Best pre-med undergrad @ u of calgary

[newmedcraze]

I just wanna know which undergraduate degree prepares you the best for the medical school? health sceices vs biological sciences vs neurosciences?...hopefully I will get some constructive advices.

[dmleo]

I don't think one program prepares you better for medicine than other programs

out there. The programs each have their own unique teachings/classes so

just take whatever that fits your interest. For me, I'm a botany major because

I just find plants so interesting unlike most people:D

[Steve-0]

I second that.

 

Don't choose an undergrad because you think it will look good on a med app. Things can change in the coming years and you don't want to find that medicine isn't right for you and you are stuck doing a degree you have no interest in.

 

Secondly, you will undoubtedly do better in a degree you actually find interesting.

 

Finally, most schools aren't all that interested in what your degree reads at the end of it. They want to know that a) you have a base knowledge in certain areas (hence the recommended/required courses), and that you can learn.

 

With that said, if you are interested in medicine it is likely you are probably interested in the biological sciences, health sciences, etc and this is why most students accepted have these degrees. Here at U of C we have a number of engineers, people with business backgrounds and others though.

[newmedcraze]

A big thanks to all of you:D .

[dubious]

I think the Health Sciences program at Uof Calgary is your best bet. It's not a pre-med program by any means, it's more focused on producing researchers in the health/biological sciences. The reason why I think it's your best bet (if you can get into the program) is that we all know that medical schools like research experience. Especially if you've presented your research at conferences or have been published. In the health sciences program you are required to do a lot of research as part of your degree. Not only that, the students in this program build intimate relationships with their research supervisors which can later be used as references for medical school.

 

That being said, don't think any one program guarantees you entrance into medical school. You'll still have work your butt off. Some might say that the health sciences program is a lot harder than a normal Biology degree, but that's debatable. I just think if I had to choose again I'd pick a program that exposed their students to as much research as the Health Sciences program does. But I'm a Biology BSc graduate, now doing my MSc in Medical Sciences to get that research experience.

[TeaHatingBrit]

We've actually had a lot of debate in our class about which undergrad has helped us the best, and to be honest there isn't really any one degree that prepares you well, so do whatever it is that you want to do.

 

But along the way, if you're keen, some classes in physiology, immunology and anatomy helped the most, IMO.

 

Also; don't do health sciences just to get into medicine. From what my health sciences friends have told me, it is a little bit more challenging than your typical undergrad (thus, why it is harder to get into). So you may not do as well (grade wise) as you would in a normal biology degree.

[strawberriHoney]

Just do what you like. If you are more interested in research, do health sciences. I have some friends who went into that program because they thought it would be better for med school and they are not enjoying the program at all. So i think it really depends on what you are interested in. and there are also plenty of research opportunities in bioscience as well. I do about the same amount of research as some of my health science friends. so I think at the end of the day, it really just comes down to yourself, not the program you are in.

[newmedcraze]

ThnQ Guyz