Second Degree - which one?

[Shell]

Hey all,

 

I am beginning a second degree in the fall after I write my MCAT, because I dont want to go way down south. So these are my options, I know only I can decide, but just wanted your opinion.

 

Kinesiology

Psychology

Political Science

 

Any would take me 2 years to complete and my first degree is health sciences.

 

Input very much appreciated. Good luck to those who have applied and are eagerly waiting for offers!

[supafield]

Hey all,

 

I am beginning a second degree in the fall after I write my MCAT, because I dont want to go way down south. So these are my options, I know only I can decide, but just wanted your opinion.

 

Kinesiology

Psychology

Political Science

 

Any would take me 2 years to complete and my first degree is health sciences.

 

Input very much appreciated. Good luck to those who have applied and are eagerly waiting for offers!

 

I did Kin first and then went to Health Sci. There were several courses that overlapped between the two which gave me some flexibility in getting the degree and was what ultimately lead me to chose it.

[cgy_guy23]

Hey all,

 

I am beginning a second degree in the fall after I write my MCAT, because I dont want to go way down south. So these are my options, I know only I can decide, but just wanted your opinion.

 

Kinesiology

Psychology

Political Science

 

Any would take me 2 years to complete and my first degree is health sciences.

 

Input very much appreciated. Good luck to those who have applied and are eagerly waiting for offers!

 

Well this depends on your interests but since you are considering all 3 I would think all of them interest you. If I was in your shoes I would go for psychology...if you like writing papers political science...and if you are really into sports then kinesiology. Kines and health sci are probably the most similar, so if you want a change go for the other two. It would also differentiate you from most applicants if you had a psych or poli sci degree and show you have varied interests.

[Shell]

I did Kin first and then went to Health Sci. There were several courses that overlapped between the two which gave me some flexibility in getting the degree and was what ultimately lead me to chose it.

 

Supafield,

 

Would you say one is harder then the other?

 

and cgy_guy,

 

I read the course descriptions for kines and found them more interesting. But showing myself, as an applicant, how important is it to show these varied interests in studies? Not sure if that made sense but yeah.

[cgy_guy23]

Supafield,

 

Would you say one is harder then the other?

 

and cgy_guy,

 

I read the course descriptions for kines and found them more interesting. But showing myself, as an applicant, how important is it to show these varied interests in studies? Not sure if that made sense but yeah.

 

Its not imperative... I say do what interests you more since your marks will probably be better too. Adcoms generally do like if you have interests other than just science/medicine as it shows well roundedness, however, not a big proportion of applicants come from kines background so its still different.

[supafield]

Supafield,

 

Would you say one is harder then the other?

 

 

I'm sure that's really school dependent. I found health science at Western easier, however, it was my second degree and I was way more motivated.

 

When you have a motivated 5th/6th year taking courses with unmotivated 2nd years, it may seem like the grades were easier to come by than they actually were.

[nosuperman]

I've dabbled in all three of these (psych minor, bio major, interest in poli sci) and I'd vote for psychology.

 

Presumably you're doing this to boost your marks using something that you'll both enjoy and grow/learn/benefit from in the long run. Psychology is pretty straightforward - if you study and put the work in, you can get med school worthy grades. I found many of the more neuroscience-based psych courses were super easy after my exposure to biology and MCAT prep... so that was a nice bonus as well.

[Cnussey]

I would like them in that order: Kine, Psych...and then the other one, but I am going to start my second UG too (keep applying in between, but it's smarter to put extra years of courses towards a second degree rather than simply electives, IMO) and I have been coached by a number of people to do a BN.

[AcXX]

I would like them in that order: Kine, Psych...and then the other one, but I am going to start my second UG too (keep applying in between, but it's smarter to put extra years of courses towards a second degree rather than simply electives, IMO) and I have been coached by a number of people to do a BN.

Could you elaborate on applying in between? I have a degree from U of T, but I've been accepted into the Kine program at York. Does this apply to me?

[20G20]

Does the first year of a seconfd degree count towards you GPA, if you apply after this first year? How does it work?

[finks]

I would do the psych, I did a minor in psych and the classes helped my GPA big time.

I am looking to take some courses come sept but am not interested in doing a second undergrad, do you think that is ok? I was thinking 3 each semester. Also, I was thinking about taking them through Athabasca, has anyone taken courses from there and how did you find them?

Thanks!

[Cnussey]

Could you elaborate on applying in between? I have a degree from U of T, but I've been accepted into the Kine program at York. Does this apply to me?

 

Yes. As long as you have a completed degree you can keep applying, but for some schools the new GPA won't come in effect until you're going into your final year (So I'll be choosing to start a 3 year 2nd UG so that if I have to continue reapplying, the GPA will come into effect sooner). Other schools see it as a compilation (all courses ever taken)--really depends on where you are applying.

[Cnussey]

I would do the psych, I did a minor in psych and the classes helped my GPA big time.

I am looking to take some courses come sept but am not interested in doing a second undergrad, do you think that is ok? I was thinking 3 each semester. Also, I was thinking about taking them through Athabasca, has anyone taken courses from there and how did you find them?

Thanks!

 

Taking one from AU right now--never seen such a program before! It's pretty neat--you have 6 MONTHS to complete a regular course (you should do it in shorter time, but you don't have to) and you can rewrite the final if you don't like your mark. Goodness.

[predoc]

I would do the psych, I did a minor in psych and the classes helped my GPA big time.

I am looking to take some courses come sept but am not interested in doing a second undergrad, do you think that is ok? I was thinking 3 each semester. Also, I was thinking about taking them through Athabasca, has anyone taken courses from there and how did you find them?

Thanks!

 

Hi finks,

 

from what I've seen around and read on here, I believe people only take courses with Athabasca to meet required classes for some Med schools (Chemistry, Organic Chem and Bio), although, not all Med schools have those requirements.

 

also, 3 classes a semester is not Full Course Load, the years of undergrad that you wanna rely on to calculate your GPA and use in your med applications have to be full course load (5 1/2classes a semester). so unless the classes you plan on taking with Athabasca are to meet specific requirements for the school that requires them (Mac?? ), you should check before!