Hey Aska!
I want to apply to the social science program at UTSG, specifically for health studies. As a prospective dental student,I want to know if I am able to take life science courses throughout the four years of undergrad. I heard from someone that life science courses are available to social science students in the first and second year, so are they still available for the third and fourth? I also want to confirm with you a few rumors that I have heard.
1. Social science programs require 20 page papers in every course that are wholly subjective in its marking, so achieving a high GPA is actually very difficult, sometimes more so than life science.
2. A health studies degree is useless unless you enroll in graduate school, professional school, or get a masters degree.
And one last question. How do you know EVERYTHING [?]? I feel like I’m sending a question to Buddha LOL. Thank you so much for your help! I’m actually so glad I stumbled upon this holy ground. <3
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hey there,
the rumours that you have heard are probably originating from something?correct, but they’ve been warped so many times through the broken telephone game of uoft gossip that they’re not at all helpful to you now.
here’s how it actually works:
most upper-year life science courses require you to take some combination of your basic, first-year life science courses: first year chemistry, first year math, first?year environmental and evolutionary biology, first year cellular and molecular biology, and sometimes first year physics.
these courses usually have a priority.?that means that they are usually open to all students, but they open to first-year life science students?first. so life sci kids get their first pick, and classes could fill up before you have a chance to enrol.
HOWEVER, none of these courses are required for the health studies specialist. they recommend BIO120H1 and BIO130H1, but even with the priority, those classes are so big that you still have a reasonable chance of getting in if you’re responsible with enrolling on time.
that being said, if you only take bio, some of the upper-year chemistry and math-based courses may?not be accessible to you, since you won’t have the first-year prereqs. if you really do want a science degree and take all those courses, though, then just apply to the life science stream. it’ll be a lot easier on you.
1) ? ?there is no way you will be writing a 20-page paper in your first year. if you have to write a 10-page paper in your first year, that would be an anomaly. 10 pages and above are typically the realm of fourth year and master’s programs.
secondly, yes, it is difficult to get a high GPA in the social sciences – it’s going to be difficult in any program – but that is not because marking is “wholly subjective.” there is a rhyme and reason to how professors mark papers, and their expectations?will be communicated to you.
also, while we’re on the topic,?i’m tired of people throwing around the word “subjective” as a shorthand for “completely meaningless.” subjectivity does not equal meaninglessness.
yes, you argue subjective points in the social sciences, but that’s the whole point of them. you are talking about people, to people, and people are?subjects. to be a good writer is to convince subjects, and to use the word “subjective” to dismiss a whole discipline is an insidious part of the devaluing of the social sciences and humanities. so DON’T DO IT.
2) ? ?yes and no. if you end up going to dentistry school, you don’t have to worry about that. however, a lot can change over the course of a four-year degree. maybe you don’t want to go to dentistry school at the end of your four years at uoft, and you’re left trying to get a job with just your B.Sc.
i’m not gonna lie, it will be difficult trying to get a job in your field without any further qualifications beyond a bachelor’s degree. however, there are lots of options when it comes to further qualifications. some of them involve?a second university degree – like dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, medical school, research etc. some of them?will?require a post-grad diploma from a college, like becoming a lab or medical technician.
also, note the important qualification of “in your field”: it’s not impossible to get?a job without a secondary degree, it’s just that you won’t be working in a hospital or clinic without some kind of specialized diploma or degree.
3) it’s because i’m an all-seeing minor deity.
(but seriously, i COULD tell you how i know everything, but then i’d be revealing my SECRET IDENTITY, and that just wouldn’t do).
cheers,
aska
P.S. thank you for your absolutely smashing e-mail subject line. i’ve made it the title of this post because it’s just too good.