Social Work, etc. Or Business type stuff like Commerce, Economics, etc.

 

Chances are good that you've never had a really good glimpse at some of these possibilities; heck, I didn't even know there was a university major called Immunology when I was a high school student, as high school doesn't offer you everything that you can encounter in university.

 

The thing on your side is that you don't have to choose a major right away. Go get the university calendar (this has a listing of all the courses available; it's not really a calendar, more like a catalogue), and it will also list the courses you need to take in order to earn any given degree. You'll see that there's usually quite a bit of flexibility (so the first year courses you take might be able to be applied to a Physics degree, or a Chem degree, or a Biology degree). If you're careful with your courses, you can perhaps choose a little variety and yet still be able to delay choosing a major until second year.

 

That year might be all you need to figure out what you want to study for university.

Is it going to be serious problem to do undergrad program that I don't really enjoy that much?

Well, that's up to you. I think that you'll be happier and more motivated to study if it's in a subject area in which you're interested. I do not have the mental machinery and creativity to do a degree in Mathematics, and therefore did Biology. I probably could have struggled and survived a Mathematics program out of sheer necessity, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it, nor do I think the average Mathematics major would enjoy the brute force memorization that often comes with a Biology degree.

 

If you can find a subject area in which you're interested, that's something I would consider highly important. It might be something totally opposite to Medicine, in which case maybe that other field is something that you would enjoy more for your career. I would say that the vast majority of people who think they want to go to med school when they are starting university no longer want to, or are able to go to med school upon university graduation. There's just so many other career possibilities out there, and many people find something else they'd rather do other than medicine, so keep your eyes open, and that may hold true for you as well.

 

You've got lots of time ahead of you, so try not to stress too much about things now, because things will be a lot clearer once you are in university and are experiencing things first-hand.

 

Ian

[Guest Lorae]

This post might be a bit repetitive from what others have said, but here's my advice. I found my interest areas when I was in university.

 

First year courses are very broad, and they give you a good idea if you like the subject area or not.

 

You don't have to choose a major/minor until a bit later (and even then you can change them).

 

so basically you need to narrow down the type of degree you want (ie arts vs. science) and I bet you have some idea already what your favorite is. ***but remember it's never truly arts VERSUS science... either type of degree can (and should) contain courses from both streams. You will get a really good introduction to *many* courses in different areas... that's when you will decide what you're interested in. You'll be able to tell if you like it or not because the learning will be more fun and easier then in courses you hate!

 

and most of all - have fun!

[Guest archchivalry]

Thank you for replies guys.

That was really helpful.

 

My case was that I found my interest is in

science rather than arts.

Well, I found it out because I did took English

and History in highschool and I found I looked at the clock more frequenlty than I do in math/ sciecne class.

(Altho it doesn't mean I like math/science)

 

So, my ultimate question was

Should I do engineering/ science?

What is the exact difference?

 

I was planning to study engineering but I applied

to some science undergrad programs as well

because of my coop experience.

(I worked in some system design company as an

engineering lab assistant, and I couldn't stand

working only 3hrs a day)

 

It seems like working on something alone is not

what I like. but I found interest in helping people.

I am working in elementary saturday international

language school and work as an office assistant and

help people with stuffs. I am still doing it for fun even

though my compulsory volunteer hour for my highschool is over.

 

Yeah..it's getting too long but that's why

I consider thinking over again about doing engineering.

 

So, anyone can tell me what's really the difference

between engineering/science? I thought it both

involves a lot of math/science concepts.

I also heard many people usually become an engineer

after engineering and it is hard to get other career

beside engineers.

 

Also, looking at the course catalog from a university

and try to find what I like didn't work out.

Because I don't have even general idea of what

the course is going to be like, even with description.

 

I appriciate your help so much

 

Sincerely,

Shawn

[Guest Steve U of T]

Engineering is a professional program, like medicine or nursing. The goal of an engineering program is to train people to become engineers. While nobody is obligated to become an engineer after graduating, the majority of people do, simply because their desire to become engineers is what caused them to enter that program in the first place. The skills of an engineering student are valued outside the field of engineering, and I know of graduates who now work in management consulting, medicine, or run a business completely unrelated to engineering. While the focus of your education is to train you to be an engineer, you develop numerous skills that can gain you employment in many other fields.

 

A bachelor of science doesn't prepare you for any specific job, although you can certainly find employment after graduating. However, it may require a little more creativity in your search since the types of job you can get are so diverse.

 

I think it's reasonable to say that it is easier to get a job with only an engineering degree than with only a bachelor of science. However, a bachelor of science provides a much broader learning experience, and may increase your options for employment or further study. If you plan to do further study beyond a basic undergraduate degree, a bachelor of science opens more doors than engineering. You can apply for medicine after an engineering degree, although many schools require course prerequisites (often a biology course or two), and it is difficult to fit these courses into the regimented engineering curriculum. A lot of med schools also require a humanities or social sciences course, although these are included in many engineering programs I'm aware of, so it shouldn't be a problem. I know of an engineering student who is applying to medicine now, and instead of spending the year between 3rd and 4th year doing a professional experience year (U of T's alternative version of co-op), he took a variety of life science and humanities courses to fulfil the med school prerequisites. It is generally accepted that it's tougher to get high grades in an engineering program, which may make it a little more difficult to get into something such as medicine.

 

As far as graduate work is concerned, it might be difficult or impossible to get into a M.Sc. from an engineering program. Of course, you can do a M.Eng. or M.A.Sc. if you want to continue with engineering studies. With a B.Sc., I think you have some more options with regards to graduate work.

 

If you think you might be satisfied working as an engineer, you might strongly consider going into engineering, knowing that you have a solid backup plan in case medicine (or whatever else you may be interested in) doesn't work out. If you're not interested in engineering, you want a broader education, or you think there is something specific outside of engineering that you wanted to study, you may want to go into a bachelor of science program.

[Guest Lorae]

maybe an engineer could give more specific examples, but here's what I know:

 

engineering programs are much more rigid... you have to to take very specific courses (with not a lot of flex for taking options and exploring different areas such as arts). The programs are very heavy in physical sciences like math, computers, physics, etc (depends on what type of engineering you do). So if you love biology and physiology there won't be much of that (and not much room to add it as an elective either). But when you graduate you are an engineer... employable!! which means you have a great thing to fall back on if medicine isn't for you. If you decide to to medicine you might need to take an extra semester or two for prerequisites if you werent' able to take them all in the engineering program

 

hope that helps

[Guest lex]

just to follow up on some of the good comments here, take classes in areas outside of what you'd typically think you'd enjoy. your undergrad degree should teach you how to think about problems, analyse, write, debate, and develop your own opinion. it might be a little limiting to just look at your interests coming out of high school. as a doctor's son, i happened to tend towards the sciences in high school and, upon entering university, assumed that i was on the correct path. just like ian didn't know about immunology, you may not have even considered economics, geography, policy, political, science or sociology (all very applicable to health and healthcare).

 

my advice is to consider what you have been exposed to (through your parents' occupation, tv, friends, friends' parents, etc.) and look beyond that scope. if your mother is a biochemist, you likely already know all about that field. if this is the case, maybe take a course in history, anthropology, or psychology. my degree was in environmental science and i managed to cover all my prereqs.

 

think long term as well. an extra summer to cover prereqs (if you do want to pursue medicine) is not that big of a deal in the long run. during your undergrad, you want to get a degree that will help you mature into a thoughtful, analytical, and intellectual person, not one that will only funnel you into a job title. the characteristics i mentioned in the previous sentence will help you land employment in general and will allow you to be more flexible in the future.

 

also, don't discount history or english because of your experience in highschool. i hated history in highschool but found the university experience to be completely different. same with english. your first year english class will depend on who else is in your class but just give it a chance.

 

engineering is a great field. like everyone else here, you'd be very employable. if you love it, go for it. if you just want to do it to be employable if you don't get in to med, skip it because grades tend to be lower in engineering. i hate to say this but in canada, schools don't care what courses you take. a B is a B and an A is an A. it's really unfortunate because it disadvantages those that challenge themselves. now that i've given you that disclaimer, i want to tell you that if engineering really gets you going, pursue it with all you've got. if you love it, you'll get better grades anyways.

 

just my 5 cents.

[Guest ploughboy]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Hash: SHA1

 

 

Hey Shawn,

 

Another engineer here, throwing in my $0.02 even though SteveUofT pretty much covered anything I'd want to say.

 

First of all - relax. You're young, you've got your whole life ahead of you and no matter what you decide, your future *won't* be ruined by the choices you're making right now. (Man I hated it when old fogies told me things like that, and now I'm doing it!)

 

Since I don't know you from a rock I really can't say what kind of undergrad program would make you happy. That said, an engineering degree is, in general, a great first degree to have. In engineering programmes there's a huge focus on approaching and solving problems. Stick with it long enough and you wind up with a "problem-solving" mindset, which is applicable and useful in all sorts of other fields. In fact, I might be tempted to argue that those skills and attitude are more important than any particular set of facts you might learn along the way.

 

And of course, there's that spiffy iron ring. Who wouldn't want one of those? ;-)

 

This isn't to say that B.Sc. types don't learn how to solve problems. Far from it, I'm sure. Not having done a B.Sc. I really can't say much other than they tend to be a bit more general than eng'g degrees. There are both good points and bad points about that. Maybe somebody with a B.Sc. could chip in here?

 

The one thing I really regret about my eng'g degree is the rigidity of the programme. I didn't have a lot of options when it came to non-technical electives. I took a total of four non-engineering courses during my eng'g degree. A balanced education it ain't.

 

On the other hand, it's a probably a little easier to find that first job (and subsequent jobs) as an engineer than as a science grad. I'm taking a couple of years off right now and going to school full-time, bumping up my GPA, getting my meds prereqs and filling in some of those holes in my education. Now maybe I'm crazy, but I'm reasonably confident that if I don't get into med school I'll be able to re-enter the workforce with relative ease. I believe this partly because I'm an engineer, and partly because of my work experience - which I got because I graduated with an engineering degree. (It's also partly because I'm a cocky such'n'such, but I digress...)

 

If you have a specific school you want to attend, maybe try talking to the undergraduate office of each department. They might be able to set you up for a chat with current students, and that might help you decide. Worst case, pick one and if you hate it transfer out - you'll still get credit for some of the courses you took in the other faculty. I have friends who've gone both ways, however it is generally easier to transfer out of an engineering degree into a science degree than vice versa.

 

One last thing - don't give up on arts courses because of your experiences in highschool. In terms of out-and-out fun, my favourite university courses have all been from the artsie side of the campus.

 

Good luck!

 

pb

 

 

P.S. Crackers - nice poem, made me laugh!

 

 

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----

Version: GnuPG v1.2.3 (MingW32)

 

iD8DBQFAoq39/HNgbK3bC2wRApzLAJ4rk7yfCzPkspR7YeHVq9BSv8ASlQCfTPsp

zk0s7a+v96HJXWbYxDRy7XI=

=1Wn9

-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

[Guest blinknoodle]

hey-

 

Just to add a bit about the flexibility of engineering degrees. I know quite a few engineering students (heck, I'm living with 5 of them) and I think the newer degrees are favouring more flexibility.

 

At McMaster, they have a few more biologically-slanted engineering degrees such as Bioengineering (in Electrical) and Biosciences (in Chemical). As part of the curriculum, you are required to take chemistry, biology, orgo, biochem, etc - normally required for medical school. You can also opt for a Chemical Engineering degree (more biochem-based) and couple it with the Engineering and Society stream to get exposure outside engineering (my housemates are doing this and focusing on Spanish electives, Economics, etc) thus allowing more freedom in your course selection.

 

I'm not too familiar with it, but I thought Toronto also had a biomedical engineering??

 

However, flexibility probably depends on the program and institution. Check each one out. I know the mechanical engineering and management program at McMaster allows one half-year elective through the entire 5-year degree (mainly because your "electives" are going towards the core requirements of the B.Com).

 

Cheers,

-blinknoodle

[Guest archchivalry]

Wow..

that was long and many answers.

I got really lot of information about

engineering and science, now

I think I still have to think it over.

 

I just have one more question.

Is it hard to become an engineer after graduating

university with B.Sc degree? Is it mean I have to

take B.Asc or B.eng from 1st year or like that?

 

I learned a lot about university system

Thank's guys&gals

[Guest Ian Wong]

That's the thing. There aren't just Arts or Science degrees. A BSc or a BA aren't the only two Bachelors degrees out there; far from it. An Engineering degree gets you a BEng, an Education degree gets you a BEd, a Commerce degree gets you a BComm, etc.

 

A BEng requires different courses in university than a BSc in Biology, for example, so while you might have some flexibility in your first year, after that, you probably need to focus your course selection more tightly in order to be eligible for a given degree. There's a lot of jobs out there for engineers, and many engineering degrees use co-op, where you alternate semesters of university with semesters of paid employment at various companies. This means that fresh out of university, you've already done lots of interviews, worked at lots of different companies, and therefore already have some good work experience which should help you land a permanent job more easily.

 

Ian

[Guest klukyboy]

I can only speak from my experience, so if anyone knows of other engg programs that work differently, please correct me.

 

If you want to become an engineer, yes, you do need a BEng or BASc in eng. You can't just get a BSc then become an engineer by getting a job with the word in the title. In fact, many engineers will raise a big stink if you try to call yourself one. That means you'll have to go through the whole program. One thing to consider is that if you start in engg, then decide after your first year that you'd prefer sciences or arts, you may find that very little of your first year will tranfer for credit into other areas, so most of your first year will be a write-off. As people have stated, engg is VERY structured and even non-engg courses are modified for the engg program.

 

However, if you start in sciences, then decide you want to go into engg, you may get a bit more credit. For example, most engg programs have a half year intro engg chem course requirement. This class usually won't be considered equivalent to a full year of regular intro chem, but the full year of regular intro chem will meet the engg chem requirement. Also, other science courses can be used as science electives. On the other hand, I have a degree in Industrial Systems Engineering, but this past year I took first year physics to satisfy the physics pre-req for med-school. I took several "physics-like" engineering courses, but found it difficult to get credit.

 

If you're seriously looking at med, I don't know if I'd really recommend going into engineering. It's a great degree, and I think it offers one of the most unique undergrad educational experiences. It's also probably one of the most, if not the most employable undergrad degree available, so it's tough to beat as a "back-up plan". However, it's the long way into med, and while I don't regret taking this path, I can't help but realize that I'd be specializing right now instead of entering first year med if I took the "typical" path. Engineering programs are designed to produce engineers, not doctors (but I gotta admit, the ring is sweet! ).

 

Just my opinion,

kluky

[Guest Lactic Folly]

Hi there,

When I was selecting courses for my undergrad, I also found it difficult to judge which courses would be interesting, solely from the calendar description. Therefore, I spent some time in the bookstore flipping through textbooks to see which ones I enjoyed reading (and which ones would put me to sleep). I also surfed the university's website for more detailed course syllabi/descriptions/materials, and visited department offices to look at the syllabi there and ask questions about the courses. These things were quite helpful in reaching a decision about what courses to take