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Need some advice from U of T students!


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Hey guys,

I'm thinking of studying Life Sciences at u of t for my premed, but i'm hearing rumors about U of T saying how hard it is to get high marks there, and all they want is your money....... Well, that won't really help with me getting into med school, will it? ;)

Anyways, i just want to hear from anyone who knows anything about this program... In general, how many students can actually obtain a 90 in this school? I come from a public ontario high school, and i'm graduating with mid 90's without having to try very hard, and also because much of my time is spent on music as I perform regularly. What's it really like in there?

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I don't go there but recommend you steer away from U/T. Also, you are ill prepared for university. The fact that you do exceedingly well in h.s. is irrelevant and gives you a false sense of security. Many so called very bight, even gifted, students have fallen into the academic ditch. UG is about work ethic, focus, disciplne and hard work and from your post, this is not known to you. Without consistent work ethic, you will be a medicore student. Of course, you have time on your side, but you must change your attitude if you are going to have staying power successfully in this marathon. Good luck!

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do a search! you'll find lots of info

 

to summarize

 

- high school marks mean nothing

 

- you can be a high 90s student and flunk out of university (no matter which university you go to, especially U of T though) because HS =/= uni

 

- U of T has bell curving. ambiguous tests (although other places have this too but U of T is infamous because of it)

 

-it's the best university ever if you know how to survive here and you will love it! but no slacking, gotta work hard for your grades :)

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I don't go there but recommend you steer away from U/T. Also, you are ill prepared for university. The fact that you do exceedingly well in h.s. is irrelevant and gives you a false sense of security. Many so called very bight, even gifted, students have fallen into the academic ditch. UG is about work ethic, focus, disciplne and hard work and from your post, this is not known to you. Without consistent work ethic, you will be a medicore student. Of course, you have time on your side, but you must change your attitude if you are going to have staying power successfully in this marathon. Good luck!

 

Is this negativity really necessary? Yes, high school is easier but that doesn't mean the OP is "ill prepared" any more than another person entering university.

 

To the OP - I did life sciences at a different university and earning a 90 isn't easy, but it's possible once you adapt to the workload. I'd suggest checking out the courses required for different programs to see if you're actually interested in taking them and attend a campus tour if you can - you're going to spend 4 years in undergrad so the atmosphere makes a huge difference.

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Umm, much of what needs to be said has already been said. I actively encourage you to look at other universities. UofT holds nothing extra super special over other schools other than world class snobbery.

 

And yes HS marks are irrelevant, especially since high schools are not standardized. You might maintain your marks in uni, or you might end up dropping out. (just saying)

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Umm, much of what needs to be said has already been said. I actively encourage you to look at other universities. UofT holds nothing extra super special over other schools other than world class snobbery.

 

And yes HS marks are irrelevant, especially since high schools are not standardized. You might maintain your marks in uni, or you might end up dropping out. (just saying)

 

++. OP: take good advice when given the chance. Many students come to UT for the prestige which (at least for undergrads) does not exist. What you will get is working just a little bit harder on a consistent basis for 4 years for the same mark you would have gotten elsewhere. And those 4 years add up.

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Umm, much of what needs to be said has already been said. I actively encourage you to look at other universities. UofT holds nothing extra super special over other schools other than world class snobbery.

 

And yes HS marks are irrelevant, especially since high schools are not standardized. You might maintain your marks in uni, or you might end up dropping out. (just saying)

 

I think you should listen to this guy, look at his sig. :P

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If you have no inkling for research do not bother going here. The only think that stopped me from going to York kine is my interest in developmental biology. You will have to work hard no matter where you go but depending on the school a certain individual may do better there. I have friends that have switched to other schools (UWO, York...) and tell me that the work load is comparable but the tests are more straight forward. The take home msg is PRESTIGE MEANS **** ALL. Different uniersites offer different experiences and programs so do what you are interested. I can say this about our school is we have so many programs within the sciences and social sciences that are really interesting.

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I don't go there but recommend you steer away from U/T. Also, you are ill prepared for university. The fact that you do exceedingly well in h.s. is irrelevant and gives you a false sense of security. Many so called very bight, even gifted, students have fallen into the academic ditch. UG is about work ethic, focus, discipline and hard work and from your post, this is not known to you. Without consistent work ethic, you will be a medicore student. Of course, you have time on your side, but you must change your attitude if you are going to have staying power successfully in this marathon. Good luck!

 

I also don't think this negativity is really that necessary. I also came from high school with an average in the 90's, and I did music on the side as well! I'm currently in my third year at UofT for life sciences with a 3.9 gpa. Although it's true that high school marks don't mean much since they're not standardized, with a good work ethic and STRONG discipline, you can do well at ANY university. Because UofT is so large, it has a great wealth of resources and a huge variety of courses that you can take, which is great for people who aren't absolutely sure which stream they want to pursue. You shouldn't let other people scare you away =P UofT definitely isn't an "easy" school to get good marks, but it's not impossible either! good luck with your selections!

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I also don't think this negativity is really that necessary. I also came from high school with an average in the 90's, and I did music on the side as well! I'm currently in my third year at UofT for life sciences with a 3.9 gpa. Although it's true that high school marks don't mean much since they're not standardized, with a good work ethic and STRONG discipline, you can do well at ANY university. Because UofT is so large, it has a great wealth of resources and a huge variety of courses that you can take, which is great for people who aren't absolutely sure which stream they want to pursue. You shouldn't let other people scare you away =P UofT definitely isn't an "easy" school to get good marks, but it's not impossible either! good luck with your selections!

 

Yes, what F_D said was negative, but from the OP's post, he doesn't seem to have a "great" work ethic. I'm not saying that he has a bad work ethic, but from what he is projecting through his post is that he is not trying hard and still getting mid 90's with MOST of his time spent on music, it seems that his studying habits might need to be change alittle to maintain a high GPA such as yourself.

 

Also, yes, do not let people scare you from going to the UofT but don't go there in the mindset that it will give you a higher chance of getting into med school. They don't care about where you did your UG, it's all about the GPA..... and EC's.

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Unless you're considering grad school, save your money and go to York. I speak for UTSG, though, I'm not sure about UTM or UTSC - might be easier, might not be. UT is tough not just because of the level they expect from you, but also because of it's sheer size - it's a LOT of work, there's SO MANY PEOPLE that you see around in first year, there's general confusion everywhere, and people tend to slack off sometimes because they get so much more free time than in high school (I know I did). That being said, if you're not going to UT but want to stay in T.O., go to York. DO NOT go to Ryerson for life sci - it's worse than York. Other than that, I would recommend McMaster because that would've been my second choice, or Western because it seems like a party school. Lets not forget Waterloo life sci.

 

I should add though, going to UT really makes me appreciate my hard work and education (sometimes :P). Though I may hate it and curse sometimes, I still love it because it's UofT.

 

Edit: I agree with this from mly: "Because UofT is so large, it has a great wealth of resources and a huge variety of courses that you can take, which is great for people who aren't absolutely sure which stream they want to pursue." It's so true!

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This is what I told my younger sister when she asked me what university she should go to (btw shes not a premed but a prepharm). I told her that it doesnt matter where she goes, as long as she works hard and stays on top of her studies she will do well. As she was walking away, I stopped her and told her these exact words "Screw what I just said, dont go to UofT, go to Western." She is now at Western, doing fairly well and couldnt be happier with her social life.

 

Big brothers - We screwed up so you dont have to :)

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This is what I told my younger sister when she asked me what university she should go to (btw shes not a premed but a prepharm). I told her that it doesnt matter where she goes, as long as she works hard and stays on top of her studies she will do well. As she was walking away, I stopped her and told her these exact words "Screw what I just said, dont go to UofT, go to Western." She is now at Western, doing fairly well and couldnt be happier with her social life.

 

Big brothers - We screwed up so you dont have to :)

 

My bro is only gr 10 but I constantly tell him not go come to UTSG like I did!:cool:

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We should form a club! O.B.A.Y.S.G.U.T (Older brothers against younger siblings going to UofT) :P

 

Think UofT will finance us? :rolleyes:

 

I feel it would be legitimate club, great for my med school applications (except maybe UofT Med).

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Hey guys,

I'm thinking of studying Life Sciences at u of t for my premed, but i'm hearing rumors about U of T saying how hard it is to get high marks there, and all they want is your money....... Well, that won't really help with me getting into med school, will it? ;)

Anyways, i just want to hear from anyone who knows anything about this program... In general, how many students can actually obtain a 90 in this school? I come from a public ontario high school, and i'm graduating with mid 90's without having to try very hard, and also because much of my time is spent on music as I perform regularly. What's it really like in there?

 

What non-sensical rumors. UT prepares future scholars and this is evident in its performance as a research powerhouse of Canada. It attracts the best minds from all over the world and it is one institution which is renowned overseas. Many academics whom Ive met in the US appreciated the fact that I've completed my studies at UT and they had only positive things to say.

 

Attend UT if you want to be challenged and want to develop into a find young man/woman who uses their mental faculties to make a difference in the world. Dont come to UT if you want to be spoon-fed knowledge, whine about your marks and only care about how to get into med school.

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What non-sensical rumors. UT prepares future scholars and this is evident in its performance as a research powerhouse of Canada. It attracts the best minds from all over the world and it is one institution which is renowned overseas. Many academics whom Ive met in the US appreciated the fact that I've completed my studies at UT and they had only positive things to say.

 

Attend UT if you want to be challenged and want to develop into a find young man/woman who uses their mental faculties to make a difference in the world. Dont come to UT if you want to be spoon-fed knowledge, whine about your marks and only care about how to get into med school.[/QUOTE]

 

Which most first years only care about that. So if you don't want to do any kind of research go somewhere else because UofT will not prepare you any better then York for med school. Look at all the residencies at UofT. I think i saw orthopedic surgeon (3/9 went to york and then UT med)

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Umm, much of what needs to be said has already been said. I actively encourage you to look at other universities. UofT holds nothing extra super special over other schools other than world class snobbery.

 

And yes HS marks are irrelevant, especially since high schools are not standardized. You might maintain your marks in uni, or you might end up dropping out. (just saying)

 

 

There are special things about uoft. Sooo much biomedical research opportunities. At Waterloo the closest thing we get is doing research on fish cells.... (and tons of people try to get into that lab.)

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We should form a club! O.B.A.Y.S.G.U.T (Older brothers against younger siblings going to UofT) :P

Hey! It should be O.S.A.Y.G.U.T. "Older SIBLINGS against younger siblings going to UT" :P

 

Can't forget us big sisters who screwed up so my younger brother doesn't have to :(

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