[ktc11]

Arts and Science vs. Health Science...any advice on the pros and cons, especially as someone interested in medicine, would be much appreciated.

[Jeff W]

I can only really speak to artsci
Pros: diversity in courses, you are able to specialize in virtually any field, you get some of the best profs in the university (or the country), faculty events are frequent and lots of fun, and you can pretty much do anything once you graduate, including med school.
Cons: it may be difficult to get into some courses if you aren't specializing in that particular field, but it can be done. there may be more, but i can't think of any atm.

I hope that helps a bit. a lot of people will tell you that healtschi is easy and lame, which i don't believe, but i have been told that health sci is essentially prep for med school whereas artsci can be a prep for a number of things, including med school.

[emtee10]

Originally Posted by ktc11

Arts and Science vs. Health Science...any advice on the pros and cons, especially as someone interested in medicine, would be much appreciated.

Hey there,

Firstly, if you haven't already, be sure to check out the websites for both programs:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/artsci/
http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/bhsc/

Both are interdisciplinary, "inquiry"-oriented programs that encourage self-directed, problem-based learning. They differ a bit in terms of internal structure and focus (HealthSci focuses more on health, whereas ArtSci places even emphasis on the arts and the sciences) but both programs are incredibly open-ended, allowing you to explore the topics that interest you most. Having known people in both programs over the past four years, I can confidently say that they're both spectacular programs at Mac.

Don't worry about which of the two programs would be better with regard to medicine. Many students from both programs go on to medical school (along with other professional schools, graduate studies, etc.). I would strongly encourage you not to pick your undergraduate program based on whether it will help you get into med school - pick something that you think will interest you for four years. You only get to go through undergrad once, and you'd be surprised by how the experience might change your interests or priorities.

Hope this helps!

[zeChinaman]

Couldn't have said it better myself Matt

[macsci]

Choose health sci.