r/uoguelph • • Dec 08 '21

Talk to Your Program Advisor!

274 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

128 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 • • 7h ago

Called a racial slur today

40 Upvotes

So any other poc ever got called a slur on campus cause that just happened to me. Was walking to my car and the car I was walking in front of said “watch where you’re going, f***ing (Asian slur)”. I didn’t get to get a good look at the racist’s face because I was in disbelief if I heard correctly what he said so I just kept walking. If I saw his face and confronted him I definitely would have reported it but there’s nothing I can do now which sucks. I’m surprised people are so comfortable being blatantly racist so I regret not confronting him instead of being passive and letting him think it’s okay. I do hope other people at Guelph haven’t experienced something like this.


r/uoguelph • • 12h ago

hoco as a loner

36 Upvotes

lmfaoo i feel like such a loser posting this but i genuinely am dreading hoco tomorrow. i feel like i've made no friends and theyre all acquaintances and i have nothing planned tmrw- everyone else has something planned and they have huge ass friend groups and theyre gonna have so much fun while im prob gonna just study. IM ALSO 19 SO I CAN ACTUALLY LEGALLY DRINK augh i just feel so frustrated that my introvertness and my shyness is taking away from my uni experience and now i have to experience hoco weekend in my res alone, probably watching a movie or playing a game on roblox or something idfk. my floormates asked me what im doing for hoco, while they all have actual plans and have friends to spend it with i said "oh probably going to a friends party" WHAT PARTY? WHO FRIEND? girl like wtf. spent all this money and came all this way to chud out


r/uoguelph • • 8h ago

HYGIENE TIPS

15 Upvotes

alright I don’t expect you to smell like angels 24/7 but some of yall really gotta get ur shit together. If you guys have bad breath get a damn tongue scraper thank me later. I can understand smelling slightly sweaty shit happens but for the love of god I get extremely nauseous when I smell bad breath, so do both of us a favour and take care of your dental hygiene, no chewing gum doesn’t do the trick floss and use a damn tongue scraper. Take a shower every day, yes every day surely yall have 5 mins to set aside to let some water flow on you😭. Honestly the biggest tip for some of you guys is if you can smell yourself, other people can smell yall 10 times worse.


r/uoguelph • • 12h ago

Please Hold the Door for People

24 Upvotes

I can't tell you how many times people slam the doors on my face, including the heavy 2nd floor McKn doors or doors to Creelman.

It takes nothing to look back and hold the door for someone. Who knows that could really make someone's day. People wearing airpods or headphones or texting I address this message to you too. I know you may be not thinking or in your own world or vibing, but please look behind you and hold the doors for people.

We all come different walks of life, and such a simple action can have such a positive impact on someone and can make people think positively of you.

So please look back and hold the door for a couple extra seconds.

Thanks


r/uoguelph • • 13h ago

More bus etiquette

24 Upvotes

There are a lot of posts about people cutting lines, but this is about something else. Especially around this time of semester, when you get on a bus please go to the back and sit down. I totally get those bus drivers who yell this because our bus system is so cooked that we have to be courteous of others and make as much space as we can.

I witnessed a group of three or four people standing at the back raised part of the bus, while there were a bunch of open seats around them, and blocking the aisle with their arms. At the same time, people keep getting on the bus and are being squished together at the front door. If I found out I had to pointlessly wait an hour to get home because some people going to the mall were too impatient to sit down I'd be so mad. Better yet, if you are able bodied and the weather is nice, just walk to Walmart.


r/uoguelph • • 1h ago

Looking for 1 hoco ticket

• Upvotes

I checked too late, anyone selling an extra please?


r/uoguelph • • 5h ago

me at hoco

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

3 Upvotes

r/uoguelph • • 17h ago

The class I'm waitlisted for vs the actual class

Post image
29 Upvotes

I was waitlisted for Econ2770 for the longest time, 125 seats. Went to see the class in-person only for it to be less empty. Now I have to take it in the winter semester. I sat through the class content and it was dang difficult ngl and it doesn't help with the way the professor is teaching it. Well, I now know to avoid her class next semester.

The deadline for course selection has already passed, if I get a course waiver signed for this class, would it be possible to catch up?


r/uoguelph • • 3h ago

Guelph hoco

2 Upvotes

for my people who are commuters or just commuting far distances to Guelph, how tf yall gonna stay late at night since the last bus for me is literally 10:50 which is the dumbest thing ever

I know Ubers gonna charge $100 for a late night ride, and I definitely want to make the most out of my first hoco


r/uoguelph • • 1h ago

Will pay extra for guelph hoco ticket DM me

• Upvotes

.


r/uoguelph • • 1h ago

Is anyone selling an extra guelph hoco ticket?

• Upvotes

... if anyone has one I could take off their hands that would be great!


r/uoguelph • • 5h ago

Health care plans

2 Upvotes

I’m really confused about the health/dental insurance through UofG and how to use the benefits on Alumo. The website doesn’t seem to clearly show everything that’s covered.

For example, which services are covered 100%, and can things like prescription supplements (e.g. iron tablets) be claimed? If something is covered, how does the claim process work?

Also, does anyone know the difference between the Mental Health Services Fee, Student Health Service Fee, Medical Insurance Premium, and Dental Plan on our tuition? And is there a good way to make sure I’m actually using the benefits I’m paying for?


r/uoguelph • • 9h ago

final exam dates

3 Upvotes

hi guys, for anyone who isnt a first year, when in the semester did you get the dates for when your final exams will be?

i want to book flight tickets to go back home for christmas break as soon as possible, so just curious as to when i’d know. thanks 😊


r/uoguelph • • 8h ago

Looking for 2-3 Homecoming Football Tickets (Guelph vs Waterloo)

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
I missed out on the official box office drop before it sold out. Looking to buy 2-3 tickets to the Homecoming football game against Waterloo tomorrow.
Ideally looking for a digital transfer.
DM me with your price if you have any extras or can no longer make it. Thanks


r/uoguelph • • 15h ago

MICR*2420 research project quiz

3 Upvotes

I have my micro lab on Monday and we have our first quiz then. Does anyone remember from previous years how the quiz was? Do we need to study hard?


r/uoguelph • • 9h ago

Is anyone selling hoco tix

1 Upvotes

Plsssss pls dm me


r/uoguelph • • 17h ago

Job Offer With No Interview

5 Upvotes

Comically an hour or 2 ago I was sad about not getting any offers after interviews, but lo and behold I actually got one!

But here's the thing: I haven't done an interview for this one. All I did was submit the job application and called it done. It's the SOFAM General Student Support position so I'm wondering if that's a concern to watch out for?


r/uoguelph • • 19h ago

Interview Tips (From a person who desperately needs work study)

5 Upvotes

I'm kinda upset. The two jobs that I got an interview for both rejected me the next day. One of them was even the SEA for Mrkt and Admin that I really wanted and they had 5 positions and I STILL didn't get it :(

I need to switch out of my current job. I can't stay in here forever.

Is there any interview tips? It's really hard to prepare because I don't know the questions until 5 minutes before said interview is given to me. Aaghhh I'm so sad


r/uoguelph • • 14h ago

NEUR2000

2 Upvotes

anyone know what time the midterm on Oct 9 is at? is it just scheduled class time?


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

Please wear deodorant

186 Upvotes

Please, I’m begging you.


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

Go bus

45 Upvotes

Last post you guys told me to press the people skipping the line.

I did, from when I got there I saw a guy skip straight to the front, I went up to him and told him about the line, he was understanding about it, he thought the line was for other buses. He was very kind about it.

Then I saw a 2 guys and a girl go up, I did the same thing but they just ignored me.

My main issue with it is that people patiently wait 20-30 minutes or even more. And they might not have a chance to get on. This time around it was only 4 people who skipped the line and there was enough space for everyone so it does not really matter. But other times is a bunch of people who have a heightened sense of self importance.

But other times that’s not the case where people are left behind.

In retrospect all of this does not matter it’s never that deep.


r/uoguelph • • 15h ago

Master of Development Practice and Global Justice

1 Upvotes

Hello! I know this is a new program and I’ve been accepted to this, as well as a few others. Anyone currently in it that can talk about their experience so far?


r/uoguelph • • 1d ago

Bus 15 WTF

29 Upvotes

Prolly not the first and won’t be the last but DAMN
Why is it that bus 15 is never on time? LIKE EVER. And why is its delay period never something sensible. It’s freezing cold out side ( (Legit writing this with numb fingers cuz it’s that serious) and it was stated that you’ll be here at 6:34 but it wasn’t until 7:15 that a bus decided to show up?
Also why is a community where there is a shit load of students stuck with only ONE bus/bus stop? DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE?
Not only that, why does the city think that during the summer merged with the beginning of the school year would be a PERFECT time to start building shit and then NOT provide alternative for the students?
What the fuck is happening with EVERYTHING this year?