What is the best program for undergrad?

[DeliciousPeepee]

I'm unsure of what undergrad program to go into at UWO. I find maths to be interesting and engineering, but i love bio and i feel that if i go into either of those, I'll be missing out on bio. what would you guys recommend for someone looking into programs at UWO and wants to achieve a high GPA and wants time to volunteer/socialize?

[Ekylo]

There is no "best program" in terms of medical school. They are all looked at equally and different programs emphasize and prepare you better for different things. However, with that being said, like you mentioned, certain programs have higher workloads and can be more difficult. That does not mean you cannot get a high GPA in those programs, or that you will be unable to balance it with ECs/free time .. it may just be more challenging.

 

I don't go to UWO but I know that biomed/biochm is a popular choice. I'm sure others can give more elaborate information on specific programs .

 

Good luck! Remember to select something you enjoy !

[charmer08]

basket weaving

[thehockeykid]

nursing 10char

[medaholic]

I'm unsure of what undergrad program to go into at UWO. I find maths to be interesting and engineering, but i love bio and i feel that if i go into either of those, I'll be missing out on bio. what would you guys recommend for someone looking into programs at UWO and wants to achieve a high GPA and wants time to volunteer/socialize?

 

Do bio.

 

Engineering will be hard to get a high GPA + time to volunteer socialize.

[markov79]

while math can get pretty intense in upper years... somethings to think about, i would think, would be that it's all logic (or at least in principle it is, i think?) so you could probably count on figuring out questions as long as you know the basics. that's assuming you know math well, which is what you said. so that's cool. that also kind of implies less memorization so it plays to strengths and weaknesses. logic obviously also plays a role in bio, but if you're given the name of 4 random proteins you don't remember, it'll be harder (read: may be impossible) to reason out the correct answer.

 

the other thing is that, since it is math, if you're good at it you can get a fairly good mark just by getting the right answer. that is, there's always one right answer. that's the case in other sciences as well, but i find it much harder to confirm answers that i'm unsure of in a bio class than in math.

 

probably isn't a full or infallible analysis, but i'd just say those are some points to think about.

[pokaroo]

Short answer: Western Med Sci/ Mac Health Sci

-for many variable reason

-Western: many Schulich Medicine connections, medical science courses, easy marks

 

Mac: Faculty of HS, different type of learning, easy marks

 

 

Amb Answer: Do want you feel you can do best in? You might be great in Psych or Music or Math - whatever you can excel in and can pursue wholeheartedly.. because lets face it, if your heart isn't in it then you won't do well ...

 

Hope this is what you were looking for..

 

my two cents

[questforstarfish]

 

Do want you feel you can do best in? You might be great in Psych or Music or Math - whatever you can excel in and can pursue wholeheartedly.. because lets face it, if your heart isn't in it then you won't do well ...

 

Totally. Do something fun and interesting to you- the grades will come easier and you'll spend 4 years much happier than if you feel like you have to plod through them! I'm doing nursing and although the study load can be pretty intense, I adore it (always wanted to do nursing until I realized med school is NOT an impossible goal) and I'm thrilled to go to class every day. Working hard for A's can become a task you actually enjoy!

[nikki dale]

I'm unsure of what undergrad program to go into at UWO. I find maths to be interesting and engineering, but i love bio and i feel that if i go into either of those, I'll be missing out on bio. what would you guys recommend for someone looking into programs at UWO and wants to achieve a high GPA and wants time to volunteer/socialize?

 

if you like both topics, can't you do a double major?

do you what you know you're good at and that you enjoy.

[Soenuedo]

I would have to say... U of T LMP =)

[shikimate]

I would have to say... U of T LMP =)

 

+1

 

10 char

[HopeToBeGreen]

while math can get pretty intense in upper years... somethings to think about, i would think, would be that it's all logic (or at least in principle it is, i think?) so you could probably count on figuring out questions as long as you know the basics. that's assuming you know math well, which is what you said. so that's cool. that also kind of implies less memorization so it plays to strengths and weaknesses. logic obviously also plays a role in bio, but if you're given the name of 4 random proteins you don't remember, it'll be harder (read: may be impossible) to reason out the correct answer.

 

the other thing is that, since it is math, if you're good at it you can get a fairly good mark just by getting the right answer. that is, there's always one right answer. that's the case in other sciences as well, but i find it much harder to confirm answers that i'm unsure of in a bio class than in math.

 

probably isn't a full or infallible analysis, but i'd just say those are some points to think about.

 

I have both a degree in Science and a degree in Mathematics/Computer Science. In my experience there are a few people (very few) who are savants in math. They only need to memorize a few things and are able to work on the rest out from first principles on the exam. Most people need to memorize much more. Having said that, the amount of memorization is math is MUCH MUCH less than in biology.

 

The down side of math compared to biology is that in math your mark is much less clearly related to the amount of work you put in. If you work REALLY hard in a biology course you can pretty much guarantee youself an 90 or better. In an upper year math course the same work will guarantee you and 80 or better. Getting above 90 usually depends on luck.

 

The explanation is this. In a biology course there is a finite amount of material to learn and the tests mostly require you to regurgitate that material or perhaps perform some simple reasoning based on it. If you know the material you'll do fine.

 

In math courses much of the exam will be just doing things things you've done before in class or on assignments. These questions will be easy to get if you've studied hard. The rest of the exam will be problems/proofs that you can do based on the material you've learned but it is not clear how to do it. You have to have a blinding flash of insight during the exam to see how to proceed. Studying hard increases your chances of having the insight but there is always an element of luck involved and that can make your marks unpredictable.

[RichardParker]

I have both a degree in Science and a degree in Mathematics/Computer Science. In my experience there are a few people (very few) who are savants in math. They only need to memorize a few things and are able to work on the rest out from first principles on the exam. Most people need to memorize much more. Having said that, the amount of memorization is math is MUCH MUCH less than in biology.

 

The down side of math compared to biology is that in math your mark is much less clearly related to the amount of work you put in. If you work REALLY hard in a biology course you can pretty much guarantee youself an 90 or better. In an upper year math course the same work will guarantee you and 80 or better. Getting above 90 usually depends on luck.

 

The explanation is this. In a biology course there is a finite amount of material to learn and the tests mostly require you to regurgitate that material or perhaps perform some simple reasoning based on it. If you know the material you'll do fine.

 

In math courses much of the exam will be just doing things things you've done before in class or on assignments. These questions will be easy to get if you've studied hard. The rest of the exam will be problems/proofs that you can do based on the material you've learned but it is not clear how to do it. You have to have a blinding flash of insight during the exam to see how to proceed. Studying hard increases your chances of having the insight but there is always an element of luck involved and that can make your marks unpredictable.

 

I couldn't agree more with this. Very well said. Thanks!

 

To answer OP's question, McMaster's Health Sci is a great program to ease your path into med school. Although getting in the program from high school is very tough.

[thehumanmacbook]

I couldn't agree more with this. Very well said. Thanks!

 

To answer OP's question, McMaster's Health Sci is a great program to ease your path into med school. Although getting in the program from high school is very tough.

 

But it requires a very...different sort of pedagogical perspective and a high tolerance for being surrounded by med gunners who will you have to work with consistently. Your reputation is ruled by 159 other people. Your faculty will demand that you chant "PBL rocks! Inquiry is amazing! I'm so happy to be a health sci!" by the end of four years.

 

Don't go into health sci. Go into anything biomed/physiology/medical physics. You'll have a solid science and research background, and later on that knowledge will help you to specialize in certain intensive specialties (or at least get further involved in med school) and boost CaRMS.]

 

But if you don't mind #1, then go into health sci.

[inspiring-curmudgeon]

But it requires a very...different sort of pedagogical perspective and a high tolerance for being surrounded by med gunners who will you have to work with consistently. Your reputation is ruled by 159 other people. Your faculty will demand that you chant "PBL rocks! Inquiry is amazing! I'm so happy to be a health sci!" by the end of four years.

 

Don't go into health sci. Go into anything biomed/physiology/medical physics. You'll have a solid science and research background, and later on that knowledge will help you to specialize in certain intensive specialties (or at least get further involved in med school) and boost CaRMS.]

 

But if you don't mind #1, then go into health sci.

 

I totally agree. After being surrounded by health sci grads during the first month of med school, it seems like their program is amazing for getting you in, but not for being an excellent medical student. I'm not saying that the mac health sci grads won't be good, I'm just saying that it seems like they definitely aren't as prepared as people who came from programs such as UofT LMP and UWO Medsci. If you want a solid foundation, go somewhere else. If you want a great route in, go to mac health sci.

[astrogirl]

I totally agree with you about math, HopeToBeGreen. I tried to double major in math for a while, and I literally couldn't do it. Math is really hard. Understanding advanced math on the level you need to do physics or engineering is one thing, but being able to do really advanced math yourself and coming up the with proofs is really hard and not everyone can do it no matter how hard they work. It's fascinating and I loved learning about it, and if you can do it there are great job opportunities, but it really is not the sort of thing that you will be okay in if you just work hard enough. Not trying to discourage anyone from majoring in math here, but if you're thinking about majoring in math, you need to be prepared to possibly fail classes that you will put a ton of work into and you might have to change your major. Physics and engineering are hard, but math is a whole different kind of hard.

[thehumanmacbook]

I totally agree. After being surrounded by health sci grads during the first month of med school, it seems like their program is amazing for getting you in, but not for being an excellent medical student. I'm not saying that the mac health sci grads won't be good, I'm just saying that it seems like they definitely aren't as prepared as people who came from programs such as UofT LMP and UWO Medsci. If you want a solid foundation, go somewhere else. If you want a great route in, go to mac health sci.

 

FINALLY SOMEONE AGREES wow. I thought I was the only dissenter...

[McMarauder]

FINALLY SOMEONE AGREES wow. I thought I was the only dissenter...

 

You're definitely not alone. While at Mac, I was always under the impression that everyone in health sci loved it. The great marks, the community, and the priority to book a study room in the library . But after meeting a few health scis that transferred into my program at mac and a few HTHSCI alumni, I quickly learned that health sci, like all programs out there, has it's downsides. To my surprise, these individuals stated the following:

 

1. "I wanted a more challenging program"

2. "The small health sci community wasn't for me. It felt like highschool"

3. "Everyone's secretly competitive, and I didn't feel like people were genuine"

4. "I'm better at studying on my own. I hated PBL"

 

Just something to consider.

[DeliciousPeepee]

Thanks for all your ans everyone.

 

I seem to have failed to mention that I'm already a first year in the UWO medsci program lol. that was stupid of me. The reason I posted this thread was to get some insight on alternative routes, since I've been considering them for a while now. Another reason was that almost everyone, if not everyone, in my program is gunning for medschool - which is a let down, since I would like to get in after only undergrad. I intend to work hard, but I don't know if I'll be able to compete with some of the others, including but not limited to friends (some of whom are geniuses with scholarships and GPAs to back it up lol).

 

Anyway, thanks again for the ans and if the info I've given can provide a greater insight into my situation and narrow your suggestions.

 

(btw, I don't want to switch schools. also, for anyone who is at UWO, what do you think of the idea of applying for SERT next year?)

[DeliciousPeepee]

bump 10char

[Minion]

Here's my 2 cents,

 

Study what you think you will enjoy the most. I thought I loved bio in high school, but at uni I simply don't like it any more (This probably happened because I like Kinesiology courses more ) There is a chance you don't know the reason for wanting to become a doctor and university is a 4 year time commitment. For some reason if you decide not to become a doctor, you will still have a degree on the subject you like to fall back onto.

[Curi0user]

Here's my 2 cents,

 

Study what you think you will enjoy the most. I thought I loved bio in high school, but at uni I simply don't like it any more (This probably happened because I like Kinesiology courses more ) There is a chance you don't know the reason for wanting to become a doctor and university is a 4 year time commitment. For some reason if you decide not to become a doctor, you will still have a degree on the subject you like to fall back onto.

 

The exact thing happened to me. You think you like biology until you meet kinesiology.

[kc752]

Here's my 2 cents,

 

Study what you think you will enjoy the most. I thought I loved bio in high school, but at uni I simply don't like it any more (This probably happened because I like Kinesiology courses more ) There is a chance you don't know the reason for wanting to become a doctor and university is a 4 year time commitment. For some reason if you decide not to become a doctor, you will still have a degree on the subject you like to fall back onto.

 

+1...Completely agree- study what you love.

[future_doc]

You think you like biology until you meet kinesiology.

 

No comparison between the two.

[rmorelan]

+1...Completely agree- study what you love.

 

that makes sense for two reasons - first you really do study better subjects you actually like and GPA of course is still incredibly important in this game. Second realistically not everyone will eventually get into medical school so learning a subject you like enough potentially to follow further with is logical I think as well