McMaster University is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1887, McMaster University now enrolls more than 30,000 students. McMaster offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. Research-intensive McMaster University is renowned for its creative approaches to both teaching and learning. The main campus of McMaster is situated close to the Hamilton Escarpment on 121 hectares of land. The McMaster Museum of Art, which houses one of the largest collections of Canadian art in the world, is also located on the McMaster campus.
Approximately 15-20% of third year BHSc students and 50% of fourth year BHSc students are admitted into medical school each year.
Meet the Interviewee: Angela Dong
Angela Dong is a third-year McMaster University student studying health sciences. You may already be aware of how competitive and prestigious the Health Sciences program is. With an acceptance rate of around 10%, McMaster Health Science rivals the acceptance rates of some Ivy League institutions I had the chance to learn about Angela’s perspectives on the program and its special supplemental application.
What sparked your interest in the program?
I’ll be honest; until I was accepted, I had no idea how significant McMaster Health Sciences was. I applied to the majority of Ontario’s business schools because I had always been more of a business-track student and wanted to pursue a dual degree in science and business or biotechnology. But after a particularly interesting inquiry-style lesson we had in AP Biology, I understood that I loved biology and learning in interactive ways like that, and that I had always performed best in self-directed, Socratic learning environments.
I tried it and submitted an application because I had heard that McMaster really valued this inquiry-style teaching approach and that Health Sciences, in particular, focused on it. It helped that I preferred biology to all other sciences and had been forced to acknowledge the special significance that health has in our lives due to family issues. ”.
What was your grade average upon applying to the program?
“I had a 95 by the high school percentage system.” 0% average applying, pretty much the median of my year of matriculants ”.
What did the supplementary application entail?
The only additional material was two brief essay questions (which are updated annually). I had to write a 2000-character essay for a prompt that asked me to “Write anything you like” in my senior year. I discussed how Model United Nations helped me develop as a person and how it inspired me to pursue a career in the health sciences. A city’s zoning map with a graph and case study about the relationship between academic performance on standardized tests and the region from which each school’s students were drawn served as the second prompt. We were required to provide a plausible justification for the data’s appearance. I discussed the relationship between family household income and the caliber of the local schools, but others came up with a variety of inventive explanations. ”.
Honestly, why do you think the program selected you? What do you think set you apart from other students who applied?
“I believe that my essay on the Model United Nations set me apart from most other pre-meds who might be more interested in science.” In high school, I competed in debate, DECA, Model UN, and was the executive editor of my school newspaper. I was always more of a politics, law, and debate type of student. Although being surrounded by more science-oriented students in my first year of undergrad made me feel like a fish out of water It did give me a benefit in inquiry class, which focused on critical and creative thinking as well as effective communication of ideas and opinions. I came to understand that my background in the humanities and the analytical skills I had developed through debate actually translated very well to research because that is what it is all about: asking questions, making claims, refuting them, and getting to the bottom of things. Additionally, it has aided me as I prepare for the MCAT’s CARS section and discuss bioethics case studies for my bioethics class. ”.
If you could go back in time, knowing what you know now, what would you tell your former self upon preparing for the application?
“I would probably advise myself to cut back on the excessive extracurricular activities I participated in during my senior year of high school because McMaster didn’t ask about how many extracurricular activities one participates in; it mainly just measures what you learn from your experiences, no matter how limited they may be. I was the kid who participated in ten clubs and served as the executive of eight of them throughout high school, which required a lot of time away from the classroom and probably had a negative impact on my GPA. I could have concentrated my efforts better on a smaller number of extracurricular activities and engaged in more clinical volunteering and research in high school, which would have given me a leg up in research opportunities here at the university, even though it didn’t hurt me because I still got in. Regarding the application, I would probably advise reflecting more deeply on experiences because there is no such thing as a small experience or moment; everything depends on how you choose to interpret it. I could have written an even more thoughtful essay if I had given my learnings more thought. ”.
Based on your experience in the program, would you recommend Grade 12 students to apply? If so, what advice would you give them upon applying?
“Yes, I would definitely recommend Grade 12s to apply. I believe that for our generation to succeed in the rapidly changing world of today, they must possess fluid intelligence abilities like critical thinking, easily transferable abilities like professional competencies and communication, and systems-thinking analysis derived from learning cases in pharmacodynamics and anatomy.
However, I would caution students not to put too much pressure on themselves throughout high school to succeed because the human journey is long and unpredictable and this isn’t the end-all, be-all. Just concentrate on the high school experience; take in as many life and academic lessons as you can; maintain an open mind; interact with people you normally wouldn’t; and be sympathetic. Everybody has a story, and in today’s premed, those stories are at least as important as the diseases they suffer from. Learning occurs every day through everyday life, not just in schools or other places of higher education. Don’t let the pressure of exams and quizzes prevent you from seeing the roses teaching you important lessons. ”.
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FAQ
Is Life Sciences at McMaster good?
Why Choose McMaster Life Sciences? Because of its ground-breaking educational innovations and world-class research, McMaster is consistently ranked among the top 50 colleges in the world for health and medicine. Students who study life science at McMaster acquire the following skills:
Is McMaster Health Science hard to get into?
McMaster Health Sciences Requirements and Acceptance Rates. You may already be aware of how competitive and prestigious the Health Sciences program is. With an acceptance rate of around 5%-10%, McMaster Health Sciences rivals the acceptance rates of some Ivy League institutions
Can I get into McMaster with 80%?
A minimum average of 80% (including all required subjects) is required for application eligibility Admission is competitive and many programs will require grades/averages well above the 80% for admission consideration
Is McMaster Life Science hard to get into reddit?
Life science admissions from high school are solely determined by grades, iirc. Get above a 90% avg on your top 6 and you should be fine