Okay, so I've gotten accepted to Mac and UofT downtown (aka UTSG) for life sci program and I'm in a rut... I don't know where to go!! :( I understand this is a forum for Mac students but I would really like fresh perspectives on this... I plan to go on to either med school or grad school after undergrad, so GPA is essential. I am coming out of high school with a 89-90% avg... Given this where do you think I should go? I would love to hear some pros and cons of each uni and program. Thank you so much!!!!!

Hi Deetee!

While I don't know a lot about the UofT Life Sci program (I'll see what I can find), McMaster is WELL KNOWN for it's Sciences programs, and I have friends in Life Sci who absolutely love it at McMaster. I am of course going to be biased, but from what I've heard from friends at McMaster they are loving the program. Going into grad/med school, reputation of the university you attend can be important, and you'd have no problems saying you graduated from Mac for any sciences program.

Hey,

Did a bit of hunting and came across a website that is just for students in UofT's life sci program... has news and forums, similar to MacInsiders:
http://biome.utoronto.ca/

Unfortunately when I tried to signup on the forum they require a utoronto.ca email to view any of the forum posts (dissappointing!!!). So since they are so tight walled theres no way for us to see what's inside and read opinions from the students there :(

hey Chad thank you SO MUCH!!! yeah I tried the website too... I think it's for people who are already registered at UofT ^^" ... but this website is awesome for prospective students tho great job and thanks again for giving me some insight in the Mac student life

That's why we're here deetee

Your welcome DeeTee! I really hope you end up choosing McMaster. Let me know if you have any other questions or need anything else.

Hey!
Wel, I came out of high school with around the same average as well. I too got accepted into U of T St. George for the same program. I got accepted into psychology at Mac though. Although I don't know what life would be like had I gone to U of T, I do know how glad I am that I opted for Mac instead. University isn't mainly about the courses and that's something you need to remember. I'm not even in psychology anymore! It's about the people you meet and relationships you build and how you apply yourself. Yeah, the school part is there too but it shouldn't be the main focus. U of T is a great school. However, a lot of my friends that do go to St. George dislike it because they find it more difficult to make friends because everyone is only focused on school. BUT that's only what I've heard. At McMaster everything is well balanced and you'll meet some great people! Good luck with figuring it all out! And whatever you choose, just take advantage of the time you have. Your time at university really builds on your character and it's an incredible experience!

I got accepted to Cognitive Sci and Children with Exceptionalities at UofT and Psych at Mac.

And here I am...no longer in Psych, heh.

Are you guys glad that you chose to go to Mac instead of UofT or any other universities??

I know I will get biased answers but it's better than nothing.

I don't know what life would be like had I gone to UofT so it's rather difficult to answer that. I can, however, tell you that originally in my first two months at Mac I wanted to drop out. It took about 7 months for me to get comfortable. But now I never want to leave!

I was happy I came to Mac within an hour of my parents leaving. My reps had a bunch of stuff planned for us, and then later that nite a group of us played ultimate frisbee until an obscene hour. And then still later I nearly got attacked by deer. Then I slept for a few hours...and more funness ensued for the rest of Welcome Week.

I honestly don't think I would have enjoyed UofT as much, based on the stories I heard from friends who went there...but I can't really be sure.

Originally Posted by ferreinm

I can, however, tell you that originally in my first two months at Mac I wanted to drop out. It took about 7 months for me to get comfortable. But now I never want to leave!

Oh really? How so? Was it academically or socially that made u want to drop out? What advice can you give for first years entering to McMaster that might feel the same way??

Well univeristy is a true experience on its own. Some of you might not be used to staying away from mom and dad . Not to forget your freinds and loved ones. But the key to have a wonderful first year lies in how active you are and how well you can connect with other students. This might be your room mate, your first year rep, your lab partner or even someone you met on frosh week. So people who really cannot burst the high school protective bubble might have a rough start.

Now academics is a whole another side. I was a regular first year student. You really have to keep up with the readings and homework. there is no one to punish you or force you to do your work. Its up to you to decide. I can tell you right away. 1st year science is a lot of work. A group of freinds can definitely make your life easy right from sharing notes to preparing for a lab. I had a lot of rough start because my school did not prepare me wellw enough. I came to mac with 90% average and this dropped significantly low after I came to mac. Dont let one bad course thow you down. Take your pace and go ahead with the rest of courses and get help for the ones you need an extra hand.!!!!

MAC WAS ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS I TOOK IN LIFE!!!!!

Originally Posted by FlyWithMac

Oh really? How so? Was it academically or socially that made u want to drop out? What advice can you give for first years entering to McMaster that might feel the same way??

Homesickness is normal. Almost everyone gets homesick at somepoint (mine was just delayed...mine hit at the end of November after a death in the family). But there are lots of resources available to you if you are having problems coping. If you live in res, your CA's are trained to help you get through it. Your reps recieve some training as well. And both were in the same position as you once too, so talking to them about their experiences will help you out as well.

One of my best friends from res was actually an out of province student, so she quite homesick for a lot of first term. however, after talking with our HCA she got through it and adjusted. she actually went on an exchange in our third year, and although she had gotten homesick was more prepared with how to deal with the feelings and how to alleviate them.

For me, the hardest adjustment was taking tests. I wasn't used to having lots of material at once. I was used to having a bunch of small little tests and then an easy exam, not a midterm and then an exam. But by second semester I had learned how to study and prepare so I did a lot better.

I wanted to drop out for academic and social reasons. In high school, I used to get perfect on almost all of my essays. On my first University paper I received an F and wondered-- what am I doing here? It's a HUGE change academically. I don't know why I didn't think it would be or I didn't know by how much at least. You'll have TAs (teaching assistants-- they're sometimes undergrads but usually masters students who grade your work). Advice: talk to them constantly. OH please talk to them. this year I have made an effort to ask them a ton of questions just to make sure I completely understood everything. the one class where I spoke to my TA the most I got perfect on my papers again. Sometimes you think you understand an assignment but you really don't so sometimes its best if you talk it out with the teacher assistant. Also, you can ALWAYS talk to your professors. i do it all the time. They're pretty cool-- some not so much but most of them are! A lot of them want you to succeed and love to see you really interested in the material they teach.

Now, socially. Ahh! Oh man, first year was brutal for me socially! I went into Mac with one friend (of course, he was an engineer so I never saw him!) SO essentially, I was forced to become friends with these people in my building. It's really awkward-- realy awkward. I don't talk to anyone except for ONE person who lived on my floor. Why? They were far too different from me. That's okay though. You don't need to be friends with the people you live with BUT you do need to be friends with someone. I wish I had gone to other floors and spoken to other students. ALSO, time to do some self-promoting... if you want to meet people in your residence you can become a FLIRC!!!! Come September I'm Whidden Hall's Inter Residence Programming Rep. Every building has a Hall rep and a programming rep. We have meetings once a week where you can help us plan events and ideas that you want to do or you can advocate for better foods on campus and the sort. The IRC is here for YOU. We completely cater to what YOU want. There'll be a small group of first years known as FLIRCs who help us help you so you'd be getting involed in residence and meeting people normally. Welcome Week sort of forced friends upon me and for some people that works super well. For the shy quiet insecure people it doesn't. Now I've changed completely. I'm really loud and too confident (but still sometimes shy). It takes some people longer than others. Socially it's best to get involved in either your residence or MSU services. I've taken part in A LOT of MSU services so if you have any questions I can help you out. BUT I definitely recommend being a FLIRC!!!