Mady Posted March 16, 2012 Report Share Posted March 16, 2012 Any current Queens' science (premed) undergrads on this forum? Invaluable 1st hand info please???? Education, Residences, anything in a girl's prospective, etc etc Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FD3SA Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Hey, I did Engineering at Queen's, assuming you'll be in Life Science. I took some science courses and they aren't too bad, but it really helps to work with others on the labs. I'd ask your Gaels if they are in science and if so, get their old labs and exams. Some courses are notorious GPA killers, such as Dr. Tilks Organic Chem and Genetics. You may want to take these in the summer or even at Athabasca. Queen's Engineering had an exam bank where you could see exams for the past few decades, not sure if it's the same for science. If so, do last year's exams and you're guaranteed a 90+. Just remember that Queen's is a party school (contrary to what everyone thinks of our reputation), so it'll take some willpower on your part to stay focused. A surprisingly accurate preview of what you're in for: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holiday1001 Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 ok let's set the record straight here. I'm lifesci 3rd year SSP- and I took all the hardest courses (I have one course this semester that's not a 3rd year level course.). with all due respect to the poster above, please ignore the advice about partying. I don't mean to be condescending. The engineers seem to be off doing their own party thing but the life sci-ers are hard workers. we study friday nights, saturday nights. From what I've observed the whole party now study later doesn't really apply to lifesci at all. I can't stress enough- life sscience and engineering are really two different things. that video is NOT accurate at ALL. it pains me to see that that kind of advice is being given to potential science students. Of course, it could be that all the lifesci-ers I know are the 1% exception, and that the rest of the lifescis party like the engineers...I'm just telling you what I've observed. but at least you know that there are a significant number of us who will work hard and not party like the engineers. that being said, the courses are tough. not 'killer'. Put hard work in, and 80s should come. 90+ are tough- I don't know anyone with a straight 4.0 through 5 semesters. close to it yes. no doubt it takes alot of work/brains to do very well. my orgo class average last year was low 70s. Here are the semester two averages. PHGY 214B 74 MICR 221 79 MBIO 218 71 CHEM 282 72 ANAT 216 79. as you can see, nothing brutal. Also, I feel that my courses (first two years) prepped me very well for the MCAT. better than my friends at uOttawa for sure. The full year of physiology and full year of anatomy, both in second year, also prep really well for med school (so I've heard) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aiaimei Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 ok let's set the record straight here. I'm lifesci 3rd year SSP- and I took all the hardest courses (I have one course this semester that's not a 3rd year level course.). with all due respect to the poster above, please ignore the advice about partying. I don't mean to be condescending. The engineers seem to be off doing their own party thing but the life sci-ers are hard workers. we study friday nights, saturday nights. From what I've observed the whole party now study later doesn't really apply to lifesci at all. I can't stress enough- life sscience and engineering are really two different things. that video is NOT accurate at ALL. it pains me to see that that kind of advice is being given to potential science students. Of course, it could be that all the lifesci-ers I know are the 1% exception, and that the rest of the lifescis party like the engineers...I'm just telling you what I've observed. but at least you know that there are a significant number of us who will work hard and not party like the engineers. that being said, the courses are tough. not 'killer'. Put hard work in, and 80s should come. 90+ are tough- I don't know anyone with a straight 4.0 through 5 semesters. close to it yes. no doubt it takes alot of work/brains to do very well. my orgo class average last year was low 70s. Here are the semester two averages. PHGY 214B 74 MICR 221 79 MBIO 218 71 CHEM 282 72 ANAT 216 79. as you can see, nothing brutal. Also, I feel that my courses (first two years) prepped me very well for the MCAT. better than my friends at uOttawa for sure. The full year of physiology and full year of anatomy, both in second year, also prep really well for med school (so I've heard) MICR221 79 and ANAT 79?..very high averages! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holiday1001 Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 ya.. people did pretty well in those. also my two lowest marks.. below mbio and below orgo lolz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 PHGY 214B 74 MICR 221 79 MBIO 218 71 CHEM 282 72 ANAT 216 79. as you can see, nothing brutal. What was the enrollment like for those courses? The majority of my class averages at UTSC were a C+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holiday1001 Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 What was the enrollment like for those courses? The majority of my class averages at UTSC were a C+ PHGY 339 MICR 221 606 MBIO 218 706 CHEM 282 572 ANAT 216 458 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamIDP Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 PHGY 214B 74 MICR 221 79 MBIO 218 71 CHEM 282 72 ANAT 216 79. as you can see, nothing brutal. Those averages are unheard of at York. Don't they bellcurve down when averages are above 70%? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Let'sGo1990 Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Those are high averages. Averages at uwo tend to be 68-72ish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SetG Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 ok let's set the record straight here. I'm lifesci 3rd year SSP- and I took all the hardest courses (I have one course this semester that's not a 3rd year level course.). with all due respect to the poster above, please ignore the advice about partying. I don't mean to be condescending. The engineers seem to be off doing their own party thing but the life sci-ers are hard workers. we study friday nights, saturday nights. From what I've observed the whole party now study later doesn't really apply to lifesci at all. I can't stress enough- life sscience and engineering are really two different things. that video is NOT accurate at ALL. it pains me to see that that kind of advice is being given to potential science students. I'm in life sci and I party a lot...probably just as much as the engineers. Studying on weekend nights is unheard of - even weekend days is a push. My academics are important but so is my social life. Balance is critical and you should be able to have it no matter how rigorous your program is. I think a lot of people emphasize quantity over quality in their studies! Don't scare people away from Life Sci haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holiday1001 Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 we don't do bell curving in general. and.. it depends on your priorities I guess. when I said studying weekend nights I meant if we had a midterm coming up the next week. it's not like we don't party.. I just wanted to give another perspective- the whole queen's is a party school, no-one ever studies, it's not the whole story. if your main focus is to study hard and get the marks, then you will find those who share your priorities. perhaps I was too extreme in my comments. it's true that it is possible to party and do well at school, I agree. sorry for scaring people off, if I did! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennethToronto Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Queen's is a great school - it is definitely a work hard, play hard kind of place. Great memories. If you get through the four years there, you'll be well prepared for whatever med school (or whatever it is you decide to do) throws at you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1428 Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 If you are prepared to work hard (and perhaps even enjoy the material), then Life Sci would be great for you. I would write more, but it's just easier to direct you to my blog post on Queen's Life Sci, and why it's not so terrible as they say: http://krnpremed.blogspot.ca/2012/02/queens-life-sciences-why-its-not-so.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mady Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 This is awesome. Thanks m1428. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simpy Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 This is awesome. Thanks m1428. I did two undergrads at Queen's and am currently in meds here. First, to the people above wondering if the marks are a little high: some of the classes that were posted above are restricted to life science students. The minimum cutoff to get into life sciences (after first year) tends to be in the low 80's. So there's a bit of selection bias there: in some cases you're looking at the average second year marks of a group of first year students, whose median average was probably in the upper 80's. The average in first year courses tends to be in the upper 60's to low 70's. Now, about Queen's itself - the experience is going to be what you make of it. Like many other schools, there are a ton of distractions. You'll be in residence in first year with a LOT of really cool people who are going to want to party / watch movies / cry on your shoulder / talk about guys/girls/both instead of doing work. There are going to be fifty clubs that you are super interested in joining. You will quickly realize that if you skip a week of class no one is going to call your parents. You'll find out that the way you've been taught to write an essay or a lab in high school is going to get you a 60%. You're going to meet a lot of people who are miles smarter than you are, and you're also going to meet people and wonder how they could have ever passed the eighth grade (let alone gotten into a prestigious university). So, the trick is about finding balance. If you party all the time, I can pretty much guarantee you're not going to get into medicine (unless you are one of the very few people who can ACTUALLY work hard and party hard). Likewise, if all you do is study you're going to have a difficult time getting in as well. If you prioritize your life and then balance appropriately (make sure you get the marks, but then use the rest of your time to join clubs, socialize, sleep etc) it's really not that bad to get into meds. So upsides and downsides of Queen's relative to other schools. The upside is that it has probably one of the best communities and some of the richest traditions of any Canadian school. Nearly everyone lives within a 15 minute walk of campus, so it's very easy to get involved in clubs, stick around school to study or socialize, or walk to bars or your friends' houses. The major downside is that it has probably one of the best communities and some of the richest traditions of any Canadian school. Not everyone fits into a community at Queen's. Probably 70-80% of students do, but there are certainly some who totally miss the boat. The video posted earlier isn't true per se, but the themes that underlie the video are in fact real (and I would argue exist at all Canadian schools to varying degrees). Many students are aimless and apathetic. Some are intolerant. Political correctness can be taken to an extreme. I don't think Queen's is any better or worse than the average Canadian schools on these issues, but it certainly can be insular and thus exclusive at times. Depending on your personality and what you're looking for, that is either a plus or a minus. Queen's is a school with an excellent reputation. Most people at the end of four years leave very satisfied with their experience. There is a lot of pride among alumni for having been a Queen's student. But the trick really is to find a good balance and to occasionally take some risks and put yourself out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mady Posted March 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 That's an awesome post / advice 1428 . Thanks a bunch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubbyc Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Hi, I'm a first yr eng student at Queen's right now. I am thinking of writing the MCAT after my fourth year. What sci courses should I take to prepare myself? I'm thinking ANAT, CHEM (the org. chem ones)? any other bio courses? I'm probably going into civil eng., which means there are a lot of core courses I must take each semester. But there is space for a complementary elective (could be an artsci course) each semester, and more during my fourth year. I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m1428 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Hi, I'm a first yr eng student at Queen's right now. I am thinking of writing the MCAT after my fourth year. What sci courses should I take to prepare myself? I'm thinking ANAT, CHEM (the org. chem ones)? any other bio courses? I'm probably going into civil eng., which means there are a lot of core courses I must take each semester. But there is space for a complementary elective (could be an artsci course) each semester, and more during my fourth year. I I don't think ANAT would be as useful... Courses useful for the MCAT at Queen's: CHEM112- general chem PHYS107- physics) CHEM281+281- orgo BIOL205- genetics MBIO218/318- molecular biology PHGY210- physiology The above tend to prepare people very well for the BS+PS sections of the MCAT. Courses other than those above are significantly less useful for the MCAT (speaking from personal experience). Keep in mind some of those are known GPA killers, especially considering your courseload. I'm assuming you're already taking general chem and physics... you could consider taking courses like orgo/physiology in the summer, they're usually offered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubbyc Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 thanks a lot. why woudnt ANAT courses be useful? with regards to chem and phys, i think first yr eng chem and phys would suffice. also, do any of those courses have labs in them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
green_eggs_and_ham Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 ANAT wouldn't really be useful because ANAT 215/216 or ANAT 315/316 are just memorization courses, none of which is tested on the MCAT. I think that taking CHEM281 (along with general chem) would be highly recommended because general chemistry wouldn't provide nearly enough orgo knowledge for the MCAT, and it is something a lot of people struggle with. BIOL205 is the only course on that list (besides general chem and physics) that has labs (or it did 2 years ago). Also, I know that in civil engineering at Queen's, while it seems initially that you have quite a few electives, there are requirements for what those electives have to be. You can read about it here: http://queensu.ca/calendars/appsci/Complementary_Studies.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelinahousie Posted March 31, 2012 Report Share Posted March 31, 2012 Are You Know The Real Queens ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mady Posted April 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 I am quite unsure whether or not I would get a direct answer to this question. I am definitely aware that I might be walking on thin line here...I still want to put the question out there though. Are there or are there not racial issues at Queen's?? There...did it. Big sigh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mady Posted April 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 I am quite unsure whether or not I would get a direct answer to this question. I am definitely aware that I might be walking on thin line here...I still want to put the question out there though. Are there or are there not racial issues at Queen's?? There...did it. Big sigh! After a couple of hrs of posting this message, I have realized that it was probably immature and inappropriate. Sorry friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holiday1001 Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 are there.. rumours? I'm not aware of any racial issues going on. ya there are alot of white students here... all my friends are asian though... to be honest, I've never even heard of any such issues. I'm not too aware of student affairs though.. do you have something specific in mind? I think it's a fair question to ask, nothing immature to ask. you want to feel comfortable at wherever you decide to spend the next 4 years. the first-year residence Dons are rigoursly trained to be acceptance, and deal with any issues, especially after the string of deaths/suicides here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mady Posted April 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 are there.. rumours? I'm not aware of any racial issues going on. ya there are alot of white students here... all my friends are asian though... to be honest, I've never even heard of any such issues. I'm not too aware of student affairs though.. do you have something specific in mind? I think it's a fair question to ask, nothing immature to ask. you want to feel comfortable at wherever you decide to spend the next 4 years. the first-year residence Dons are rigoursly trained to be acceptance, and deal with any issues, especially after the string of deaths/suicides here That was very nice of you. I have posted a new thread after your positive response. Let's see what other people say... Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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