Are you a Yorkie Premed? (York Premed Discussion)

[PremedToronto]

Hey, would anyone know how important CHEM 1001 tutorials are, besides for the quizzes? I have a half hour overlap between KINE 4340 ending at 1 PM and a CHEM 1001 tutorial starting at 12:30 PM this summer.

 

I would say they were pretty helpful to me.  I would try to avoid that overlap.  Also, I believe the tests were held during the tutorial sessions in my year.

[YorkU Bio 2017]

Hi everyone, 

 

I am currently in Biomed first year and I was considering doing some courses in summer school. I was thinking of doing BIOL 2020 and BIOL 2070 or BIOL 2020 & 2021 in the summer. Which combination do you think I should choose. Btw the prof for 2021 in the summer is crap, so I was leaning more towards BIOL 2020 and BIOL 2070. Can someone who has done these courses provide me like a breakdown of each course, so I can get a better idea. 

 

Thanks.

 

Definitely get BIOL 2070 out of the way during the summer.

[AdviceNeeded]

Can anyone confirm that an A at York is a 4.0 on the AMCAS scale?

[011235813]

Can anyone confirm that an A at York is a 4.0 on the AMCAS scale?

yes.

[011235813]

This thread has really died. I used to go on this all the time. Have York students given up on medicine? 

[011235813]

Here. I'm super bored. I'm going to write stuff on this thread, hoping someone will respond. I'm REALLY bored right now.

Why you should go to York:

1. Our classes are REALLY fair. I never went to another school, so I can't say that they're EASY relative to other schools or comment on whether or not other schools are UNFAIR and hard to achieve a high GPA in, but I can say that if you put in the work at York, you ABSOLUTELY can get a competitive GPA for medical school. In this year alone, I can count at least 10 students who got into medical school that I know personally, and I am positive that there are more. 

2. Our professors are REALLY awesome, at least in my department. I was a Psychology major, and the professors were INCREDIBLY helpful. I got offered reference letters from many professors, and I know of other students who were in the same position. I can't say anything for departments like economics, but I had Bio and Chem professors who were willing to do the same.

3. Atmosphere. Our students are really non-competitive for the most part. We had tons of students who wanted to go for medical school or other professional school, and we all shared interview prep materials, notes, etc. While I'm sure the hyper-competitive pre-medical students who rip pages out of library books did exist at our school, I never met one.  (I have friends at UofT who encountered such individuals, so I know they do exist. Not dumping on UofT. I'm sure most students are not like this)

Why you should NOT go to York:

1. The administration. As nice as the professors are, some of the admin staff are really hard to deal with. They can be rude, unhelpful, and in some cases nasty. To be fair, not saying this is a York problem. I'm sure other schools have this too. But we do have some especially nasty admin staff.

2. Weekend exams! I don't know if other schools have this problem, but we have exams on the WEEKENDS! 

3. Class restrictions during registration. I know all schools likely have this problem, but our system is CRAZY glitchy. I frequently couldn't get into classes that were RESERVED for me! I was a Psychology major and couldn't get into many Psychology classes, and constantly had to keep emailing the program secretary to get in. It was infuriating!

In the end, I think York was a good choice. It had its pros and cons like any other school. But in answer to the seeming age old question, should I go to York if I want to go to medical school, I think it's been proven that you can get into medical school coming from York. My 2 cents. Anybody else want to comment?

@Goku @MeGusta@YorkU Bio 2017@PremedToronto @noneed2live @YorkMD

[maverick5]

Could anyone offer any insight on how KINE 3020 is evaluated, i.e. should I focus on readings, course kit or lectures?

[PremedToronto]

I agree with what @f011235813 has said above.  York is a great school to go, and I don't regret a single thing about it.  It definitely prepared me for medical school.  I hope more fellow York students will be applying this year, and if any need someone to talk to, I'm always around.

[Haribo7173]

On ‎2017‎-‎06‎-‎06 at 8:29 AM, f011235813 said:

3. Class restrictions during registration. I know all schools likely have this problem, but our system is CRAZY glitchy. I frequently couldn't get into classes that were RESERVED for me! I was a Psychology major and couldn't get into many Psychology classes, and constantly had to keep emailing the program secretary to get in. It was infuriating!

@Goku @MeGusta@YorkU Bio 2017@PremedToronto @noneed2live @YorkMD

Lol McGill Psych had the same bullshit.

[nm98]

16 hours ago, PremedToronto said:

I agree with what @f011235813 has said above.  York is a great school to go, and I don't regret a single thing about it.  It definitely prepared me for medical school.  I hope more fellow York students will be applying this year, and if any need someone to talk to, I'm always around.

@PremedTorontoHey, do you mind telling me what program you were in?

[PremedToronto]

3 hours ago, nm98 said:

@PremedTorontoHey, do you mind telling me what program you were in?

Hi, I was in the biomedical sciences program, finished it in 4 years

[011235813]

On 6/11/2017 at 4:42 AM, PremedToronto said:

I agree with what @f011235813 has said above.  York is a great school to go, and I don't regret a single thing about it.  It definitely prepared me for medical school.  I hope more fellow York students will be applying this year, and if any need someone to talk to, I'm always around.

Same thing here. Please don't hesitate to PM me or tag me! (loving this new tag function!!!!)

[xrubicon13]

Hi y'all!

Picking courses for 2nd year is a headache. I'm missing a course for Winter, and I'm currently taking BIOL 2070 this summer.

I've selected the following courses so far:

Fall 2017

BIOL 2020 - Terry Kubieski

CHEM 2020 - 

PHYS 1420 - Matthew George (playing catch up, should've taken this in first year)

PSYCH 2021 - Monique Herbert (substitute for BIOL 2060 (J Shore), not 100% sure this is the right decision, might take this in the Winter)

[...]

 

Winter 2017

BIOL 2021 - Dr. Pat

CHEM 2021 - Hovig

PHYS 1420 - Matthew George (con't)

[...]

[...]

 

Currently TBD:

EN 1102 6.0 (Lit and Health) - Elena Basile (No idea who this is)  or EN 1201 - Literary Imagination

KINE 2011 Fall (Enrollment doesn't open for Biology majors until July)

Considering Animals BIOL 2070 to unlock upper-year courses, but it conflicts with my Physics.

I would've taken Genetics BIOL 2040 if it didn't conflict with my Physics or Animals.

Was denied taking SOCI1010 for having too many transfer credits.

[011235813]

50 minutes ago, xrubicon13 said:

Hi y'all!

Picking courses for 2nd year is a headache. I'm missing a course for Winter, and I'm currently taking BIOL 2070 this summer.

I've selected the following courses so far:

Fall 2017

BIOL 2020 - Terry Kubieski

CHEM 2020 - 

PHYS 1420 - Matthew George (playing catch up, should've taken this in first year)

PSYCH 2021 - Monique Herbert (substitute for BIOL 2060 (J Shore), not 100% sure this is the right decision, might take this in the Winter)

[...]

 

Winter 2017

BIOL 2021 - Dr. Pat

CHEM 2021 - Hovig

PHYS 1420 - Matthew George (con't)

[...]

[...]

 

Currently TBD:

EN 1102 6.0 (Lit and Health) - Elena Basile (No idea who this is)  or EN 1201 - Literary Imagination

KINE 2011 Fall (Enrollment doesn't open for Biology majors until July)

Considering Animals BIOL 2070 to unlock upper-year courses, but it conflicts with my Physics.

I would've taken Genetics BIOL 2040 if it didn't conflict with my Physics or Animals.

Was denied taking SOCI1010 for having too many transfer credits.

CHEM2020: HOVIG!!!!! The guy is incredible. One of the most dedicated and awesome professors there is. Very fair tests, just an incredible person.

PHYS1420: Matt George is a great guy. Really nice. Warning: while his tests are easy, he is not a great teacher. 

I took BIOL2020 with Rosonina. He was awesome. Kubiseski is supposed to be pretty great though. And very easy. Should be an easy course.

Don't do Stats with Herbert. While she is supposed to be easy, I've been told that she isn't a great teacher. Personally took PSYC2020 with Jenkin and she was awesome. Easy course though, probably regardless of who you take it with. Psych stats is supposed to be the easiest stats class we have, so I think taking it as a substitute for BIOL2060 is a good idea. 

I would save English for a summer or 4th year after you apply. It will likely be a really tough struggle for an A+, while I do have friends who achieved this, I'd recommend saving it for when it won't be as important. 

Animals is BIOL2030, and I've been told it's an easy A, brutal A+. This is secondhand though, so take it with a grain of salt. 

KINE2011: never took it. No ideas, although friends who took it said it was fine. 

If you have room, throw in some PSYCH courses. Easy A+'s for pretty much all of them (That I took anyway). Most aren't super interesting. I guess Abnormal PSYCH (PSYC3140) is fine though in terms of interest. Anything with Krista Trobst (If she's still teaching, she's been sick for a few years now) or Vasanthi Valoo, is pretty much an easy EASY A+. 

[nm98]

Hey guys,

I just finished my first year in biomed, but Im thinking of switching into bio. What do you guys suggest me taking for the upcoming school year. Right now im doing BIOL 2020 and 2070 in the summer. I am also thinking of taking PHYS 1420. So just throw out some suggestions for easy A/A+ courses, electives, or mandatory courses. Thanks in advance.

[Idioventricular Rhythm]

On 6/14/2017 at 3:48 PM, xrubicon13 said:

Hi y'all!

Picking courses for 2nd year is a headache. I'm missing a course for Winter, and I'm currently taking BIOL 2070 this summer.

 

1

The only advice I can offer, as f011 suggested, DO NOT take Stats with Herbert.  Take it with Mapp if it all possible or carefully research other options.

[xrubicon13]

On 6/17/2017 at 2:46 PM, Idioventricular Rhythm said:

The only advice I can offer, as f011 suggested, DO NOT take Stats with Herbert.  Take it with Mapp if it all possible or carefully research other options.

 

On 6/14/2017 at 4:46 PM, f011235813 said:

CHEM2020: HOVIG!!!!! The guy is incredible. One of the most dedicated and awesome professors there is. Very fair tests, just an incredible person.

PHYS1420: Matt George is a great guy. Really nice. Warning: while his tests are easy, he is not a great teacher. 

I took BIOL2020 with Rosonina. He was awesome. Kubiseski is supposed to be pretty great though. And very easy. Should be an easy course.

Don't do Stats with Herbert. While she is supposed to be easy, I've been told that she isn't a great teacher. Personally took PSYC2020 with Jenkin and she was awesome. Easy course though, probably regardless of who you take it with. Psych stats is supposed to be the easiest stats class we have, so I think taking it as a substitute for BIOL2060 is a good idea. 

I would save English for a summer or 4th year after you apply. It will likely be a really tough struggle for an A+, while I do have friends who achieved this, I'd recommend saving it for when it won't be as important. 

Animals is BIOL2030, and I've been told it's an easy A, brutal A+. This is secondhand though, so take it with a grain of salt. 

KINE2011: never took it. No ideas, although friends who took it said it was fine. 

If you have room, throw in some PSYCH courses. Easy A+'s for pretty much all of them (That I took anyway). Most aren't super interesting. I guess Abnormal PSYCH (PSYC3140) is fine though in terms of interest. Anything with Krista Trobst (If she's still teaching, she's been sick for a few years now) or Vasanthi Valoo, is pretty much an easy EASY A+. 

I appreciate the feedback! I'm thinking twice about taking PSYC with Herbert. Why does Ratemyprof make her sound like a godsend?

I want to lessen the workload to ensure I do well in my core courses. I'm starting to have second doubts about some courses, and I'm not sure I'm doing it for the best reasons:

Is it a good idea to take PHYS 1420 to prep me for the MCAT? It is not an easy course by any means, and I expect the workload to be more Calculus. I also don't want to rule out any professional and medical schools that might require it. On a similar note, KINE 2011 and KINE 3012 made my shortlist to keep the doors open for Dentistry.

Would taking NATS courses (in astronomy) be a bad idea? Taking interesting and easier first year courses would mean more time to dedicate toward my core courses, as long as I maintain a 60/40 split. The downside is that it does not fulfill my degree requirements like a PSYCH or ECON course would.It would probably be a better idea to save Abnormal Psych 3140 for 3rd or 4th year. 

[011235813]

19 minutes ago, xrubicon13 said:

 

I appreciate the feedback! I'm thinking twice about taking PSYC with Herbert. Why does Ratemyprof make her sound like a godsend?

I want to lessen the workload to ensure I do well in my core courses. I'm starting to have second doubts about some courses, and I'm not sure I'm doing it for the best reasons:

Is it a good idea to take PHYS 1420 to prep me for the MCAT? It is not an easy course by any means, and I expect the workload to be more Calculus. I also don't want to rule out any professional and medical schools that might require it. On a similar note, KINE 2011 and KINE 3012 made my shortlist to keep the doors open for Dentistry.

Would taking NATS courses (in astronomy) be a bad idea? Taking interesting and easier first year courses would mean more time to dedicate toward my core courses, as long as I maintain a 60/40 split. The downside is that it does not fulfill my degree requirements like a PSYCH or ECON course would.It would probably be a better idea to save Abnormal Psych 3140 for 3rd or 4th year. 

Some profs rate themselves on ratemyprof. This is speculative, but I do know of professors at other universities who have done this. I do know two students for sure who HATED Herbert. I also have met her personally, and while this may be my opinion, just from speaking to her for a while, I can tell she might be a rough professor to learn from. She comes off as pretty rude and a bit socially awkward. Not sure if this actually affects her teaching style, but from anecdotal evidence and the aforementioned friends, I've not heard good things. 

I wrote the MCAT without PHYS1420, which I took during my 4th year after I applied. It didn't negatively affect my MCAT score to the point of making a serious difference. (Still got a Western interview, so take from that what you will-HIGH MCAT cutoffs) There is VERY little calculus the way Matt George teaches it, even though the course description claims it's calculus based. This is good, as it fulfills pre-req criteria for the US without having to actually do the work. (Matt George actually told me that he did this on purpose.)  had never taken Physics in high school either, so in my opinion, PHYS1420 is not essential for the MCAT. However, if you feel like your physics knowledge is particularly deficient, it is definitely a course you can succeed in. Matt George is a SUPER nice guy and goes out of his way to help you. (I even have friends who he bumped grades up for)

Kine 2011, 3012 are great for dentistry for sure, I know people who have done well in the courses, so good on you if you want to keep dentistry open. Never took them myself.

I took a NATS in first year. I found it to be VERY easy. I didn't take Astronomy though. As long as the NATS still counts for credit for you (Astronomy should, afaik), and you get a good grade in the course (you should), I'd say go for it.

Have you taken ECON1000 or 1010 yet? VERY easy courses. It felt like you could take them with practically 0 studying. (I know this because for the final for one of them, I wasn't able to study at all due to family issues, and still got an A+)

As always, anybody reading this, if you see a mistake I've made, or want to correct anything or add, please do so! I really prefer not to give people misinformation, so PLEASE point out any mistakes!

[Idioventricular Rhythm]

I took NATS 1650 for my NATS GenEd.  It was an interesting course, basically, the kine anatomy stretched out over a year.  It was enjoyable and an easy A+.

[nm98]

Hi,

Who is a better prof for BIOL 2020? Terrance J Kubiseski or Emanuel Rosonina? Like who is better in terms of teaching, difficulty, etc?

 

[011235813]

On 6/22/2017 at 11:47 PM, nm98 said:

Hi,

Who is a better prof for BIOL 2020? Terrance J Kubiseski or Emanuel Rosonina? Like who is better in terms of teaching, difficulty, etc?

 

Took Rosonina. Loved the class. Amazing prof! Never took Kubiseski, heard he was very easy though.

[maverick5]

Does anyone have any experience with KINE 4060 (Independent Study)? I'm curious about the workload/time commitment, and if it was mostly going through literature or conducting actual research.

[PeterPatting]

On 6/20/2017 at 6:57 PM, f011235813 said:

Some profs rate themselves on ratemyprof. This is speculative, but I do know of professors at other universities who have done this. I do know two students for sure who HATED Herbert. I also have met her personally, and while this may be my opinion, just from speaking to her for a while, I can tell she might be a rough professor to learn from. She comes off as pretty rude and a bit socially awkward. Not sure if this actually affects her teaching style, but from anecdotal evidence and the aforementioned friends, I've not heard good things. 

I wrote the MCAT without PHYS1420, which I took during my 4th year after I applied. It didn't negatively affect my MCAT score to the point of making a serious difference. (Still got a Western interview, so take from that what you will-HIGH MCAT cutoffs) There is VERY little calculus the way Matt George teaches it, even though the course description claims it's calculus based. This is good, as it fulfills pre-req criteria for the US without having to actually do the work. (Matt George actually told me that he did this on purpose.)  had never taken Physics in high school either, so in my opinion, PHYS1420 is not essential for the MCAT. However, if you feel like your physics knowledge is particularly deficient, it is definitely a course you can succeed in. Matt George is a SUPER nice guy and goes out of his way to help you. (I even have friends who he bumped grades up for)

Kine 2011, 3012 are great for dentistry for sure, I know people who have done well in the courses, so good on you if you want to keep dentistry open. Never took them myself.

I took a NATS in first year. I found it to be VERY easy. I didn't take Astronomy though. As long as the NATS still counts for credit for you (Astronomy should, afaik), and you get a good grade in the course (you should), I'd say go for it.

Have you taken ECON1000 or 1010 yet? VERY easy courses. It felt like you could take them with practically 0 studying. (I know this because for the final for one of them, I wasn't able to study at all due to family issues, and still got an A+)

As always, anybody reading this, if you see a mistake I've made, or want to correct anything or add, please do so! I really prefer not to give people misinformation, so PLEASE point out any mistakes!

Hey quick question - you were able to take PHYS1420 without high school physics? Did you fulfill the prerequisites in some alternative way or did they just not check your high school transcript using your OEN?

Thanks!

[011235813]

7 hours ago, PeterPatting said:

Hey quick question - you were able to take PHYS1420 without high school physics? Did you fulfill the prerequisites in some alternative way or did they just not check your high school transcript using your OEN?

Thanks!

Matt George lets you take the course without the prerequisites. Don't even need to ask. He tells the class this on the first day or at least he did last year. Don't worry, they don't check your OEN or any thing like that.

[audball]

Hi,

I'm a mature student doing my 2nd UG in Kin, staring this fall. If there's a specific lab or tutorial section you want but it's full, what's the best way of getting into it besides waiting and hoping someone switches out? Email the department or email the course instructor directly? I'd appreciate any advice! Thanks!