Hello!

I'm in Life Sciences now, going into second year. If I applied and got into the Co-op program, the program would be extended to 5 years. Coming out I would have co-op experience, and I could also do an independent study thesis project in 4th year (on this note, what program would the profs be from, could you decide if you want your project to be psych related or biology related, or would there be restrictions?). I haven't yet decided if I want to maybe just to grad school or medical school. So anyone planning on grad/med-school, and found the co-op program helpful?

Thank you in advance!

Originally Posted by yourPal

Hello!

I'm in Life Sciences now, going into second year. If I applied and got into the Co-op program, the program would be extended to 5 years. Coming out I would have co-op experience, and I could also do an independent study thesis project in 4th year (on this note, what program would the profs be from, could you decide if you want your project to be psych related or biology related, or would there be restrictions?). I haven't yet decided if I want to maybe just to grad school or medical school. So anyone planning on grad/med-school, and found the co-op program helpful?

Thank you in advance!

Coop CAN be helpful for sure. but most people that got into grad/med school have no coop. One thing to rmb is how medical school might view your coop. If you do not take full course load during your non-coop terms, you might have problems with certain med school's GPA formulae.

For the life sciences thesis you are free to choose a prof from either the Faculty of science (including bio, psych, chem etc.) or health sciences.

http://www.science.mcmaster. ca/lif...y-courses.html

Co-op is incredibly helpful for grad school, especially if you'd otherwise have a very general degree (e.g. life sciences). It can also be helpful for med school in that it's something to set you apart, your co-op supervisors can write references for you, etc.
I don't really see what the big deal is about making sure you take a full course load in your school terms - you'd be expected to do that anyways even if you weren't in co-op.

Originally Posted by starfish

Co-op is incredibly helpful for grad school, especially if you'd otherwise have a very general degree (e.g. life sciences). It can also be helpful for med school in that it's something to set you apart, your co-op supervisors can write references for you, etc.
I don't really see what the big deal is about making sure you take a full course load in your school terms - you'd be expected to do that anyways even if you weren't in co-op.

Some coop programs dont require you to take a full course load....

Originally Posted by gggggg

Some coop programs dont require you to take a full course load....

Which ones? When I was at Mac, they all required it - the only way you could get out of a full course load during the school terms was if you took courses while on a work term, which is the same as a person not in co-op deciding to take a course in the summer and then less during the regular school year. The program itself was always structured so that you'd have a full course load :S

I emailed various medical schools around the country last year when contemplating Co-op acceptance. Here are some responses you might find useful:

Thank you for your interest in Queen’s University, School of Medicine.

Students who are registered in a co‑operative education program (co‑op) are required to have completed two academic terms within each trimester year (fall, winter and summer). Any academic year where the student has completed two work terms will not count as part of the 2YGPA.

Ottawa:
Students who are registered in a Co-operative Education Program (Co-op) are eligible to apply if they meet the prerequisites, provided they have completed two academic terms within each trimester year (Fall, Winter, Summer). Any academic year where the student has completed two work terms will not count as part of the three prerequisite years of full-time studies and therefore, the grades obtained for one semester of academic work completed within this year will not be used in the calculation of the WGPA.

UBC:Thank you for your email and interest in the MD Undergraduate Program. We consider co-op students full time, as long as you are taking full academic coursework in the semesters that you are doing school. Co-op can affect the calculation of adjusted GPA if your lowest academic year is one in which you only took only 12-15 credits, but did the most poorly on them. However, co-op also provides valuable work experience, which can be used as part of the non-academic application process and will benefit your application that way.

UWO:As you may know, at Schulich Medicine we use the GPA from each of the 2 best undergraduate years with a full course load of 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credits). For students enrolled in a co-op program, we can use both terms of the same academic program 'year', for example, Terms 3A and 3B, even if there is a work-term between the 2 academic terms, and even if one of those academic terms falls in the summer. However, in order to be considered for GPA purposes, the 'year' must include 5 full or equivalent courses (30 credits) in total or 2.5 full or equivalent courses (15 credits) in each term).
A co-op degree would neither benefit nor hinder your application to this medical school.

U of T: You may not receive weighted GPA calculations depending on how the work terms are spread, but it would be helpful for your autobiographical sketch.

Hope that helps!