Welcome to the program!
Welcome to your first year in the Physiology program! U1 is a big step — you’re officially in the major, diving into core courses that will build the foundation for your upper-year studies.
Many of your classes will be shared with other biomedical science students, and it’s normal to feel overwhelmed by the size and pace of the courses at first. We’ve all been there, and PULS is here to support you every step of the way
This page includes student-written overviews and tips for your U1 courses. You’ll also find information about helpful resources like NTCs (Note-Taking Club notes), past exams, and study strategies. If you ever have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out — we’re here to help.
Welcome to the community. You’ve got this.
U1 REQUIRED COURSES
Here you will find a list of required physiology courses that should be taken in your first year. They are best to be taken in the first year since they contain concepts that are needed for the rest of your undergraduate degree.
| Courses | Pros | Cons | Evaluations |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHGY 209: Mammalian Physiology 1 (should be taken fall) | Interesting, straight-forward and great foundation to future physiology courses Great profs overall Easiest of the PHGY classes Given a practice midterm and extra questions to practice Final is more focused on post-midterm material (a pro if you enjoyed the neuroscience topics) | Midterm may be challenging as you adapt to multiple-choice format Slides and PPTs can be confusing (PPT are not separated by class) Different teachers (have to adapt to different teaching styles) | Midterm – 30% Quizzes – 10% Final – 60% |
| PHGY 210: Mammalian Physiology 2 (should be taken winter) | Great profs overall 5 main sections with interesting and relevant content, especially for those considering medical school Post-midterm material is generally found to be more straightforward Given a practice midterm and extra questions to practice | Much denser than PHGY 209 Easy to fall behind especially as each section is generally composed of more lectures Midterm is solely tested on respiration and cardiology sections (typically the most challenging) Memorization-heavy | Midterm – 30% Quizzes – 10% Final – 60% |
| PHGY 212 – Introductory Physiology Lab I (should be taken fall) | Clear lab guidelines Final exam is easy to do well in Good mix between wet and dry labs, allows you to learn some basic lab techniques very representative of content from PHGY 209 Videos are helpful | Lab reports done during lab period (certain labs are tough to finish in the time allotted) Randomly chosen lab partners Must understand/ remember content from course quite well to complete report and do lab efficiently A lot of preparation (videos, manual, prelab, documents…) | Pre-Lab Modules & Quizzes – 15% Lab Reports – 50% Final Exam – 35% |
| PHGY 213 – Introductory Physiology Lab II (should be taken winter) | Clear lab guidelines Strong intersection of topics with PHGY 210 | Lab reports done during lab period (certain labs are tough to finish in the time allotted) Randomly chosen lab partners Compared to 212, some lab guidelines are less unclear, and will require a greater time investment. Final Exam is harder than 212, especially exercise section | Pre-Lab Modules & Quizzes – 15% Lab Reports – 50% Final Exam – 35% |
| BIOL 200 – Molecular Biology (should be taken fall) | Clear syllabus Each PPT represents one class Each PPT has a clear topic and links to each other coherently No class the day of quizzes Quizzes are encouraged to be done in groups 2 professors for the course, so higher odds of having a professor that fits your style | A lot of content and vocabulary/names to memorize Multiple choice exam style (tests very specific and detailed parts of content) 2 professors (teaching style change can cause confusion) | Midterm – 30% Quizzes – 10% Final – 60% |
| BIOL 201 – Cell Biology & Metabolism * (should be taken winter) | Presentation of the content is made more accessible by Prof. Brouhard, he is super passionate about the topics in the class! | Exam questions will require critical thinking, not just memorization | Midterm – 28% Quizzes & Activities – 15% Final Exam – 57% |
| BIOC 212 – Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Function * (should be taken winter) | |||
| BIOL 202 – Basic Genetics (should be taken winter) | Solid intro to genetics relevant to future classes | Requires a strong conceptual understanding of material, rather than pure memorization | Midterm – 30% Self-Assessment Exercises (quizzes) – 10% Final – 60% |
| CHEM 212 – Introductory Organic Chemistry I ** (should be taken fall) | Content material is recorded and class time is dedicated to practice Lots of practice problems and tests Very lenient overall grading scheme Straightforward labs (good support and atmosphere) Tutorial presentation is helpful for content understanding Quizzes before classes pushes students to do a pre-review of content, which helps with memory The content builds well on each other | Quizzes before classes can lead students to use generative AI instead of understanding content if they haven’t watched videos Flipped-classroom isn’t for everyone | Lab – 25% Midterm (group and individual) – 25-40% Final (group and individual) – 35-50% Quizzes – 0-5% Tutorial presentation – 0-5% Tutorial participation – 0-5% |
| CHEM 222 – Introductory Organic Chemistry II (should be taken winter) | Great profs overall Content material is recorded and class time is dedicated to practice Lots of practice problems and tests Very lenient overall grading scheme Straightforward labs | Must be somewhat familiar with Org 1 Sometimes tough grading for lab reports Memorization-heavy: final questions (especially synthesis) require knowledge of previously learned reactions Challenging group midterm (but only really matters if you do well) | Midterm (group and individual) – 25% Quizzes – 0 or 5% Tutorial participation and presentations – 0 or 5% Laboratory – 25% Final Exam – 40-50% |
* BIOL 201 and BIOL 212 are considered equivalent. You are only required to take one of these classes.
** Some CEGEP programs provide equivalency for this course. For more information, please see the Department of Chemistry’s Web page (https://www.mcgill.ca/transfercredit/prospective/cegep)
Access our syllabus repository: Here!
PULS U1 Representatives
Ella Cook and Elliot Benedek Allen
Contact the PULS U1 Reps for any questions concerning NTCs, U1 courses and even for any PHGY events!
NTCs
Here you will find a link to our Note Taking Club’s class notes. PULS hires student writers to take detailed lecture notes as well as student editors to edit those custom notes. You will need to provide your McGill email and student ID to receive access! If you experience any difficulties, feel free to message our Instagram account @pulsmcgill.
Become a Mentee
Every year, PULS pairs each U1 student with a U3 mentor. U1 mentees can reach out to their mentor to discuss course selection, programs within the Physiology department, research, career opportunities after graduation, etc. PULS also organizes 1-2 Synapse Events per year to allow mentors and mentees to get to know each other in-person.
Stay tuned for events!