hey guys,
i'm in high school rite now.
i want to be a neurologist or a cardiologist, and i don't if whether i should take life sciences or health sciences. can someone tell me the differences, similarities, the pros and the cons as well?

thanks a lot

Originally Posted by janom93

hey guys,
i'm in high school rite now.
i want to be a neurologist or a cardiologist, and i don't if whether i should take life sciences or health sciences. can someone tell me the differences, similarities, the pros and the cons as well?

thanks a lot

Similarities ? Differences?

Well the main difference between the two is which one will reject you. And that would be Health Sciences.

Just make your life better and take Life Sciences. But that program alone will get you nowhere. You would then have to apply to a MedSchool and than go through it. Then, you have to do your residency.

So good luck with that. You can do it if you're really motivated. If it's money that motivates you, than I suggest you back off.

It all depends on your average... If you want to go into a medical field your best choice would be Health Science. However both programs are good for medschool. its just health sci is very specific about who gets into the program or not, you need a very high average and a really nice entry essay (the question you have to answer when you apply).

Life sci is much easier to get into in comparison and its a really good program. If you have a 93+ average then go to health Sci, if not go to life sci, but both programs are great at mac so no worries

Originally Posted by janom93

hey guys,
i'm in high school rite now.
i want to be a neurologist or a cardiologist, and i don't if whether i should take life sciences or health sciences. can someone tell me the differences, similarities, the pros and the cons as well?

thanks a lot

Well, basically, Life Sci is basically McMasters general science program. In first year, you have to take some Bio, Chem, Physics, Psych, and Math. The upper year courses cover a wide range of scientific topics as well. Health Sci is a lot more focused on medicine and has a large number of projects and problem-based learning assignments.

Health Sci courses tend to have high averages and I've heard about 75% of them end up in medschool (in comparison, only ~5% of all medschool applicants get accepted in general). If you're planning to do professional school in a medical field, you should definitely be aiming for Health Sci.

Well, you've really got a few choices, but we can boil them down to 2 main ones, which work regardless of your program:

1) Go through your 4 years with blinders on, firm in the knowledge that you'll be a good doctor because you did well in gr. 12 bio

2) Make that decision after first year (or later than that) rather than before it. Of course, this doesn't mean 'don't keep your options open'. By all means, if you're thinking of med school then take the pre-reqs, volunteer, etc. to keep the option open.

Originally Posted by janom93

hey guys,
i'm in high school rite now.
i want to be a neurologist or a cardiologist, and i don't if whether i should take life sciences or health sciences. can someone tell me the differences, similarities, the pros and the cons as well?

thanks a lot

Good luck with that.

Originally Posted by Alchemist11

Good luck with that.

I think four years is plenty of time to improve spelling and grammar ?

Abandon all hope and try your best. Unless you're willing to go overseas....

It's probably a bit harsh, but basically your chances, even if you are brilliant, are next to none if you aren't in Health Science (because their entire program is designed to get you in, come hell or high water).

Originally Posted by bloodywarz

Life sci is much easier to get into in comparison and its a really good program. If you have a 93+ average then go to health Sci, if not go to life sci, but both programs are great at mac so no worries

The minimum is 90%. After you pass the cut-off its mainly based on your supplementary. Either way, deff still apply if your average is less then 93 (and you want to ofc)

Health science courses/professors also spoon feed you knowledge (e.g. MAKE SURE TO STUDY PARAGRAHS 5 and 9 FOR TOMORROWS TEST!) and are primarily marked based on garbage presentation-type work or essays. (this is what I have seen of first year HS courses)

Which we all know TAs never mark as tough as they should.

Before someone QQs all over me: I was accepted to HS and LS and chose LS because HS is bunk.

HS no question. Sure the program might be a joke, but the stats I've heard is something like 70-80% make it into med school. The med school application process is so rigorous, and to an extent fluky, you should take every advantage you can get.

Originally Posted by 158701

HS no question. Sure the program might be a joke, but the stats I've heard is something like 70-80% make it into med school. The med school application process is so rigorous, and to an extent fluky, you should take every advantage you can get.

Despite my bashing of the program, if your only trajectory is medical school, go for it.

But be warned, when you aren't accepted the first time you apply, or ever, you'll be stuck with a degree that isn't good for much else...

(Same goes for LS though unless you go to grad studies O_o)

Originally Posted by Kendoon

Health science courses/professors also spoon feed you knowledge (e.g. MAKE SURE TO STUDY PARAGRAHS 5 and 9 FOR TOMORROWS TEST!) and are primarily marked based on garbage presentation-type work or essays. (this is what I have seen of first year HS courses)

Which we all know TAs never mark as tough as they should.

Before someone QQs all over me: I was accepted to HS and LS and chose LS because HS is bunk. Homos.

Actually, for HTH SCI 1G03 (Psychobiology) this year, the TAs tended to mark tougher than they had in other years. At least my TA did.

In fact, I'm doing a lot better in my non-Health Sciences courses (Math 1A03, Chem 1A03). My lowest marks for this semester will most likely be for my Health Sciences courses (Psychobiology in particular).

As for your comment stating, "MAKE SURE TO STUDY PARAGRAHS 5 and 9 FOR TOMORROWS TEST!", I don't recall a situation where that happened. Our midterms for HTH SCI 1I06 (Cell Biology) are more application-based (it involves interpreting given data, forming a logical hypothesis, and designing an experimental procedure), so even if they spoon-fed us information (which they didn't), it wouldn't really help you on these midterms. Again, even though I am doing well in this Cell Biology course, I'm still doing better in my non-Health Sciences courses.

Actually, if I was spoon-fed information in any course, it would most likely be Math 1A03. The first midterm was basically an exact copy of the practise midterm, and we were given a formula sheet for the second midterm. Those formulas could have and should have been easily memorized.

----------------

Back on topic. It honestly does not matter which program you go into, as med schools don't really care - as long as you have the necessary prerequisites. All they care about is your GPA, your MCAT, your extra-curriculars, and your interview (that being said, obtaining a high GPA is easier in certain programs. For example, it is easier to obtain a high GPA in Life or Health Sciences than it is in Engineering).

The Health Sciences program is more directed towards health and medicine (surprise!), so if you are interested in spending three to four years of your undergraduate career studying this, then it is certainly a good idea to apply. However, the Life Sciences program is more open in the sense that if you change your mind later on about what you're interested, it will easier to change your direction of study.

As well, Health Sciences has a higher cut-off average (90%+) compared to Life Sciences. If you have this average, you might as well apply to both programs. Especially if you're interested in both of these programs.

Go to health sci if you're set on med school. If you want to keep options open, life sci first year would be a better option.

Originally Posted by Commander

I think four years is plenty of time to improve spelling and grammar ?

Was that a question or a statement?

Are you being ironical, my dear friend?