course selection is on sunday! and i require reviews of the courses offered cause i don't wanna regret it afterwardss if i baselessly pick my courses right off the bat, i hope people responds to this. And another separate inquiry, i've been told that Physics 1L03 is the easy physics... but what is the catch of taking that though as opposed to taking the hard ones like 1B03 and the 1BB3? Also, please suggest electives that are GPA boosters LOL thank youuu

becoming a doctor isn't all that cool, general tip for first year life sci mac students.

lol, did i somehow spill the beans about my plans of getting into med school?

Hey!

Well, there are first year course reviews (check out the review tab at the top of the page) and I am pretty sure there are some on the majority of the 1st year life sci courses (Bio 1A03, 1M03, Physics 1B03, 1L03 etc... )

There really isn't a "catch" in taking Physics 1L03, except that the pre-req requirements for almost every major requires Physics 1B03. Also, Physics 1B03 has a lab component while 1L03 has a tutorial instead. I would recommend taking 1L03 if you don't have a strong foundation in physics and then taken 1B03 in second term.

As for easy electives, I know that most people take some sort of economic course (I don't know the course code), as well as some philosophy courses and music courses.

Thanks a bunch! one more question though what's Physics 1BB3 then?

Physics 1BB3 is the continuation of 1B03. You cant take 1BB3 if you only have 1L03.

is 1BB3 a required course? so if 'm understanding it right, then if i took 1L03, i would have to take 2more physics which are 1b03? and 1BB3? within 1st & 2ndyear? :/

u don't HAVE to take 1bb3.. just 1b03. my electives were econ 1b03 and french 1z06 from 1st yr n 2nd yr. econ's an easy 10, but if you want the 12 u gotta put a little more effort in (like with any elective course IMO). and french lol well if u have a strong french background like me.. getting a 12 will be no problem

My electives were

MedPhys 1E03 - i could've definitely gotten a 12 in that course if I just tried a little bit harder... unfortunately i didnt and only got an 11

and

Math 1B03 (linear algebra) - if you're in life sci, dont take this course, just take my word for it and learn from my mistake.

Electives that are GPA boosters huh? I took Sociology in first year, it was definitely easy (ended up with an 11) but it was so boring for me I swore off taking courses that promise an easy mark.

I now only choose electives that interest me truly, so I don't feel like I've wasted money and brain cells.

Wow long rant but that's my advice on electives

Good luck!!!

It's practicacally every 1st year life sci student's initial goal to go to med school :p I was guilty. Now I don't care as much.

Anyhow, some medical schools require a year of physics and will not accept 1L03 because as previously mentioned, it does not have a lab component. If you took Grade 12 physics and had a good mark, SKIP 1L03. If you value actually learning something, skip it because it's a waste of money. I've heard from a few people that taking 1L03 was just a waste of money and time, considering many people need 1B03 for program requirements in the future anyways.

However, even 1B03 does not cover everything in physics that might be on the MCAT. To get better coverage, you'll need to take 1BB3 or 1BA3 (1BB3 is "easier" (but not necessarily easy) and focuses more on medical applications whereas 1BA3 is the continuation aimed at physics students. I also took 1BA3 because I was interested in learning a bit about quantum mechanics. I had a 92 in high school physics and managed to get an 11 in both 1B03 and 1BA3.

As far as electives go, I took Physics 1BA3 (not easy :p) and Astronomy 1F03. I loooooved astronomy. Assignments were easy, tests were easy, and the material was fun and interesting! Possibly my favourite course from first year. I finished with a 12. But it fills up quick so register early :p

Physics 1B03 is pretty interesting, and I know a lot of people who had no 'physics intuition' but 12'd the course by doing problems...most courses in Life Science I were like this, really - do the problems, and a 12 should be decently easy to achieve

As for electives, I technically didn't fulfill Life Science I (I'm not majoring in a life science stream), I took History 1BB3, which was a great course and really changed my view on what the academic domain of history is, and History 1AA3, which was more of a traditional 'transition' history course.
I also took Math 1B03, which was an interesting theoretical elective and introduced me to a little bit of proofwork (I took this in summer, though - I heard the courses during the year were a lot more applied), and Math 1AA3, which was pretty boring and applied, and an easy 12 to satisfy the requirements of a math major...

I definitely recommend taking phys1B03 if you have gr12 physics--1L03 would be a complete waste of time and money. Most second-year programs require at least 1B03, and many professional schools want a year of physics. 1L03 doesn't have a lab, so it won't count. If you already have 1B03, it's not that difficult to fit 1BB3 into your schedule, but if you don't have either, it can be difficult.

I took kin 1Y03/1YY3 as my electives in first year. They're really interesting courses if you like learning about the human body, and they're not too difficult, either, especially if you're good at memorizing. Even if you're like me and NOT good at memorizing, it's still a pretty easy and interesting course, and the profs are really good. It fills up pretty quickly though--I had the science academic advisors open up spots for me when I went to Mac to do the whole 'learn how to register for courses' thing.

Originally Posted by nerual

I definitely recommend taking phys1B03 if you have gr12 physics--1L03 would be a complete waste of time and money. Most second-year programs require at least 1B03, and many professional schools want a year of physics. 1L03 doesn't have a lab, so it won't count. If you already have 1B03, it's not that difficult to fit 1BB3 into your schedule, but if you don't have either, it can be difficult.

I took kin 1Y03/1YY3 as my electives in first year. They're really interesting courses if you like learning about the human body, and they're not too difficult, either, especially if you're good at memorizing. Even if you're like me and NOT good at memorizing, it's still a pretty easy and interesting course, and the profs are really good. It fills up pretty quickly though--I had the science academic advisors open up spots for me when I went to Mac to do the whole 'learn how to register for courses' thing.

THANKS ALLL FOR THE HELPFUL RESPONSES

I've never actually been taught how to 'properly register for courses' as i've not undergone any academic counselling in regards to all these, do you think i'll be in trouble on sunday for this reason?

No, you should be fine I didn't go to their session until a couple of days after I initially registered. While I found the advisors to be helpful in getting me into Kin 1Y03/1YY3, I wish I hadn't listened to them when they told me to take math 1LS3 instead of 1A03, and physics 1L03 instead of 1B03. After wasting my time with math 1LS3, I switched my second-term physics 1L03 to 1B03, but I still wish they hadn't pushed me to take 1LS3 so much. You know yourself better than an academic advisor Don't be scared to take the 'harder' courses.