How to: Second Year Medical Sciences at Western, Part 1 — Course Selection
This article is the first instalment of the “How to: Second Year Medical Sciences at Western” series co-authored by Jason Wang and Liangchi Zhou. To see the rest of the series and learn more about the purpose/authorship of these articles, click here.
Around May/June, you’ll probably begin thinking about what courses you want to take in second year. At the end of high school you chose your courses for first year, which were quite limited. Second year gives you a bit more flexibility, but with that comes the burden of having more choices to make. We’ll highlight a few important points here regarding certain science courses, as well as provide a few tips about course selection in general. Make sure to do your own research too!
The first and perhaps easiest step is to add all your required courses to your second year schedule. Depending on which area of Med Sci you want to pursue, this batch of required courses may vary. We recommend you first consider the course prerequisites you need for your desired discipline (see here).
For most disciplines, you’ll need some mix of the six core courses* we’re going to be discussing next. Maybe your program only requires some of them, or maybe you’d have to take an additional course or two on top of the core six. Feel free to skip over the ones that don’t apply to you.
*A couple notable exceptions are the Chemical Biology and Medical Biophysics (Clinical Concentration) Honours Specialization degrees, which differ quite substantially in their prerequisites.
The “Core Six”.
Biochemistry 2280A: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (first semester exclusive). This is your traditional introductory course on biochemistry. It includes an exploration of the structure/function of proteins, DNA, carbs, and lipids, as well as some topics on metabolism and modern technological advancements. Many students have expressed that they feel this is a content-heavy course (although topics are only explored in moderate depth).
Chemistry 2213A: Organic Chemistry for Life Sciences (first semester exclusive). Some of the topics covered in this course include acid/base chemistry, stereochemistry, reactions undergone by different functional groups, and some structural elucidation techniques. This course can be quite challenging at first, but working your way through practice problems will improve your understanding significantly!
→ There are also five labs scattered throughout the semester (similar to first year chem courses) where you will be applying ideas discussed in lectures to real-life experiments.
Biology 2382B: Cell Biology (second semester exclusive). Cell biology covers concepts like vesicular transport, cell cycle control, microtubules, and cell membrane biology. Similar to biochem, it covers a large number of topics in moderate depth, promoting “bigger picture understanding”. A large portion of past students indicated that cell biology was a course they performed well in compared to their other classes, although solid study habits are still key.
→ While your student center may indicate that there is a tutorial for this course, this has actually been substituted in recent years with optional Q&A sessions throughout the semester.
Biology 2581B: Genetics (second semester exclusive). Unlike some of the other courses we’ve discussed so far, genetics goes in-depth into a smaller number of select topics. Genome structure, mutation, developmental genetics, and cancer are some of the major ideas covered in lectures/readings. Past students have almost unanimously agreed that genetics is one of the more difficult courses to achieve success in. An intricate memory, understanding, and application of the content is required, and is achieved through constant reinforcement and diagnosing your weaknesses. As one student said in their response, “it’ll be more effort, but you can do it!”
→ There are roughly four tutorials for this course (which teach additional testable content) scattered throughout the semester.
Biology 2290F/G: Scientific Method in Biology (offered both semesters). As you can see from the course code, methods is an essay course that focuses largely on the different aspects of interpreting/producing scientific literature, experimental design, and laboratory techniques. This will likely be your first taste of a “lab course”, where instead of traditional midterms (there are none!) you’ll be completing a series of assignments and lab quizzes.
Biology (or Statistical Sciences) 2244A/B: Statistics for Science (offered both semesters). Let’s start by addressing the most commonly asked question about this course. What’s the difference between Biology 2244 and Statistical Sciences 2244? For all intensive purposes, there is no difference! Take whichever one you’d like- you’re going to be sitting in the same lecture hall and writing the same evaluations regardless.
Stats was restructured a few years ago and, as many upper year students indicated in their feedback, may not be what you expect. There is less of a focus on math/calculations and more emphasis on conceptual understanding and critical thinking. A few students in particular stated they found it analogous to Biology 1001/1002 in the way concepts were tested.
→ Labs take the form of TA help sessions for the various assignments you’ll need to complete throughout the semester.
The Rest of Your Second Year Courses.
Okay, so now you have your six (give or take) core courses required for your particular degree(s) of interest. What else should you be taking? We’d be here forever if we went into as much detail as we did with the previous six, so we’re just going to give you a few tidbits of information that may help with your decision.
A Few Other Core Courses You May Need
We’ll first be offering a few suggestions of other courses you may need for your program that weren’t discussed previously. Remember that even if you don’t plan on pursuing any of these degrees, you can still take the courses listed below as electives!
Select chemistry courses (Chemistry 2211A, Chemistry 2214B, Chemistry 2271A, etc.): These are additional core courses you’ll need to take if you plan on entering the Chemical Biology Honours Spec. module.
Select physics and math courses (Physics 2101A, Mathematics 1600B, Calculus 2303B/2503B, etc.): These are some of your core courses if you plan on entering the Medical Biophysics (Clinical Concentration) Honours Spec. Module.
Select computer science courses (Computer Science 2120A/B, Computer Science 2121A/B, etc.): These may be required for a few degrees in Medical Health Informatics, Medical Biophysics (Medical Sciences Concentration), etc. Specific courses required vary by degree (check the academic calendar for specifics!)
Chemistry 2223B: a continuation of Chemistry 2213A, discussed earlier. Required for many medical sciences degrees (Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Medical Cell Biology, etc.). If you are considering applying to medical or dental schools in the states, this is a valuable course to take. In addition, it gives you access to the Medicinal Chemistry 3393B course, which many students have praised.
Microbiology and Immunology 2500 A/B: required for a number of degrees in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Course covers the immune system, bacteriology, virology, and parasitology (kind of gross at times, but pretty cool).
Epidemiology 2200B: required for most degrees in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
Electives
We also asked students to let us know which electives they decided to take during their second year. Below are some of the most popular choices- use these as guidance, but remember that elective courses provide an opportunity for you to explore something new or interesting. They’re called “electives” for a reason, so take whatever you’d like!
Language Courses:
English 1020E: Understanding Literature Today
English 1027F: Storyteller’s Art I: Introduction to Narrative
English 1028G: Storyteller’s Art II: Topics in Narrative
English 2033E: Children’s Literature
Other Language Courses (Arabic 1030, Japanese 1036, etc.)
Science Courses
Biology 2601A/B: Organismal Physiology
Geography 2152G: Geography of Hazards
Pharmacology 2060B: Introduction to Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Physiology 2130: Introduction to Human Physiology
Social Science/Classical Studies Courses
Classics 2200: Greek and Roman Mythology
Classics 2300: Sports & Recreation in the Ancient World
Psychology 2032 A/B: The Psychology of Crime and Corrections
Computer Sciences/Math Courses
Computer Science 2120A: Computing & Informatics
Computer Science 2121B: Data Structures & Algorithms
Math 1229 A/B: Methods of Matrix Algebra
Some thoughts on course selection.
We’re going to end off with a few tips/caveats regarding course selection which may be worth considering (stemming from some feedback from upper year students!):
Decide sooner rather than later… This should go without saying, but it’s good to map out your classes as soon as the class times for the next school term are released. This gives you the most time to figure out what courses you want/need to take, how your schedule’s going to look, etc. Don’t leave it to the last minute! To start putting together your schedule, visit DraftMySchedule.
Morning classes… Keep in mind that you are most likely going to be living off-campus and therefore further away from your classes than you were last year. It’s going to be harder to roll out of bed in the morning to attend those 8:30’s, so really consider if you’re a morning person or not! Don’t let it stop you from taking that awesome class though.
Consecutive classes… While its effectiveness varies from person to person, many students have recommended “stacking” their classes back to back. While it’s nice to have gaps in between to relax/study, most people found that getting them over with all together was more efficient for them. This allows you to end your day or go home earlier!
Graduation requirements… While taking courses you find interesting will maximize your enjoyment of university, make sure you also double check your graduation requirements to take all the prerequisites and depth/breadth courses (i.e: category A, B, and C) you need. If you need any specific courses for grad school, make sure you fit those into your schedule too!
Keep an eye out for your enrollment window… In late June, students should start checking their student centers for their “course enrollment window” (you’ll probably remember doing this last year). This window is when you’ll have to log on to the student center and submit which courses you’d like to take the following year. Don’t miss out on this!
Closing Remarks.
Well, that’s all we’ve got for you in terms of course selection. To sum it up: do your research, pick the courses/time slots that you need to take and work for you, and do it as early as possible! We hope you’re feeling a little more prepared now heading into your second year of Med Sci at Western.
This was part 1 of the “How to: Second Year Medical Sciences at Western” article series. To jump to part 2 on honing some of your study habits, click here.
