Hey guys, I'm going to Life Science this fall.

I was wondering, if I am not interested in grad school (research stuff), but I am interested in professional school (optometry, medicine, physiotherapy, dentistry, etc.), would an Honours Life Science degree be necessary, or is a Regular Life Science degree enough?

I am not interested in research.

Originally Posted by brady23

Hey guys, I'm going to Life Science this fall.

I was wondering, if I am not interested in grad school (research stuff), but I am interested in professional school (optometry, medicine, physiotherapy, dentistry, etc.), would an Honours Life Science degree be necessary, or is a Regular Life Science degree enough?

I am not interested in research.

It depends. Some professional schools want a four-year honours degree. You have to look at both the school and program you're interested in. For example, some med schools in Ontario don't require you to have an honours degree or be in an honours program, and some do. Look into whatever you're interested in.
Honours is probably safer though. If you end up not needing it, you can always leave after three years and graduate with the non-honours degree.

You say you're not interested in research now, but have an open mind! It seems like 90% of incoming first years in Life Sci are hell-bent on medical school (I also thought that way), but you really don't have much of an idea of what research actually entails yet. I'd recommend you keep more doors open than closed!

Definitely make sure you keep an open mind. So many people think they want to go to med school but then realize they don't after 2-3 years of university.
If you're really hellbent on going to med school, it shouldn't matter what your degree is.
That being said... a 3 year B.Sc. in life sci isn't going to get you anywhere if you don't get into med school (which a lot of people don't). And its hard to transfer into something else (if you realize you don't wanna pursue med school)

Why not stay in the honours life sci program and apply to professional school in your 3rd year? That way, if you end up getting in, great - you graduate with a 3 year degree. If you don't end up getting in, you finish up your 4th year of undergrad and apply again. This is what I did, I always knew I would end up in professional school but I stayed in an honours program and applied to professional school in 3rd year. Ended up getting in so I graduated with just a BHSc rather than BHSc (Honours) degree.

(Depending on what profession you end up applying to obviously, it's definitely possible to get into med school after 3 years of undergrad; not sure about dentistry/optometry/PT.)

I don't see how you can possibly not be interested in research. You aren't even done grade 12 yet. Have you even done research before? Even so, not all research is the same - there's a tremendous variety with a million different things you can do.

And to answer your question, a three year degree is fairly useless as Kevin said earlier. If you're really that confident that you can get into a professional school after three years of undergrad then by all means go for it. Just realize that if you don't get in, you're stuck with a degree that won't do anything for you. Most people go for the four year degree and switch to a three year one later on if need be.

Originally Posted by inthemaking

Why not stay in the honours life sci program and apply to professional school in your 3rd year? That way, if you end up getting in, great - you graduate with a 3 year degree. If you don't end up getting in, you finish up your 4th year of undergrad and apply again. This is what I did, I always knew I would end up in professional school but I stayed in an honours program and applied to professional school in 3rd year. Ended up getting in so I graduated with just a BHSc rather than BHSc (Honours) degree.

(Depending on what profession you end up applying to obviously, it's definitely possible to get into med school after 3 years of undergrad; not sure about dentistry/optometry/PT.)

Yeah, that's exactly what I said.
Although not all med schools will accept people with only three years of undergrad. It limits you unnecessarily to only have a three-year degree. And yeah, Kevin is right--a three-year degree in life sci will do nothing for you.

Thanks guys for your responses. I think the only professional school that requires an honours degree is Western's Medical School. And when I said professional degree, I didn't mean only medical school - even I know my chances there are slim. But, physiotherapy, optometry, dentistry, etc. are all options that appeal to me. I know I want to do something in health care.

One of the reasons I don't want to do an honours degree is because you have to take physics (not the life science one), and I'm not that good in physics, but I still might do it. Is a regular life science degree only three years though, because I do want a four-year degree.

Originally Posted by brady23

Thanks guys for your responses. I think the only professional school that requires an honours degree is Western's Medical School. And when I said professional degree, I didn't mean only medical school - even I know my chances there are slim. But, physiotherapy, optometry, dentistry, etc. are all options that appeal to me. I know I want to do something in health care.

One of the reasons I don't want to do an honours degree is because you have to take physics (not the life science one), and I'm not that good in physics, but I still might do it. Is a regular life science degree only three years though, because I do want a four-year degree.

Honours degrees are four years (120 units) and regular are all three years (90 units) and you should consult the course calendar, because not all honours programs require physics beyond 1L03. Also, one course should not be the deciding factor for what program you go into or what degree you get.
Optometry will require physics anyways. And you'll need to learn physics for the MCAT, even if you don't actually take the courses.

Thanks again guys. Can someone tell me which of these is considered the easier workload (higher GPA) of these honours programs, and the pros and cons of each.

Honours Life Science
Honours Psychology & Neuroscience & Behaviour
Honours biology - biodiversity

Are there any easier Honours life Science programs where students have a higher GPA average? I was thinking of Biochemistry, but I heard it was one of the hardest ones.

Originally Posted by brady23

Thanks again guys. Can someone tell me which of these is considered the easier workload (higher GPA) of these honours programs, and the pros and cons of each.

Honours Life Science
Honours Psychology & Neuroscience & Behaviour
Honours biology - biodiversity

Are there any easier Honours life Science programs where students have a higher GPA average? I was thinking of Biochemistry, but I heard it was one of the hardest ones.

There is only one Honours Life Science program. Biochem is a different program, as are psych and bio.

Life Sci is generally regarded as easiest since it has the most electives. Biochem isn't one of the hardest--at least, not core biochem. If you choose to specialize within biochem, then it is harder, but still perfectly doable. You should do what you're interested in, not what people tell you is easy.

Originally Posted by nerual

There is only one Honours Life Science program. Biochem is a different program, as are psych and bio.

Life Sci is generally regarded as easiest since it has the most electives. Biochem isn't one of the hardest--at least, not core biochem. If you choose to specialize within biochem, then it is harder, but still perfectly doable. You should do what you're interested in, not what people tell you is easy.

Yeah, I've narrowed it down to these three - and I like them all basically the same, but I meant biodiversity, not biochemistry. That's why I want to know which is easier. Thanks for all your help by the way, you've done a ton!

Originally Posted by brady23

Yeah, I've narrowed it down to these three - and I like them all basically the same. That's why I want to know which is easier.

You haven't even done first year yet. You haven't experienced them enough to know yet. Even after first year you might not have experienced them enough to know.

I definitely don't think bio with a biodiversity specialization is one of the hardest programs.

Also this isn't really relevant, but it might be helpful--if you are interested in multiple of these areas, you can choose to major in one and minor in another. I don't think you can minor in life sci, since that is such a general program, but you can minor in psych or bio. Majoring in any of those programs will also give you enough electives to complete a minor.

I just want to have an idea of what I might do, I know it may change, but I still want to have a plan. But you're right, I guess I'll have to take a psychology course to see if I actually like it.

I think you should wait until after first year to decide, as you really get to figure out what your interests and dislikes are, after which you can make an informed decision. First year life sci involves you taking courses in many different disciplines. You'd be surprised how much you learn about yourself after first year!

EDIT: I agree, its good to have a plan. Heck after first year, I still wasn't sure what program I wanted to go into for second year, let alone know before University started...

Relax, enjoy summer and worry about life later