Honours in BSc (Physiology) vs General BSc (double major and minor)?

[amp]

Is doing Honours more beneficial and harder to attain a high GPA than in General BSc?

[Dorothy]

yes, of course it is.

[durock21]

Doing an honours degree doesn't give you anything besides a nifty line on your degree. However, an honours degree could be harder or easier. Typically honours degrees give very limited freedom in course selection. If you happen to be very good at your honours degree subject, and can get A's in every physiology course, then being forced to take a whole lot of them would be to your advantage. However if it turns out you're not very good, and can only manage B's while working your tail off...well you get the idea. You can always follow the honours degree requirements and transfer into the degree if you feel you're doing very well, or shy away if you're not. However western canadian med schools don't give a rip what your degree was in.

[fibrillator]

Most Canadian med schools do not give extra points for an honours degree, so there is no direct benefit in that way.

Honours degrees are kind of nice because they are structured and have relevant courses chosen for you. It might be a bit easier to keep a high GPA in a general degree because you have more freedom to take easy options to boost your grades. Note that with a general degree though, you might find yourself spread more thinly between your major/minor subjects.

The purpose of taking a honours degree is to do an research project in that field. The research project is what makes it "honours". Research experience can help your med school application, and maybe give you exposure to a potential career option.

[future_doc]

Proceed into an Honours Program with the utmost caution and a clear idea of what is involved in terms of potential benefits and risks, especially considering your ability to maintain a high/competitive GPA throughout your studies.

In other words, do not bite off more than you can chew.