maybe one day you’ll save my life

This is sort of a general question that applies to all universities, but I’m asking here since I’m highly interested in U of T and hoping to start on
fall of 2011
My lifelong dream has been to go into a certain study in university for 4 years and then move on to medical school. I’ve been told for a while now that different medical schools in Ontario including Toronto’s have been accepting a little non-medical related students that have studied 4 years of mathematics, Engineering, or even computer science at the university level.
Is this true?
At the same time, since I’m interested in this field I have many contacts and have made new friends that ALL? got accepted into medical school (regardless of where in Ontario) based on studying Biology 4 years in university.
What I’m wondering is, is there a certain advantage of taking Biology in university concerning the kind of information you learn and amount when thinking about doing the MCAT to enter medical school, or is there absolutely no difference between a biology and a computer science student as long as they both study up for MCAT? Is it more recommended for the 4 years of university to simply choose a subject a student is most interested in and one in? which he can obtain a high GPA to be eligible for academic awards and keep certain ongoing scholarships before heading to medical school? Is studying Biology for 4 years the “typical” field for a person wanting to proceed into Med School and isn’t preferred when medical school acceptance interview time comes?
Please help me!
This topic have been worrying me for a while. I was almost 100% determined to take on Biology all 4 years due to the experience of my friends and contacts , but? after what I’ve heard for the past few months I’m now wondering if it’s the best decision, as Biology, although I’m great at, isn’t my strongest field and the unfortunate possibilty of not getting accepted first time doing the MCAT and interview would be worse with a degree in Biology that doesn’t make me eligible to do any kind of work as a plan B for example!!

Thanks for your help in advance!

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Hey there, Biological Computer Sciencer

Alright, here we go

So in general, yes you can take any undergraduate degree and still apply to Med School. But saying that, I’m also going to turn around and say that there are definitely smarter degree choices than others

The specific requirements to get into Med School vary depending on the school. This website shows the different requirements for each Med School in Canada.
I think the catch your going to see is that there are prerequsite courses that you need to take for most of the schools. Some have recommended courses, which I would probably suggest taking as the competition in getting into Med School is high. Most of these prerequisite courses are in fields such as life science, and biology. Depending on what Med School your looking into, biology would help you fill these requirements. BUT, there are some schools that don’t require prerequisites and therefore computer science would be sufficient.

I would suggest looking at preparation for the MCATs, this will help you to determine if the courses you would take in Biology would help you prepare better than Computer Science (which i can only assume that they will)
Sometimes even I Aska need help from their little sidekick, so i asked a friend currently going through the process of medschool and who has already taken the MCATs. They said that each school weighs their consideration of GPA and MCAT scores differently, and after fullfilling your prerequisite go for the higher GPA.

So, unfortunately im not going to choose the field of study for you because this comes down to a judegement call for yourself. Biology might prepare you better for the MCATs and might cover some of the prerequisite, but you’ll have to work harder for the GPA you would have accomplished with the Computer Science. While if you take Computer Science, you’ll most likely have to study much harder for your MCATs outside of school. In either situation, Med School seems like a possibility

What I would suggest, would be to talk with a guidance counsillor at your highschool or if your in the Toronto area, make an appointment with a student advisor and they will be able to chat with you and guide you in the right direction.

Hopefully this helps relieve your stess

Love Yours Truly,

Aska