Hi,
I was offered admission and I'm still torn between McMaster and UofT (both in Life Sciences) and I know many of You had to make the same decision (or with two other Universiyies). I guess my question is, would you still choose McMaster if you had to do it agan? I'm told McMaster is super friendly and "easier" to get a good GPA at.
Thanks alot for your inputs!!

I got into UofT too, but I would choose Mac no matter how many times I would have to make the decision. ^__^

As for an 'easier' good GPA...no. It all depends on how hard you work. True, UoT is said to be more competitive, but if you slack off, whether at Mac or UoT, the result will be the same.

I would. also, it depends if you want to live on residence. Mac is great for residence, but U of T not so much

Absolutely 100% I would. I feel like you get more of the university experience at McMaster, just simply because we have a self contained campus, plus the university is surrounded by student housing so even off campus you definitely feel a certain kind of atmosphere, especially on days like Homecoming, St. Patrick's day etc. :p

On a more serious note, I feel like there's probably less of a 'cutthroat' competitive streak going on here. For the most part, I really enjoy the professors we have here at Mac. They're all very approachable and from my experience they are definitely easy to talk to if you're having any sorts of problems.

I was in the exact same situation as you in high school, and for awhile I had decided I was going to accept my offer into life sciences at U of T. However, I was not confident in my decision and I kept going back and forth and finally I told my dad, "Im going to U of T." And he agreed. I thought it would be a better decision because it seemed like a more prestigious school to me and that i would have more options and I liked the campus.

However, I went to see my guidance counselor with my dad just like a week before you had to confirm your acceptances and I told him how I wasn't really sure about where I wanted to go with my program. He told me how good both schools were and then he asked me which campus I felt more at home at. I had toured at both places and I told him honestly, that I liked how I felt at Mac better. He told me I should just go with it, and within days of the deadline I accepted at Mac.

If I had to make this decision over again, everytime I would choose Mac. It's better here than I imagined. My friends that went for life sci at U of T, who I considered very smart, both ended up switching into different programs because they couldn't handle it. They also thought the environment was super competitive and no one wanted to help each other. Here at Mac I had so much fun being away from home, and I managed to do really well first year and you can too if you put the work in.

You don't have to make the same decision as me, but just try and think the same way, did you tour both campuses? Which place felt better for you? Go with your instincts. Also, will you get to live away only if you go to Mac? Its a great experience. Good luck with your decision!

Recent thread that you might find helpful:

http://www.macinsiders.com/showthrea...7.html?t=43087

how much effort do you guys put in to get 10, 11 , 12? - causing idc thats all im aiming for

Originally Posted by Buddastotle

how much effort do you guys put in to get 10, 11 , 12? - causing idc thats all im aiming for

As long as you do the coursework and, if you don't understand it, go to discuss it with your prof/TA/someone who does understand it, you'll be fine.

Originally Posted by Buddastotle

how much effort do you guys put in to get 10, 11 , 12? - causing idc thats all im aiming for

It really varies from person to person. When you come to university, that is one of the biggest challenges - figuring out which style of studying suits you. Not only that, but some people require less effort to understand something than others.

I can't really think of something to say. I mean, I didn't do spectacular, but I did get my share of 10s, 11s, and 12. So...yeah.

To be on the safe side - do all the practice sums, attend all scheduled lectures and tutorials, complete all readings. If you do that, you should be guaranteed a 12, as long as you completely fully understand the material.

Originally Posted by Buddastotle

how much effort do you guys put in to get 10, 11 , 12? - causing idc thats all im aiming for

I put in a lot of effort to get good marks because of hiring for co-op, 4 th year is not so much important as to full time positions as experience is more favored. Grad school is a different story, higher marks the better. In the end, try your best and work hard!

Yes I would. Main reason why I didn't choose U of T is because I wanted to live away from home. Best decision of my life.

Originally Posted by lolliPop

Hi,
I was offered admission and I'm still torn between McMaster and UofT (both in Life Sciences) and I know many of You had to make the same decision (or with two other Universiyies). I guess my question is, would you still choose McMaster if you had to do it agan? I'm told McMaster is super friendly and "easier" to get a good GPA at.
Thanks alot for your inputs!!

if you want no life, no friends, no fun, and no environment, if all you want to do is keep you head in a text book, feel like a number, be the smallest fish in the ocean....... go to UofT

if you want to have fun learning, meet exciting ppl, enjoy what you do, be in a healthy active environment, close to nature, be involved, learn without that textbook, be an individual yet still part of a group, and have a name instead of a number.......come to MAC : thumbsup::t humbsup:

Originally Posted by lolliPop

Hi,
I'm told McMaster is super friendly and "easier" to get a good GPA at.
Thanks alot for your inputs!!

also mac is definitely friendlier but i wouldnt call it easy to get a good gpa. like with any other university you need to work hard to get good grades. i think that that preconception comes from the fact that mac is often, and was when i was in gr 12 last year, stereotyped as a HARDWORKING school where ppl work hard for their grades and as such get good grades. that said it is just as hard as any other university if not harder for some programs/courses.

Personally, I found that first year was a lot of self-discovery. The material is mostly review...depending on the quality of your education prior to entering University. I think I grew the most. This is where I truly learned how to study effectively and efficiently. I also feel that a 10,11,12 is completely possible to attain. With a good background knowledge of the material, I think that not too much work is necessary. I'd probably just stress the independence factor. But don`t get me wrong, there are definitely times when you`ll work in groups (ie PBL and some studying)

Just don`t forget, for the first day of your university life (no matter where you go), HIT the ground running.

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