I would like some advice about my situation please. I am currently enrolled in the kinesiology program, and going into second year. My marks in the kin courses were fairly good, and I think I have the potential to even score better in the program during the following years of university. But I am double minded as to which would be a better program to pursue as a pre-professional course for either dentistry or medicine: biology, or kinesiology. From the first year biology courses I have taken, getting a mediocre B average in those two courses does discourage me from going into biology, as I am unsure if I will be able to get high marks in the program later on. And suppose, in the worst case scenario, if I am not able to make it into professional schools, and if I did complete an undergraduate degree in kinesiology, will it be possible to get admitted into a graduate program in the field of biology or biochemistry, (having taken all the required prerequisite courses for those programs)? I really don't want to get into fitness or athletics, and I am only interested in kinesiology for its focus towards the science of the human body. So basically, is it worth it to risk obtaining a high GPA by pursuing biology, or is it best to stay in the kin program, in which I believe I have the potential to get good grades? The problem with a kin degree is that I am very unsure of where the degree will lead me later on careerwise, apart from the athletics/fitness industry (which I really don't want to be a part of). I will be very grateful for your advice.

I would say stay in Kin. There is a lot of anatomy-related stuff in the Kin program: Mac's bio programs have a tendency to focus on genetics...so most of the courses have a focus on that.

You have a lot of electives on both sides, so if you go into Biology, you can take 36units of Kin and other electives to boost up your GPA (Throughout the next 3 years). If you go into Kin you 33units of electives that you will probably take towards the requirements for the graduate program in the field of biology or biochemistry.

I am sure that you can get into the graduate program as long as you meet all the requirements. Therefore logically you should go into Kin if you can meet the requirements through this degree since you do better in this area.

HOWEVER, if a lot of the required courses are those that you need to take the biology program, then it would be wise to look into it. I am sure that Kin isn't your only strong subject and that you can find other electives that can boost your grade.

In conclusion, what I am trying to say is to go into the program that will give you the higher GPA. If it's by taking less biology courses then your best bet would be to go into Kin. HOWEVER (Again), it would be wise to try and take more biology courses as this would better prepare you for the graduate program. I am not sure about the biology graduate program, but the optometry program has 6, 7 and I think even 8 courses in a term. If the biology program is the same as the optometry program in terms of number of courses, you may find it difficult to cope taking so many biology courses in one semester.

A lot of upper year Kin courses are only open to Kin students, so if those interest you it might be better to stay in Kin.

Originally Posted by jhan523

You have a lot of electives on both sides, so if you go into Biology, you can take 36units of Kin

Nope. Besides one or two Level II and above Kin courses, such as Nutrition (Kin 3Y03) which is open to anyone with credit in 1st year anatomy, and some of the neural courses, which are open to neuro-psych students, Kin is closed off to the general public if you will. You have to think carefully about whether or not these interest you before switching out. I mentioned this via PM the other day.

I have a few more pointers however. For one thing, graduate schools are generally ok with you not having a degree in the given field so long as you have taken the requisite courses. For instance, I was reassured that I would be accepted for Math with a Kinesiology degree, given that I'd have taken the appropriate numbers of 4th year maths (among other requirements).

So Kinesiology should not keep you from entering biochemistry or biology, so long as you spend your electives wisely and take courses in those areas (right up to 4th year biochem courses..a minor in these subjects is not enough!).


However, sports and athletics are not the only choices you have for graduate studies. Infact, if you wanted to work in sports and athletics, coaching etc. you probably don't even require a masters.

No, the people who go into Kinesiology are those who do such things as Nutrition (Diet advice, and the study of certain foods and their effects on bodily functions), Ergonomics (how do I assess a workspace, and more importantly, how do I fix it, to minimize injury?), Biomechanics (static loading of the spine, effects of a car accident, etc.), Psychomotor Behaviour (response times, learning, etc.) Exercise Physiology and Sports Medicine.

These last two are, in my opinion at least, misnomers since:

-Exercise Physiology isn't about lifting weights, running a marathon or personal training (though good personal trainers, and even good doctors, should have knowledge of Ex Phys). Exercise is a broad term that even pertains to just sitting at your computer, or shopping. What is your resting heart rate? When you get up to go to the washroom (lol), what happens to your heart rate? Your breathing rate? Which fuels do you use for low intensity? How do you 'learn' to do things? What is 'muscle memory' ? These are the sorts of questions you ask and learn to answer in Physiology of Exercise (which I believe they have split into 2 courses now). The 3 predominant areas of Ex Phys are Neuromuscular ('muscle memory'), Metabolic ('what fuels are consumed') and Cardio-Respiratory ('blood and oxygen related'). Look for Ex Phys in your local 2nd year Kin program (haha). Let's just say, I walked into that course with a huge bias and distaste for a 'sport related course' but walked away a believer.

-'Sports Injury' (Kin 3K03) is a course which is, again, not only related to Sports. It deals with many injuries common to sports, such as bruises, concussions and broken bones, but these are injuries that can happen anywhere. This (in addition to Fundamentals of Rehab) is the single most important course you can take for medicine, in the Kin and/or Biology programs, in my opinion. You learn how to diagnose, and deal with said injuries, as well as some methods in prevention (such as joint taping/cushioning). (This course requires standard first aid training to take)

The 2nd part of 'Sports Injury' is a 4th year "Fundamentals of Rehabilitation" course. Basically, there are two steps to healing. First, you deal with it in the short term, make sure the bleeding stops, swelling goes down, etc.

Then you have the long term healing, making sure a broken bone is set correctly, and things like that. I haven't actually taken Fundamentals of Rehab since I switched out of Kin in my final year, but I have only heard great things from colleagues who took the course.



So definitely, now that I know your interests, there's no doubt in my mind: You should stay in Kin (and perhaps take some biochemistry, if that suits your interest).