Great. First rejection of the day. Didn't get the community advisor spot. I'm just wondering though, would you advise against being a CA and studying biopharm at the same time? I know CA-ing is a huge time investment, but is biopharm significantly more time-consuming than first/second year science?

Marks...? Suffer...?! *Runs off* I have a feeling that the PBL style will take a while to get used to. The bio courses you have to take in 3rd year are pretty heavy as well, right? 3u03 and 3uu3. Compared to second year biopsych, was there a lot more preparation/work to do outside of class?

Originally Posted by kangs6

Good luck to everyone who's applying. It is competitive but sooo worth it. your marks may suffer in 3rd year, but you'll come out so much stronger, and your ability to analyze papers, write lab reports, and perform cool experiments, all these will give you an edge after graduation. I spent my first co-op term in Montreal and now in the states, which I never thought I could do in undergrad.
I was in Neuroscience and Behaviour in my second year, don't worry if you don't have all the requirements, it never hurts to apply. =]

Originally Posted by Angoose

Great. First rejection of the day. Didn't get the community advisor spot. I'm just wondering though, would you advise against being a CA and studying biopharm at the same time? I know CA-ing is a huge time investment, but is biopharm significantly more time-consuming than first/second year science?

Ca-ing is definitely a huge commitment, i did it my second year, and had to stay up late nights =( writing coverage reports. Some people could manage both very well...i guess it depends on the person..

Originally Posted by Angoose

Marks...? Suffer...?! *Runs off* I have a feeling that the PBL style will take a while to get used to. The bio courses you have to take in 3rd year are pretty heavy as well, right? 3u03 and 3uu3. Compared to second year biopsych, was there a lot more preparation/work to do outside of class?

The are not the easiest courses, not as demanding as pharmacology courses though. be prepared to work very hard in 3rd year...

Hm. Guess it might've been good that I didn't get CA? That's not saying I'm getting into biopharm for sure, because to be honest, I have no qualifications :S.

A member of the fifth year class was an HPA during her time as a biopharmer...I believe it was even third year. As long as you can manage your time, you will be fine.
The course load is not impossible- Each class gets through it every year! There are some challenging courses in third year, but they prepare you well for the next three years of the program. Well worth it.

Originally Posted by Ashlie

A member of the fifth year class was an HPA during her time as a biopharmer...I believe it was even third year. As long as you can manage your time, you will be fine.
The course load is not impossible- Each class gets through it every year! There are some challenging courses in third year, but they prepare you well for the next three years of the program. Well worth it.

That means no more MapleStory for you, "Angoose"!

Shush now Justin. There`s always time for Maple haha. Guess I need to get down to the application. I don`t even know if I`ll be able to submit it in time :S.

if you're going to apply to Athabasca U to finish off 2a03 credits, be careful about a couple of things:
1) to register in courses, atha wants you to pay 100$ (no refund)
2) the course costs about 1k
3) you need to write midterms, which need to be invigilated (you have to pay a third party to do this. it cost me about 40$ per midterm)
4) these midterms have to be marked (takes about 2 weeks/midterm sometimes)
5) your mark at atha will not count towards your avg at mac. it just shows a completion credit

en fin, you need to make sure that you plan out your summer well. i spent a month studying and another month writing midterms so that i could send out confirmation that i had finished the course by August.

alternatives to atha: western offers 2a03 equivalent (but i was late in registering) along with waterloo. there's also UoT, but there's always a waiting list and i think you have to take 2 equivalent courses.

and about the avg problem............ im currently in third year biopharm and although i havent gotten back ALL my marks yet (especially from pharma classses), im currently doing much better than my last two years (was in biochem before this). not sure if i just do better in bio courses or w/e /shrug

Oooh, thanks for clarifying . Hm, if I take the equivalent course at Atha for bio2a03, would I be able to use it to fulfill one of my degree reqs? Yeah...I read about the hefty fee. However, it'd be a bit more convenient than taking it at Mac, since I don't live off campus and would have to pay for res. It'd probably amount to the same :S.

Maybe you are doing a lot better this year because biochem was so heavy in terms of work haha. I hear it's really, really busy :(.

Athabasca is a great way to fill the missing 2A03 pre-requisite. When I took it there were quizzes you complete on the phone with your tutor (open book) and a few assignments. The midterms were really easy - all multiple choice and similar to the practice questions.
The fee is actually almost identical to the fee you would be paying at McMaster - per course you generally pay $500 so that is about right consider it was a 6 unit (2course) equivalent.

Originally Posted by Ashlie

Athabasca is a great way to fill the missing 2A03 pre-requisite. When I took it there were quizzes you complete on the phone with your tutor (open book) and a few assignments. The midterms were really easy - all multiple choice and similar to the practice questions.
The fee is actually almost identical to the fee you would be paying at McMaster - per course you generally pay $500 so that is about right consider it was a 6 unit (2course) equivalent.

Dr. Wilson said I'd have to go to the associate dean's office to tell them I was going to fulfill the prereq through Athabasca. Am I supposed to get some sort of waiver from them, and then I include that in my application? Oh wow, quizzes through the phone? That sounds kind of intense LOL

Originally Posted by Angoose

Dr. Wilson said I'd have to go to the associate dean's office to tell them I was going to fulfill the prereq through Athabasca. Am I supposed to get some sort of waiver from them, and then I include that in my application? Oh wow, quizzes through the phone? That sounds kind of intense LOL

You need to get a letter of permission for it to count towards your degree.

i just wanted to note that the biopharm program coordinator, denis crankshaw, has retired and there are many staff changes happening in the SCCE office. also, we started a biopharm student society. who knows what the program will be like next year to be honest

from atha u:

Your final grade in Biology 235: Human Anatomy and Physiology is based on the grades you achieve in four quizzes; two written assignments; the laboratory assignment; and four exams.

In order to pass the course, you must also achieve a course composite grade of at least fifty percent (50%), and a minimum passing grade of fifty percent (50%) on each quiz, midterm exam 2, and the final exam (see “Assessment Record”).

none of the above ^ were over the phone when i did it summer 2011, who knows what will happen this year
you need a 60% for mac to count it towards your degree
...it wasnt the most fun way to spend the summer, but yes, it was convenient (was able to travel )

- each quiz is worth 5%
- midterm 1 and 3 are worth 10%
- midterm 2 and 4 (final exam) are worth 18%
- each assignment is worth 8%