I chose the University of Calgary because it offered a lot of perks. It has always been a dream of mine to go into medical school in Canada, and a strong undergrad program is an essential requirement. UofC Neuroscience is top-notch, and is a small cohort of highly motivated, intelligent individuals, as only 30 are accepted each year. It is ultra competitive, but worth it as I wanted to be with other like-minded people who were striving for the same goals as me. Additionally, this program has guaranteed research funding, and getting a research position is really simple ( a perk not offered in other science programs), so this definitely stuck out to me. Additionally, having an opportunity to do a Honours thesis on a field of neuroscience in my 4th yr sounded really cool to me.
Course Curriculum :
The course curriculum is outstanding in my opinion. It is top-tier and well rounded. In my first yr, I get exposure to all branches of science, including physics, math, psychology, biology, neuroscience, chemistry, computer science, and more. The professors are amazing and genuinely care about their students, and want them to succeed. The curriculum itself is modern and covers a wide range of concepts, all of which are relevant to modern academia, and can be used to fulfill any grad school or professional school requirements. UofC is a top 10 school in Canada, and recognized internationally, so academics here is a strong suit.
Exams :
The minimum average you need for my program is about a 95%. Early admission standard was 96% for Honours Neuroscience, whilst regular admission was 95%. For other science programs it is possible to get in with mid to high 80s. They look at your 3 highest science marks (ex: chemistry, biology, physics), as well as pre-calculus, calculus, englishes, and an approved option.
Placement :
There are several research placements, internships, and work-study placements one can do. I believe starting salaries are atleast $1500 CAD per month, however it is possible to earn more. I am not too sure about the actual placement processes and companies that recruit, however being a top-tier school, I'm assuming high-class companies are the ones recruiting.
Events :
Although this year was online, and I was not able to experience campus life, infrastructure events, and extra curricular events fully, I still had a great time socially. There are lots of clubs, sports teams, volunteering opportunities available for students to meet people and get involved on campus. The libraries are massive, and have all sorts of cool opportunities. Additionally, sport facilities are top-tier, we had stadiums, football fields, gyms, and even our own skating rink ("Canada's fastest ice") as well as a running track.
Scholarship :
At UofC, I got the presidential scholarship worth $5000 CAD (for all students with an admission average of 95%+). Additionally, I got a scholarship worth $3500 called the Jean Owen Scholarship, which is given to people who have great extracurriculars (about 5 given per year). To apply for this scholarship, I submitted the general UofC awards application form detailing my sports/athletic awards, volunteering, leadership skills, and other extracurriculars I was in.
Faculty :
The faculty to student ratio is about 23:1. which is quite well. The faculty and staff are very well educated, they genuinely care about us, and want us to succeed. They are compassionate and understanding of our problems. Richard Wilson and Kathleen Hughes are two profs I have this semester, and they are amazing. Super unique individuals who want to make a difference in the learning undergrad students have.
Hostel :
I live off-campus in my own house. However I know there are lots of amazing accomodation facilities available. There are rooms on campus, however there is an area near UofC called Brentwood (as well as other neighbourhoods) which have really cheap rentals, all within walking distance of campus and other amenities like the gym, grocery stores, etc..
