Do you have a BSc in Chemistry?

[EG STyLeZ]

just wondering if anyone here has their Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, or Bachelor of Science in Natural Sciences? if so, where are you now in terms of your career or schooling?

[kaput]

.

[lint]

BSc in Chem, hated working in the lab so I quit my masters, worked for a while in chemical sales, went back to school to do programming, working in the IT field ever since. I'd like to go back to something chem related but in a more IT/PM type capacity. For now, I like my current challenges.

I would not recommend doing a BSc these days, unless it's in Comp Sci. The work is hard, the rewards are few and the demand is minimal. If you really love working in the lab, get your Chem Tech diploma from SAIT iinstead. If you're considering going through to graduate work, then it would be alright. But I wouldn't stop with the bachelors.

And if you're doing the "pre-med" route... that's a whole other discussion.

[GTS Jeff]

in april ill have a BSc in biosci, but it definitely is not a factor in my career search. in my case, an education is not a career stepping stone, it serves other purposes.

[kiwi]

I'm expecting my BSc in Chemistry in April... not sure what I'm gonna do afterwards... I want to work for a bit first.

[statick]

Originally posted by lint


And if you're doing the "pre-med" route... that's a whole other discussion.

please elaborate

[CLiVE]

My wife has a BSc in Chem. She's a Senior Research Chemist...go figure. :thumbsup:

[statick]

how many years of work experience did she get before that position though ?

[lint]

Originally posted by statick


please elaborate

Pre-med means nothing. There is no pre-med program. Taking the courses that are listed as requirements for getting into a medical program does not mean pre-med. I just find the term overly used, since 90%+ of students in biological sciences would probably indicate they are pre-med.

Also, going into a bio-sci program thinking it will increase your chances of being accepted is foolish. And it is a really shitty degree to have fall back on if you don't get in. I thought chem was pretty bad, but bio-sci is worse, mainly because there are so many more bio-sci graduates flooding out relative to chem graduates. I still remember when I was finishing my degree, all of a sudden there was an influx of students into chem, happened that the majority of them were those who couldn't get into bio-sci and needed a science major.

Also, I have found that the majority of people who claim pre-med don't have a clue as to what it takes to get into med school. The ones with a 3.1 and high hopes. Just reminds me of all the sunshine girls who are going to be doctors or lawyers, etc. Takes more than just talk to get in.

In short, the best approach if that is your goal, take the pre-requisite courses that they list, and fill up the rest of your schedule with the easiest GPA boosters you can possibly find. If your aim is Med school, who cares what degree you get? Better yet, get in before you finish your degree. If your grades are good enough, they don't care about a degree, or volunteer experience, or community involvement, etc. And as long as you don't interview like a retard, you should be a shoo in.

[lint]

Oh, and here was the breakdown of my graduating class (1999):
Total graduates ~30 (give or take a few)
Pursuing MSc/PhD ~ 15 (about half)
Pursuing other degrees (Eng, Geog, Phil, etc) ~7 (about 1/4)
The rest were looking for work, and I don't recall anyone having a job before they graduated.

The problem was that you had too much education and demand a higher wage than a CT grad from SAIT, who had more hands on schooling to run the instrumentation for routine analysis, which are the majority of jobs that are available for BSc Chem graduates. If you enjoyed the lab, great, if not you really had to bust your ass to find something. I remember not getting even PFO's from Agat, Maxam, Core, etc. That's why I chose the MSc route initially.

Oh, and at the time I graduated, the starting wage for a BSc in a lab was around $24K/year. 10 years before that, the average wage was $24K/year. Inflation much?

[B17a]

lint, so true! :rofl: I remember all the science guys when I was in first year all said they were "pre-med". I always said "I don't recall seeing that program in the calender!". I think 4 out of the 100+ "pre-meds" actually made it.

[t-im]

I love how people who barely make it into sciences from hs (70ish avg) and say "I'm going into med"

[lint]

Originally posted by B17a
lint, so true! :rofl: I remember all the science guys when I was in first year all said they were "pre-med". I always said "I don't recall seeing that program in the calender!". I think 4 out of the 100+ "pre-meds" actually made it.

Yep, that's why I laugh when people say that. And they're always the exceptions. They're the ones who are going to get in with the bare minimum, with a 3.0. Dream on, the only people that get in with those grades are Canadian Olympians or Astronauts. Schmo's with 3.0s go to summer school to upgrade.

[statick]

maybe i should start another thread for this...^but wut bout law school?

[B17a]

Originally posted by statick
maybe i should start another thread for this...^but wut bout law school?

Most law students have a variety of undergrad degrees, literally everything and anything. The really smart ones get into law school in their 3rd year, but that is a rarity. Most graduate, work for a bit, write the LSAT and go back to law school.

[statick]

wut kind GPA do u need for law ?

[lint]

Originally posted by statick
wut kind GPA do u need for law ?

For one thing, you have to learn how to use proper grammar.

What, not wut. It's really only 1 extra letter. Would it kill you to use the proper word?

[B17a]

Originally posted by lint


For one thing, you have to learn how to use proper grammar.

What, not wut. It's really only 1 extra letter. Would it kill you to use the proper word? :rofl: :rofl:

I would say, a good starting GPA is at least 3.5, but law, much like med looks at everything else. Basically life experiences.

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by statick
wut kind GPA do u need for law ?

A safe bet would be around a 3.6 or so for most universities. Some can dip as low as 3.1, and be as high as 3.9.

And grammar is always a good skill to have :P

Btw - there is no such thing as a "pre-law" or "pre-med" program. Those who are naturally bright will be accepted if they have the drive, regardless of what their undergrad degrees are.

Generally, however, sciences are necessary for the pursuit of medicine, while social sciences/humanities are most popular for the law program.

[t-im]

Does your chances of being admitted to law increase if you work after you graduate, get some good "real world" experience and knowledge, then do LSAT and apply?

or is it better just to apply right after you graduate?

does experience etc help? or is it mainly your GPA..i've read up on it and it's kinda foggy

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by t-im
Does your chances of being admitted to law increase if you work after you graduate, get some good "real world" experience and knowledge, then do LSAT and apply?

or is it better just to apply right after you graduate?

does experience etc help? or is it mainly your GPA..i've read up on it and it's kinda foggy

Depends on the university who is looking at your application.

The average age for law students is MUCH higher than those who generally graduate at 21 or 22. In some instances, the average is around 26-28 years old for acceptance.

Most law students have 2 or 3 undergraduate degrees before they enter law.

Candidates in some of the better universities are rated ONLY on their LSAT and GPA, and then on their volunteer work and experience. The University of Calgary, among others, will also consider some of your contributions, which is why you see people with 3.2 GPAs at the University of Calgary (which, btw, was rated one of the top in Canada).

[CLiVE]

Originally posted by statick
how many years of work experience did she get before that position though ?
2-3 years + a few internships.

[statick]

is there a specific set of required courses for law school (like there is for med school) ?

and don't worry my spelling/grammar will be up to par once i'm done high school:rofl:

[t-im]

no

you don't need any "required" courses for law

an undergrad degree and a healthy gpa helps

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by statick
is there a specific set of required courses for law school (like there is for med school) ?



There are no required courses for law school or med school.

[EG STyLeZ]

do you guys know how likely it will be to get a career/job in the oil and gas industry with a BSc in Chem, all while staying in calgary?

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by EG STyLeZ
do you guys know how likely it will be to get a career/job in the oil and gas industry with a BSc in Chem, all while staying in calgary?

It's very likely. My friend works in the oil/gas industry and he just graduated last summer with a BSc in Chem. All is not lost, people. Education is nice. Education + drive is what gets you a job.

[EG STyLeZ]

Originally posted by Weapon_R


It's very likely. My friend works in the oil/gas industry and he just graduated last summer with a BSc in Chem. All is not lost, people. Education is nice. Education + drive is what gets you a job.

do you know what kind of position he has? also, do you know if he did an internship?

[kiwi]

There's a girl in my class that's doing a double major in Chem & English... she wrote her LSAT last month or so... she's getting her BSc in April, but I don't really know her that well, so don't know how well she did... she's super smart at Chem though...

[kaput]

.

[kiwi]

Originally posted by EG STyLeZ
do you guys know how likely it will be to get a career/job in the oil and gas industry with a BSc in Chem, all while staying in calgary?

Quite unlikely... I went to the Science & Engineering Career Fair at UC in Oct., & pretty much every company is looking for ENGINEERS! Not chemists! Even Nova Chemicals was looking for Chemical Engineers for Christ's sake!

If you want to go into oil & gas, you can stay in Alberta, but it won't be in Calgary... you'll be up North somewhere freezing your ass off... work up there for a few years, & then you might be able to get a better position at the office in Calgary. If you don't wanna be up there, you could go to some of their other rigs in the states, like Oklahoma or something.

[EG STyLeZ]

Originally posted by kiwi


Quite unlikely... I went to the Science & Engineering Career Fair at UC in Oct., & pretty much every company is looking for ENGINEERS! Not chemists! Even Nova Chemicals was looking for Chemical Engineers for Christ's sake!

If you want to go into oil & gas, you can stay in Alberta, but it won't be in Calgary... you'll be up North somewhere freezing your ass off... work up there for a few years, & then you might be able to get a better position at the office in Calgary. If you don't wanna be up there, you could go to some of their other rigs in the states, like Oklahoma or something.

that kind of sucks. so do you have any idea what you're going to do after you get your degree?

what kinds of opportunities are available to a chemist? what about government technical work, or research at a government or university level?

i'm kind of considering going on with a MSc, but i don't know. would it be more useful to get a natural sciences degree, since it's more broad?

[Gondi Stylez]

Originally posted by lint


Pre-med means nothing. There is no pre-med program. Taking the courses that are listed as requirements for getting into a medical program does not mean pre-med. I just find the term overly used, since 90%+ of students in biological sciences would probably indicate they are pre-med.

Also, going into a bio-sci program thinking it will increase your chances of being accepted is foolish. And it is a really shitty degree to have fall back on if you don't get in. I thought chem was pretty bad, but bio-sci is worse, mainly because there are so many more bio-sci graduates flooding out relative to chem graduates. I still remember when I was finishing my degree, all of a sudden there was an influx of students into chem, happened that the majority of them were those who couldn't get into bio-sci and needed a science major.

Also, I have found that the majority of people who claim pre-med don't have a clue as to what it takes to get into med school. The ones with a 3.1 and high hopes. Just reminds me of all the sunshine girls who are going to be doctors or lawyers, etc. Takes more than just talk to get in.

In short, the best approach if that is your goal, take the pre-requisite courses that they list, and fill up the rest of your schedule with the easiest GPA boosters you can possibly find. If your aim is Med school, who cares what degree you get? Better yet, get in before you finish your degree. If your grades are good enough, they don't care about a degree, or volunteer experience, or community involvement, etc. And as long as you don't interview like a retard, you should be a shoo in.

For the most part lint you are correct. I am doin a bio sci degree, but if i go to U of A next fall i will be doing a spec. immuology and infection degree. my ultimate goal is medicene but if that doesnt work out you need soemthing to fall back on. If you wish to continue in scinces, for the most part you need a PhD w/o question and research is too borad of a term. There is always the option of doin medical research and that is WAY WAY WAY better then typical research. There is also OT's and chiropractors that makes easily 100k a year but a BSc. is needed. So if your goal is make some good $$ if med. school doesnt work out then u need that degree.

Plus think about it, with the shortage of doctors and hospitals the demand for med students will increase and slowly the admissions standrds will decrease slightly to make a wider range of potential doctors the chance to live their dream. My cousin and his wife not live in san fran and he is the chief supervisor for pediatric cardiology at the hospital there and he told me when i saw him this summer that he has seen WAY too many HIGH calibure kids been thrown out of the interview rooms because there GPA's were not a 4.0 but had more "real-life" experience that out-weighed most of the other candiates. Him and his wife hold the same position in the respective med. departments. This also goes for canada he told me as he set up on of the ped. cardio. programs for the hospital for sick children in TO.

So for those of you have a 3.6-7ish GPA i think there is still hope to make it to med.

hopefully that made sense! its 234 and i should be sleeping!! still feeling the effects of no sleep for the past week with my finals but now i cant go to sleep?!?!?!:nut:

[xrayvsn]

Originally posted by Weapon_R


There are no required courses for law school or med school.

Depends on the med school, but I think most of them have required, or "recommended" courses. U of A has required courses - they use these as another way to weed the thousands of applicants they have every year. Most med schools also want all of the applicants to write the MCAT, with the exception of McMaster.

When I was in undergrad at U of C, I would always chuckle when I ran into someone who told me they were in "pre-med". I told them I was in BCEM, and moved on, since it would be pointless for me to argue "umm, there's no such thing as pre-med" with most of these people. Its like they want to use it as some sort of status symbol or something.

I got my BSc in BCEM, and went the med route. A lot of my friends who I went to undergrad with ended up in med, vet med, or dentistry. Only 2 or 3 of my friends got into med school before they got a degree, a couple at U of C med, and one went to Queen's. I have also had a few friends who were unsuccessful in getting into med after getting their BSc. do a couple of years for a MSc, reapplied and were successful.

Its already a long training program, so adding a graduate degree further lengthens your time as a student. Of the professional schools, medicine has the longest training program once you consider that it guarantees you at least another 2 years of residency, if not 5, or more. Your entire twenties will be spent in school, while you watch your engineering, geologist, even lawyer, and dentist friends go out and make piles of money.

[Stratus_Power]

Im currently doing a BSc program in UofA specalizing in Genetics.
If any of you are interested in this route, i've spoken to previous graduate and they said there is still a job market for it ( unfortunately they do not offer this program inUofC,)

If you really want a job in science, I was walking by the UofA hospital one day and I notice they had an Ad looking for Genetic counselor for $25/hour starting. but you require a Msc in genetics

There are a few requirement courses ( at least in uofA) for med:
Chem 101/102, organ 161/164, phys 124/126, stats 151, Math ( something, took it, cant remember), Biol 107/108, engl 101, biochem 203/205 and at least 2 years full time in an University.

its bascially the first year schedule of ALL the science student +/- one/two courses.. so its not really pre-med.
I've read that you actually have a better chance of getting into Med with a non-science degree.

But for all you people with crappy GPA, (like ~3.3.. not 2.7... ) there is still hope.
True story from the guy living next to me in Rez.

he had 4.0 GPA since 1st year, takes 3 pages to list all his scholarships, and got a MCAT score higher than the Harvard avg ranking in the top 0.01%. but being a smart ass that he is, he has no volunteering experience. ( but plenty of laboratory experience)

So he applied after 2nd year at UofA, pretty confident, and he was rejected after the interview. he said another applicant he noticed was one was his prof for his 1st year class :P

So he did a bunch of volunteering work after 2nd year.. applied again after 3rd year, but to UofC, UofA, UofS, UBC, and western ontario. he didnt even get an interview from western and never heard back from UBC. But he got into UofC.

why I say there is still hope is that he said in UofC, Most of the people in his class are almost if not over 30s, with lots of kids, and had a GPA of ~ 3.0 back when they were an undergraduate. ( but also a bunch of engineerers, PhD, Masters)...

so... if you have a high GPa doesnt guarantee your admission, if you hvae a lowER GPA, doesnt mean you will never get in.

[lint]

Originally posted by Gondi Stylez


For the most part lint you are correct. I am doin a bio sci degree, but if i go to U of A next fall i will be doing a spec. immuology and infection degree. my ultimate goal is medicene but if that doesnt work out you need soemthing to fall back on. If you wish to continue in scinces, for the most part you need a PhD w/o question and research is too borad of a term. There is always the option of doin medical research and that is WAY WAY WAY better then typical research. There is also OT's and chiropractors that makes easily 100k a year but a BSc. is needed. So if your goal is make some good $$ if med. school doesnt work out then u need that degree.

Plus think about it, with the shortage of doctors and hospitals the demand for med students will increase and slowly the admissions standrds will decrease slightly to make a wider range of potential doctors the chance to live their dream. My cousin and his wife not live in san fran and he is the chief supervisor for pediatric cardiology at the hospital there and he told me when i saw him this summer that he has seen WAY too many HIGH calibure kids been thrown out of the interview rooms because there GPA's were not a 4.0 but had more "real-life" experience that out-weighed most of the other candiates. Him and his wife hold the same position in the respective med. departments. This also goes for canada he told me as he set up on of the ped. cardio. programs for the hospital for sick children in TO.

So for those of you have a 3.6-7ish GPA i think there is still hope to make it to med.

hopefully that made sense! its 234 and i should be sleeping!! still feeling the effects of no sleep for the past week with my finals but now i cant go to sleep?!?!?!:nut:

I agree that GPA is not the only defining factor of who would make a good doctor, but it's one of the measureable and generally good indicators of success. Can you imagine how long the process would be if they had to interview EVERYONE who applied to access their qualifications? Sides, it's all about getting into med. Once you're in, they don't fail people. That's when you can slack off. As my uncle says, "What do you call the guy who graduated at the bottom of his med school class?" "Doctor".

[lint]

Originally posted by xrayvsn

Its already a long training program, so adding a graduate degree further lengthens your time as a student. Of the professional schools, medicine has the longest training program once you consider that it guarantees you at least another 2 years of residency, if not 5, or more. Your entire twenties will be spent in school, while you watch your engineering, geologist, even lawyer, and dentist friends go out and make piles of money.

You speak of dentistry as some kind of after thought. If you want to make money right away, go into Dentistry. You can start working right when you finish and can easily pull in $150K a year if you work hard. Eng, Law, you need to finish school, then get some field experience to get your PEng or article to make the big $$ in law. Med is not the way to make big money. I have a friend who is finishing his residency in radiology right now, and after that he is still doing a 2 year fellowship to specialize above the neck. He will be 31 before he's finished. And he skipped a year of univeristy too.

[B17a]

Originally posted by lint


You speak of dentistry as some kind of after thought. If you want to make money right away, go into Dentistry. You can start working right when you finish and can easily pull in $150K a year if you work hard. Eng, Law, you need to finish school, then get some field experience to get your PEng or article to make the big $$ in law. Med is not the way to make big money. I have a friend who is finishing his residency in radiology right now, and after that he is still doing a 2 year fellowship to specialize above the neck. He will be 31 before he's finished. And he skipped a year of univeristy too.
:werd: I'm still trying to figure out why Dentistry has the highest rate of suicide amongst medical professionals. Lets see, they make near the top in $$, and that starts right away, as far as I can tell, its not life or death with patients unlike say a cardio-surgeon, more senior dentists work 3-4 days a week as far as I can tell, there's usually attractive hygenitsts around....you get the point.

[lint]

Originally posted by B17a

:werd: I'm still trying to figure out why Dentistry has the highest rate of suicide amongst medical professionals. Lets see, they make near the top in $$, and that starts right away, as far as I can tell, its not life or death with patients unlike say a cardio-surgeon, more senior dentists work 3-4 days a week as far as I can tell, there's usually attractive hygenitsts around....you get the point.

The reason is simply because so many people hate going to see the dentist, and it wears on you when you're trying to do your job and everyone hates you.

You're right though, I wish I had listened to my uncle and gone into dentistry. He's going to cut back to working 3 days a week, 3 weeks a month. So 9 days a month. Pretty nice. Maybe I will slowly upgrade my courses and do it later. Who knows.

[B17a]

Originally posted by lint


The reason is simply because so many people hate going to see the dentist, and it wears on you when you're trying to do your job and everyone hates you.



Boo hoo. I have a hard time sympathizing as I walk past my dentist's brand new SL500 every few months!:cry:

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by B17a

:werd: I'm still trying to figure out why Dentistry has the highest rate of suicide amongst medical professionals. Lets see, they make near the top in $$, and that starts right away, as far as I can tell, its not life or death with patients unlike say a cardio-surgeon, more senior dentists work 3-4 days a week as far as I can tell, there's usually attractive hygenitsts around....you get the point. Actually, having known and job-shadowed a few dentists, I've come to the conclusion that they are underpaid for what they do. They may have high salaries, but the amount of work they need to put in is horrendous. It's pretty tough dealing with everyone hating you, as someone already mentioned, plus it's a huge strain on your eyes, neck, and hands since you need to focus hard and work carefully for up to hours at a time.

If anything, business is where the real money is.

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff


If anything, business is where the real money is.

Not really. Most people in Haskayne will end up in middle - level management positions with average incomes and average lifestyles. Like anything else, however, there are some people who will get lucky and strike big.

The real money is in professional degrees. A dentist is not limited like doctors in the amount of money he/she can make, but the job is stressful.

Personally, if I had the capacity, I would become a dentist before i'd ever become a doctor. The pay is much better, the job is just as prestigous, and I wouldn't have to deal with the disgusting shit that doctors deal with.

[Stratus_Power]

I dont think Dentist is AS prestigous as a Doc, but its sure Dentist do make alot more money than your avg family physician.. but I thinks what we are having a shortage of family doctors because everyone is specializing in something. Specialist apparently makes 50% mroe than family physician

[t-im]

Originally posted by Weapon_R


Not really. Most people in Haskayne will end up in middle - level management positions with average incomes and average lifestyles. Like anything else, however, there are some people who will get lucky and strike big.



I think most people in Haskayne won't beleive that.
Most people there act like they'll be some top management executive and live this uber luxuriate life right off the bat
:rolleyes:

business is where the money is if you know what the hell you're doing, work hard and don't expect a huge pay off right away

and i think dentists have to put up with alot of shit. My desntist is about early 40's and may not be able to work again because of her hand (second time she's had surgery)

[lint]

This discussion ahs somewhat turned into a pissing match. We can sum up most comments with "If you work hard and know what you're doing, you'll be successful no matter what you do".

I think the original point was to discuss applications of BSc in natural sciences and chemistry. My feelings are still that these are not good degrees to fall back on if you don't get into med school, however, there are plenty of people who enjoy research and lab work, and these may be a good fit. If you want to make money, BSc is not the way to go (and I'm not talking about advanced degrees either) hell, for the most part, med isn't either. There are much easier ways to make money, and plenty don't require formal education.

I always feel that you should do something because you enjoy it, because if you enjoy it, you will work at it, and if you work at it, you have a much better chance of being good at it, which will eventually lead you down the path of prosperity. I know too many doctors who wish they had chosen another path, because there are other things that they would enjoy much more. But because they have invested so many years into it, they can't just pick up and quit.

[FiveFreshFish]

Originally posted by lint
And he skipped a year of univeristy too.

How did he skip a year of university? Or do you mean he took enough spring and summer classes to hasten his graduation?

[lint]

Originally posted by FiveFreshFish


How did he skip a year of university? Or do you mean he took enough spring and summer classes to hasten his graduation?

He's one of the smartest guys I know. He wrote the exams and skipped all of his first year courses. Completed his degree in 3 years. Was accepted into med school after his first year, but had to finish up his degree first.

[Stratus_Power]

you can use IB credit for most sci- first year course too, so its pretty easy to skip a year

[Gondi Stylez]

Where do you guys get the stats for how much each occupation makes? Is there like a website or anything? Ive searched on here a few times and havent got anything and have also done my own searches on google, monster and yahoo?? Would be interesting to know on a few of them.

But in response to this thread, Samson I think you shoul djust get ur MSc and see what doors that opens and then continue from there onto your PhD or go into Medical Research. That is what my "back-up" plan is if Med. doesnt work out for me! If that interests you then it would be a great route to take.

Personally, if your going into Med. your NOT doing it for the big $$. Your doing because its rewarding and also because you love what you do. I think Med. is the only career I can think of that will become your LIFE. Lawyers, dentists, etc. work hard but mostly work set hours. Doctors sometimes work 32hrs straight and work on average of 80-85hrs a week. In my honest opinion, there is more to life then just making big bucks!If you want big money dont go into med. Im sure a couple of the Med. Students like xraysven can attest to what im saying?!

[GTS Jeff]

Originally posted by Weapon_R


Not really. Most people in Haskayne will end up in middle - level management positions with average incomes and average lifestyles. Like anything else, however, there are some people who will get lucky and strike big.

The real money is in professional degrees. A dentist is not limited like doctors in the amount of money he/she can make, but the job is stressful.

Personally, if I had the capacity, I would become a dentist before i'd ever become a doctor. The pay is much better, the job is just as prestigous, and I wouldn't have to deal with the disgusting shit that doctors deal with.

well if u look at stats like average starting salaries of various grads from different faculties, then yea, business students arent at the top...but what i mean is that if u were to take a look at the 10 richest ppl in canada, theyre all businessmen.

http://www.webimmigration.com/richest.html

i dont see any dentists there!!!

Originally posted by lint
applications of BSc in natural sciences and chemistry. My feelings are still that these are not good degrees to fall back on if you don't get into med school...If you want to make money, BSc is not the way to go (and I'm not talking about advanced degrees either) hell, for the most part, med isn't either. There are much easier ways to make money, and plenty don't require formal education.

:werd:

[kiwi]

http://www.alis.gov.ab.ca/occinfo/Content/RequestAction.asp?aspAction=GetTitlesSearchAll&Page=TitleSearch&Results=TRUE&format=html

[xrayvsn]

Originally posted by Gondi Stylez
Im sure a couple of the Med. Students like xraysven can attest to what im saying?!

Not a med student, I'm in the same program as lint's friend. Sorry, bit of a pet peeve of mine. Residents are MDs, and get to wear the long coats. While I don't expect people to refer to me as "doctor", I do not still consider myself a "medical student". Residents are MDs who are doing their specialty training. Chances are, if you are in a hospital, it will be the resident who initiates therapy, and reads the CT, or x-ray that you get.

Also, lint, I wasn't throwing dentistry in as an afterthought. Just happened to fall last on my list.

As most dentistry students have some formal undergrad degree, or at least 2 years of undergrad, I listed dentistry last only because it takes a couple of years longer than engineering, geology, etc. Definitely not an afterthought, and is a very good field to consider. Actually, I have a friend who is a pediatric orthodontist, and he needed a residency above and beyond his dentistry degree. In his case, it took him just as much education as most practicing physicians.

Of my friends who did pursue the research route, they went on to PhDs and university tenure track positions. A couple work for industry, one of whom has only a BSc in BCEM, so it is possible to get a job in a science related field. From my understanding, though, you usually need a graduate degree, and be flexible in where you want to work.

[Gondi Stylez]

Originally posted by GTS Jeff


well if u look at stats like average starting salaries of various grads from different faculties, then yea, business students arent at the top...but what i mean is that if u were to take a look at the 10 richest ppl in canada, theyre all businessmen.

http://www.webimmigration.com/richest.html

i dont see any dentists there!!!


:werd:

Number of Rich List member who have completed postsecondary education: 59

Number of people on the Rich List with self-made fortunes: 74

interesting stat! that could be used in the school waste of time thread!! not surpising to me though

[Gondi Stylez]

Originally posted by xrayvsn


Not a med student, I'm in the same program as lint's friend. Sorry, bit of a pet peeve of mine. Residents are MDs, and get to wear the long coats. While I don't expect people to refer to me as "doctor", I do not still consider myself a "medical student". Residents are MDs who are doing their specialty training. Chances are, if you are in a hospital, it will be the resident who initiates therapy, and reads the CT, or x-ray that you get.

:banghead: Sorry xrayvsn and I knew you were'nt a Med. Student because you told me that before! My bad!

By the way, what is medical research like for your friends? Is it just working the the Uni lab or something like that? Im asking because my soci profs daughter does med. research in houston now i beleive and she went to med school and the whole nine yards?! im talking about developing skin cells for burn treatment patients and that type of thing? or maybe they are called a different title?!? he said that when she comes to calgary i can talk to her about it if im interested in knowing? but maybe you would know also?!

This may also help answer some of EG_Stylez questions on other avenues in which to pursue his degree!

[xrayvsn]

Originally posted by Gondi Stylez


:banghead: Sorry xrayvsn and I knew you were'nt a Med. Student because you told me that before! My bad!

By the way, what is medical research like for your friends?

This may also help answer some of EG_Stylez questions on other avenues in which to pursue his degree!

No worries, just notice that there's a bit of confusion out there about what it is residents are. I always cringe a little when patients ask me, "so how much more med school do you have left", or "do you enjoy being a med student?" Only seconds after I introduce myself as "doctor", and telling them I'm the resident.

The friends I have who did research went on to non-medical, basic sciences research. One is at U of T, but it has been years since I have talked to her. Last tie we chatted, her life was a bit stressful because she was just starting out, and had to get together a bunch of research proposals for grants. Lost track of some of my other friends who were in grad school after they did post docs in the US. I imagine they are in the States working somewhere, as there was more opportunity for that sort of thing down there - don't know if its improved that much in Canada since.

My knowledge of medical research is limited, since the majority of my friends did go on to medicine. My experience has been that those friends who were motivated to get into medicine did eventually get in, even the ones who didn't have 3.8+ GPAs. Not all schools are like the U of A, where your marks are the most important aspect of your application. Many med schools place more emphasis on the intangibles, including the interview. For example, the U of C selects more mature students, many of whom have had a career in another field or research before they apply to medical school. They do not emphasize marks as much for entrance, but they are still a consideration.

[B18C]

Dentists do not have the highest suicide rate. It is a myth. Some dental students at the U of A looked into that for a research paper. Statistically, dentists haven't had a higher suicide rate than any other profession since the 80's or or something like that from what they were telling me.

Although dentistry is a GREAT profession, it isn't nearly as rosy as some people make is sound. 1st year practicing dentists make anywhere from $70G's to $130G's depending on where you practice (urban or rural) and how lucky you are. If you want to practice in Calgary the market isn't actually that good.

This whole thing about med school and pre-med. I totally agree that this whole "pre-med" thing is stupid. I can't remember how many of my parent's friends kids were in "pre-med or pre-dent" that are now eating their words. As a word of advice, just say that you are in science and leave it at that. I remember back in my first year biology class (biol 231) the prof asked how many people were looking to be doctors. Well over half the class (if not 3/4 of the class) put up their hand. When I was in 3rd year, the same question was asked and less than 1/10 actually put up their hand. School can be a humbling experience.

With that said, some of you are really too negative about getting into med school. It's definitely not the easiest thing in the world to do but if you really want to do it, you will eventually get in (for the most part). That sounds corny, but it's very true. Out of my graduating bcem class of about 30 people, at least a third of them are in med or dent now.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by B17a


Boo hoo. I have a hard time sympathizing as I walk past my dentist's brand new SL500 every few months!:cry: haha

Yah I have a dentist customer that swings by on a regular basis and I swear, it's a different car almost everytime! CLK 500, Jaguar XKR, Hummer H2, Ferrari 360 etc.:nut::love: :drool:

[Stratus_Power]

man i have 2 uncles that are Dentists, they dont seem taht rich :P
one of them is in Edmonton, driving a 88 Honda Prelude.. JUST just upgraded to a toyota Rav4 :P

[kaput]

.

[t-im]

Originally posted by Stratus_Power
man i have 2 uncles that are Dentists, they dont seem taht rich :P
one of them is in Edmonton, driving a 88 Honda Prelude.. JUST just upgraded to a Honda Rav4 :P

just because they don't have nice cars doesn't necessarily mean they aren't rich :rolleyes:

[Stratus_Power]

he's my uncle! only relative in edmonton (im at UofA), so i go to his place almost every weekend/2nd weekend :P sure doesnt seem rich to me haha

[EG STyLeZ]

Bump from the grave! Any other Chem majors out there that have recently graduated and are looking for/have found work?

[hussein]

Do you have degree in chemistry?

[msommers]

Originally posted by lint


Pre-med means nothing. There is no pre-med program. Taking the courses that are listed as requirements for getting into a medical program does not mean pre-med. I just find the term overly used, since 90%+ of students in biological sciences would probably indicate they are pre-med.

Also, going into a bio-sci program thinking it will increase your chances of being accepted is foolish. And it is a really shitty degree to have fall back on if you don't get in. I thought chem was pretty bad, but bio-sci is worse, mainly because there are so many more bio-sci graduates flooding out relative to chem graduates. I still remember when I was finishing my degree, all of a sudden there was an influx of students into chem, happened that the majority of them were those who couldn't get into bio-sci and needed a science major.

Also, I have found that the majority of people who claim pre-med don't have a clue as to what it takes to get into med school. The ones with a 3.1 and high hopes. Just reminds me of all the sunshine girls who are going to be doctors or lawyers, etc. Takes more than just talk to get in.

In short, the best approach if that is your goal, take the pre-requisite courses that they list, and fill up the rest of your schedule with the easiest GPA boosters you can possibly find. If your aim is Med school, who cares what degree you get? Better yet, get in before you finish your degree. If your grades are good enough, they don't care about a degree, or volunteer experience, or community involvement, etc. And as long as you don't interview like a retard, you should be a shoo in.

Holy crap old thread much! Still very relevant though, and I'm in the exact same situation. Too many think Bio Sci and H&S are pre-meds, it's so stupid. Lots of people interested in med school go into the sciences because it is related information and that's it. But the reality of it is, not even a quarter of all the people wanting to get in, are even going to get an interview. Probably myself included. I had high hopes of going to med school but with a 3.3x, it's not gonna happen. Thinking of switching over to Geology as it still interests me but I can be done school quicker, get a job and leave home sooner. Too many good potential doctors are turned away, only because someone had a .1 better GPA than they did. I'm off by way more than that compared to the mass majority of applicants but it's just a point.

[EG STyLeZ]

Originally posted by hussein
Do you have degree in chemistry?

No, but I should pretty soon here and just wanted some feedback :thumbsup:

[Schwa]

Originally posted by msommers

Too many good potential doctors are turned away, only because someone had a .1 better GPA than they did. I'm off by way more than that compared to the mass majority of applicants but it's just a point.

The line has to be drawn somewhere, and no matter where that line is the people who barely make it will always complain so it doesn't matter. The marking system is flawed though when you consider that percentage marks are converted to letter grades which are converted again back to numbers. I'd like to see it on a continuous scale rather than finite leaps in GPA.

I tutor high school so I see a lot of people aspiring to be doctors. It's sad that those who don't make it though, usually end up with a science degree that doesn't seem to take them anywhere.

[TimG]

I have degrees in Physics, so my opinions are slightly biased :)

if you do a B.Sc in physics you're getting the best of everything (except bio sciences.) As Rutherford said, "in science there is only physics. everything else is stamp collecting."

you'll get exposure to the experimental and theoretical side of physics. You'll probably also get a very strong background in programming as well as design of experiments, electronics, optics/photonics, solid state, etc. The most important thing you'll learn is problem solving and this can be applied to any job. The very nature of a physics degree makes you extremely flexible in whatever job you get. I've made transitions into 3 different fields which were totally unrelated. I've worked at Nortel, NRC in Ottawa, the Chemistry department at UBC and now a tech company in town.

I think a killer combination would be to have a B.Sc or M.Sc in physics along with an MBA.

[lint]

Originally posted by msommers


Holy crap old thread much! Still very relevant though, and I'm in the exact same situation. Too many think Bio Sci and H&S are pre-meds, it's so stupid. Lots of people interested in med school go into the sciences because it is related information and that's it. But the reality of it is, not even a quarter of all the people wanting to get in, are even going to get an interview. Probably myself included. I had high hopes of going to med school but with a 3.3x, it's not gonna happen. Thinking of switching over to Geology as it still interests me but I can be done school quicker, get a job and leave home sooner. Too many good potential doctors are turned away, only because someone had a .1 better GPA than they did. I'm off by way more than that compared to the mass majority of applicants but it's just a point.

as I eluded to in another post, no one is debating that there are probably more capable doctors out there than there are spots for. But considering the sheer number of people who apply, there has to be something that separates out the cream of the crop. Interviewing every applicant would be insane and an absolute waste of time and resources.

Can you imagine if they help open auditions for med school like they do for American Idol? Most people have no business thinking they can sing, just like most applicants have no business thinking they can be a doc. Just cause your friends/family think you can be, doesn't make it so.

[lint]

Originally posted by TimG

I think a killer combination would be to have a B.Sc or M.Sc in physics along with an MBA.

A better combination is BSc with Law. Intellectual property anyone?

BSc and MBA would be overshadowed by BEngg and MBA.

[lint]

Originally posted by EG STyLeZ


No, but I should pretty soon here and just wanted some feedback :thumbsup:

so has anything changed much? I'm assuming you're graduating from the UofC. So are there still an unusually high number of females (and decent looking ones to boot) since they can't get into Bio Sci, CMMB, etc? Which also led to lower class averages. What's the number in your graduating class? How many are going on to post graduate programs? How many are switching after the fact and pursuing another degree like geo or chem eng? And how many will actually have a job upon graduation?

[Super_Geo]

Originally posted by TimG
I have degrees in Physics, so my opinions are slightly biased :)

if you do a B.Sc in physics you're getting the best of everything (except bio sciences.) As Rutherford said, "in science there is only physics. everything else is stamp collecting."

you'll get exposure to the experimental and theoretical side of physics. You'll probably also get a very strong background in programming as well as design of experiments, electronics, optics/photonics, solid state, etc. The most important thing you'll learn is problem solving and this can be applied to any job. The very nature of a physics degree makes you extremely flexible in whatever job you get. I've made transitions into 3 different fields which were totally unrelated. I've worked at Nortel, NRC in Ottawa, the Chemistry department at UBC and now a tech company in town.

I think a killer combination would be to have a B.Sc or M.Sc in physics along with an MBA.

I'll vouch for physics!

I got an eng phys degree and it's opened a few doors I would've never thought of... like investment banking. Haha too bad I enjoy my youth too much to work 80+ hour weeks...

And yeah, I'm also thinking about getting an MBA if I don't stick around in project management for 3 more years to get my PMP designation. I think the P.Eng PMP or P.Eng MBA combo could be pretty sick down the road...