Hey guys, what are some of the differences between Honours bio or Honours life science? I still don't know the difference between the two after doing some research. A lot of the courses I found in second year Life Science were the exact same as courses in second year for Honours Bio. Like Bio 2B03 = Life Sci 2B03

Are there any pros that life sci has that bio does not, or vice-versa?

Is one more focused on lab courses while the other one is more theory? I noticed that in Honours Life Science, you will need to complete the first 2 psychs, but in Honours biology, you don't need to.

Originally Posted by brady23

Hey guys, what are some of the differences between Honours bio or Honours life science? I still don't know the difference between the two after doing some research. A lot of the courses I found in second year Life Science were the exact same as courses in second year for Honours Bio. Like Bio 2B03 = Life Sci 2B03

Are there any pros that life sci has that bio does not, or vice-versa?

Is one more focused on lab courses while the other one is more theory? I noticed that in Honours Lif Science, you will need to complete the first 2 psychs, but in Honours biology, you don't need to.

Both are general, but life sci is even more general. If you look at the courses there are actually quite a few differences--it's important to look beyond just second year courses. For example, chembio and core biochem take mostly the same courses in second year, but by third or fourth, it's very different.
I believe Life Sci also has more elective space, but you should check the course calendar.

Originally Posted by nerual

Both are general, but life sci is even more general. If you look at the courses there are actually quite a few differences--it's important to look beyond just second year courses. For example, chembio and core biochem take mostly the same courses in second year, but by third or fourth, it's very different.
I believe Life Sci also has more elective space, but you should check the course calendar.

actually bio has more elective spaces since life sci require you to take mandatory 3rd year life sci courses, there aren't any mandatory 3rd year bio courses, you just have to take enough courses on biology course list
regarding op's question yes there are some similarities especially in 2nd year and both program aren't really lab focused but there are courses only bio students can take and same thing for life sci's

Originally Posted by cjdzl

actually bio has more elective spaces since life sci require you to take mandatory 3rd year life sci courses, there aren't any mandatory 3rd and 4th year bio courses, you just have to take enough courses on biology course list
regarding op's question yes there are some similarities especially in 2nd year and both program aren't really lab focused but there are courses only bio students can take and same thing for life sci's

I wouldn't count courses from a list as electives...I count the ones that actually say "elective", where you can really take whatever you want.

Originally Posted by nerual

I wouldn't count courses from a list as electives...I count the ones that actually say "elective", where you can really take whatever you want.

yes exactly bio students can take 36-39 unit as Electives and life sci can only take 27-36 units
and life sci has a course list too

Originally Posted by cjdzl

yes exactly bio students can take 36-39 unit as Electives and life sci can only take 27-36 units
and life sci has a course list too

The course list is irrelevant to electives, I'm confused...but yeah, that's why I said to check the course calendar.

Originally Posted by nerual

The course list is irrelevant to electives, I'm confused...but yeah, that's why I said to check the course calendar.

i was just pointing out that both program have course lists and according to course calender bio can take few more electives... lol sorry for confusing you

Thanks you guys.

Is Honours Biology harder than Honours Life Science, in terms of mandatory courses? Because I'm leaning towards Honours Biology since it doesn't require psych in year 1, and it's almost the same thing as Life Science anyway?

If you had to pick one stream of Honours Life Science and Honours Biology, which one would you pick and why?

Originally Posted by brady23

Thanks you guys.

Is Honours Biology harder than Honours Life Science, in terms of mandatory courses? Because I'm leaning towards Honours Biology since it doesn't require psych in year 1, and it's almost the same thing as Life Science anyway?

If you had to pick one stream of Honours Life Science and Honours Biology, which one would you pick and why?

I'd pick bio, because I think you should try more specialized programs before going more general. It's usually easier to switch into a more general program, and you can always switch into life sci if you don't like bio. I think that the more specialized your program, the more experience you get, the more it sets you apart and gives you an advantage.
Having said that, both of those programs would be at the bottom of my list. It depends what you like learning, what you want to get out of your degree, and what you want to do after university.

Originally Posted by brady23

Thanks you guys.

Is Honours Biology harder than Honours Life Science, in terms of mandatory courses? Because I'm leaning towards Honours Biology since it doesn't require psych in year 1, and it's almost the same thing as Life Science anyway?

If you had to pick one stream of Honours Life Science and Honours Biology, which one would you pick and why?

You haven't even started first year yet...trust me, you don't know what you want yet. No need to worry this much just yet.

Thanks. I just need to have some type of plan when I'm choosing courses next week, because I don't want to take something I might not need to.

But I am like 99% sure, even though I haven't done research, that I probably won't like to do it, especially considering how time consuming and how much effort it requires, it's just a lot of work.

And I don't think I'd do biochemistry because it's very lab-heavy, and I do like the general programs more because it gives me a bit more freedom.

But, you're right, this could very likely change.

I was just wondering what the consequences would be if I decided not to take Psych in first year because you don't need it for all level 2 life science programs, and I'd rather take easier and more fun electives like Economics.

I don't understand why there are so many questions related to choosing a program and the difficulty of the program. If you are really interested in a certain program then why would you let difficulty get in the way of possibly obtaining a career in that field?

Seriously, just choose your program based on your interest and it'll turn out easier than you expect it to. I left highschool with biology being the lowest mark out of all the science classes, in fact physics and math was my highest marks leaving highschool. But physics just didn't interest me and biology (more specifically genetics) was way more interesting to me. After all 4 years of university, biology courses have always been at my GPA or higher and I'm confident that if I were to purse physics or math (which I found easy in highschool) I would have gotten completely destroyed (Math 1AA3 was a disaster, I had no idea what the hell was going on in that course).

Edit: And even if you plan on going to professional school which isn't related to the program you are interested in, it always helps to have a back-up plan which you are interested in. And perhaps you may even end up doing research in a field related both to the professional school and your undergrad degree.

Originally Posted by brady23

Thanks. I just need to have some type of plan when I'm choosing courses next week, because I don't want to take something I might not need to.

But I am like 99% sure, even though I haven't done research, that I probably won't like to do it, especially considering how time consuming and how much effort it requires, it's just a lot of work.

And I don't think I'd do biochemistry because it's very lab-heavy, and I do like the general programs more because it gives me a bit more freedom.

But, you're right, this could very likely change.

I was just wondering what the consequences would be if I decided not to take Psych in first year because you don't need it for all level 2 life science programs, and I'd rather take easier and more fun electives like Economics.

There are way more options than life sci, biochem and bio.
Lab experience is what makes an undergrad science degree valuable, far more than the courses you take.

I really didn't find psych to be time consuming nor did it require much effort on my part. The biggest pain was listening to the lectures...but it's not difficult at all. Some people will disagree with me, and that's fine. You won't know how YOU will find the course unless you take it.

Completion of a level 1 program is required for admission into level 2. If you don't take psych 1X03, you're not completing life sci 1. You could get around this by completing any other level 1 program, even one you aren't registered in (such as physical sci, or enviro sci, or whatever). That said, I'm not sure how strict they are about that, you'd have to contact them and ask.

Originally Posted by nerual

There are way more options than life sci, biochem and bio.
Lab experience is what makes an undergrad science degree valuable, far more than the courses you take.

I really didn't find psych to be time consuming nor did it require much effort on my part. The biggest pain was listening to the lectures...but it's not difficult at all. Some people will disagree with me, and that's fine. You won't know how YOU will find the course unless you take it.

Completion of a level 1 program is required for admission into level 2. If you don't take psych 1X03, you're not completing life sci 1. You could get around this by completing any other level 1 program, even one you aren't registered in (such as physical sci, or enviro sci, or whatever). That said, I'm not sure how strict they are about that, you'd have to contact them and ask.

Oh I see, so since I'm in Life Science, I'll have to take Psych 1x03. Well, I guess that makes it easier then lol. I've heard good things about psych 1xx3 so I may take that as well, I was more worried about psych 1x03. Thanks for your help, I notice you've responded to almost every thread I've created!

Originally Posted by brady23

Oh I see, so since I'm in Life Science, I'll have to take Psych 1x03. Well, I guess that makes it easier then lol. I've heard good things about psych 1xx3 so I may take that as well, I was more worried about psych 1x03. Thanks for your help, I notice you've responded to almost every thread I've created!

Lol no problem...in other words, I should really get back to work