Hey guys,

I was recently admitted to Mcmaster health science and will most likely be attending it this september. How easy/hard is the program? I also heard that most health science students get into medical school. Is this true? and what makes health science different from the other programs?

Thanks,
Megan

Originally Posted by megan66

Hey guys,

I was recently admitted to Mcmaster health science and will most likely be attending it this september. How easy/hard is the program? I also heard that most health science students get into medical school. Is this true? and what makes health science different from the other programs?

Thanks,
Megan

Im sure a health sci will answer this question better, but from my understanding the program is as hard as you make it out to be (difficulty is subjective). If you take orgo, hard math courses, or hardcore bio courses as electives, obviously it is going to be hard. If you are taking electives such as space medicine, then I think it is going to be super easy. Hth scis have lots of electives so it really depends on you. (Hint: you should take easy courses for med school). MOST health sci students do GET IN med school. It is different because hth scis are very close to each other and the faculty and from what I understand, it is considered an easy program by people in science (although this may or may not be true depending on what you take), I hope I dont get attacked for saying this lol. You also get a lot more opportunities than other people on campus (this is true even if the health scis claim it is not true!)

Originally Posted by megan66

Hey guys,

I was recently admitted to Mcmaster health science and will most likely be attending it this september. How easy/hard is the program? I also heard that most health science students get into medical school. Is this true? and what makes health science different from the other programs?

Thanks,
Megan

it is one of the easiest undergrad programs at mac, if not ontario. yes, most hsci get into medschool/another program which requires a high gpa. hsci is different because its group work and group work is easy in it and they mark easy. if a high gpa is your goal, accept the offer.

Also, just keep in mind that although MOST health sci students do get in to med school, NOT all of them do. I know two people who tried for several years and couldn't get in, and eventually ended up doing other things (grad school for one, and other professional school for the other).
If you do choose the health sci route, don't assume that it essentially guarantees you a spot in med school - even Mac's med school. Med school admission isn't all about grades.

Originally Posted by starfish

Also, just keep in mind that although MOST health sci students do get in to med school, NOT all of them do. I know two people who tried for several years and couldn't get in, and eventually ended up doing other things (grad school for one, and other professional school for the other).
If you do choose the health sci route, don't assume that it essentially guarantees you a spot in med school - even Mac's med school. Med school admission isn't all about grades.

yea med school isnt all about grades but hsci exposes you and gives you more opportunities for extracurriculars such as a fashion show, musical, and tons of other things that no other programs come close to doing.

Originally Posted by Silver

yea med school isnt all about grades but hsci exposes you and gives you more opportunities for extracurriculars such as a fashion show, musical, and tons of other things that no other programs come close to doing.

that's not really true either... I had plenty of extracurricular opportunities within my own program and within the university at large. If you look at all of the student run events and clubs on campus, you can easily see that there are students in EVERY program who are very actively involved in volunteer work, clubs, organizing events and etc., even in high workload faculties like engineering. Furthermore, if we're specifically talking about mcmaster's medical school, your extracurriculars don't matter much, as the decision ultimately comes down to your casper score and interview results (and verbal reasoning score from the mcat).

As starfish said, not all healthsci students get into medical school. If you look at the breakdown of admissions to mcmaster's medical school, I believe less than 50% of them are from health science (it didn't specify which schools they came from). there's a wide spread of undergraduate backgrounds because you can get into medical school from any degree, you just need the pre-requisites and the marks. the advantage with health science is that the program essentially babies them with high marks and by making them believe that they're the best (actual words from a professor of mine). the PBL structure means they have few exams and they can focus more on doing well in the pre-requisite courses they need for med school.

it's important to consider what you're going to do if you can't get into medical school or decide you're not interested in it, though. undergrad is about enjoying what you're learning. if you're interested in your program, you can do well enough in it to get into med school.

I have a lot of health sci friends, and based on their experiences, this is what I know about the program.

Is it easy?
As long as you don't specialize in the bio medical stream, you are free to choose whatever bird elective you want. A lot of the courses are group based, and some in upper years are research based, where you essentially give yourself a mark you want and tell your supervisor/advising faculty member. I know one of my friends who received 5 12's, just for showing up and doing research.

Will you get into medicine automatically? No...you still need to do well on the VERBAL

Originally Posted by ooburii

that's not really true either... I had plenty of extracurricular opportunities within my own program and within the university at large. If you look at all of the student run events and clubs on campus, you can easily see that there are students in EVERY program who are very actively involved in volunteer work, clubs, organizing events and etc., even in high workload faculties like engineering. Furthermore, if we're specifically talking about mcmaster's medical school, your extracurriculars don't matter much, as the decision ultimately comes down to your casper score and interview results (and verbal reasoning score from the mcat).

these arent things that are program based though, unlike certain hsci stuff.

i also forgot to say that in hsci, you barely have any class and pretty much no midterms and final exams which makes it a breeze to study for non health sci courses that you are taking especially during dec and april (final exam season). accept your offer. this is a goldmine for high gpa.

The biggest advantage is the sense of community. There are ~200 people in my year and I know just all about all of them by name. It's lots of fun for a lot of different reasons (inquiry, EC opportunities, exciting curriculum, small-group interactions) and is almost high-school esque in that sense.

I'm also in love with the second-year anatomy course. The anatomy lab that we have at McMaster is one of the best across Canada and you'll get open access to it for self-study anytime between 9 am to 10 pm. It's such an enriching learning experience...the best course I've ever taken. Anatomy made second year BHSc for me.

Originally Posted by gggggg

Im sure a health sci will answer this question better, but from my understanding the program is as hard as you make it out to be (difficulty is subjective). If you take orgo, hard math courses, or hardcore bio courses as electives, obviously it is going to be hard. If you are taking electives such as space medicine, then I think it is going to be super easy. Hth scis have lots of electives so it really depends on you. (Hint: you should take easy courses for med school). MOST health sci students do GET IN med school. It is different because hth scis are very close to each other and the faculty and from what I understand, it is considered an easy program by people in science (although this may or may not be true depending on what you take), I hope I dont get attacked for saying this lol. You also get a lot more opportunities than other people on campus (this is true even if the health scis claim it is not true!)

I'd have to agree. Not just for the elective reason, but also within inquiry it's as difficult as you make it. No one will set deadlines for you - you need to do it yourself. Also within groups, its as difficult as you make it. You can coast and let your group do most of the work while you get by on minimum requirements, or you can really go above and beyond and learn more than any non-inquiry course will teach you. It's up to you.

Omg i'm sorry for the triple post please don't ban me :(

Originally Posted by Chipmunk

The biggest advantage is the sense of community. There are ~200 people in my year and I know just all about all of them by name. It's lots of fun for a lot of different reasons (inquiry, EC opportunities, exciting curriculum, small-group interactions) and is almost high-school esque in that sense.

this is key. you really get to know your classmates well in this program and the best 2 residences are reserved for health sci students so if you choose res, you will also live with mostly hsci. no other program gets you close with other students like health sci.

Originally Posted by Silver

this is key. you really get to know your classmates well in this program and the best 2 residences are reserved for health sci students so if you choose res, you will also live with mostly hsci. no other program gets you close with other students like health sci.

Since when are residence buildings reserved for health sci students?

Originally Posted by Silver

this is key. you really get to know your classmates well in this program and the best 2 residences are reserved for health sci students so if you choose res, you will also live with mostly hsci. no other program gets you close with other students like health sci.

Yeah this part about residences isn't true. I think he/she may be referring to the fact that in the past, individuals with averages greater than 95% entering University could select to live in a single room, and since lots of health scis had that average and wanted singles, they ended up together. This is no longer the case though. Health scis aren't reserved any residence.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/277273559100775/ You'll get better answers here!