Health Sci is hard to get into, its quite clear. But that doesn't mean much. I work in the SSC at Mount Sinai Hospital and I have the pleasure of working with a McMaster affiliated PhD. He is on the acceptance boards for their Medical School and Life Science aswell. I was worried a few weeks back about what I would do if I didn't get accepted to Health Sci and while talking to him he said something on the lines of:
"Life Sci is a better program, in Health Sci there are often a lot of overachievers. There will always be someone smarter than you so you wont ever be special anymore, and in the end you come out more narrow minded. You learn broader things in Life Science which can actually help you when you're a doctor. But thats not to say that one is better than the other. They're quite different. Health Science has an amazing approach to teaching. You will come out enriched, but only in the field of health. It is very prestigious and the environment is amazing to work in. So either choice that you make, with some perserverance, you can still make medical school!"
I personally will be accepting Health Science.

1. No, health sci is not easy. It's difficult to compare across faculties unless you've done multiple degrees and have that experience, A lot of health scis live in the library, have looong group meetings well past midnight, do research for fun, study 24/7... then again so do a lot of other students. So it may not necessarily be harder, but it is definitely not easier.
2. Yes, there are a lot of overachievers. Yes, you won't feel "special" that you are the "smart one" anymore, but do you want the recognition or do you want motivation to work harder?
3. No, not EVERYONE in health sci is a pompous windbag. There are some, unfortunately, but they are in the minority. Most people are helpful and there is an emphasis on collaboration. Plus, there are arrogant people in every program, don't generalize.
4. No, you are not limited to mac med when you graduate. People get into diff med schools or pursue other interests: http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/bhsc/docu...GRADS09-10.pdf You also get a lot of elective space and can take a wide range of courses, definitely not limited to "health".


If you get rejected the first time, you can always apply as a transfer. and if not, life sci does have some awesome second year specializations.

Originally Posted by terrafirma

1. No, health sci is not easy. It's difficult to compare across faculties unless you've done multiple degrees and have that experience, A lot of health scis live in the library, have looong group meetings well past midnight, do research for fun, study 24/7... then again so do a lot of other students. So it may not necessarily be harder, but it is definitely not easier.
2. Yes, there are a lot of overachievers. Yes, you won't feel "special" that you are the "smart one" anymore, but do you want the recognition or do you want motivation to work harder?
3. No, not EVERYONE in health sci is a pompous windbag. There are some, unfortunately, but they are in the minority. Most people are helpful and there is an emphasis on collaboration. Plus, there are arrogant people in every program, don't generalize.
4. No, you are not limited to mac med when you graduate. People get into diff med schools or pursue other interests: http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/bhsc/docu...GRADS09-10.pdf You also get a lot of elective space and can take a wide range of courses, definitely not limited to "health".


If you get rejected the first time, you can always apply as a transfer. and if not, life sci does have some awesome second year specializations.

I second that.
Health sci is not easy at all. My lowest marks came from health sci courses (I just finished second year). Health sci courses are just differently structured. Mind you, some courses may not have exams but may contain heavier workload than other courses. I personally thought my first year cell biology (when they implemented a huge project called UNSIN) was the toughest course. We met literally 10-15+ hours a week to work on the project. The prof, Chari, is not a super-easy marker- I mean, we don't get marks for free. We get marks because we deserve them.
Obviously, there are people who take advantage of the program, make easy way through and brag about it to other people. However, the majority of people I know (who are not that vocal) work their ass off, even for small useless courses (for example, health psych). I am sure there are douchebags in any programs.
Again, health sci is NOT limited to mac med school. I don't know where it came from but it simply is not true. Many people from health sci tend to get into mac med simply because we learn similar things in the same fashion (for example, inquiry and communications employ standardized patient interviews and emphasize on taking perspectives - which seems to be important for mac med). On May 5th, I've seen people getting into other schools as well. Also, I personally think getting into any medical school in Canada is an achievement. Please don't undermine the effort these people put in to get into med school.

Lastly, health sci does NOT limit your future. It is not JUST for med school. There are people who went into research, law, densitry, etc. There are many many people. Health sci is there to give opportunities not to withdraw them from you. It gives you all the tools that you can use in any fields. I personally do not feel limited in the lab that I am currently working in. As an undergrad, there is a limit as to how much you can learn from courses. For future students - the lack of 'specializations' should not deter you from choosing health sci if you get accepted (not to mention, there are two specializations - though a bit broad compared to the ones life sci has to offer- we have biomed and global health - biomed is more biochemistry and global health is more of social science-y specialization where you get to go to other countries and analyze their health systems)


We, health scis, are also Mac students. It is totally unnecessary to bash us like that. Please have some respect.

The point of the thread is to help the OP feel better about not getting in. Extolling healthsci's virtues won't help.

As for the bias against healthsci...you'd do a lot more the help our image by not getting your panties in a bunch whenever someone insults the program. ( I know..I've been guilty of it too )

Just have the confidence to take it in stride and know that those who are truely interested in the program or have an open mind will be able to easily see through the clear bias displayed in this thread and many others. It's great to have pride, but the anger and defensive attitude do nothing to counter the accusations in this thread. How you present yourself will do far more to sway other's opinions than a WOT.

I've come to a point where I'm fine with people kind of hating on health science, but there is one misconception that I'd like to point out. In upper years you have way more electives then required courses, so I'm taking courses like social psychology and sociology, it does in no way limit what courses you take, and a lot of people get minors and things like that in other faculties.

Originally Posted by Chandlerowns

I've come to a point where I'm fine with people kind of hating on health science, but there is one misconception that I'd like to point out. In upper years you have way more electives then required courses, so I'm taking courses like social psychology and sociology, it does in no way limit what courses you take, and a lot of people get minors and things like that in other faculties.

who gives a shiznit, they're just jealous its easier for you to get into medschool.

Originally Posted by SydVicious

who gives a shiznit, they're just jealous its easier for you to get into medschool.

Only McMasters Med school

Originally Posted by herBs

Only McMasters Med school

w/ thousands of people applying for a few spots, you take what you can get, can't afford to be picky

Originally Posted by SydVicious

w/ thousands of people applying for a few spots, you take what you can get, can't afford to be picky

You can't get picky..it's your only option.

Originally Posted by crazyfree

The point of the thread is to help the OP feel better about not getting in. Extolling healthsci's virtues won't help.

As for the bias against healthsci...you'd do a lot more the help our image by not getting your panties in a bunch whenever someone insults the program. ( I know..I've been guilty of it too )

Just have the confidence to take it in stride and know that those who are truely interested in the program or have an open mind will be able to easily see through the clear bias displayed in this thread and many others. It's great to have pride, but the anger and defensive attitude do nothing to counter the accusations in this thread. How you present yourself will do far more to sway other's opinions than a WOT.

True lol I guess it does sound like that. My intention was not to be overly defensive but rather to give another perspective on the matter. Thank you for your message

Ragging on other faculties isn't unique to Health Science. Everyone's got an opinion of every program that they have very little personal experience with - that should be an indicator that you don't have to take criticism very seriously.

Yeah, some Health Science students are a little arrogant. But can the same not be said for some Engineering students? After living with a group of them, I'm surprised some of them can stand up properly with the massive hard-on they have for their program. I'll be the first to own up to the fact that yes, some people in my faculty are pretty dumb. But just like not every person is dumb in Social Science and not every person in Engineering is full of themselves, not everyone in Health Science has some undeserved sense of pride and arrogance. They worked hard to get in, and just because it's somewhat based on a lottery process doesn't mean that the people who did make it shouldn't be proud of their program.

To the original poster, you should be really happy with a Life Science offer. It's a great program.

Originally Posted by hyvaa

True lol I guess it does sound like that. My intention was not to be overly defensive but rather to give another perspective on the matter. Thank you for your message

And thank you too, for caring to give that perspective

Originally Posted by herBs

You can't get picky..it's your only option.

I personally know someone who did health sci here, and is in medschool at UBC.

Life Sciences is great!!

Don't be demoralized by a rejection from Health Sci! I, personally, was one amongst may be 5 people from my highschool who applied, and none of us got it. I chose to still come to Mac, for Life Sci, and am totally loving it!

Its great because as many have already said, there are loads of specialization/program options in terms of your second year program.

And mind you, Life Sciences is a hard program too. Many of my peers would agree with me when I say that we spend a lot of time preparing for projects or midterms and exams that demand a lot of critical thinking and application. There are bright sparks wherever you go, be it healthsci or lifesci. What's important is keeping grounded and focusing to make sure that you're doing the best you can to thrive!

In terms of a free ticket to med school, well I'm not sure if Mac Med gives preference to mac healthscis or not, but if you get good grades and MCAT scores, and have stellar extracurriculars, i'm sure you will be a good candidate. Get involved in school and dedicate your time to activities you love and are passionate about!

Originally Posted by herBs

Only McMasters Med school

Not true at all.