Going to UoT for Undergrad

[allthaticanbe]

Okay another Highschool student here with a problem with deciding on which Undergrad to go to. Here is my problem

UoT- I have been hearing how hard it is and seeing as how I had plan to go Graduate School or Medical School my G.P.A. would be lower thus lessen my chances at different schools. However it would be the only place I wouldn't have to worry about money due to the fact that my parents are covering the cost of tution, books, transportation(they work just 10 minutes away thus I get a ride) and a laptop. I also really like their programs.

McMaster- I think the school is Okay. I been there a couple times. Its just that I would have to live in Residence and living in Residence would require me to get a part-time job (my parents will . A job will mean less time studying, its just that like many I grew up dreaming about living in Res. However I understand that my GPA is the most important thing I should be worried about.

I actually feel I can do better at UoT in their Arts & Science then at Mac's Science but now aftering hearing all the things people have been saying about how hard UoT is I'm questioning which school is better for me.

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[vtrain]

You are right - you're GPA is very important; especially up in Canada. Go to the school where you think you can attain the highest GPA. Period. The name of a school in Canada doesn't mean nearly as much as it does in the states (ie going to Harvard will open more doors for you than if you went to other institutions). Mac and UofT are fine schools. Yes, UofT is brutal. I didn't go there but alot of my friends did and they regretted it. My advice: find a school you will excel in academically, buckle bown and get those good grades. I have endless stories of those who pissed their undergrad years away, couldn't do what they really wanted to do as a result and now are stuck in a dead in job that they hate. This is not a scare tactic - this is real life. You get what you put in. Good luck.

 

[docbill]

You are right - you're GPA is very important; especially up in Canada. Go to the school where you think you can attain the highest GPA. Period. The name of a school in Canada doesn't mean nearly as much as it does in the states (ie going to Harvard will open more doors for you than if you went to other institutions). Mac and UofT are fine schools. Yes, UofT is brutal. I didn't go there but alot of my friends did and they regretted it. My advice: find a school you will excel in academically, buckle bown and get those good grades. I have endless stories of those who pissed their undergrad years away, couldn't do what they really wanted to do as a result and now are stuck in a dead in job that they hate. This is not a scare tactic - this is real life. You get what you put in. Good luck.

I went to UVic and loved it. Not as brutal, but good education.
Pick a place in the country where you want to live for 4 years and go there.

Plus if you do your undergrad in BC for example, you will get BC residency. You will also have Ontario residency cause you did high school in ON. 2 provincial residencies.

 

[akinf]

I don't think any school is that hard. I seriously believe that if I went to any other school in the country, I would receive the exact same marks in the exact same course. Why? I am a more independant learner and generally don't like going to class; I understand what my goals are for the future and i am willing to bust my ass to achieve them; lastly, the only difference from school-to-school you will find is how students let them selves be affected by their school's reputation. Trust me (as sketchy as that may sound) go to U of T because it is cheaper, put in your best effort and I can guarantee you, regardless of how hard others find it, work hard and your grades will speak for themselves.

 

[McGillGrad]

There are going to be weed-out classes in every school, so get ready for those and bust your arse. When it comes to which school, go to the one where you will have the least stress and drama. That is what lowers your grades, not the difficulty of your courses. Major in something that interests you and that evokes passion. That will help you get a high GPA.

 

[cutiepie83]

Speaking as a U of T grad, ITS HARDDDDD, DO NOT GO THERE IF YOU WANT TO GO TO MED SCHOOL I'M SERIOUS! Honestly, Med school doesnt care from where you graduate, I've had to learn the hard way. If that is truly your ultimate goal, go to York, because all you need are good marks. U of T will NOT ..and I repeat myself, will NOT give you the marks. U of T is internationally recognized for its reputation, and they have the best applicants throughout the world entering their undergraduate programs. Plus their class averages in Science usually range from low 60's to high 60's.

This is speaking from a U of T grad.

Goodluck

 

[docbill]

Speaking as a U of T grad, ITS HARDDDDD, DO NOT GO THERE IF YOU WANT TO GO TO MED SCHOOL I'M SERIOUS! Honestly, Med school doesnt care from where you graduate, I've had to learn the hard way. If that is truly your ultimate goal, go to York, because all you need are good marks. U of T will NOT ..and I repeat myself, will NOT give you the marks. U of T is internationally recognized for its reputation, and they have the best applicants throughout the world entering their undergraduate programs. Plus their class averages in Science usually range from low 60's to high 60's.

This is speaking from a U of T grad.

Goodluck

This is my opinion as well. I don't know about York. But choose a school that is good and somewhere you would like to be.

I don't think any school is that hard. I seriously believe that if I went to any other school in the country, I would receive the exact same marks in the exact same course. Why? I am a more independant learner and generally don't like going to class; I understand what my goals are for the future and i am willing to bust my ass to achieve them; lastly, the only difference from school-to-school you will find is how students let them selves be affected by their school's reputation. Trust me (as sketchy as that may sound) go to U of T because it is cheaper, put in your best effort and I can guarantee you, regardless of how hard others find it, work hard and your grades will speak for themselves.

Yeahhh thanks for the self advertisement. You may be briliant, but most people are not as smart and inteligent as you are. I would not go to UofT for undergrad ever.

I don't care to compete with people who know nothing but memories everything. I don't care to be with people who since childhood have been trained to do nothing but study. They have no life, no excitement, just study. Give them a realistic problem to solve and they stall.

Good Luck with that. You will be the most inteligent person ever..

 

[cheech10]

As a UofT grad, stay away unless you believe you can be in the top 5 to 10 % in each course. It is difficult, and I know many students who left after 1 year, got better grades elsewhere, and got into the grad/professional schools of their choice. For the poster that mentioned staying in town for university to save money, York and Ryerson are reasonable alternatives, the only thing you will miss out on is a chance to do research in undergrad (still possible, but fewer opportunities), and you can apply to the UofT summer programs for that anyway. Mac is also a very good choice, and their Health Sci program tends to give out high grades (in a highly preselected student pool, but still quite high based on my friends' reports who graduated from there).

 

[wannadoophtho]

Hi,

I graduated from the top engineering program at U of T - engineering science- I chose to go there for my undergrad over (the much more costly) Duke. It was almost living hell - I worked my tail off (I averaged only 3-4 hours sleep) and did not get the kinds of grades that you need for med school ( which is what I really wanted to do.). When I finished, however, I was offered a full scholarship to stay at U of T to do a Master's, but since I knew I wanted to go to med school, I decided to enroll in a Master's degree in bioengineering at Univ. of Texas. When I got there- though I was an 'above average' student at U of T, I was the top of my class easily in Texas. That is why now I am an MD/PhD student in a top 10 med school in the States. Looking back, my time in U of T prepared me to be a very hard worker and very successful when I entered the real world - but I took a curvy path to my ultimate goal (med school). I would not go to U of T for arts and science - u will be taking the same classes as everyone else and not getting the grades. I know money is a factor right now, but believe me, taking loans and ending up in the career of your dreams is better than not taking loans and hating your life. As someone said - that's real life.

My two cents.

 

[lil jon]

Why don't you go to UTSC? You get the same degree in the end, the classes are smaller and at least in the biosciences, way easier than downtown.

Some courses downtown are brutal...physiology 302, the 138/247 orgo sequence, imm344 etc. It's widely known that the faculty of arts and science has a suggested gpa avg (C- to B-) for all classes over 40 people. On top of that, class sizes and multiple profs per class can make it difficult to get the quality letters of reference you need. However, there are many opportunities that you won't find elsewhere and people do get A's. Perhaps 1/3 - 40% of the current 2009 meds class went to UofT.

It is true that med schools don't care where you go for undergrad. If you have to stay in the city and are sure about the meds thing, I'd suggest UTSC.

I know a lot of people that went to Mac, particularly for Health Sci or ArtSci, loved their time there and got into meds. If you get health sci, take it and run. The extra money will be inconsequential in the long run. Western isn't the most difficult place either.

 

[Dreaming]

isn't a class average in the 60's considered normal?

 

[xylem29]

Hey - people who have insanely high gpa's and who actually succeed at U of T are not people who are "programed" to memorize and study all day --> anyone who goes to U of T or any other U knows that courses through all kinds of problems at you - MC tests with memory questions, logic questions, application questions, etc./ Lab Reports/ Essays (yes, they have essays in science course too - and you have to be able to write well)/ Presentations / Projects etc.

If someone at U of T has a high gpa - it's because they're the real deal and can excel at tests, writing papers, giving presentations, understanding (as well as memorize) the material they are taught. Those that have high gpa's and that get into medical school are those who can time manage so well that they find the time to balance a 100% course load and extracurriculars - they are not hermits who study all day.

That being said - western, ottawa, u of t, queens, mac med schools all have different ways of calculating your gpa - so it doesn't matter (to a degree) what ur gpa is b/c you can have a gpa of 3.74 - and depending on how the school caculates it (ie. u of t's special formula) that 3.74 can go up to a 3.9. Or you can have a 3.9 gpa - but b/c u never did 5 courses a year (and took 5 years to complete a 4 year degree) - be ineligible to apply.

Just remember this: U of T, St George campus - is a real challenge, you will stress, u will lose sleep. But it doesn't mean you cannot do well.