Hey everyone,
I know this is a mcmaster forum and i don't intend to generate any hate towards what im gonna say but I have recieved offers from Western med sci and mcmaster's life sci program. (I do plan on attending may at mac this weekend for more info)...

BUT. can anyone help me decide which is the better program? I know most will say mcmaster obviously, but the reason why im asking her is that maybe there are few of you in life sci that don't like, think it's the wrong choice, it is difficult, so that's why.

I am leaning towards western just because of the amazzing health oriented specializations in 3rd/4th yrs (toxicology, pharmacology, anatomy, cell biology, etc...) whereas mac's general life science specializations. I also did not apply to health sci since i was afraid i wouldn't reach a 90 avg (idiot move since i do now have a 90).

Also any info on Western being a party school, and mcmaster life sci too difficult from yr 1 to 2. The prestige of a BMSc vs Bsc degree and the prestige/ranking of mac and western and the more options available with both degrees if med school doesn't happen for me.

Thank you so much! (I plan on deciding few days after may at mac so your opinions count! )

I know western has had more bio accompolishments in research field and is really big there. But again mac is well known too. I'd go for western if you're interested in that stuff

If the main goal you are pursuing is med school it really does not matter where you do your undergrad. Straight up advice I could give you right now would be to go to easiest school and get the highest grade possible. But in that sense your goal and expectations are likely to change over the years, all your research you are doing right now have no relevance to the towards your goal until you actually experience university. As an example you might end up liking research or something else other than med school.

Also I would like to know where you heard that mac life sci is a difficult program especially year 1 and 2, if someone struggled in year 1 and 2 man i dont even know what that person is doing now and where he ended up. My personal experience of year 1 and 2 was not very difficult at all, if your goal is med school then the level of difficulty should be quite easily managed.

I have zero knowledge on how amazing western health orientated specializations are but mcmaster also have all those specializations you listed where you can choose after your 1st year in life sci and some of them are quite good structured programs. I did a general biology so can't really give my experience from it but from what i saw and heard I dont think it lacks any quality from what western offers.

My honest advice that I want to give you is that choose the school based on the atmosphere and the feeling you get from the school, not based on your research on what educations they offer. Choose an environment where you really think that you are going to enjoy the next 4 or more years of your life. Some People might disagree on this one but undergrad really does not matter at all just like how high school really doesnt matter, so just choose a school that you like better

I agree with Vito.

With Life Sciences, you can specialize into biology/biochem and you can continue to specialize into programs such as biophysiology. I suggest picking one or two specialized programs at Mac and Western and compare them in terms of what kind of learning you will get. Look for courses that contain application such as labs, co-op, research placements and so on and these are usually in 3rd or 4th year so skip looking at 1st and 2nd year courses. Choose a program that will you give you experience and skills to help you market yourself in the case you need a plan B for med school, especially in Ontario.

Play it safe. I know someone in medicine who did nursing for their undergrad and if you think about it, it was a really safe move on their part because if they got into med school, they would have had a lot of clinical experience along with some chances to shadow/interact with physicians BUT if they don't get into med school or they change their minds, they could still go into healthcare as a nurse. So pick a program that offers you that plan B which interests you and at the same time has experiential opportunities.

If given the choice, I pick London over Hamilton.

Hamilton is one of the most dangerous place for a student once you leave the campus. The Specs just reported that Hamilton has one of the most dense concentration of registered sex offenders in southern Ontario.

I find it amusing that they do not flat out say Downtown, just refer to it as below the Mountain instead.

"Most of inner-city Hamilton has high rates of sex offenders, with about 200 living below the Mountain," the report adds.".

In terms of academic, Leeoku already pointed out the benefits of going to Western so I won't duplicate it.

Overall McMaster as a University is falling apart, report came out showing $295 million in deferred maintenance for critical to minor repairs. Basically the University is so old but the board can not find funds to fix it up structurally. The University decides to put in an extra $2 millions per year for these deferred maintenance however, so it should only take another hundred year or so to have it fix, assuming nothing new decides to break.

Our campus is so poorly designed that the central walk area is flooded during the winter/spring season. People actually go canoeing as a result.

Just stay away from McMaster. Many students, after attending McMaster experience cognitive dissonance in order to alleviate the guilts and regrets of coming here.

Originally Posted by Nabeel

Hey everyone,
I know this is a mcmaster forum and i don't intend to generate any hate towards what im gonna say but I have recieved offers from Western med sci and mcmaster's life sci program. (I do plan on attending may at mac this weekend for more info)...

BUT. can anyone help me decide which is the better program? I know most will say mcmaster obviously, but the reason why im asking her is that maybe there are few of you in life sci that don't like, think it's the wrong choice, it is difficult, so that's why.

I am leaning towards western just because of the amazzing health oriented specializations in 3rd/4th yrs (toxicology, pharmacology, anatomy, cell biology, etc...) whereas mac's general life science specializations. I also did not apply to health sci since i was afraid i wouldn't reach a 90 avg (idiot move since i do now have a 90).

Also any info on Western being a party school, and mcmaster life sci too difficult from yr 1 to 2. The prestige of a BMSc vs Bsc degree and the prestige/ranking of mac and western and the more options available with both degrees if med school doesn't happen for me.

Thank you so much! (I plan on deciding few days after may at mac so your opinions count! )

Go to Western, it has better course options and a better city. The bio department at MAC is incredibly disorganized and honestly, if medical school is your option, Western biomed would be a better choice. around 30-40% of Western BMsc graduates get into medical school.

Originally Posted by cjdzl

If the main goal you are pursuing is med school it really does not matter where you do your undergrad. Straight up advice I could give you right now would be to go to easiest school and get the highest grade possible. But in that sense your goal and expectations are likely to change over the years, all your research you are doing right now have no relevance to the towards your goal until you actually experience university. As an example you might end up liking research or something else other than med school.

Also I would like to know where you heard that mac life sci is a difficult program especially year 1 and 2, if someone struggled in year 1 and 2 man i dont even know what that person is doing now and where he ended up. My personal experience of year 1 and 2 was not very difficult at all, if your goal is med school then the level of difficulty should be quite easily managed.

I have zero knowledge on how amazing western health orientated specializations are but mcmaster also have all those specializations you listed where you can choose after your 1st year in life sci and some of them are quite good structured programs. I did a general biology so can't really give my experience from it but from what i saw and heard I dont think it lacks any quality from what western offers.

My honest advice that I want to give you is that choose the school based on the atmosphere and the feeling you get from the school, not based on your research on what educations they offer. Choose an environment where you really think that you are going to enjoy the next 4 or more years of your life. Some People might disagree on this one but undergrad really does not matter at all just like how high school really doesnt matter, so just choose a school that you like better

Do you know the typical averages needed to move into those year 3 specializations in life sci? Western's actually started from 75% for a few specializations and went all the way up to 90% for it's immunology specialization. And how hard did you find life sciences, because I actually had some friends that came back and told me it was difficult or at least some courses were.

And thank you so much for your advice, much appreciated!

To echo cjdzl, the program you go into is great, but university isn't only academics. Make sure to base your decision around all the other factors that go into an enjoyable university experience. Remember.. we're talking 4 years of your life. You want to have fun and enjoy yourself too. Take into account the student life (McMaster has a great one), the environment you'll be in (the city - the area around McMaster is beautiful, Cootes Paradise, Westdale Village, etc), the extra-curriculars and clubs you can get involved with, types of people you'll meet and interact with, the culture in the city (Hamilton has a BOOMING health sector, health research, etc, etc). I can't speak for Western, but as a McMaster Alumni I can tell you that it was everything outside of the classroom that McMaster offered that I remember the most and that shaped my career and experience.

I think both programs are very similar in that many people entering them wanting to do medicine ultimately end up doing something else. My anecdotal experience would be only about a dozen or so out of the hundreds per who want to do medicine.

As someone who goes to McMaster,
Don't go to McMaster.

Originally Posted by Freija

As someone who goes to McMaster,
Don't go to McMaster.

As someone who also goes to Mcmaster,
Don't go to Mcmaster.

Originally Posted by Kinder

As someone who also goes to Mcmaster,
Don't go to Mcmaster.

LOL!! may I ask why or what makes you dislike McMaster?

Love yourself, go Western.

Originally Posted by whsdd123

Love yourself, go Western.

Ha ha lol!! I was expecting a more detailed answer however.... You can you give me some reasons why still?

As someone who goes to McMaster, I would 100% say go to Mac. Obviously choose the school that is best for you, but McMaster is an AMAZING school both academically and socially. Its smaller than Western so you get the opportunity to connect with people more so than you would at Western. McMaster's campus is BEAUTIFUL and is compact enough that walks between classes never go above 10 minutes, while Western can take 25-30 minutes. The people at McMaster are great and are so helpful. Everyone wants you to succeed here! Obviously choose the program that is best for you, but McMaster Life Sci is an incredible program and there are so many areas that you can go into. you don't HAVE to specialize after 1st year (I am going into my third year and am only now specializing into Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour.) First year is really building off of high school knowledge and while it CAN be difficult, there is no reason why you can not meet the requirements to stay in Honours Life Sciences, and i can tell you that second year, at least for me, was MUCH EASIER. My average went up significantly. Honestly, go to whatever school you think is the best for you, but i can PROMISE YOU, what you put into Mac, you will get back 10-fold. Some people don't get involved and only focus on one aspect of the university, and don't even realize what Mac really has to offer. I was literally in the same position as you, choosing between those two programs, and I chose Mac. No regrets whatsoever