r/uoguelph • • Dec 08 '21

Talk to Your Program Advisor!

275 Upvotes

As a University of Guelph Alum, I wanted to offer some advice to current students in this sub. I have seen a great amount of posts in this sub recently, asking members of this sub for advice regarding decisions that can/will impact their academic future.

- "Can I transfer from this program to that"

- "Do I need to obtain this average for this program"

- "Why can't I register for this course"

- "I failed this course, what are my options"

- "When/Can I drop this course? How will this affect me?"

- "I am struggling, what can I do?"

This list goes on. The greatest piece of advice I received while I was in University was to set meetings with my program counsellor. In my first year I was in the chemistry program and was struggling massively. I failed killer Chem and was struggling in multiple other courses. I finished my first year not really caring or planning for the rest of my academic future at Guelph. I felt like I never really understood what exactly was going on with prerequisite courses I needed to take ect. I was going into my second year at Guelph with a sense of willful ignorance. To be honest, I didn't really care.

It was only after I failed another chemistry course in my first semester in my second year, where I actually reached out to my program counsellor. I realized I was further behind then I thought regarding the courses I needed to complete/take after I spoke with them. While this was a bit of a shock, after my meeting with him, I had a complete grasp on what I needed to do in order to graduate on time.

I preceded to schedule a meeting with program counsellor at the beginning of every semester. They assisted me with transferring to a different program in the Sciences, they offered advice of courses I should take, and assisted me with reworking my academic timeline when I needed to drop a course. I ended up graduating on time after taking a few summer courses.

This is what I always recommend to family and friends attending university. Meet with your program counsellor on a consistent basis! They are literally there to help you, and your tuition is paying their salary. They are the ones who have the best knowledge on what courses to take and how to navigate/plan the rest of your academic career. If anything, meeting with them regularly ultimately gave me peace of mind to know that I was on the right track.

Unfortunately, the university and its staff will not take the initiative to reach out to you if you are struggling or veering of course. It is perfectly normal to struggle in University but I think its important to know that you as a student have to take the initiative.

This sub is great for asking about the school itself, the campus, student bodies/club, general advice on what certain programs/professors are like, but this isnt the best forum to take advice from random redditors regarding decisions that will effect the future of their academic career (I see the irony in that last statement). When in doubt regarding questions about your program/courses/progress, I encourage any and all students to talk to the program counsellors first. That is why they are there.

Edit: TLDR: Dont take advice from random redditors regarding academic decisions. Rely on the advice of program advisors whose advice you can actually rely on and whose salary you are paying for.


r/uoguelph • • Jul 08 '24

How to rate your own schedule

129 Upvotes

There are lots of rate my schedule posts on this subreddit which are pretty pointless considering everyone learns differently so here's what to look for and how to rate your own based on how you learn best.

There are 5 things you need to pay attention to: the length of the class, the space in between classes, the time of the class, whether it's a lab, seminar or lecture, and how many days a week the course is. Also if you're commuting or disabled all of this changes.

How Long Your Classes Are

You likely have some idea of how long you can pay attention in lectures from high school. If you could barely follow for the hour that your high school classes usually were, don't go for lectures longer than 50 minutes if you have a choice. If you had no problem with 3 classes back to back and you'd prefer to just get a lecture out of the way, go for 3 hour lectures. If you're somewhere in the middle go for hour and a half lectures.

The Time of Your Classes

Secondly whether you're a night person or a morning person factors into it a lot. Will you be able to focus during an 8:30 lecture? Will you have any energy during a 3 hour 7:00PM lecture? A popular way to do courses is to do them in the morning around 9 to 10 when you're awake but it's still early enough to get all of your courses out of the way, so you can spend the rest of the day studying and socializing. I prefer this honestly, but if you want your mornings to yourself or can't focus at that time then doing the bulk of your courses in the afternoon or evening would be better. Just keep in mind most activities are in the evening and late afternoon, so you might miss out if you're in classes or lectures during that time.

Lectures, Labs and Seminars

Whether it's a lecture, seminar or lab matters a lot as well. Lectures will mostly be passive. You just have to pay attention and absorb information while taking notes. You might not even have to do that if the lecture is recorded. So even if you're sleepy in the mornings, you might still be able to do well if you're awake enough to passively absorb content. Though keep in mind there might be iClickers or TopHats where you have to answer some questions that are often graded. They're usually not too hard as long as you can pay attention. Seminars are usually social so you'll be listening but will likely do a lot of talking and group work as well. So if this isn't something you can do early in the mornings or late at night, keep your seminars in the afternoon or whenever you're usually ready to socialize. During labs you'll have to be actively participating and doing long projects that are marked. You need to have 100% of your brain on, so do these whatever time of day where you're usually 100%. They can be tiring as well depending on the course, so definitely avoid having 2 in a day if you can. Like apr1lshowers said in the comments, labs aren't typically every week. They'll usually alternate so this may factor in to what you're able to handle. If you can find a recent course outline for the course you're taking (post 2022 is usually safe), then you can get a sense of what the lab schedule may be. This means you might have more free time in your schedule.

Spaces In Between Classes

How you space classes will also be important. If you did well with your high school schedule you can replicate that by getting all your lectures out of the way and do them one after the other. If you typically get tired after a class try to space them so you'll have down time between each of your classes. If you're an introvert or non-social person, consider adding space between your seminars and whatever other classes you have so that you can recharge before going into a social situation. I'd recommend most folks to have some space before a lab so that you can prepare and relax before it cause you're gonna be working for the next 1 to 3 hours straight so you don't wanna be tired before hand, especially if you're working with chemicals. Some people also don't like having long space in between classes since it keeps you from getting them all out of the way at the same time. If you prefer a long break to study, recharge, and grab something to eat before having to deal with your next set of classes, then maybe you'd prefer a long break. If only having a 2 - 4 hour break to do what you want before having to do more classes doesn't appeal to you then try and trim it down to something more manageable. Regardless, you probably want at least a 1 hour break in there if you have a lot of classes in a day so you have time to get lunch.

How Many Days A Week You Go To Class

How many days of classes you have will determine how many free days you'll have to study and socialize. But packing certain days full of classes might not be manageable. So if you're someone who can deal with 4 classes and a lab in one day if you know that you won't have to deal with any classes tomorrow, then go for it. But if you could barely focus in high school for the 2-3 classes you had before lunch then that might be a bad idea and you might be better off having a few classes every day than a lot of classes every other day. Keep in mind though that when you've got assignments due and studying to get done, you really need free time. So you either need complete days you can use for studying or large sections of the day you can study with.

Commuting

If you're commuting take that into account too. An 8:30 lecture might mean waking up at 5 - 7 o'clock depending on how far away you live. If you're driving so you can't sleep on the way there, it might mean you'll never go to these lectures. Also a 7PM 3 hour lecture means leaving school at 10 and driving home tired. It might also mean getting home after 12 if you live far so you definitely don't want a 7PM lecture the day before an 8:30 lab. Also if you're commuting more days a week that means more commuting time and more gas money/bus fare you have to pay, so trying to get all of your courses done in as few days as possible is ideal. Long spaces in between classes when you're commuting isn't ideal either because you don't have a place to go relax. You'll likely have to sit up at a desk in the library somewhere for this time so if that's gonna be an uncomfortable or unpleasant experience then try spacing your classes closer together to avoid large gaps.

Disabilities

This one often isn't mentioned much, but make sure if you are disabled you're taking that into account for your schedule. I recommend being safe the first semester and trying to space out all of your classes. If afterwards you're fine and could handle another one after that class then take that into account during the next course selection. If you have a physical disability, remember you only have 10 minutes to get to your next class, that can be a far journey, so spacing can help you get there on time, especially for things like labs where if you're over 10 minutes late you can't get in. Thd location for each building is given. You can look up the full building name and then see how far it is on google maps to see if it's manageable for you to get there on time. If you have an energy or social disability, I very strongly recommend having space in between seminars/labs and all other courses. Cause these are often mandatory so if you miss them you can miss marks for projects and you can only miss so many for certain courses before you fail the course. Lectures can be draining if you have a social disability because it's a large room filled with lots of people that can be loud and sometimes you might have to interact with others. So going from that to an environment where you'll have to do a lot of social interactions can lead to issues depending on what your triggers are. Labs can also be very physical if you have a physical disability so you may need time to rest afterwards.

Let me know if I forgot anything or if I should add something else. The point is your schedule very much depends on you. What works for others may not work for you and vice versa so you've just gotta know what to look for so you can make the decision yourself.


r/uoguelph • • 16h ago

cheap/affordable hair services :) help a fellow student out!

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115 Upvotes

HEY GUYS.... so im in a very tight spot financially right now during school and I am wanting to offer my hairdressing/hair artistry experience at a HUGE discount for some extra cash, to fellow students needing a fresh cut or color.
I was a hairdresser before coming to uni and went to school for cosmetology/had jobs in hair prior!! I am very confident and skilled in what I do and I specialize in layers and alternative color. btw I LOVE working on long hair (its safe with me) ......also it's lowkey crazy how salons charge 50 even 100 for a cut so I got u! text me if u interested pleaseeeeee!!! here's sum of my work below:)


r/uoguelph • • 14h ago

Thoughts on this?

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38 Upvotes

r/uoguelph • • 17h ago

bruh ai degree

63 Upvotes

you’re freaking kidding me


r/uoguelph • • 12h ago

University rant :-(

9 Upvotes

Hi everyone

I'm a first year and have honestly been struggling a ton with my classes but mainly with physics. I haven't passed the past 2 quizzes (didn't get the grade back for the 2nd one but I doubt I passed since I couldn't even answer like 2 of the questions, lol) and I'm just lost. I've been studying but it's like the material never sticks.

I've never been good at any type of math but physics is somehow worse because it just feels...nonsensical sometimes. I know the answer is to go to drop in hours and visit SLG's more and I've been trying but I struggle with my mental health a lot and sometimes I genuinely just can't bring myself to stay on campus after my classes end.

I just was wondering if it's normal to struggle this much? Does anyone else feel this way and they're just better at hiding it than me? I've honestly never felt this stupid in my life and I'm considering dropping the class. I know my mental health is shitty and that's a big part of it but I really wish I could just push through and "try harder". I see these people online studying for 8+ hours a day and it genuinely baffles me when I can barely study for 3.

I know this is really whiny and disorganized but any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. :-(


r/uoguelph • • 16h ago

guelph.courses v3 is out!!!

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15 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

v3 is out, and you can finally just ask the site things. Prereqs, easy electives, which prof to take, whether your schedule works. Just type the question into our new ai chatbot!

- what the prereqs are for a course
- easy electives for next semester (difficulty comes from student reviews on the site)
- which prof to take for a course, based on what people said about them in that course
- whether a set of courses fits in your tizmetable

If it suggests a course you like, you can add it to your schedule or degree plan from the chat. Course codes in its answers link to the course page. If you open it on a course or prof page, it knows which one you're looking at.

Chat history is off unless you turn it on, and you can delete saved chats whenever you want!

Other stuff in this update:

- the whole site got redesigned
- there's a new account page with your ratings, saved plans and chats
- you can get emailed when new TA positions go up!!
- prof pages link to Guelph Research Finder (made by Trenton Scott) if you want to see what they research

It's still AI, so it'll get things wrong sometimes. Double check anything important with your advisor and the degree requirements

Full changelog: https://uoguelph.courses/changelog

If something's broken or you have ideas, let us know!

uoguelph.courses team


r/uoguelph • • 12h ago

BIOC 3560 midterm

6 Upvotes

Hi, I have my midterm the 24, any advice/tips on how to study and the midterm itself, anything will help! thanks


r/uoguelph • • 3h ago

Osap

1 Upvotes

So I have been in classes since fall 2022. I have taken 4 years of classes (including 2 summer semesters) and I just had my osap rejected for my fifth year that I was waiting 2 months for.

I cant afford tuition etc.. without this OSAP. I thought that summer classes counted without the year of study and so taking a fifth year was possible and now im half way through this semester with no funding. They made me upload a document saying why I am taking a fifth year of my program and now I dont know what to do.

Has anyone else been in this situation?


r/uoguelph • • 5h ago

POLS 2300 Notes 👀🫶

1 Upvotes

Hey can anybody in cdn gov and politics share the nationalism notes from later today?I’m not gonna be able to make it to class bc I accidentally picked up a shift at work without checking the time and can’t give it away. I would really appreciate the help if anybody is willing. Ty


r/uoguelph • • 14h ago

Frhd quiz

5 Upvotes

That was horrible.


r/uoguelph • • 13h ago

Friends

4 Upvotes

Hi I’m a commuter who just transferred here so I find it hard to make friends. Looking for any friends (preferably female) dms are open!


r/uoguelph • • 6h ago

Biol1070 midterm

1 Upvotes

Guys how stressed do i have to be for the ecology midterm for biodiversity pls lmk 😭🙏


r/uoguelph • • 7h ago

Free game night tonight: learn cloud computing with AWS’s card game (no experience needed)

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1 Upvotes

Hey everyone! The AWS Student Builder Group is hosting BuilderCards Night tonight and wanted to share in case anyone’s looking for something low-key to do.

BuilderCards is a card game made by AWS where you build cloud architectures one card at a time. It’s a surprisingly fun way to figure out how things like servers, databases, and storage actually fit together. No laptop, no coding, and you don’t need to know anything about AWS beforehand.

When: Tonight (Thursday, Oct 15), 7–9 pm
Where: UC 442

We’ll be running a casual tournament with simplified rules, plus free snacks and prizes. Come solo or bring friends, beginners are very welcome.

Happy to answer any questions in the comments!


r/uoguelph • • 11h ago

Swap tickets for avengers doomsday

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2 Upvotes

I managed to grab tickets for Dec 17 at 2pm at galaxy cinemas Guelph for DBOX ultra AVX. If anyone has a similar ticket at a different showtime, that would be greatly appreciated


r/uoguelph • • 14h ago

Respondus Webcam

3 Upvotes

Do the profs, TAs, whoever, actually watch the all the students recordings?

Also is there an eye tracker? If yes, I'm allowed a study sheet so won't it flag me for looking down?


r/uoguelph • • 19h ago

phys 1300 quiz 2!

8 Upvotes

hi guys this is to whoever has completed the phys 1300 forces quiz! i hope it went well :)
i feel like there’s a lot to cover! could anyone tell me what the focus of the quiz was, just so i know what to hone in on?


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

Me watching all the other universities get a reading week while we get a mf reading DAY

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310 Upvotes

r/uoguelph • • 9h ago

missed 3 phys*1300 pretests

1 Upvotes

hi, basically the title. three if them were due like an hour ago and it completely slipped my mind until now, I was just wondering if this is worthy of the online request form or do i just leave it?

thanks :))


r/uoguelph • • 22h ago

Why is the library freezing!?

10 Upvotes

Okay, like I get it’s probably because there is so many people here and book preservation and whatever, but do they really have to make it this freaking cold? I’m sitting here with 2 jackets just trying to study for my midterms and it’s so cold it’s distracting.

This is genuinely just a rant but midterms are kicking my butt and this is just the icing on the cake. Alsooo basically everyone here is sick! I feel like the cold won’t make that better either. lol


r/uoguelph • • 18h ago

HK*3401 Written Test (worth 20%) advice!

3 Upvotes

Hello guys I'm looking for advice for the human anatomy written exam! I'm not really sure how to study for it, if anyone has any tips please feel free to send em here!

(I'm very scared for the written exam for this course just because I don't know what to expect)


r/uoguelph • • 20h ago

BIOL1090 Midterm

4 Upvotes

does anyone have study tips or particular areas they'd recommend focusing in on? there's so much content to review that its really overwhelming :(


r/uoguelph • • 12h ago

is thursday gonna be live

0 Upvotes

my only question is if we’re all going out this thursday to trappers/palace/franks 🧐 LMK cause last week it was dead


r/uoguelph • • 20h ago

help borrowing grad gowns!!

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone! My group of friends are taking grad photos this Sunday morning and were not able to book enough gowns in advance (there was a lot of back and forth about the photoshoot timing 😅)

We were wondering if anyone who may be having a photoshoot on Friday/Saturday would be comfortable letting us borrow their gown for the day?

We need 2 more, and we’re all in BSc for the correct sash! We’re definitely open to splitting the costs of the gown as well :))

Thank you so much and any help is appreciated


r/uoguelph • • 15h ago

CHEM 1050 Monteiro First Midterm

1 Upvotes

How’s everyone feeling about their first midterm and results for the course with Mr. Monteiro?? Were some questions dropped?? my grade’s out of 50 instead of 60

I feel like all the questions were theory and only spoken of during lecture and never seen again in textbook or rarely in slides 😭. God forbid I put formulas and thermo related info on my cheat sheet for there to be no calculation or textbook related questions??? 😭😭 Guess i won’t be falling asleep in lecs again