Hi, sorry I don't attend Mac, but I am desperate for help! I am in grade 12 and finding my self to be struggling with science, but all my life I have wanted to go into science. I am currently getting a 75 in physics and 83 in bio, which is awful compared to previous years :(. I Is the transition from high school to university really hard, and would it be better for me to potentially consider going into another pathway such as business? I don't know what to do!! Life Science (and others) seem so hard in uni :(

The transition is not really "hard". It's just how you manage your time. I think there's an adjustment simply because unlike high school you're not attending class from 8:30 to 3:30 every single day. So there's a bit more free time and that's where people tend to procrastinate. In my opinion high school marks are not representative of how you will perform in university since all high schools assess different things in different ways.

However the cutoff (in order to receive an acceptance) for life sci is generally around a 89 to a low 90. Look over what courses you will be using in your top 6. Do not worry about getting a 75 in physics as it wont affect your entrance here at Mac if it's not part of your top 6.

In my opinion McMaster entrance averages are ridiculously high and it's absurd. It's not even like we're getting a better education either. Especially with these online modules that they introduced for first year science courses.

But since physics is in first semester, wont they look at it when assessing my grades? and thank you sooo much for the help

I got my acceptance in early march I think, so in the end they're really going to make their final decision based on first semester final marks and second semester midterm marks... thats why they say don't sit back once you've gotten your early acceptance, b/c it will go away just as quickly as you got it if your marks start dropping. Anyway they look at your average, rather than individual courses (assuming you meet the minimum for each course, which is like 70 or 75, you'll have to look it up), so even if you're not doing well in one, as long as others help bring your avg up to or above the cutoff you should be okay.

Regardless of whether physics is in first semester if it's not in your top 6 then your mark in it won't matter. I know for a fact that physics is not a requirement to get into life sci although you will end up having to do a first year physics course when you get here which is why grade 12 physics is HIGHLY recommended. As long as the courses that are required for the top 6 average are satisfied and it meets the cutoff top 6 average you're fine. Individual course marks don't matter, there is no minimum. You could even get a 50 in physics it doesn't matter. Since it's not in the top 6. A lot of high school students want that distinguished honour roll or those super prestigious entrance scholarships but none of that matters when you get to university.

I suggest that you do not go into something just because you think it will be easier, mind you, business is actually not that easy especially when it comes to finance or accounting. Why don't you talk with past students on what they study and see what interests you? You don't want to be stuck in a miserable state by being in a program you hate.