Western relatively easy to get grades in?

[santai]

Hey,

I am currently a grade 12 high school student planning to go to university next year. I am not someone who studies everyday, but I will change that when I start going to university. I do know when it counts to study, like before tests and exams, and currently have a 97ish average for the past two years. Although I plan to do some extracurricular activity in university, I am counting on my grades to being the main part of my medical school application.

I am currently choosing between U of T, Western, Guelph, Queen's, McMaster and Waterloo. My initial first choice was U of T because I like the city; yet after reading these forums it seems like a poor choice if I intend to go to medical school, because of grade deflation and the competetive spirit of my would-be peers (I'm an easy-going uncompetetive person).

My next choice is Western and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on how this school is in terms of getting the grades you deserve and whether people are generally very competetive. I would also like to know if certain classes are designed to intentionally weed people out and how helpful and competent staff are in teaching/assisting. If you have any comments on the other schools I mentioned pertaining to my inquiries I would appreciate it if you would post them also.

Thanks in advance.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[coastal]

Go where you think you will be happiest for 3 or 4 years and forget about the rest.

The only people who bitch and moan about particular schools being difficult are people who weren't nearly as smart as they thought they were in high school. In high school very average people can get excellent marks by working hard. Smart people can cruise through high school without doing a whole lot. When less-smart, but highly successful high school students get to university, they are often shocked by the fact that all their hard work just isn't enough sometimes.

So, go where you will by happy, and let the rest pan out as it may.

Hey,

I am currently a grade 12 high school student planning to go to university next year. I am not someone who studies everyday, but I will change that when I start going to university. I do know when it counts to study, like before tests and exams, and currently have a 97ish average for the past two years. Although I plan to do some extracurricular activity in university, I am counting on my grades to being the main part of my medical school application.

I am currently choosing between U of T, Western, Guelph, Queen's, McMaster and Waterloo. My initial first choice was U of T because I like the city; yet after reading these forums it seems like a poor choice if I intend to go to medical school, because of grade deflation and the competetive spirit of my would-be peers (I'm an easy-going uncompetetive person).

My next choice is Western and I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on how this school is in terms of getting the grades you deserve and whether people are generally very competetive. I would also like to know if certain classes are designed to intentionally weed people out and how helpful and competent staff are in teaching/assisting. If you have any comments on the other schools I mentioned pertaining to my inquiries I would appreciate it if you would post them also.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ski_bum]

I agree completely with coastal.

Go where you will be happy, and study what will make you happy.

Don't worry about what other people say about the difficulty of institutions or specific programs. Many, if not most, of these people are either looking for excuses for their poor performance (or performance relative to others at other institutions), or want to feel that their good performance is worth more than someone else's. That being said, you will always hear many opinions on the matter.

As a Torontonian who did undergrad at Western (and thus had many friends and connections at both institutions) I can tell you that Western is no easier than U of T. I know many very intelligent people who went to Western and stumbled badly. Likewise, I know plenty who did the same at U of T. Success in undergrad is multifactorial, and often has much to do with your ability to balance the many dimensions of your life.

Both Western and U of T will provide excellent educations - you really can't go wrong! Just go where you feel the most comfortable, and where you feel that you can create the atmosphere required for you to succeed.

Good luck!

 

[akinf]

With an average like that coming out of highschool, the only thing that I believe that can really make you stumble is not taking university as serious as it should be. I suggest going to the place that makes you happy and you think will gain you the most amount of success. Keeping in mind that university is a very independant-oriented place, don't let things like class sizes or availability of professors factor too much into your selection. Ideally if you want to go to medical school, I'd go to the cheapest place where you will find peace of mind. Which to weigh more is up to you; I opted to go for the cheaper place when choosing undergrad (University of Manitoba) and I honestly don't mind. However, since I am in science I am a little frustrated by the lack of funding and equipment provided in the first two years at this school. I don't know if it is the same everywhere, but I feel confident that even without all of that stuff in the first two years of undergrad, I will still be prepared when I *hopefully* enter med. school. GL with your decision.

PS: What I have been told, Western is probably the craziest party campus in Canada, so if that interests you, I would recommend that.

 

[blowe46]

I agree completely with coastal.

Go where you will be happy, and study what will make you happy.

Don't worry about what other people say about the difficulty of institutions or specific programs. Many, if not most, of these people are either looking for excuses for their poor performance (or performance relative to others at other institutions), or want to feel that their good performance is worth more than someone else's. That being said, you will always hear many opinions on the matter.

As a Torontonian who did undergrad at Western (and thus had many friends and connections at both institutions) I can tell you that Western is no easier than U of T. I know many very intelligent people who went to Western and stumbled badly. Likewise, I know plenty who did the same at U of T. Success in undergrad is multifactorial, and often has much to do with your ability to balance the many dimensions of your life.

Both Western and U of T will provide excellent educations - you really can't go wrong! Just go where you feel the most comfortable, and where you feel that you can create the atmosphere required for you to succeed.

Good luck!

Having attended both U of T and an easier institution I can definitely say U of T is more difficult to earn grades. U of T and Western are not on the same scale, as a whole, U of T has more demanding courses.On that note, It's not a safe assumption to say that all student will fail or do poorly at U of T. A great deal of students do well at the university and get amazingly high grades; you can be one of these people. The old aphorism of working hard and getting your dreams to be realized is true and it applies here.

However, if you're planning on not studying, making friends, falling behind, then don't go to U of T you will stumble worse than most other places.

 

[OneBadSkwerl]

Dude, go somewhere where you'll be happy and have some fun. There's more to school and med school applications than grades.