Selecting your major can be majorly intimidating. What if you make the wrong choice, or inadvertently close doors to future opportunities?
McGill’s Biomedical, Biological, and Life Sciences program offers a menu of seven majors for undergraduates to choose from: Anatomy & Cell Biology (ACB), Biochemistry, Biology, Microbiology & Immunology (MIMM), Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Physiology, and Psychology.
In contrast, the University of Toronto (UofT) offers a dizzying 20 Life Sciences majors and 21 specialist programs. Concordia University offers three primary Life Science majors with a variety of honours and specializations. What’s the Goldilocks number?
Students shared how they navigate McGill’s options in a survey distributed by The Tribune.
Some of McGill’s majors combine concentrations that other universities keep independent, often pushing students to study subjects they are less keen on.
“I don’t enjoy some of my courses that are more organismal biology-focused. I wish that there was more specificity within Biology, so that I wouldn’t have to take as many courses that didn’t interest me,” said Emma Helman, U3 Biology.
On the other hand, combining subjects can help to make sure students receive a comprehensive education.
“There’s no harm in having a foundation in complementary disciplines, especially at the undergraduate level,” Dr. Campbell Rolian, Associate Professor in McGill’s ACB department, said in an interview with The Tribune. He pointed to how the course variety produces well-rounded dossiers.
Some students agreed on the benefits of broadness.
“It makes sense that [microbiology and immunology] are grouped together. You can study what makes you sick (i.e., microbiology) and how your body combats that sickness (i.e., immunology). They’re two sides of the same coin,” Andrew Dayton, U3 MIMM, shared in the survey.
However, Dayton and others expressed that McGill isn’t capitalizing on this opportunity by highlighting the connections and interdependencies between the subjects they group into the seven Life Sciences majors.
“I assumed that [anatomy and cell biology] were lumped together for a reason, and that there would be some continuity. I have not seen any connections made between the content in my anatomy-focused courses and my cell biology-focused courses,” said Emily Foxman, U3 ACB.
Whether McGill is taking full advantage of the combined majors, having a broader major allows students to explore within the field.
“It’s rare that you come in and know what you want to study,” Rolian noted.
This was true for Sebastian Sangha, U2 Biology.
“Having the chance to explore different parts of biology was helpful to me figuring out where I wanted to specialize,” he said in the survey.
Students also noted some gaps in the selection of majors offered by McGill.
“I would like to go into research or academia for molecular genetics. A Molecular Genetics major would have prepared me a lot more,” explained an anonymous U3 ACB student.
Elsewhere in Canada, UofT offers Fundamental Genetics and Genome Biology majors. McMaster and Queen’s have popular Health Sciences programs; the University of Western Ontario offers a Bachelor of Medical Sciences.
Foxman expressed interest in learning about health and medical sciences programs because her ACB major critically does not require any courses on social aspects of health. McGill is in the works of developing a Global Health undergraduate program, but its inaugural year has yet to be announced.
Majors are never glass-slipper fits, but Rolian had words of reassurance.
“You’re a whole package. Do your best in the absence of a stamp on your degree that says exactly what you focused on,” Rolian said.
Essentially, do some elective shopping; shape your transcript to reflect personal interests.
“Grad school recruiters usually do their due diligence and look at your transcript in more granular detail,” Rolian said.
Comparing degree planning between universities is an apples-to-oranges situation. Precisely what faculties offer depends on many variables. Rolian suggested that historical contingencies, faculty research interests, and economies of scale play a significant role.
“There’s no way to standardize curriculum and quality to meet the interests of every student,” Rolian said.
