AcXX Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 So yea it seems like I'm going to need to take a second undergrad since my 3.1 CGPA, with 3.3 and 3.5 3rd and 4th year isn't going to cut it. What I'm confused about though is which major I should take. I'm not really knowledgeable as to how the whole process works with transferring of credits, and which major I should take to ensure I can transfer the most credits, while at the same time not entering a major that's too difficult. My first degree I was double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology, and that was from U of T. I want to go to a different school this time around, but which major should I take? Does it have to be a science one to transfer credits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 So yea it seems like I'm going to need to take a second undergrad since my 3.1 CGPA, with 3.3 and 3.5 3rd and 4th year isn't going to cut it. What I'm confused about though is which major I should take. I'm not really knowledgeable as to how the whole process works with transferring of credits, and which major I should take to ensure I can transfer the most credits, while at the same time not entering a major that's too difficult. My first degree I was double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology, and that was from U of T. I want to go to a different school this time around, but which major should I take? Does it have to be a science one to transfer credits? ok sounds fair! I hate to side track things, but may I ask why fourth year won't cut it? It would be awesome if you did manage to do well - perhaps there are some shortcuts you can consider then. More return questions I suppose - what do you think was stopping you in your current degree from doing well? Was it the location, program, some other life stress? That helps narrow things down Also do you have any thoughts to a "backup" plan here? With a second degree there is a good chance to make sure you have an excellent shot at medical school + nice fall back position as well. Some people like to know they have all the bases covered. It wouldn't have to be science one to get credits transferred, you would be able to get many moved over in any case - depends on the school/degree program of course. Any other considerations? Geographical restrictions on where you want to go, programs you are already considering, or anything else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cnussey Posted September 12, 2009 Report Share Posted September 12, 2009 Also...if you 4th year is 3.5 or higher...why not just take a "5th" year of courses that would boost the cGPA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HBP Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 dude, get 3.7+ this year and then do a special year/5th year without graduating and save yourself some time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamer Posted September 13, 2009 Report Share Posted September 13, 2009 Hmm... I think everyone misunderstood his / her problem. I think Acxx has already graduated with a 3.5 in 4th year. Yes, the best thing you really need to do now before jumping into any programs, is really deciding if medicine is for you first. You may have already heard this a lot, but the reason why I'm saying this is because if you start a new program, you have to be absolutely 100% focused on your goal in order to do well. I'm going to assume that you're not in school right now and it's September, so before the new school year starts again in the next September, I highly encourage you to take the time to explore this career option. I won't go into how you do this right now, but lemme know if you need help doing that... Ok, so what if you've already explored and declared that you want to go all out in this quest? Then, I totally agree with you that you need to start in a fresh environment, and one that isn't U of T Secondly, you need to find a degree program that is somewhat close to what you have already done before, but not the same. The reason? You will need to take a reasonable amount of upper year credits in your first year to satisfy Western's requirements, and because you want to finish in two years. This generally means you have to be taking 3rd year courses in your first year, and 4th year courses in your second year. To do this, you generally have to have similar credits in first and second year such that they will be transferable. It should only take two years to finish your second degree, three at the very most. Third, it helps to have some logical progression in your degree choice. For instance, if you did say, mechanical engineering as an undergrad you might want to do rehab science as a second degree. Both those degrees will complement each other, making for a stronger application, better opportunities with professors and gives you more expertise in an area, without having to do a masters degree. It's great for future prospects, medicine or not. In your case, doing psych and neuroscience, I honestly don't know what would be a good complement... Maybe a bio major in behavioural sciences? Looking at animal behaviour and stuff? That sounds fun... Rehab science at Western? Anyways, do your research! There are many really cool programs out there that are quite original and fun that you might be able to do upper year courses immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2rr5 Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Hmm... I think everyone misunderstood his / her problem. I think Acxx has already graduated with a 3.5 in 4th year. Yes, the best thing you really need to do now before jumping into any programs, is really deciding if medicine is for you first. You may have already heard this a lot, but the reason why I'm saying this is because if you start a new program, you have to be absolutely 100% focused on your goal in order to do well. I'm going to assume that you're not in school right now and it's September, so before the new school year starts again in the next September, I highly encourage you to take the time to explore this career option. I won't go into how you do this right now, but lemme know if you need help doing that... Ok, so what if you've already explored and declared that you want to go all out in this quest? Then, I totally agree with you that you need to start in a fresh environment, and one that isn't U of T Secondly, you need to find a degree program that is somewhat close to what you have already done before, but not the same. The reason? You will need to take a reasonable amount of upper year credits in your first year to satisfy Western's requirements, and because you want to finish in two years. This generally means you have to be taking 3rd year courses in your first year, and 4th year courses in your second year. To do this, you generally have to have similar credits in first and second year such that they will be transferable. It should only take two years to finish your second degree, three at the very most. Third, it helps to have some logical progression in your degree choice. For instance, if you did say, mechanical engineering as an undergrad you might want to do rehab science as a second degree. Both those degrees will complement each other, making for a stronger application, better opportunities with professors and gives you more expertise in an area, without having to do a masters degree. It's great for future prospects, medicine or not. In your case, doing psych and neuroscience, I honestly don't know what would be a good complement... Maybe a bio major in behavioural sciences? Looking at animal behaviour and stuff? That sounds fun... Rehab science at Western? Anyways, do your research! There are many really cool programs out there that are quite original and fun that you might be able to do upper year courses immediately. Isn't the Rehab Sci at Western a master program??? I am actually facing the same problem here. Did my undergrad in Chemical Engineering a few years ago and have been working on different jobs since. I didn't have a very competitive uGPA (3.4ish), so started to think about a second degree. Initially, I wanted to do economics, although it doesn't have much progression from my engineering degree. I'd love to do some medical related eng programs, but most of them are in the master degree level, which wouldn't help much on my GPA. Another question. If I start a new degree all over again, can I do a general (3-yr equivalent) degree with trasferred credits? Or it has to be a 4-yr honour degree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamer Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Isn't the Rehab Sci at Western a master program??? I am actually facing the same problem here. Did my undergrad in Chemical Engineering a few years ago and have been working on different jobs since. I didn't have a very competitive uGPA (3.4ish), so started to think about a second degree. Initially, I wanted to do economics, although it doesn't have much progression from my engineering degree. I'd love to do some medical related eng programs, but most of them are in the master degree level, which wouldn't help much on my GPA. Another question. If I start a new degree all over again, can I do a general (3-yr equivalent) degree with trasferred credits? Or it has to be a 4-yr honour degree? No, rehab science at Western is not a master's program. It's part of the health science program, and it's a little bit of a mix of sciences + health policy stuff. Usually it would be considered a 4 year degree, but it doesn't really make a difference. You will basically need to complete 10 credits (2 years worth of school) at your new school, which will take two years. The only difference is if you are going for an honours specialization or if you're just doing a non honours degree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 No, rehab science at Western is not a master's program. It's part of the health science program, and it's a little bit of a mix of sciences + health policy stuff. Usually it would be considered a 4 year degree, but it doesn't really make a difference. You will basically need to complete 10 credits (2 years worth of school) at your new school, which will take two years. The only difference is if you are going for an honours specialization or if you're just doing a non honours degree. hey that sounds like an interesting program! But are the required courses structured such that you could actually complete it in only 2 years? Nothing worse that being stuck waiting around to a take courses only offered once a year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dreamer Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Yeah. You could actually finish the rehab science major in two years without any background or pre-requisites whatsoever. I've looked at it before. So you can get a 4 year degree with doing just one major, filling the rest with anything you want. Or, if you've got a few pre-reqs, you can add another major and doing a double major, an "honours" degree in 2 years... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorelan Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Yeah. You could actually finish the rehab science major in two years without any background or pre-requisites whatsoever. I've looked at it before. So you can get a 4 year degree with doing just one major, filling the rest with anything you want. Or, if you've got a few pre-reqs, you can add another major and doing a double major, an "honours" degree in 2 years... sounds like a good program thing for 2nd degree students! I will have to keep that in mind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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