science one & CSP ??

[amino_acid]

Hello!

I am wondering if either Science One or CSP would be a good pre med program for first year? Are these programs harder (lower GPAs) than the normal science program?

The only other reason that I am hesitating is because it seems like they make you take a lot of physics courses in those programs and I am not really a big fan of physics.

 

Anybody would strongly recommend either of the programs for someone who wants to go into Med eventually??

[talmeth]

Degrees other than BSc(Life Science) as intended to encourage a broader array of potential applicants. BComms, Engi students, etc bring something different to the table from the classic doctor-wannabe Li-Sci student.

 

No degree is preferred for entry to medical school (so sayeth the UBC website), however, you must ensure you take the 5 pre-req courses (bio, chem, orgo, biochem, english), so consider the following....

 

 

1) Orgo and biochem are often 2nd or 3rd year courses with pre-reqs, so are sometimes difficult to slot into a degree in basket-weaving or ancient European history.

 

2) Getting from "rejected" to "interview" status is (at least) 50% dependent on grades at UBC, so "Selected topics in Quantum Thermodynamics, written in Egyptian hieroglyphics" is not a good choice of courses.

 

3) Medical school is not easy. A degree that offers anatomy, physiology, etc etc might help make your life easier once you actually get accepted. While your classmates are perusing the distal convoluted tubule of a kidney nephron, you don't want to be differentiating between "arm" and "foot".

 

4) The MCAT (required) tests first year knowledge of biology, chemistry, physics, some orgo, etc... Learning that from scratch because you enrolled in a Bachelors of African Tribal Warfare is.... hard.....

 

Just my two cents!!

[kgmed23]

degree in basket weaving....Bachelors of African Tribal Warfare hahahahah

well said talmeth

[Asclepius]

Hello!

I am wondering if either Science One or CSP would be a good pre med program for first year? Are these programs harder (lower GPAs) than the normal science program?

The only other reason that I am hesitating is because it seems like they make you take a lot of physics courses in those programs and I am not really a big fan of physics.

 

Anybody would strongly recommend either of the programs for someone who wants to go into Med eventually??

 

To answer one of your questions, the averages for csp and science one tend to be slightly higher than other non-csp/sci1 classes. This is mainly due to the type of people who choose to enter those programs. I know a lot of people from those programs who are now applying to med school or have already gotten in, but the proportion is probably similar non-csp/sci1 students.

[mat]

in 1st year i was in csp and loved it (i'm in 4th yr now)

 

at the time, i wasn't basing the decision on academic "difficulty," although i did think that sci one was going to be more difficult to do well in ... since you traditionally get 1 mark for all your courses instead of separate ones for bio, phys, etc. and i predicted (correctly!) that i would do well in bio and bad in physics.

 

the people are what make csp and science one what they are, though. being in a program like this was an important part of my first year experience. i wouldn't change that for anything. my csp friends are still my closest university friends. also, the support from profs and workshop teachers is really strong.

 

with regards to pre-med ... i think both give you great foundations for the rest of your degree. if i could redo it, the only reason i'd decide against csp would be that it forced me to take all the core science courses at once (instead of spreading out some of them, like physics, to 2nd year, when i probably would have done a little better).