<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>I've been accepted in the Life Sciences department in McGill university and I will surely enter the Anatomy and Cell Biology program next year. As a french student, I really don't know what to expect, so here are a few questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>How many hours of classes will I get per week ?</li>
<li>As most of the students entering the program, my goal is to enter into a faculty of medicine. As I will have to get a GPA of over 3.8, I would like to know how hard it is to get this GPA in this program.</li>
</ul>
<p>Thanks in advance ! </p>
<p>Based on the opinions of various McGill representatives and students, I have concluded that it is rather difficult to maintain a GPA above 3.7. While it’s not impossible, you will have to work quite hard throughout your undergrad years and be quite consistent. </p>
<p>That being said, because McGill is so well known as a university for its grade-deflation policy, most medical/grad schools will take that into account when they consider your McGill GPA.</p>
<p>Agree with upapilot above. My child is completing her second year as a student in the science faculty, and her transcript lists the class average for each of her classes. All are B, B+ class averages with an occasional B-. A’s are certainly attainable but I wouldn’t expect them across the board.</p>
<p>Hi Jayzpeer, </p>
<p>Congrats on being accepted! I just graduated McGill with a BS Pharmacology so perhaps I can offer a little insight on the life sci program.</p>
<p>First off, while McGill’s grading is difficult, the advantage to being a life sci student is that you won’t really experience grade deflation. Most of the science courses are objectively assessed with multiple choice tests, so your grade is relatively correlated with how much you study (unlike some arts courses that have a very subjective grading scheme). However, the courses are challenging and maintaining a 3.8 is difficult, but not impossible.</p>
<p>In terms of Anat/ Cell bio, I’ve heard that it’s the easiest major, but I think it’s because it’s more of a rote-memorization based major. I’ve also heard that the major is only about 20% anatomy and the majority just molecular biology. </p>
<p>In terms of coursework, all lecture based classes will be 3h/ week, and labs will vary in length. Usually you’ll have 15 credits of classes per semester, which roughly amounts to 3-4 lecture based classes and 1-2 labs. So you’re probably looking at 15-20h spent in class per week. </p>
<p>Feel free to message me with any other questions. I’m happy to help. </p>