ITR for Year 3 BMSc

If you are registered in Medical Sciences 2 and do not submit an ITR by the deadline, then the Office of the Registrar will submit an ITR for you for Year 3 (BA) Undeclared in the Faculty of Science.

If you are registered in a program other than Medical Sciences 2 and do not submit an ITR by the deadline, then the Office of the Registrar will push in an ITR for you for Year 3 in exactly the same degree and module(s) as you are registered in Year 2.

AND:

• you will not be considered for admission to Year 3 BMSc during the May adjudication period,
  
  
• you will need to submit a Change of Status request after the adjudication period to the Academic Advising Office in NCB 280 (by the deadline posted on their website) if you wish to be considered for late admission to Year 3 BMSc,
  
  
• you will not be admitted to an Honours Specialization module if the module reached maximum capacity during the May adjudication period (i.e. is listed as FULL for Year 3 in the chart of Minimum Averages for Admission to Honours Specialization Modules) even if your average on the 2000-level Admission Requirements is higher than the posted minimum average, and
  
  
• your ability to register in basic medical science courses may be adversely affected.

If you are admitted to Year 3 BMSc in late June, then every attempt will be made to register you in a module(s) that gives you as much access as possible to the courses in which you would like to register for Year 3. There are some modules in which you may not be permitted to register via the Change of Status process due to the spaces reserved in laboratory courses (e.g. modules in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, Pharmacology, Physiology).

If you are not registered in a module that gives you priority access to courses that you would like to take, then you will have to wait until the priorities lift and the reserved spaces disappear later in July to register in the course (if space remains).

*Watch Kathy Boon's video* from a few years ago about how to submit an ITR and then look at the information below.

Login to Student Center. Select the Academics tile and then the Program Status tile. Select the Intent to Register Form. Login to Western One Experience.

Go to Student Center

If the online ITR process does not work for you, then go to the BMSUE Question Portal, choose your student group from the list on the left-hand side, select Intent to Register and let us know the issue in the section to submit your questions. Paste a screenshot of the error that you received when trying to submit your ITR.

Once into the ITR Form:

• choose your intended course load: select Full-time and then click on Continue
  
  
• select your faculty: click on the drop-down arrow and select "Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry" as your faculty, and then click on Continue
  
  
• choose your degree: click on the drop-down arrow and choose either "Bachelor of Medical Sciences" or "Bachelor of Medical Sciences - Western Scholars", and then click on Continue
  
  • if you select Bachelor of Medical Sciences - Western Scholars, then a pop-up box will appear to inform you of the minimum marks that must be achieved each year to earn the Western Scholars designation (click on OK). If you are not eligible for the Western Scholars designation, then you will still be considered for Year 3 BMSc with the module(s) you submitted during ITR
    
    
• choose your degree, again, to distinguish between an Honours degree and a 4 Year (non-honours) degree:
  
  • you should pick Honours Bachelor of Medical Sciences since every student who is eligible for Year 3 BMSc should be eligible for an Honours BMSc degree
    
    
• choose the type of Module(s): click on the drop-down arrow to select the type of module or combination of modules that you would like to pick for next year:
  • Honours Specialization (by itself or with either a Major or Minor module), OR
  • Honours Major + Major (Double Majors)
    
    
• choose the specific module(s): click on the drop-down arrow to pick the specific module, e.g. Honours Specialization in Physiology and Pharmacology, that you want as your First Choice
  • if you select Honours Major + Major, you have to choose both Majors from two drop-down boxes
    
    
• after you click on Continue, but before you click on Confirm, you should be able to go back and make changes. After you click on Confirm and then want to change your selection, you have to exit the ITR process and submit a new ITR
  
  
• click on Confirm if your selection is correct

To submit a Second Choice, repeat the process above. We recommend selecting BMSc as your Second Choice, too (see strategies for submitting ITR).

You can submit your online ITR as many times as you want but the last ITR you submit on or before March 31st will be the one that "sticks".

Students forget to select Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry as their faculty!

*Watch Kathy Boon's video* about what you should consider when submitting ITR for Year 3 BMSc, and then read the information below.

You should think about:

• which module(s) you may want to complete (either an Honours Specialization module or Double Majors), and
  
  
• which courses you have to/might want to take in Year 3 BMSc.

The key objective for ITR for Year 3 BMSc is to make sure that you submit good First and Second Choices
so that you will end up registered in a module or modules that give you priority access to the courses you need/want to take in Year 3.

To maximize the likelihood that you will have priority access to the courses you want to take:

• check priority "Access to Courses" to see if the module(s) you are requesting for both your First and Second ITR Choices will give your good access to the courses that you want to take
  
  
• consider adding a basic medical science Major or Minor module to your request for an Honours Specialization module if registration in this additional Major or Minor gives you access to other basic medical science courses that you may want to take in Year 3. You can remove this Major or Minor when you submit your ITR for Year 4
  
  
• check the chart of Averages required for Admission to Honours Specialization modules to get an idea of the average of the last person admitted to these modules during the adjudication periods for the past few years

Consider this example in which you select an Honours Specialization in Physiology as your First Choice and an Honours Specialization in Microbiology and Immunology as your Second Choice:

• situation: when your ITR choices and final marks are reviewed in May, your average on the courses listed in the 2000-level Admission Requirements is not high enough to get you into the Honours Specialization in Physiology. You are admitted to the Honours Specialization in Microbiology and Immunology but you want to take courses in Year 3 to keep the Honours Specialization in Physiology open as a possibility for Year 4.
  
  
• problem: when you try to register for courses during the summer, you get an error message and cannot register for courses such as Physiology 3120 and Physiology and Pharmacology 3000E. Since students in an Honours Specialization in Microbiology and Immunology do not have priority access for these courses, you have to wait until the priority lifts later in July to register for these courses (if spaces remain).
  
  
• to avoid issues with registering for courses: submit a better Second Choice, one that does not limit your priority access to courses that you want to take. In this situation, you would have been better off to select either (i) Honours Specialization in Microbiology and Immunology + a Major in Physiology or (ii) Double Majors (Major in Physiology + Major in Microbiology and Immunology) to have priority access to both Physiology and Micro Imm courses during online registration.

Note: you can register in Double Majors in Year 3 and then request an Honours Specialization module in Year 4.
Likewise, you can register in an Honours Specialization + a Major for Year 3 with no intention of completing the Major (you can request only the Honours Specialization module when going into Year 4). Being registered in certain modules does not mean that you have to register in the courses for these modules in Year 3.

Other departments post information about priority access to courses only in the online Fall/Winter Academic Timetable in the notes section beside each course.

As long as you take the "right" courses in Year 3 BMSc and your marks are sufficiently high, you can choose whatever module(s) you want in Year 4. See Course Selection for Year 3 BMSc.

If you want to graduate with an Honours degree,
then you need to complete either an Honours Specialization or Double Majors.

If your career path does not require or prefer that you graduate with an Honours degree,
then we still recommend that you pursue an Honours degree and complete either an Honours Specialization or Double Majors. You may find, down the road, that you need an Honours degree for wherever it is that life takes you.

We do not encourage students to complete a Specialization in IMS since this module leads to graduation with a non-honours degree.

See more about Honours Specialization or Double Majors? or Specialization?

No, Western Scholars and Scholar's Electives are NOT the same thing.

• The Scholar's Electives program beings in first year and students take Scholar's Electives courses in each of Years 1-4. Students cannot join the SE program after first year.
  
  
• Western Scholars is a designation to recognize academic achievment that is noted on official transcripts and degree diplomas. Students request the Western Scholars designation when submitting their ITR for Year 3 and/or 4 BMSc. Details about the academic requirements are posted in the Academic Calendar.

We recommend that you select a BMSc degree as your Second Choice for the following reasons:

• if your First Choice is BMSc with an Honours Specialization but the average on your 2000-level Admission Requirements is not high enough to secure a spot in this particular Honours Specialization module AND your Second Choice is BSc with a module(s) for which you are eligible, then we cannot admit you to Year 3 BMSc!  We have to send your adjudication form to the department offering your Second Choice
  
  
• if you are not eligible for your First Choice and your Second Choice is also a BMSc degree and you satisfy the mimumum requirements to be registered in a BMSc degree, we will admit you to your Second Choice if you are eligible. If not, we will register you Double Majors within the BMSc program, depending on marks, etc.
  
  NOTES:
  
  
  • if your First Choice is an Honours Specialization module that turns out to be more competitive than the Honours Specialization that you indicate as your Second Choice (i.e., admission to the Honours Specialization of your First Choice requires a higher average on the 2000-level Admission Requirements than the Honours Specialization of your Second Choice), then you do not miss out on being admitted to the Honours Specialization of your Second Choice. You will be considered for admission to the Honours Specialization of your Second Choice along with the students who submitted this particular Honours Specialization module as their First Choice.
    
    
  • If your First Choice is an Honors Specialization in Pharmacology, Physiology, or Physiology and Pharmacology, then do NOT select another of these Honors Specialization modules as your Second Choice. Since these three Honours Specialization modules are pooled together, if you are not eligible for one of them in Year 3 then you will not be eligible for any of them in Year 3.
    NOTE: A good Second Choice would be the Honours Specialization in IMS and either the Major in Pharmacology or Physiology. Both the Major in Pharmacology and the Major in Physiology provide the same (good) access to Physiology 3120 and 3140A and decent access to PhysPharm 3000E, whereas the Major in Pharmacology also provides good access to Pharmacology 3620. Being registered in the Honours Specialization in IMS In Year 3 provides you with access to limited (sometimes very limited) spots in many basic medical science courses and great access to Medical Sciences 3990E but no access to PhysPharm 3000E. Being registered in the Major in either Pharmacology or Physiology, as well, gives you better access to Pharm, Physiol and Phys Pharm courses. Although you will not likely register for both the Honours Specialization in IMS and a Major for Year 4, being registered in this combination of modules in Year 3 is helpful for course registration (greater access to Physiology and Pharmacology courses in Year 3 and great access to Medical Sciences 3990E - keeping in mind that a lab course, e.g., either Medical Sciences 3990E or Phys Pharm 3000E is needed in Year 3 to keep open the Honours Specialization in IMS for Year 4). A Major in IMS + a Major in Pharmacology (or Physiology) in Year 3 gives the same access to Physiology and Pharmacology courses as the Honours Specialization in IMS + a Major in Pharmacology but the Honours Specialization in IMS is required to register in Medical Sciences 3990E.
    
    
  • Submitting your ITR for Year 4 for Honours Specialization modules offered by the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology - if you take Pharmacology 3620 in third year, then you should likely submit two Honours Specialization modules offered by this department as you two ITR choices. See ITR for Year 4 BMSc.

If you do not want the BMSUE Office to exhaust all possiblities in the BMSc Program and you want to be registered in a BSc degree if you do not get admitted to the Honours Specialization module (or Double Majors) indicated as your First Choice, then select BSc as your Second Choice.

Keep in mind that you MUST be registered in Year 3 BMSc to be allowed to move onto Year 4 BMSc.

As soon as you submit your First Choice for ITR, if is our understanding that you'll be sent an email message from the Office of the Registrar with your First Choice for ITR displayed over a few lines. These lines represent your faculty, degree type and module(s), as in the example below:

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry - your faculty
Honours Bachelor of Medical Sciences - your degree
Honours Specialization in Biochemistry and Cell Biology - your module

After submitting your Second Choice for ITR, you'll be sent another email message from the Office of the Registrar with your Second Choice for ITR displayed over a few lines, as in the example below:

Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry - your faculty
Honours Bachelor of Medical Sciences - your degree
Major in Biochemistry - one of your Major modules
Major in Medical Cell Biology - the other Major module

The email messages do NOT indicate which is your First Choice and which is your Second Choice.
You can figure out which email indicates your your First Choice since this email will be sent before the email about your Second Choice - check when the email was sent!

DO NOT ask the BMSUE Coordinators or the Academic Counselling Office to confirm that you ITR was submitted and what you submitted as your choices.

If both your First and Second Choices are BMSc but you are not eligible for the modules you have selected for these choices, then we will look at every Double Major combination within the BMSc program to see if there is something within BMSc for which you are eligible AND would give you good/decent access to the courses that you wish to take next fall/winter (your ITR choices inform us of what courses you want to take). Many students think that you will be assigned to an Honours Specialization in IMS but this is not the case. Double Majors provide better access to the courses that students have indicated they want to take (via their First and Second ITR choices). Students will not be considered for alternative Honours Specialization modules in Year 3 BMSc unless they request these modules during ITR.

Example: if you request an Honors Specialization in Physiology as your First Choice and an Honors Specialization in Microbiology and Immunology as your Second Choice but do not get admitted to either of them for Year 3, then:

• you will be admitted to a BMSc (Honors) degree with a Major in Physiology + a Major in Microbiology and Immunology (if you are eligible for this set of Double Majors)
  
  
• because these Double Majors give you a certain amount of priority access to the 3000-level Physiology and Microbiology and Immunology courses that you would need to take to apply for either of these Honors Specialization modules for Year 4. As long as the number of students in the Major does not exceed the number of spaces in the lecture-based courses, spaces are often reserved for all students in the Major. There are fewer spaces in the lab courses, however, and the Majors do not provide the same level of access to these courses as the Honours Specialization in that subject area.
  
  
• but you do NOT have to take the courses for both a Major in Physiology and a Major in Microbiology and Immunology in Year 3. You will take the courses in Year 3 that are required for admission to the Honors Specialization module you really want for Year 4. See Course Selection for Year 3.

Keep in mind that any student in Year 3 BMSc can apply for admission to any Honors Specialization module in Year 4, provided they complete the "right" courses in Year 3 and have a competitive Weighted Average:

• the "right" courses are those outlined in the Weighted Average Chart
• a competitive Weighted Average is an average on the courses listed in the Weighted Average Chart that places you within the specified number of students who are admitted to the Honours Specialization module in Year 4 (see the chart of Minimum Averages required for admission to Honors Specialization modules)

If you are NOT eligible for Year 3 BMSc, then:

• you will be adjudicated into a BSc degree for Year 3, often with one basic medical science Major + a Major in Biology
  
  
• you can submit a request to the Academic Counselling Office in NCB 280 to tweak your module(s) within Year 3 BSc after the adjudication period in May but before online registration begins for Fall/Winter courses. The Academic Counselling Office will not revise your modules if you have priority access to the courses in which you wish to register based on the modules assigned during the adjudication period (e.g., Major in Biology provides priority access to the same courses as Honours Specialization in Biology). The Academic Counselling will not permit you to change a basic medical science Major (e.g., Major in Medical Sciences) to a different basic medical science Major (e.g., Major in Physiology) for Year 3.
  
  
• you will not be permitted, however, to apply to the BMSc program again in the future unless you submit an Appeal for Year 4 BMSc immediately after Year 2 and your appeal is granted.

Students admitted to Year 3 BMSc will be assigned to modules during the adjudication period in May, based on their Intent to Register choices. Once assigned to their modules, students in Year 3 BMSc may not change their modules within the BMSc Program for Year 3. During the Intent to Register period in Year 3, students will submit their Intent to Register for the modules in which they wish to register for Year 4.

Immediately following the adjudication period in May, the BMSUE Office notifies the Office of the Registrar about the manner in which the spaces are to be reserved in the 2000- and 3000-level laboratory and lecture courses offered by the basic medical science departments. Since moving students to different modules would impact the spaces reserved in courses for students already assigned to these modules, revisions to the basic medical science modules are not permitted for Year 3.

Students admitted to Year 3 BMSc who wish to switch out of the BMSc Program and into a BSc degree may submit a request to the Academic Counselling Office via their Help Portal. Adding a Major offered by the basic medical science depatments will not be permitted, however, unless the student was registered in the Major prior to switching to a BSc degree.

The requirements for Admission to the BMSc Program are located in the Academic Calendar.

• check the conditions that students in Medical Sciences 2 must satisfy to be assured admission to Year 3 BMSc, and
  
  
• review the conditions that students must meet to be considered for admission to Year 3 BMSc from the competitive pool

Note: that the minimum average required on the 2000-level courses listed in the Admission Requirements for the module to which you apply is an AVERAGE - not a minimum mark in each of the 2000-level courses.

The 2000-level courses listed in the Admission Requirements for the Honours Specialization, Specialization, or Double Major modules that you request during ITR must be completed by the end of Year 2.

The Admission Requirements are listed under each module heading in the Academic Calendar and have been compiled into charts below so that you can see all of the modules at once (this makes it easier to compare the Admission Requirements for the modules):

• Honours Specialization modules
• Double Majors
• Specialization in IMS - see Admission Requirements in the Academic Calendar

• review information on the BMSc website and in the Academic Calendar about the modules offered in the BMSc Program to determine which modules interest you
  
  
• ask departmental counsellors about their modules
  
  
• speak with students at ITR events about their experience in their modules

Once we determine which students are eligible to register in the BMSc Program, we then look at the modules they requested during ITR.

Admission to Double Majors and the Specialization in IMS is not limited
to a certain number of students but students must meet the requirements for admission to BMSc (note that some courses within some of the Majors have particular mark or average requirements embeded in the Major).

Admission to each Honours Specialization module in Year 3 BMSc is limited
to a certain number of students and each of these modules has a maximum capacity.

• all courses listed in the Admission Requirements for an Honours Specialization module must be completed before Year 3
  
  
  • special permission is not given for students to register in these modules without having completed the Admission Requirements
    
    
• the averages achieved on the 2000-level courses listed in the Admission Requirements for the Honours Specialization module are used to determine who is admitted to Year 3 BMSc
  
  
  • if more than 3.5 2000-level courses are listed in the Admission Requirements, then the average is calculated on the best 3.0 of these courses
    
    
• students in Medical Sciences 2 who satisfy the conditions for assured admission receive priority placement in the Honours Specialization modules in Year 3 BMSc
  
  
  • they are admitted to Honours Specialization modules before students from the competitive pool are considered, and
    
    
  • some Honours Specialization modules reach their maximum capacity with students in Medical Sciences 2 who satisfy their conditions for assured admission before students from the competitive pool are considered for admission
    
    
• admission to a particular Honours Specialization module is not assured for any student who is admitted to Year 3 BMSc
  
  
  • some Honours Specialization modules will reach their maximum capacity before all students are considered
    
    
  • students in this situation will be considered for their Second Choices (and alternative modules in BMSc if not eligible for Second Choices)

The average achieved on the 2000-level Admission Requirements is used to determine eligibility for admission to Year 3 BMSc and to the Honours Specialization modules.

As stated in the requirements for admission to Year 3 BMSc from the competitive pool, a minimum average of 75% on these 2000-level courses is required for admission to Year 3 BMSc and, by extension, this is the lowest average that can be achieved by a student to be admitted to an Honours Specialization module in Year 3.

Admission to an Honours Specialization module becomes competitive and requires an average greater than 75% when more qualified students apply for the module than there are spaces in the module. The average of the last student admitted to the module is considered the minimum average required for admission to that module for that year.

Students in Medical Sciences 2 who satisfy their conditions for admission to Year 3 BMSc are admitted to Honours Specialization modules before students who are admitted to Year 3 BMSc from the competitive pool.

Familiarize yourself with the maximum capacity and the minimum averages that students have required for the past few years to secure a spot in each Honours Specialization module.

The average that you achieve on the 2000-level courses listed in the Admission Requirements for the module(s) that you request during Intent to Register is the average that is used to determine your eligibility for Year 3 BMSc and the module(s) you requested during ITR. A minimum mark of 80% is not required in each of these 2000-level courses and the marks that you achieve in optional courses are not included in this average.

If you are in Medical Sciences 2 and you satisfy the conditions for assured admission (which includes a minimum average of 80% on the 2000-level courses listed in the Admission Requirements of the module(s) you requested), then you are guaranteed a spot in Year 3 BMSc (but not the module that you request).

If you are in Medical Sciences 2 and do not satisfy the conditions for assured admission, then you will be considered for admission to Year 3 BMSc as long as you satisfy the conditions for admission from the competitive pool (which includes a miniumum average of 75% on the 2000-level courses listed in the Admission Requirements requirements of the module(s) you requested). Do not panic - see below.

If you are not registered in Medical Sciences 2, then you are not guaranteed a spot in Year 3 BMSc even if you satisfy the conditions for admission from the competitive pool (which includes a miniumum average of 75% on the 2000-level courses listed in the Admission Requirements requirements of the module(s) you requested). Do not panic - see below.

Do not panic because, to date, every student who has satisfied the requirements for admission to Year 3 BMSc from the competitive pool has been admitted to Year 3 BMSc. We are hopeful that this trend will continue.

No, failing a course in second year (or in the summer after second year) means that you will NOT be admitted to Year 3 BMSc.  You cannot repeat second year and re-apply to the BMSc Program since students have to be admitted to the BMSc Program directly after second year. 

Yes, you should submit an ITR for Year 3 BMSc in case you do not get admitted to the HBA program. Make sure that your First Choice is the module(s) in which you would like to be registered and which give you good access to courses you want to take in Year 3. See What Makes a Good Second Choice above.

If you are admitted to HBA1 and want to complete the combined BMSc/HBA program, you will apply for the combined BMSc/HBA program (a.k.a. dual degrees) during HBA1. You do NOT have to select either an Honours Specialization in IMS or Biochemistry for Year 3.

You will submit an application through Ivey for the combined BMSc/HBA Program (referred to as dual degrees by Ivey). The BMSUE Coordinator will be informed of your application and will contact you sometime between February- April to inform you of your eligibility for the BMSc portion of the combined program. If you are eligible, the BMSUE Coordinator will submit an ITR to the Office of the Registrar on your behalf.

Q&A sessions: The BMSUE Coordinators will host Zoom and in-person Q&A sessions for students submitting an ITR for Year 3 BMSc. Dates/times are posted under "ITR Q&A sessions with the BMSUE Coordinators" on the main ITR webpage. 

Other ways to have your questions answered: join the Zoom drop-in sessions that both Kathy and Jen Chambers (BMSUE Coordinator, Interdisciplinary Studies) host throughout March. Waiting rooms are in place for these meetings so that the Coordinator can pull students into the meeting one-at-a-time for a quick but individual conversation. You can book a 15-minute Zoom appointment with to talk about your specific ITR questions. You can also come to the lobby of Med Sci Building on Mondays to have a quick chat with Kathy or Jen. See the details for the ways to "Connect with a BMSUE Coordinator".