lynx7 Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Firstly, I am so happy to have found this forum! It is very inspiring to see there are others like me out there I am trying to decide my major for my second degree and the school to do it at. I was planning to go to U of T since I live in Toronto and imo it is "the best" one here...but seeing as GPA is so important, maybe I should consider Ryerson since I think it is much easier to get higher marks at that school (again, in my opinion.. don't want to offend anyone!). Will med schools take into consideration where I completed my second undergrad? If I have a 4.0 GPA from U of T versus Ryerson, would it make a difference to my application? i.e. will U of T make my application stronger? Secondly I was going to major in Biology (or something similar) because it seems the most fitting. However if I think I can get higher marks in something as far fetched sounding as Finance for example, should I major in that instead (assuming I could still complete the required prereq's)? I don't know if I'd feel right majoring in something so far off from medicine.. What are your guys thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livestrong Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hey lynx7! I actually just posted a very similar question to yours. Regarding your question of adcomms views on universities, based on my research, it seems that it usually comes down to numbers. Ie. choose the program/university which will provide the greatest opportunity for you to score well in over the repuation of the university. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynx7 Posted July 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hey lynx7! I actually just posted a very similar question to yours. Regarding your question of adcomms views on universities, based on my research, it seems that it usually comes down to numbers. Ie. choose the program/university which will provide the greatest opportunity for you to score well in over the repuation of the university. Hi Livestrong! It's funny, we must have been writing our questions at the same time.. and we both used the question mark icon for our thread hehe Thanks for your response. I'm under the same impression, just want to make sure it's the going consensus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpy Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Firstly, I am so happy to have found this forum! It is very inspiring to see there are others like me out there I am trying to decide my major for my second degree and the school to do it at. I was planning to go to U of T since I live in Toronto and imo it is "the best" one here...but seeing as GPA is so important, maybe I should consider Ryerson since I think it is much easier to get higher marks at that school (again, in my opinion.. don't want to offend anyone!). Will med schools take into consideration where I completed my second undergrad? If I have a 4.0 GPA from U of T versus Ryerson, would it make a difference to my application? i.e. will U of T make my application stronger? Secondly I was going to major in Biology (or something similar) because it seems the most fitting. However if I think I can get higher marks in something as far fetched sounding as Finance for example, should I major in that instead (assuming I could still complete the required prereq's)? I don't know if I'd feel right majoring in something so far off from medicine.. What are your guys thoughts? I don't think anyone can answer your first question in a quantitative way. We do know that a small number of schools (U of T, U of Calgary) do put some emphasis on difficulty of a program. But how much of an emphasis this is, and whether they would view U of T or Ryerson as more difficult is impossible to say. One might imagine that they would view a 4.0 from U of T slightly more favorably than a 4.0 from Ryerson. But all schools will view a 4.0 from Ryerson as better than a 3.5 from U of T. I'm not sure this really helps, but unfortunately your question is one without a definitive answer. Your question about which degree to do will have a similar answer. Some schools supposedly care what your degree is in, most do not. But there are a couple larger issues here. Why do you want to go into medicine if you prefer to study another field? I would hope that most applicants don't pursue a major because it's the "right degree for medicine," but because they are genuinely interested in studying medicine (and an undergrad degree in life sciences or immunology or health science is as close as you can come to that in an undergrad program). That said, degree choice doesn't really matter. Take something that you're most interested and perform well in. Again, a 4.0 in Philosophy will be viewed much more favorably on average than a 3.5 in any premed program of your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynx7 Posted July 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 I don't think anyone can answer your first question in a quantitative way. We do know that a small number of schools (U of T, U of Calgary) do put some emphasis on difficulty of a program. But how much of an emphasis this is, and whether they would view U of T or Ryerson as more difficult is impossible to say. One might imagine that they would view a 4.0 from U of T slightly more favorably than a 4.0 from Ryerson. But all schools will view a 4.0 from Ryerson as better than a 3.5 from U of T. I'm not sure this really helps, but unfortunately your question is one without a definitive answer. Your question about which degree to do will have a similar answer. Some schools supposedly care what your degree is in, most do not. But there are a couple larger issues here. Why do you want to go into medicine if you prefer to study another field? I would hope that most applicants don't pursue a major because it's the "right degree for medicine," but because they are genuinely interested in studying medicine (and an undergrad degree in life sciences or immunology or health science is as close as you can come to that in an undergrad program). That said, degree choice doesn't really matter. Take something that you're most interested and perform well in. Again, a 4.0 in Philosophy will be viewed much more favorably on average than a 3.5 in any premed program of your choice. Hi Simpy! Thanks so much for your advice. I absolutely love your "thinking about a second undergraduate degree" thread.. I have read it a few times, great advice. I would actually far prefer to study a degree in life sciences than finance. The reason I asked the question is because I happen to already have a lot of finance knowledge and so am sure that I would have a far easier time getting higher marks in a finance degree. So should I study what I would prefer (human biology), or study what is more of a sure thing to land an amazing GPA (finance)? I'm asking this question mainly for arguments sake because I've gotten advice that I should base my decision solely on what would be the easiest to get the highest marks in (whether it is what I find the most interesting or not). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpy Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Thanks lynx. It's tough to say about which degree to do in that case. On the one hand, your finance knowledge might help you. On the other, you might become bored and/or lazy if you already know the material. I know that I actually tend to do better in classes where I enter with less knowledge, otherwise I tend to overestimate my ability and study less than I should. I also kind of like the science route because if your passion for medicine ever comes up in an interview situation you could respond with a tighter narrative. There are small advantages and disadvantages no matter which direction you pursue (and depending on your personality). I think the best general rule of thumb is to follow what you are most interested in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpy Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Actually, considering it more, I can give you a better answer. I think you already know the best path for you to take. You're here asking because you want someone to validate it. But no one here really can - we can all look at your situation from our individual perspectives and suggest the direction we would go in. But in providing you advice from my perspective, I am being true to who *I* am. I think you should do whatever is most consistent with who YOU are. My advice worked for me - I pursued a second degree in the field that I was most interested in and ended up in medicine. But this advice will not work for everyone. Some people are just not very good at what they are most interested in. Others might be equally interested in two completely different fields. So do your best not to be influenced by others. It's a fact that your degree choice will not matter very much. Given this fact, follow whichever path is most true to who you are and what you are strong in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynx7 Posted July 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 Actually, considering it more, I can give you a better answer. I think you already know the best path for you to take. You're here asking because you want someone to validate it. But no one here really can - we can all look at your situation from our individual perspectives and suggest the direction we would go in. But in providing you advice from my perspective, I am being true to who *I* am. I think you should do whatever is most consistent with who YOU are. My advice worked for me - I pursued a second degree in the field that I was most interested in and ended up in medicine. But this advice will not work for everyone. Some people are just not very good at what they are most interested in. Others might be equally interested in two completely different fields. So do your best not to be influenced by others. It's a fact that your degree choice will not matter very much. Given this fact, follow whichever path is most true to who you are and what you are strong in. Thanks Simpy. You're right. There is a Human Biology-Neuroscience program at U of T that I am interested in. I guess I wanted to see what others thought - others who would not have my personal biases influencing them - but maybe trying to avoid bias is not the best thing to do. I do firmly believe that I can earn strong enough marks in the human biology program, but there's that little voice in my head that wonders if I am being foolish for not choosing something that is seemingly easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarathonRunner Posted July 15, 2011 Report Share Posted July 15, 2011 To reiterate, most medical schools (in Canada) don't care whatmuniversity you attended for your undergrad degree, or what you studied, as long as you fulfill their prerequisites (and some schools have few or no prereqs). The general advice is to choose a university and a program that you feel will give you the best chance at getting a high GPA. For that reason, a lot of people avoid U of T, due to the bell curve grading practice there. Generally, studying a subject that is of interest to you will result in a higher GPA, but there are schools, and courses, that make it difficult, even if you enjoy the subject matter. In the end, you choose choose a school, and a program, where you feel you can succeed. See if you can find evaluations of the courses you will need to take, and try to talk to people in the programs that interest you, to find out just how difficult they might be. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynx7 Posted July 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 To reiterate, most medical schools (in Canada) don't care whatmuniversity you attended for your undergrad degree, or what you studied, as long as you fulfill their prerequisites (and some schools have few or no prereqs). The general advice is to choose a university and a program that you feel will give you the best chance at getting a high GPA. For that reason, a lot of people avoid U of T, due to the bell curve grading practice there. Generally, studying a subject that is of interest to you will result in a higher GPA, but there are schools, and courses, that make it difficult, even if you enjoy the subject matter. In the end, you choose choose a school, and a program, where you feel you can succeed. See if you can find evaluations of the courses you will need to take, and try to talk to people in the programs that interest you, to find out just how difficult they might be. Good luck! Really good advice. Thank you for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medhopeful64 Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 Thanks Simpy. You're right, I feel like I do know what the best path for me is. There is a Human Biology-Neuroscience program at U of T that I am extremely interested in and would be more than excited to start. I guess I wanted to see what others thought - others who would not have my personal biases influencing them - but maybe trying to avoid bias is not the right, or smartest, thing to do. I do firmly believe that I can earn strong enough marks in the human biology program, but there's that little voice in my head that wonders if I am being foolish for not choosing something that is seemingly easier. Just wanted to add that if you are worried about not doing well (and rightly so, GPA is king), you can always add some easy bird courses in here and there to boost your GPA. But be careful - my "bird" courses were some of my worst marks because I slacked off and didn't take it seriously. You can always try to fit in a finance course or two into your biology program Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.