Western vs Queens

[Guest Alastriss]

Hi

Im a student attending a high school in Ontario

 

I was wondering which university should I go to if I strictly want a high GPA...Queens or University of Western Ontario?

 

O ya..i got into the Science program in Queens with my major interest being Life sciences and for UWO i got into the Medical and Biological sciences program..just wondering which one i could potentially get the higher GPA in

 

Thank you

[Guest drews97]

This is probably pretty hard to compare since there is probably no one who has taken both programs. You should definitely NOT attend a university just because you think that you can get a higher GPA. Both are great universities and I think that both programs would be very similar in terms of difficulty. Neither program is going to be Mickey-Mouse by any means. Make no mistake either, there are people that do very well at both schools and people that fail out of those programs as well, so obviously it is possible to achieve high levels of excellence at either school. Make your decision based on what program you think that you would prefer based on teaching style (size of lectures, amount of lab time, flexibility in respects to electives, etc.) and where you think that you would rather spend the next 4+ years of your life. If you go somewhere based on these decisions you will probably do much better than if you choose a school simply because you've heard that it is easier.

[Guest klukyboy]

This probably isn't the answer you're looking for, but go with whichever program interests you more. You'll do better in it as a result, and you'll enjoy yourself a lot more. How well you do has less to do with the program as it does with the student. There are tons of important questions you need to consider when choosing a school, but my advice is that the question you've asked shouldn't be on the list.

 

Keep in mind that when you enter a first year science course, often the prof will ask how many people are pre-med. I would say that 80% of the students will raise their hand. Of those, around 10% (this number is a guestimate) will actually get in. I've seen IB and AP students who dominated high school bomb their first year. Within a couple of years, most of those 80% will have changed their mind, and not necessarily due to poor performance, just a change in career goals. If you find yourself in 4th year and decide that you really don't want to enter medicine, don't you think you'd be better off with a 3.75 GPA in a degree that interests you rather than a 3.85 in something that doesn't. Besides, your overall GPA is only one part of the med-school selection process. For example, at University of Alberta it only counts for 15%.

[Guest aneliz]

They are both good schools and difficult programs...and as has been stated already, it is more a function of the student than the program. Students from both schools are pretty comparable at the end...and as some others have already mentioned, it is possible to get a 4.00 GPA at either...and just as possible to fail at either. Undergraduate science programs at the 'big' Ontario schools are pretty much identical to each other in terms of difficulty...it really depends on which program is the best 'fit' for you as to how well you will do relative to your classmates.

[Guest 007]

I go to Queen's and I fully agree with everything said above.

[Guest walkorbike]

Hi, Alastriss,

 

How are you? I am not in med school yet, but here is something that I wish I had understood better back in the day when I was getting ready. Most med schools have pre-req courses and they look at your grades in these courses very, very carefully as a harbinger of how well you will do in medicine. Roughly speaking, these pre-reqs can include '1st year bio, 1st year chem, 1st year physics, organic chem, biochem, a full-year English with a writing component:' the exact requirements vary from school to school.

 

When you take these courses, really do a mind-meld with the material and try to get excellent grades in them. Organic, for example, is tough and you have to keep up with the content from the very first day. If you do well in these courses you will have an easier time in the MCAT exam, which most med schools also require, you will be well-prepared for med school, and your overall well-being will be serene. Anyway, you have lots of time to get ready. Finally, don't be afraid to befriend your pre-med advisor if the university you will attend is lucky enough to have one: he or she will be an awesome source of support. All the best,

-walkorbike

[Guest Jerika81]

Hey walkorbike,

I'm not sure where you got your information about pre-reqs from, but for Canadian medical schools it's way off base. Many schools do require you to take certain courses before you can be admitted in to medicine, but they almost never specifically look at the grades that you got in these courses. Rather they usually look at your overall GPA, your best two years, or your last two years, or some other weighted GPA. In fact I think the only Canadian schools that look at your pre-requisite GPA are U of A and UBC (there was a thread on this a while back).

Perhaps you were thinking more about US schools or you've only looked in to the two schools mentioned above?

[Guest walkorbike]

Hello, Jerika81,

 

You are correct, as far as I know, to say that U of A and UBC crunch the pre-req grades. Some schools, like MUN, are more mysterious about how they evaluate grades. However, I think my advice about paying attention to pre-reqs is sound and not, as you put it, 'way off base.' It is very important to do well in your pre-reqs.

 

Respectfully,

walkorbike

[Guest aneliz]

No Ontario schools look specifically at your pre-req grades...in fact UWO could care less. As long as you passed them (ie got at least a 50%) you are good to go. That said, it is never in your best interests to just pass any course and it can be very damaging to your overall GPA.

 

However, I don't think that ANY of the standard pre-reqs really make or break your experience in med school. If you get an 80 vs a 95, I doubt that you will notice any difference. However, if you get a 55, that might be different. Contrary to popular belief, most of the 'stuff' taught in the pre-reqs is fairly irrelevant to what you will study in medicine. You need the general background, yes, but you don't need to know the entire general chemistry course inside out and backwards to do well in med school.

[Guest Lactic Folly]

When I printed off my Calgary application, there was a section that listed the average of your marks for each of their recommended courses (i.e. average of all biochem courses, physics courses, etc.)... so I think they do pay attention to your performance in these particular areas.

[Guest walkorbike]

Hi,

Thanks for your comments, folks. Good luck with your applications, Lactic F!

-walkorbike

[Guest marbledust]

I have to agree with the other posts. While the pre-reqs are important, they aren't by themselves going to make or break your application.

 

While it is true that Calgary looks at all your grades, it is your two best years that count - whether or not you took any pre-reqs during these two best years is irrelevant. I can't comment on other schools, but Calgary also has a list of "recommended" pre-reqs as opposed to required.

 

Of course it is a student's best interest to do the recommended courses for a number of reasons, including that they help with the MCAT. However, I don't think Calgary gives any special consideration to these courses. As already mentioned by others, they just want to see that you have a certain level of basic science preparation.

 

Pre-reqs don't necessarily indicate how well you will do in medical school. Depending on what schools you apply to, your cumulative or year by year GPA is going to more important and will determine whether you recieve the all important interview.

 

My advice is to do well in the pre-reqs but not at the expense of other courses, ECs, volunteering, etc.

[Guest Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

However, I don't think Calgary gives any special consideration to these courses.

From what I've seen from a previous year's application for which I received an evaluation, Calgary has taken certain courses such as these into specific consideration.

 

From the information that I've gathered, the best two years is used once: to trim the size of the initial applicant pool. I was told by Admissions that as long as you have those two years above the cut-offs, then that fact becomes largely irrelevant in the remainder of the selection process.

 

To select interviewees the assessors previously did not look at your best two years' average; instead they looked at your entire academic record. The recommended courses were averaged separately and those averages were presented to the assessors with a number of other pieces of academic data. Thus, the applicant's performance in these courses was one of the factors used by the assessors to generate a holistic score for academic performance.

 

The above approach may be different now, but at least in the past, this is what was done.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen