Guest babytiger Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 helllo everyone. i'm in oac right now.. time to choose which university i should attend.. and i neeeed some help becasue i didn't konw which university i watned to go to.. i basically applied.. everywhere. hehe Mcgill-Freshman science Mcmaster-Health sci + regular sci Waterloo-preopt/prehealth UT-lifescience Western-med science. i got accepted to all of them.. and it seems like.. i can't decide. recently, i'm more interested in mcmaster and waterloo. however, what concerns me most about waterloo is the fact that its not renowned for its science programs. some people told me to go to the schools with med/dent for better education.. like Ut and Mac. but i dodnt konw. the program that waterloo offers - pre-health/pre-opt sounds prett interesting since it will have me prepared for med/dent adn opt too. also environment wise.. i dont think i would like.. big class sizes and competitiveness... so that's why i crossed out.. mcgill and UT. i figured.. waterloo. small. quiet. hmm. maybe this might be it. is there anyone out there.. who were in pre-health/pre-opt program of waterloo adn got into med/dent??? i need soem advices+insights+opinions.. thanks everyone! take care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 some people told me to go to the schools with med/dent for better education.. like Ut and Mac.You will get a solid undergraduate science education at every university in Canada. The only question is where YOU will be happiest! This other thread has lots of things to think about. It's usually worthwhile to visit the campuses and see what the atmosphere is like for yourself, as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cheech10 Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 Mac has no dental school; only UofT and UWO do. Just evaluate your learning style and preferred environment and choose the university that satisfies those needs. Peachy's got it right: all of Canada's universities are solid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krnboy Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 congratulations on your acceptances to those prestigious programs at McMaster and Waterloo. well unless you've been accepted to coop program at waterloo for that pre-health program, I don't think it's different from those other programs in different universities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grandmellon Posted May 19, 2003 Report Share Posted May 19, 2003 I would also highly recommend visiting the universities and finding more about how they teach, what facilities and extracurriculars are offered. It's really hard to decided which university to go to but make sure you do your research before choosing... don't choose one based on where your friends / boyfriend / girlfriend are going. Most programs have stats about where graduates go when there done so you may want to look at that too... and also consider a program that might give you the most exposure to healthcare if thats what interests you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest babytiger Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 i have a question. can you get into med/dent school even if you were in coop programs?? for soem reason. i thought it has to be a regular program Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 I have a few classmates who did coop, so the answer is "yes." It is a little more complicated figuring out eligibility and the like. . . but don't let that stop you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aneliz Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 Choose the program/school that YOU would be happy with...remember, you can get the pre-reqs for med school in almost ANY program....there are plenty of people in my class that did 'biology' (or some variant) at schools with neither a med school nor a dent school....and they got in no problem...meanwhile, there are plenty of health sci and med sci and pre-health students sitting around with rejections in their hands.... No school or program will give you any better/worse chance...it is about how well YOU perform and what you make of your time as an undergrad that really matters! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nightrider Posted May 20, 2003 Report Share Posted May 20, 2003 Hi! I'm in my 3rd year of Pre-op/pre-health at Waterloo, and I can tell you it's a good program...BUT, you will not get anything in pre-op/pre-health that you wouldn't get in Honours Science...actually, you would have MORE freedom to pursue health-related electives in Honours Science (which is why I am changing my major). However, Waterloo is well-known for their science programs, and the courses I've taken have been great. There is lots of opportunity for research in many areas (I did an NSERC in molecular biology last summer). So, good luck with whatever choose...you'll get a great education no matter where you go...but I can definitely recommend Waterloo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest babytiger Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 thanks everyone.. nightrider, its good to hear that you actually like the program. since you are actually from that program.. i have soem more question for you. ^^ - are most people in the program persuing opt? or are there many people interested in med/dent? - how's life in waterloo?? i mean i've been hearing things. lol. i will have to visit sometime.. but until then i am depending on what i hear about the schools. so far i've heard how.. there's nothing social going on in school. i've also heard how DRY the place is. hahah. i konw many people exaggerate.. so correct me if i'm wrong. thanks again. i will be waiting for your response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krnboy Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 I've only visited University of Waterloo for a week...it seemed socially dead, but I really am not in a position to say since I don't attend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Head Dawg Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 Hi there. Just finished my third year of honours science at U of Waterloo. Indeed, like nightrider said, you do have a lot of flexibility in this program to really prepare yourself for whatever health field you're interested in. From my experience, most people in pre-opt/pre-health are interested in optometry, but that certainly does not apply to everyone. The optomometry admissions committee at Waterloo perhaps gives slight preference to applicants from that program, so this might be a slight edge for them. Personally, I just completed courses in Embryology, Histology, Biochemistry, Gerontology and Medical ethics. For the fall, I'm planning to take courses like Virology, Immunology, Human Physiology, Disease Process and Radiation Physics - ALL very helpful for preparing for medicine. As for Waterloo being dry and dead, I must disagree. The school is growing at a crazy rate, as is the city. The Kitchener-Waterloo and nearby cities together have 1/2 a million population, so there are definitely things to do! Anyways, good luck with your choice, and hopefully I'll see you during frosh week in the fall (most fun ever!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest everyoneloveschem Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 Hi, I graduated from Waterloo with my Honours BSc in Chem, Coop. First off, if you can get into a science program with co-op, do it, its absolutely worth it. You get job experience to put on your resume and to help you figure out what areas of discipline you enjoy/don't enjoy, you make GOOD money (I graduated debt free, even though I went to school away from home, didn't have part-time jobs during the term), the school is smallish (compared to U of T), but has lots to offer. It is completely well known for its Science programs. I always thought the pre-health, pre-opt programs were kind of silly, because you can go through them and then decide you don't want either optometry or health, and then what? You'd be better off with a science degree in one are, say biochem, chem, bio. Then you take courses as you wish, maybe even get a minor. I applied to Mac this year and got an interview even though I had been in coop, in chemistry. Waterloo is a nice place, a small town, but beautiful and near all the other Southern Ontarian towns, in case you want to tour. If you haven't, why not visit the campus/the town to check it out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest babytiger Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 hmm. that's interesting ... i never really thought of doing coop.. but its true..you do get job experience.. make money.. and also waterloo is really known for its reputation of coop!! now, the questions comes down to.... is it possible to change it to coop? i mean i got accepted as pre-opt/pre-health. when will i be allowed to change to coop? second year?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest krnboy Posted May 21, 2003 Report Share Posted May 21, 2003 I asked my friends at Waterloo. They said they're not sure because they are already in co-op... I think you should call them up and ask. But I think you can transfer to co-op in the second year as long as you get over certain GPA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Nightrider Posted May 22, 2003 Report Share Posted May 22, 2003 I know a few people who transferred into co-op...I think they did it after first year. There's no co-op program for pre-op/pre-health though, so you'd have to change to Honours Science or something like that. Personally, I chose not to do co-op, just because it seemed like a lot of added stress (e.g. trying to find a job, interviewing, doing work reports when it's over) that I didn't need during the term, especially since I already had a part-time job that was covering my school expenses quite nicely. Some people I know have had VERY cool co-op jobs, and have gotten great experience, so there are pros and cons...it all comes down to whatever works best for you. And Head Dawg...if you're still checking in here, let me know how your NSERC is going! Are you taking both Disease Process and Immunology in the fall? I wanted to take both but I thought they conflicted?? Hope all is going well! E-mail me at laurad@golden.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest babytiger Posted May 22, 2003 Report Share Posted May 22, 2003 thanks nightrider and others your useful information is greatly appreciated ^^ more quesitons. hehe. i have endlesss questions. the "very cool coop jobs" > what are they? if i change to honors science coop.. what kind of coop jobs can i possibly get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Head Dawg Posted May 22, 2003 Report Share Posted May 22, 2003 Hey There Tiger, These are some of the jobs I've had and others that I know of, all for science. It doesn't really matter what stream of science you are in (ie. bio, biochem, chem, hons sci), as long as you have the skills they're looking for. - Quality Assurance jobs at Labbatts, Molsons, Dempsters, Merck - Research Assistant jobs at Imperial Oil, McNeil, Many Pharmaceutical Companies, - Many jobs on campus doing research with profs (in biochem, microbiology, organic chemistry, theoretical chemistry) There are many others that I cannot think of here and now. You would be surprised at the range and scope of co-op jobs available out there for science students. The coop process also gives you the opportunity to travel across the country. My friends and I have taken jobs in Toronto, Ottawa, Windsor, Montreal, Quebec City, Vancouver, Calgary. Also, I have friends in other countries right now including England, U.S.A (at Notre Dame and New York University), Scotland, Germany and Hong Kong (until that was cancelled due to SARS. So, as you can see, as long as you have a decent looking resume and find a job that you like, coop can definitely take you places. Good luck with your choices! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest babytiger Posted May 22, 2003 Report Share Posted May 22, 2003 thanks headdawg =) wow. those jobs ARE really cool!!! now i really will have to think about changingin to coop ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest blinknoodle Posted June 8, 2003 Report Share Posted June 8, 2003 I actually just started reading these forums today, and I'm not sure when high school students have to submit their final choices for university.. anyhow, I hope I've caught you in time in case you (or anyone else) had any questions. I've just finished my 3rd year in the bachelor of health sciences at McMaster, so I can help you if you have any specific questions about that program, or the regular science program at Mac as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest everyoneloveschem Posted June 8, 2003 Report Share Posted June 8, 2003 Hi, So I went through Chem co-op, and it was one of the most helpful things I have ever done. If I had wanted to stay in Chem it would have set me up for a great career by letting me try jobs with no commitment for 4-8 months, while getting paid decent money. I chose not to pursue chem, and I'm glad I had the chance to make sure it was not for me then, rather than 2 years into a grad degree or job. It's not perfect, but they have been doing co-op for a LONG time, so they have the system ironed out. I worked at Environment Canada and Agriculture Canada, Dow Chemicals, with a prof at UW and then at the National Research Council. I have no regrets, even if it did make my degree a year longer (more time to grow up and think about life). As for Waterloo, unless you are an extreme party animal, fashionista, I wouldn't worry too much. It is a beatiful, smallish city, with the normal bars and movie places and restaurants (hey it does support two universities!). I loved my time there. If you have any general questions feel free to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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