Hey! So I applied to all three of these and I'm trying to prepare a decision for when registration comes. If anybody in these programs has any thoughts or could give help me decide, that'd be great :) thanks!!

Hmm.

BTech
Eng
Life Sci

?

Originally Posted by musicislife

Hey! So I applied to all three of these and I'm trying to prepare a decision for when registration comes. If anybody in these programs has any thoughts or could give help me decide, that'd be great thanks!!

I don't know about the other two programs, but molecular biology & genetics is centered around cells. In second year, it's still very general. You'll learn mostly the same thing as everyone else in biology, life science, etc... In third year you concentrate more on what the program is about. You'll learn things about cells (cytoplasm, nucleus, moving, differentiation/development) and about genetics in Eukaryotes and Bacteria. The program is aimed at getting the students involved in research, you learn a bunch of techniques in class and then you learn how to use some of those techniques in a lab course. In fourth year there are courses like cancer, medical microbio and human genetics. You'll also have to do a thesis.

Go Biomed, the electrical courses are epically fun, you will enjoy it.

Sorry, I'm life sci - forgot to mention that.

Just to clarify, you are referring to:

Honours Biochemistry (Biomedical Sciences Specialization)
Honours Biochemistry (Biotechnology Specialization)
Honours Molecular Biology and Genetics

Yes?


I really don't think anyone could help you make a decision like this. Everyone picks their program for their individual preferences. So unless you'd like to write out a full description of your personality, strengths, weaknesses, etc., there's not much anyone can provide.

Yes, those are the programs. And I'm not really looking for someone to specifically tell me which one to choose, just a few perks that each program could offer that isn't really outlined in the calendar.

Originally Posted by musicislife

Yes, those are the programs. And I'm not really looking for someone to specifically tell me which one to choose, just a few perks that each program could offer that isn't really outlined in the calendar.

I think it would definitely help to look up the courses and the course descriptions for all the required courses of these programs. These definitely helped me out a lot when making a decision based on what I was interested in.

I just finished my 2nd year of biochem - biotech specialization. 2nd year is the same for all biochemistry students. You'll take biochem 2L06, 2B03 and 2BB3 and the other biochem requirements. It only when you go to third year that courses area little different. One of the courses that you'll have to take as a part of the biotech specialization is Biochem 4LL3, which is a lab course you'll take along with students from the chemical engineering department. As far as I know, this course pertains to work with tissue cultures, embryonic stem cells and some chemical engineering stuff.

Originally Posted by ~*Sara*~

I think it would definitely help to look up the courses and the course descriptions for all the required courses of these programs. These definitely helped me out a lot when making a decision based on what I was interested in.

I did do that, but sometimes I feel like the descriptions don't really explain much! They did help though, thanks a lot

Originally Posted by mally

I just finished my 2nd year of biochem - biotech specialization. 2nd year is the same for all biochemistry students. You'll take biochem 2L06, 2B03 and 2BB3 and the other biochem requirements. It only when you go to third year that courses area little different. One of the courses that you'll have to take as a part of the biotech specialization is Biochem 4LL3, which is a lab course you'll take along with students from the chemical engineering department. As far as I know, this course pertains to work with tissue cultures, embryonic stem cells and some chemical engineering stuff.

That sounds super cool! I'm mostly torn between biotech and biomed because I wanna go to med school (cliche, I know) so I feel biomed might be a little more relevant? I'm not sure though.

Originally Posted by musicislife

That sounds super cool! I'm mostly torn between biotech and biomed because I wanna go to med school (cliche, I know) so I feel biomed might be a little more relevant? I'm not sure though.

Even I want to go to med school but I think you shouldn't limit yourself so early on. I would suggest that choose any one of the specializations because second year is the same for everyone is biochem. In fact, after 2nd year you can switch from biomed to biotech (or vice versa) after you finish second year. Also, if you feel that specialization is not for you (because it is a lot of work and lots of research) then you can always switch back to core biochem (possible higher gpa but i don't really believe in that). If you do choose biochem then you should be ready for quite a lot of research work. Initially it would seem like a lot of work, but by the end of first term you'll be pretty much used to it. The professors for biochem courses (Dr. Vulcu, Nodwell, and Junop) are great and I thoroughly enjoyed each one of my courses.

And on a side note, if you choose a program other than biochem, then it would be nice if you take the biochem courses. I am currently taking mcat prep course, and there were quite a few questions with stuff i learned solely through the biochem courses.

Originally Posted by mally

Even I want to go to med school but I think you shouldn't limit yourself so early on. I would suggest that choose any one of the specializations because second year is the same for everyone is biochem. In fact, after 2nd year you can switch from biomed to biotech (or vice versa) after you finish second year. Also, if you feel that specialization is not for you (because it is a lot of work and lots of research) then you can always switch back to core biochem (possible higher gpa but i don't really believe in that). If you do choose biochem then you should be ready for quite a lot of research work. Initially it would seem like a lot of work, but by the end of first term you'll be pretty much used to it. The professors for biochem courses (Dr. Vulcu, Nodwell, and Junop) are great and I thoroughly enjoyed each one of my courses.

And on a side note, if you choose a program other than biochem, then it would be nice if you take the biochem courses. I am currently taking mcat prep course, and there were quite a few questions with stuff i learned solely through the biochem courses.

Thanks a lot one more question though: were you any good at research when you started out? I like research but I'm kinda worried about what it could do to my GPA, or if I'll get the hang of it.

Also another question! Can I apply for co-op later, or do I have to be enrolled in a co-op program? Also if anybody in a science co-op could share their experience, that would be appreciated

Originally Posted by musicislife

Thanks a lot one more question though: were you any good at research when you started out? I like research but I'm kinda worried about what it could do to my GPA, or if I'll get the hang of it.

When i started university, i didn't exactly understand what research was. In fact, research was not something that was even on my mind. But as I finished first year, due to some awesome professors (like Dr. Boreham and the great researchers he brought in class as guest lecturers) I started to understand what research really was. To further explore research as an alternative career option I decided to major in biochem. Biochem seemed like a research oriented program and it in fact is exactly that. And so far I have not regretted my decision. I have absolutely loved every part of biochem, whether it was the lab course or the normal course...i just love it. Another thing is, biochem courses have a lot of group projects...so if you don;t like group work that might be a problem. But if you are worrying about the kind of people you might get in your group, you shouldn't worry about that. Almost all the people I worked with were very focused and hard working people...not to mention the great friendships you build over the course of the year!

As for GPA, for me it didn't really affect much. But that really depends on your work habits (not that I have any great habits either but still a little bit of organization goes a long way!). I think that as long as you work hard and smart, maintaining a great gpa (which i think is anything 11 and plus) is definitely doable. But again its an individual thing. Also as far as I know, some research work is absolutely critical to med school application (this is very true for US med schools as well). Research work can range from simple summer research position to working on a thesis project, depending on your interest.

So that's really my insight into the biochem program. Oh another thing I just remembered is that even I applied for the molecular and bio genetics major but I feel that the bio dept at mac is very poorly structured. Except for a few courses, I have been largely disappointed by the bio courses i have taken so far. That was the main reason I didn't opt for molecular bio and genetics.

If you have anymore questions don't hesitate to ask. I fully understand the dilemma you are facing cuz only last year I was facing the same problem!