Quality of BHSc Program at Western

[Zygor]

Hello all, I hope this hasn't been posted repeatedly(as I could not find it in the search) I am going to be applying to a Premed program in the following year and I have considered many programs for a Bachelor of Health Sciences. (Mac,Western,Waterloo and a few others) Has anyone attended the BHSc at Western?, my student councilor at school hasn't a clue what she is talking about most of the time and she refuses to give me straight answers. How do all of these schools rank concerning their BHSc Undergraduate programs. I haven't been able to find any real student first-hand accounts of Waterloo and Westerns BHSc so any help is appreciated.

[In_Valid]

Hello all, I hope this hasn't been posted repeatedly(as I could not find it in the search) I am going to be applying to a Premed program in the following year and I have considered many programs for a Bachelor of Health Sciences. (Mac,Western,Waterloo and a few others) Has anyone attended the BHSc at Western?, my student councilor at school hasn't a clue what she is talking about most of the time and she refuses to give me straight answers. How do all of these schools rank concerning their BHSc Undergraduate programs. I haven't been able to find any real student first-hand accounts of Waterloo and Westerns BHSc so any help is appreciated.

 

Health Sciences at western, if I am not mistaken, has a lot to do with the health care system, policy etc. I don't think it is what you think it is.

[Zygor]

Ok, I'll look into it further; could you recommend any programs of significant reputation and quality(besides Macmaster)?

[1234]

guelph biomed is a hella solid program.

 

btw, i went to mac health sci (best time of my life).

 

1234

UT Med 1T2

 

and please dont make the mistake that so many do - go study something that you love. And dont be hell bent on only medicine - it leads to depression in a lot of people (so competitive, simply cannot get in) and leads to massive amounts of stress. Keep an open mind is all i suggest.

[Zygor]

Isn't Biomedical sciences at Guelph a Pre-veterinary course?

[1234]

what's up with these pre-med/pre-vet delineations? These programs dont exist in Canada. They dont give you an advantage to get into med or vet school. They are just undergrad programs. They dont somehow gaurentee that you get into a particular field.

 

I know many people from biomed guelph at UT med and other schools.

[lost__in__space]

oh dear, i posted my thoughts of my program (4th year honours health sci student at western) somewhere on this forum before and i'm too lazy to search for it but if you like stuff like health promo, knowledge transfer, rural health, social determinants of health, palliative care, health care system then yes its for you.

 

in my opinion it's more the health policy aspect, its like a social sciences in disguise BUT you DO have the option of making it more sciencey with "health sciences and bio" as your programme...with the usual chem, anatomy, bio, calc, physics, etc.

 

i get pretty decent marks in it, especially with the very minimal time i put into this compared to say Law, in his biomed sci program

[The Law]

last exam on saturday, can't wait to be done!!

 

Honours Med Sci @ Western is good if you want a good medical science background and the flexibility to choose cool classes. I switched into that in my current (4th) year and am stuck taking all these challenging biochem courses (because I was in biochem until the summer before 4th year), but had I been in this from the start, it would not have been so bad. It's challenging, but you have enough flexibility to take fair classes mostly (if you are in it from the start).

 

Health Sci definitely requires less work though, but if it was me, I personally don't have a big interest in it... so might not like studying the material. Although, I put up with the most tedious subjects in biochemistry for 3 years+, so I guess I could.

[supafield]

As someone who was intrinsically stronger in the core sciences in high school and ended up in Health science at Western, I'm a more rounded person for it.

 

It's not a traditional science program however, their is a module of the degree that is health science/biology and has much more science to it. Overall though, lots more essays and subjective material. On the other hand there's about a 4:1 female to male ratio which generally falls under the pro column.

[mrhumble]

guelph biomed is a hella solid program.

 

btw, i went to mac health sci (best time of my life).

 

1234

UT Med 1T2

 

and please dont make the mistake that so many do - go study something that you love. And dont be hell bent on only medicine - it leads to depression in a lot of people (so competitive, simply cannot get in) and leads to massive amounts of stress. Keep an open mind is all i suggest.

 

Do most people in mac health science program make it into medical school or reputable health professional program?

[rogerroger]

Western Med Sci (BMSc.) is an amazing program. It isn't a joke, it is hard and will take work. But it is fair. If you do the work you can get very good marks.

 

The material is absolutely fascinating as well. The opportunities for interesting research are endless. You also have the chance to cover much of what is taught in pre-clerkship at med school. Right now I am up to my ears in physiology. My major was physiology through the Med Sci stream. I am really REALLY glad I have the background Western gave me. 80% of what I am learning is review and this is a big deal when the material is coming at you 10 times faster and in greater detail.

 

I really highly recommend the BMSc over the BHSc. You will have more options upon graduation as well...

 

Interesting side note, I would say an unporportional amount of my class at UofT holds a degree from Western. So going to Western for pre-med is probably a smart move. I am not saying med schools favour Western, but I am saying that if you know the material you will get the GPA you deserve which helps you out big time down the road.

[ChicoMaki]

Do most people in mac health science program make it into medical school or reputable health professional program?

 

these stats are posted at

http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/bhsc/graduates.html

[Zygor]

Can anyone elaborate on the BMSc course at Western? Really looks like my kind of program, but do I need to already be in BHSc or another Undergrad to get into it?

[xylem29]

Hey - how did you guys come to learn about Western's biomed program and Mac's programs etc coming from high schoool?

[Zygor]

Well I just looked into it, they are all Undergraduate courses( besides BMSc at UWO). It would most likely be best for you to speak with a careers councilor at your High school.

[mrhumble]

these stats are posted at

http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/bhsc/graduates.html

 

That's crazy

~50% got into medicine/dentistry

 

~75% got into a good professional program

[classA]

Did my Med sci degree at western. Great degree.

Heres a couple links for westerns BMSc.

http://www.uwo.ca/bmsc/PDF/BScBMScBHSc_webversion.pdf'>http://www.uwo.ca/bmsc/PDF/BScBMScBHSc_webversion.pdf

http://www.uwo.ca/bmsc/

[Zygor]

How did you get into BMSc, I want to apply for BHSc but the BMSc really interests me. When it comes to mathematics, what types are required to take during the curriculum? I only have Advanced Functions coming up in my semester plans so...

[1234]

If you can get into BHSc at Mac, I would go. No other program compares to it in regards to personal and professional growth. There is no other academic environment like it. And, for a university, one of the smallest and most tight-knit classes - you'll have extremely strong relationships with your peers, who will likely be the leaders of the health care field in your time. Oh yeah, and you will NEVER have a more supportive faculty who would go to the ends of the world to see you accomplish whatever and will accomodate any test/commitment to allow you to get there. The program is well beyond its time in regards to philosophy - only BHSc, Harvard and a few other schools employ an idea that transcends marks as an identifier of intelligence and personal growth.

 

But clearly, I dont have to boast about a program that gets 3500 applications for 160 spots. Since the admissions system is still very rudimentary, if you get entrance, its because you were lucky and you'd be wise to go.

 

Just my opinion - take it or leave it.

[Zygor]

I completely agree with you, I would love to gain entrance to the program but I was going through a bit of a "troubling time" and I let a few of my 4U's slide. I know I can get high 80's easy but 90's would be very very hard considering some of the mistakes I've made.

[1234]

hey bud - ultimately, if you dont get your number one choice, its not the end of the world. Do what you can, and whatever happens happens. Ultimately, with a high 80, you will get into a good program. Its what you do at the university that matters in the end.

 

No matter what you choose, I would recommend going to either MAC and Western for any science program. They are great environments, very solid health science faculties, and - assuming you want to get into medicine - gives you the best opportunity to balance your academics with extracurriculars in a relaxing community. I loved Mac, I would gladly go back for another 4 years if I could.

[mrhumble]

If you can get into BHSc at Mac, I would go. No other program compares to it in regards to personal and professional growth. There is no other academic environment like it. And, for a university, one of the smallest and most tight-knit classes - you'll have extremely strong relationships with your peers, who will likely be the leaders of the health care field in your time. Oh yeah, and you will NEVER have a more supportive faculty who would go to the ends of the world to see you accomplish whatever and will accomodate any test/commitment to allow you to get there. The program is well beyond its time in regards to philosophy - only BHSc, Harvard and a few other schools employ an idea that transcends marks as an identifier of intelligence and personal growth.

 

But clearly, I dont have to boast about a program that gets 3500 applications for 160 spots. Since the admissions system is still very rudimentary, if you get entrance, its because you were lucky and you'd be wise to go.

 

Just my opinion - take it or leave it.

 

It seems like an interesting field to study about, but are there many job opportunities for those who graduate from the program?

From looking at the stats, it looks like a lot of the students got into very good and reputable professional programs.

[xylem29]

hey bud - ultimately, if you dont get your number one choice, its not the end of the world. Do what you can, and whatever happens happens. Ultimately, with a high 80, you will get into a good program. Its what you do at the university that matters in the end.

 

No matter what you choose, I would recommend going to either MAC and Western for any science program. They are great environments, very solid health science faculties, and - assuming you want to get into medicine - gives you the best opportunity to balance your academics with extracurriculars in a relaxing community. I loved Mac, I would gladly go back for another 4 years if I could.

 

So is there great comraderie in these classes where most of the students are planning on medical school and they're all proud of it and everyone knows, etc and you guys help each other out, give tips, share notes, etc. ?

 

And the professors are also encouraging of your plans to go to medical school?

[1234]

So is there great comraderie in these classes where most of the students are planning on medical school and they're all proud of it and everyone knows, etc and you guys help each other out, give tips, share notes, etc. ?

 

And the professors are also encouraging of your plans to go to medical school?

 

There is an unreal comraderie between students in the class. We have an online tool called Learnlink where students help one another in every sense of the word - there is upper year advice, alumni help with regard to career pursuit, fitness center, job help, extracurricular opportunities, elective selection discussions, course tutorials and question/answer threads, year-specific and program-wide social events, test tips, etc. Goes on and on. All run by Health Sciences students for Health science students. There is the added security that only students are allowed into the area - as such, conversations are off-the-book, making it much more beneficial. And since every student in the program guides there education around that client, questions are answered within seconds.

 

The faculty and professors are beyond encouraging. They do everything that they can to make students better applicants for whatever they pursue. If you request, they will do their best to accomodate. The faculty have a different mentality than more traditional educational programs. They rarely lead discussions - they facilitate them. They provide areas of focus, but rarely try to impress on you their opinions ( basically, no forcefeeding of ideas or opinions). They stimulate inquisition and professional thought processes - our knowledge acquisition is a secondary consequence of that approach. Primary foundations are skill development and personal growth, ladened with knowledge acquisition for the purpose of solidifying our foundations as academic scholars.

[1234]

oh - and i wouldnt say that most people are looking at going into medicine. A significant portion are, but there are people that pursue a wide variety of fields. Everybody is supported equally by the faculty. Of course, with a great number pursuing medicine, the support for that pursuit from the student body is that much greater because the knowledge base is far deeper.