u/IlIlllIlIIIlIIlllIl

just accepted my offer and i’m debating whether i should bring my escooter or not. thanks in advance!

TLDR: mcmaster life sciences: confident, enjoyable, happy but debt or york: dislike, not interested but financially free

mcmaster life sci has been my top choice for months, but i recently found out that york university upgraded one of my scholarships.

at york (including osap grants and scholarships), i’m looking at around $15k, renewable annually. the program i applied to was kin/health sci bsc but there are many other options still available that i can apply to, like neuroscience or bio. i will be commuting to york so that reduces financial burden

i don’t like york university too much, i did a few ecs there and i don’t like the environment, its more of a commuter school which i’m not too fond of. the gpa scale there is also different when converted to OMSAS, you can’t get a 3.9, only a 3.8 (80-89) or 4.0 (90-100). i was told that maintaining a high gpa at york requires just as much effort as any other school except uoft.

at mcmaster, i’ve been to the open house and i genuinely like the campus, the environment and the classes. i’m very interested in some specializations. i saw that many of the profs for first year have high ratings on rate my prof and how they genuinely want you to succeed. it’s also more predictable, theres many notes and resources available based on the courses and lots of information online about the overall program. i also spent the last few months imagining my future there so idk if im blinded by that. ill be in student debt tho since i dont have any scholarships for mac (as of now, looking to apply in following years) i was really looking forward to building independence, social life and living on res.

one of my biggest concerns is first year calculus (required for both schools), but im seeing that mac calculus for life sciences is more feasible. if anyone is able to answer: how much of advanced functions appears in calculus and vectors?

the goal is medicine but life happens, so if i don’t find a well paying career, the debt from mac would be a burden

i know the undergrad doesn’t matter for pre-med but i’m trying to weigh happiness, student support, passion/interests and gpa difficulty.

western health sci is also a third option for easiest gpa i hear, but i prefer a more traditional hard science based program

any advice would be appreciated! thanks in advance

I’m trying to decide between McMaster Life Sciences ($70k debt) and York (Commute, renewable merit scholarships estimated at $8500 annually, plus an additional 7k grant from osap)

If anyone has advice or feedback based on the York University program, that would be greatly appreciated. The goal is medicine, so GPA is my biggest concern.

The scholarships are also based on academic achievement, so $8500 if I get a GPA of 8. i just don’t know how possible it is.

Some questions I have are:
How are the professors?
How difficult is it to achieve a 9?
Are there many opportunities to get research/volunteer/extracurriculars?
Are group projects difficult as a result from peers?
Is it a strong pre-med environment?
Are there any issues regarding the OMSAS conversion to the yorks 9 scale?

i got accepted into york u in december, and got some scholarships so first year should be covered. I also live nearby so I’d save a lot on housing and food. i don’t know too much about the kinesiology and health science program but many people i asked say it’s interesting and recommended. from my personal coop experiences, i’m not too interested in kinesiology.

McMaster Life Sci has been one of my top choices for months and I was happy to see I got an offer last tuesday, but I felt more hesitant after doing some final checkups, such as student debt (from res, housing, food) and first year difficulty (i did not take calculus and vectors). i’m really looking forward to the school’s environment and living independently. additionally, i applied to some scholarships for mcmaster but i’m not sure if i got them, but the student debt will be significant if medicine doesnt work out.

the ultimate goal is medicine however that isn’t certain by any means, and i’m open to new opportunities.

i was wondering if anyone could provide info/advice and help me make the decision.