A Student Guide to Picking Classes

This is where things get tricky and intricate, but it’s also a fun puzzle if you look at it in another way. Each faculty (e.g. - Arts, Science, Sauder/Business…) has a number of course types that they require their students to take. I say “course type” because these are not necessarily specific courses. For instance, as an Arts student (with requirements for graduation in May 2021), I have to take 7 types of courses: writing (3 credits), research (3 credits), language (0-12 credits), literature (6 credits), science (6 credits), and a mysterious “elective - any course” (3 credits). These “course types” are usually set by your faculty and will be requirements for your graduation regardless of what you choose to major in. The only time that these requirements may change is if you change degrees (e.g. switching from a BSc (Science) to a BA (Arts)).

Ideally, I would recommend completing these requirements progressively over the years instead of leaving all of them for the final year. This is roughly how I took my faculty requirements:

• High school: language (as transfer credits)
• Year 1: science (3 credits); literature (3 credits); writing (3 credits)
• Year 2: science (3 credits); literature (3 credits)
• Year 3: (Exchange in Japan)
• Year 4: research (3 credits x2 (1 for each major))***
  Misc: “elective - any course” (3 credits)

***I am majoring in Asian Language and Culture (Japan) (Honours) and History. This is why I have to take two research courses, one for each major.
Having gone on exchange, one important thing I learned from the Arts Advising office (links to the other advising offices and websites are in the sections below) is that the courses I took abroad did not count towards these requirements. So if you are planning to study abroad at some point in university, it would be a good idea to plan these required courses around your exchange term/year well in advance. (Note: while this was the case for me as an for Arts student, it may not necessarily be applicable to other faculties; please contact your academic advisor for clarification. You can find their contact information at the end of this post.)

The next thing that I had to figure out was my program requirements (i.e. the courses I had to take for my major/minor). Program requirements are perhaps the trickiest set of requirements and may consume most of your attention when you schedule courses (I know that was certainly the case for me). All majors and minors require you to take certain courses to graduate, and some of these can be very specific (for instance, although I had no specific lower-level requirements, I have to take JAPN 400 + 401 and ASIA 499 to graduate with an Honours in Asian Language and Culture (Japan)). Note that these requirements, and all others in this article, are all subject to change.

If you already know which major/minor you are planning to pick, checking off these requirements early can be a good thing. Having surprises (unfinished requirements) in your final year could delay your graduation. Plan early if possible. I knew exactly what I wanted to major in before I even started classes at UBC, so I paid close attention to the courses I was choosing to ensure that I completed the lower-level (100/200-level courses) requirements by the end of the year. Of course, not all of us know what major or minor we would like to choose right off the bat, but once you have settled on a specialization, it is generally a good idea to start looking as soon as possible.

As mentioned, program requirements can be very long-winded and complicated. The list of required courses can sometimes sometimes be a page-long document. A good way to check what requirements apply to your major/minor is to use Degree Navigator on the SSC (you can access Degree Navigator through the SSC).

a) Summer Terms

Remember that you do not have to take all your courses during the winter term. If you wish, you could space out your degree and take some additional courses over the summer (or if your degree requires the completion of more than 120 credits, summer terms could be even more important!). Although I have not taken any courses during the summer, I have made plans to do so in the past (before abandoning them later). From my experience, it is worth doing a quick scroll through the course list of the past summer term (available on the SSC’s course registration page), as the courses available are usually more limited in the summer. (In my case, I have noticed that there are rarely any research courses available in Asian Studies or History over the summer, so I had to make plans to complete the research requirement during the winter term.)

b) Exchange Programs (Go Global)

Studying abroad is an amazing opportunity to enrich our learning experiences and meet new people along the way. However, it can also pose certain challenges to our course planning, especially if one does not plan ahead. As mentioned, credits obtained abroad might not necessarily meet the faculty (core) requirements, so we must work around this fact when planning our courses.

Another thing I learned while going on exchange is that we are required to spend at least one additional semester at UBC after returning from our exchange in order to be eligible for graduation. This means that if you plan to go abroad in your fourth year, you may need to spend extra time at UBC depending on which semester you plan to be on exchange.

c) Co-op

You should seek advice from your faculty if you are planning to participate in the co-op program as it DEFINITELY does have an impact on your course planning. Please visit the UBC Co-Op Programs Website for more general information on co-op programs at UBC.

d) Other Forms of Employment

Besides co-op, you may already be looking at or are already part of some other forms of employment. It may be helpful to keep in mind that there are many other employment opportunities on campus, including but not limited to Work-Learn (which is what I am doing right now), Arts Internship Program, and Teaching Assistantships. It is important to also consider how these would impact the time you have to complete coursework (which is something that I have had to think about this term).

e) Graduation

Graduation is the finish line, figuratively speaking, of all your travails in course planning. You should always keep your degree requirements in mind and check Degree Navigator regularly to ensure that you are on track for graduation. It is okay to spend more than four years completing your degree, as there can be many justifiable reasons why you may wish to do so (e.g. participating in a co-op program, wanting to take more time completing courses, etc.). And remember, when in doubt, you can always seek help from the fantastic resources available at UBC, some of which I have listed below:

• Arts
• Engineering (Applied Science)
• Forestry
• Land and Food Systems
• Sauder School of Business
• Science (look for “requirements”)

For all other faculties, please refer to their specific pages on the UBC Calendar

• Arts
• Dentistry
• Engineering (Applied Science)
• Forestry
• Land and Food Systems
• Kineseology
• Sauder School of Business
• Science

Disclaimer: this is a simple list of terms and ideas that I’ve come across during my time at UBC; students should consult a faculty advisor for further information about these terms.

1. Types of classes

• Lecture: Usually large classes, possibly with upwards of two hundred students
• Tutorial: Small classes, normally with no more than 20 students; provide opportunities for more interactive activities and group work that is not feasible in a lecture setting; usually subsets of larger lectures
• Lab: Similar to a tutorial, but usually involves “lab work” in a, well, laboratory; usually subsets of larger lectures (I have heard that some science labs stand alone, but please don’t quote me on that)
• Seminar: Small classes that usually focus on the intense study of a particular topic; could cumulate to a longer term paper; usually an upper-level course; not subsets of lectures
• Other seminars: Courses marked as “seminars” are not always small professor-led discussion-heavy classes, and some are notably different from their regular form. Such courses could be: a thesis (for honours students), directed readings/studies, or student directed seminars (find out more here: https://students.ubc.ca/enrolment/courses/student-directed-seminars). Note: some students may need to take seminars to complete their degree. For instance, as an Arts student, I must take at least one research seminar (400-level courses) for each of my major specializations (one in Asian Studies and one in History)
• Waiting List: waiting lists are, well, waiting lists; signing up for these will not automatically enrol you into your course (not all departments have waiting lists)
• Special Classes: there are a number of classes on the SSC that do not readily fall into these categories, such as STT (standardized timetables), Co-ops, study abroad opportunities, and more. I would refer to the information on each department’s website or Go Global for more specific and accurate information.

2. Time (periods)

• Winter Session (Term): Marked “20xxW”; typical school year with two semesters lasting from September to April (the following year)
• Summer Session (Term): Marked “20xxS”; summer school session with two semesters lasting from May to August each year
• Winter break: refers to a week-and-a-half-long break (or longer, depending on when your exams end) from the end of December to the beginning of January; this the break that splits the two semesters in the winter term (term 1 courses end at this time unless they are year-long courses)
• Midterm (Reading) break: refers to a week-long break around mid- to late-February; there are no classes during reading break. (Starting Fall 2021, there will also be a Midterm Break around Remembrance Day in November.)
• Summer break: basically overlaps with the summer session… this is your long-deserved break, which starts at the end of April and marks the end of the winter session (that is, if you are not taking classes during the summer session… Don’t worry, you get time off in between even if you do!)

Find out the specific dates for these sessions and breaks on the UBC Calendar. Details can be found on the “Dates and Deadlines” page on the website. Please visit the UBC Calendar for more information (please make sure that you select the correct campus).

Image 2: “Dates and Deadline” pages for the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

3. Time (deadlines)

• Add/Drop deadline (without a W standing): usually one to two weeks after classes start, this is the last day that you can drop a class without a W standing (also the last day that you can add a class -- classes cannot be added after this date)
• Last day to drop a class WITH a W standing: you can still drop a class until this day, after which you will be stuck with that class FOR ETERNITY (just kidding, but normally you will not be able to drop a class after this date unless you have permission from the faculty (e.g. you received an academic concession)); usually sometime by the end of the second month of the term
  • W standing: “W” stands for “withdrawn,” and it will show up on your transcript (whereas dropping the course before the first deadline would remove to course from your transcript completely) → Many students, myself included, are under the impression that a “W” would look bad on their transcripts; this is not necessarily the case: it probably won’t affect your grad school apps or job prospectus; you should definitely reach out to an advisor if you have any concerns regarding this matter

4. Other miscellaneous terms

• Worklist: this is a function on the SSC that allows you to bookmark courses you would like to take and test out different schedules (think of it as a wishlist of sorts)
• Instructor: the person who teaches a course; could be a professor, but not always
• TA: short for “teaching assistant”; they help the instructor in giving a course (roles and responsibilities of a TA varies depending on the instructor)

Credits: many of you are probably already very familiar with this term; make sure that you keep track of your credit count (use Degree Navigator)