Hi,
I'm stuck trying to pick which program to go into. I don't know whether co-op is really worth it or if I should go into a program like biochem that I would be interested in trying. I'm going into third year so I don't think I would do biochem coop (I know that that's an option). I know both programs would be good, I just don't know which one is better. Thanks

It depends on your goals. The life science co-op program is relatively new, and I'm kind of surprised they added it. For one, it's not like science jobs were plentiful - it was hard to find a position - and for another, a student in life sciences can make their degree so general that it's not necessarily going to prepare them well for things like research. Employers would prefer someone in a more focused program. Unless the jobs are totally different, and you're not competing against the other co-op students so much, I'd think it would be even harder for a student in life sciences to find a job compared to a student in biochem or chemistry or something like that.
The flip side of that is that a bachelor's degree in life science isn't really useful (of course, a BSc in biochem is not much more useful), so relevant work experience will help a lot with finding a job after graduation.

tl;dr: I'm sure there are possible jobs a life science student can get that don't overlap with biochem, mol bio, chem, etc, so if you're interested in those, then go for it. But if what you're really interested in is biochem, then you should go for that, because you probably won't have much luck finding a co-op job in biochemistry if you're in life sciences.

Did you get accepted into co-op for both programs or just one? If co-op is important to you, I would pick that one, it can give great opportunities.

Agreed, I'm pretty shocked a Life Science co-op program got added, I usually see co-op for more specific degrees like Biochemistry or Molecular Genetics, even Waterloo doesn't have co-op for Biomedical Sciences.

If you think you're going to do something that specifically needs a Bsc in biochemistry, then you should go for that, but if a Bsc in biochemistry isn't going to help you much in finding a career afterwards (i.e you still need to do schooling afterwards), in that case, Life Science might be the better option because it is more flexible (and it does have co-op)

When did mac add co-op for life sci and what are the requirements to get in?

I've attached the requirements needed for the program. Thank you everyone for all your insight. I'll have to give it a little more thought before I make my decision!

Whens the deadline to apply for the coop and where do I have to go

Originally Posted by Science Rocks

Whens the deadline to apply for the coop and where do I have to go

The deadline to apply is typically the end of February in your second year.

I'm not sure where exactly they're hosting the application now, but it used to be on OSCAR. The SCCE website should say, though, and they usually send out an email.

Hi Monique,

I'm currently doing Co-Op right now and what I can tell you about each program's Co-Op specialization is... there isn't too much of a difference in terms of the jobs that will be available to you. I'm currently in the Biochem Co-Op and the jobs that have been available to our program are shared with Molecular Bio/Chem Bio and Bio Pharm for 3rd and 4th years, so I'm guessing it might be the same for Life Sci. Most of the jobs you'll find for Co-Op in Science is related to labwork, therefore taking courses that allow you to develop lab experience/techniques can be very beneficial during job search. Biochem offers a lot of lab courses that'll allow you to develop your lab knowledge/techniques, but if you can find similar opportunities in life sci, you could make it work too.