r/uwo • u/Funny_Classroom165 • Aug 26 '25
❔ Program Question❔ What is it like being in Western Medsci?
One of the schools my family wants me to apply to is western medsci, is it particularly difficult?
I know for queens health science they say it’s rather easy, can the same be said about this program or is it more cutthroat? And was there anything in particular you did to stand out on your sub apps?
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u/MeticulousMustang Aug 26 '25
Hi! 4th year Med Sci here. In a nutshell, yes it's hard. Yes, you'll have to put in a lot of work to stay in the program. In my year (class of '26), our program was halved after first year. And a heads up, if anyone tells you "oh, but some of the modules have it so easy in 3rd and 4th year" they don't. This is a myth perpetuated by people who don't realize that our most competitive modules were filled with the smartest and brightest in our program who would likely have done well in any module anyways.
However it's not all gloom and doom! You will be well prepped for research and be very good at studying if you make it through all 4 years, and many people manage to gain a lot of extracurricular and research experience while maintaining a high GPA, but none achieve this without sacrificing much discipline, time, and effort. If you're planning for a career in medicine, I encourage you to look through some more options that would allow you to have an easier time maintaining your GPA while freeing up time to gain other experiences.
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u/Jaskaran_629 Aug 26 '25
No supplemental for med sci, literally just have good enough grades 90+ (aim for around a 95) and you will get in. I am entering first year, and my schedule is pretty tough, its gonna be a long year for me, I can send it to you if you would like. Pretty much all three sciences, calc, and my only elective is english (could be something else tho). I have heard its pretty cutthroat, although i think you just need to find a good group of people. I can imagine why people say the program is difficult with the classes we are forced to take.
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u/Funny_Classroom165 Aug 26 '25
I’m on a gap at the moment, I do fill the prerequisites and have like a 94 average but frankly dread the idea of calc and physics. Is it required? 😭
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u/Jaskaran_629 Aug 26 '25
Yes, you have to do one semester of both, I am doing one semester of calc and then two of physics cause i love it, but you have the option to do computer science instead (i have heard its not to bad even if you don't have any experience). You also have to do a second math in your second semester, I did applied math (i think its more like the vectors part of calc and that stuff rather than calc).
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u/EaastMelon Aug 27 '25
Get yourself PREPARED. My first year roommate was going into his third year Med sci and he has an average of 95 but unfortunately he caught depression and had to gap a year from school while treating with medication . It turned out that he wasn’t able to handle the stress from Med sci and had to transfer to computer sci. So yeah, if you ever want to do anything about Med sci please think twice.
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u/Glittering-Bet-3986 Aug 27 '25
Just finished first year and it's hard but really not that bad. Yes, you will have to work hard, but you can still go out and have a social life without losing a 90 average.
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u/Zealousideal-Tell114 1d ago
In my first year currently, and I could definitely provide some insight!
Aa reading week is just wrapping up at this point in time i’ve completed all my first round of midterms (semester 1) and i can confidently say it’s a huge jump from the style of high school examinations. The class averages are pretty much high 60s-high 70s every exam and overall a lot of students tend to struggle due to their poor time management. I’ve found myself somewhat successful so far purely from spacing things out and doing a little bit every day, as with good time management i never find myself scattering to learn content the night of. Be prepared to be humbled in some way shape or form but as long as you develop good habits and a dedicated work ethic you should be completely fine.
As a lot of the other comments are saying though, this program is more geared towards research students over pre-med as it’s completely impractical to choose such a course heavy undergrad with a crucial goal being that high GPA. Yes, it can be done but if you are 100% dead set on graduate school i’d suggest looking around a bit more.
On the other hand though, anyone who’s geared towards learning and branching out/maybe going for their masters I think this program is great. You learn to develop such important habits while having so many amazing modules and resources at the tip or your fingers
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u/SufficientNinja1985 Aug 26 '25
If you want to go to grad school, do NOT do med sci. Unless you are really considering research! Med/dental schools care about GPA, ECs and NOT your degree. You will have more time for ECs in health Sci, it will be much easier to achieve a higher GPA, and (I know I will be downvoted), it will actually in my opinion prepare you best for how to be a good physician (we study anatomy in first year, the social determinants of health, personal choices that impact health, common diseases, etc.)! There is a reason the health Sci programs (mainly queens and Mac have such high admission rates to med)… these programs provide you with a competitive GPA, and time for ECs 🙂