Hi guys! So I'm currently in the H. Biology program in second year, but I want to switch into the H. Bio and Math program. I don't have Math 1AA3 or 1LT3, and I can't take them in the summer, so I can only take them next year, second semester. Will it be too late to apply to the program at the end of third year? I am willing to do a fifth year, however I would mostly be taking second year and third year courses in fourth and fifth year to make up for missed time. I've heard grad schools look down on you if you take too many lower level courses if you are not in that year, is that true? Also does anyone know how difficult it is to get into the H. Bio and Math program? I know its difficult to say what the average gpa of people accepted is, but does anyone know? And is anyone in the program? I'd love to hear if you like it! Thanks )

You might be able to switch in at the end of third year, but that is pretty late.
Have you considered taking the course online?
There is no one answer to how grad schools look at things. It differs by the school and the department within the school, and sometimes within a department among the different profs that you might work for. If all of your other courses except the math ones are level 3/4 it should be okay, but some schools might have a hard requirement for the number of lower-level courses you can take. You should look into the schools you're interested in, and also see an academic advisor regarding the feasibility of switching into the program so late.

Originally Posted by starfish

You might be able to switch in at the end of third year, but that is pretty late.
Have you considered taking the course online?
There is no one answer to how grad schools look at things. It differs by the school and the department within the school, and sometimes within a department among the different profs that you might work for. If all of your other courses except the math ones are level 3/4 it should be okay, but some schools might have a hard requirement for the number of lower-level courses you can take. You should look into the schools you're interested in, and also see an academic advisor regarding the feasibility of switching into the program so late.

Didn't think of online! How would I go about doing that, where can I get more info?

The science faculty has a long list of pre-approved courses and their equivalents at a ton of different universities. Athabasca has plenty of online options; not sure about other schools. If you google 'mcmaster letter of permission' or something like that it should come up.