r/uoguelph Dec 08 '21

Talk to Your Program Advisor!

268 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

131 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 8h ago

What should I wear out?

9 Upvotes

so I’ve lowkey never been out to a party and I’m not sure like what to wear. going to first year. also I’m a girl and I’ve never worn like anything cropped (lowkey insecure). let me know anything pls


r/uoguelph 1h ago

any dining halls on campus open?

Upvotes

Lmk. I searched on Google but I got mixed answers so I’m unsure.


r/uoguelph 10h ago

Nature-Inspired design - take a brain-break

12 Upvotes

Hiya Gryphons!

I'm a prof in Integrative Biology and co-editor of a magazine called Zygote Quarterly.

We publish articles about #BioInspiredDesign, #Art, #SustainableTechnology, cool stuff like that.

Our 41st issue came out yesterday, and I thought that some of you might be interested in these topics. It's open access, and we're launching a paid Correspondents Program to support early-career writers.

Check it out! https://zqjournal.org/

and follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/zygote-quarterly/posts/?feedView=all


r/uoguelph 0m ago

Music / Concert Band / Wind Ensemble opportunities at U of G?

Upvotes

Hey! I’m a first year student at the University of Guelph and was wondering what opportunities there are to play music on campus, specifically concert band/wind ensemble type stuff.

I’d love to keep playing my instrument and ideally join some kind of concert band, wind ensemble, or similar group. Are there any ensembles at U of G that students can join, including students who aren’t music majors?

I’m also curious if there are any student-run or extracurricular music groups/clubs outside of official courses. I’m mainly interested in concert/wind band, but I’d be open to hearing about other instrumental ensembles too.

If anyone has experience with music at U of G, I’d really appreciate any recommendations! Also curious about auditions, the general skill level, rehearsal commitment, and how/when you join.
Thanks!


r/uoguelph 1h ago

frhd1010 or geog1220

Upvotes

I’m majoring in Bio Sci and I just got off the waitlist for FRHD1010 while currently enrolled in GEOG1220. Which one should I keep? They’re both DE.


r/uoguelph 12h ago

Fall 2026 Bus Pass

7 Upvotes

On Google it said that bus passes would be working again on September 1st, 2026 for the Fall 2026 semester.

I tried to tap my student card today to get to work and it said suspended and the bus driver made me pay😭 Not a huge deal, just wondering if anyone knows the exact day they start working again lol??


r/uoguelph 2h ago

confusion about september 4th

1 Upvotes

so im an incoming first year so bear with me and my stupidity but apparently september 4 is when o week starts, but some places emails ive been sent say september 5? or that september 4 and 5 are residence move in? im not in residence, im commuting by bus. should i and can i still go on the 4th? is there o week events then? or is that mainly solely for residence move in?


r/uoguelph 3h ago

Am i able to switch to anthropology?

1 Upvotes

Hi I'm a first year, I'm about to go into psychology but I wanted to switch to anthropology. I know you can do this with some degrees but I looked around and couldn't find a definitive answer. Can I take some classes now in anthro (I'm aware it's super late) or even next year so that I could switch out? I think they're both BAs.


r/uoguelph 7h ago

applying for club execs

2 Upvotes

hello, I would like to take on more leadership roles this year in clubs however while reading through some of the descriptions I'm a little nervous as I don't know how to do some of the stuff (e.g. book out campus space or book meeting rooms - as I have never had to do those). Anyone know if this is the kind of stuff they'll tell you how to do before you start or you just have to figure it out? Any advice from people who have felt/ still feel nervous about this stuff. Lots appreciated - thanks!


r/uoguelph 4h ago

University starter pack

Post image
0 Upvotes

r/uoguelph 5h ago

What are labs and seminars?

0 Upvotes

So as a first year student, i don’t understand what labs and seminars are. I know lectures are what i have to go to every week at the scheduled times but what about labs and seminars? Do they happen every week? Are they mandatory?


r/uoguelph 20h ago

Gym

3 Upvotes

Incoming first year here I just wanted to ask if the gym is worth it for someone who’s acc srs about it or should I just get a memebership at a gym nearby the school and save the time of busy peak gym hours


r/uoguelph 20h ago

Intramural 5v5 Comp A - having issue making a team on IML

2 Upvotes

I’m having trouble creating a team on the app. It worked fine last year, but now it won’t let me, it says the division is locked. I’ve already paid and completed my registration.


r/uoguelph 22h ago

How far is the University Centre from War Memorial Hall?

3 Upvotes

so basically, my class ends at 5:20pm and my bus is around 5:23-5:25pm. If I don’t catch that one, the next one is like an hour later. So, realistically, how far is the walk (or run) between the two buildings?


r/uoguelph 1d ago

Looking for people to go to O week with

3 Upvotes

Hello i’m a first year doing a double major in political science and economics. I like being creative through Minecraft, crafts and things like that


r/uoguelph 1d ago

Best Academic Advisor/Program Counsellor for Science

5 Upvotes

I usually correspond with Kelly Lucas but she’s away and retiring to part time. I have a huge load of issues, for many yrs, and she’s the best. I’m an older student so realizing now that program counsellors have changed (thank God Bonnie isn’t there anymore), but who do you guys recommend I correspond with for my academic deferral stuff ?


r/uoguelph 1d ago

How much more expensive is food on campus with no meal plan?

4 Upvotes

I’m a little dumdum idiot and missed the deadline to get a meal plan. I live off campus (first year, didn’t get res) so breakfast and dinner is obviously gonna just be made at my house, but I was planning to eat lunches on campus since I can’t really go home and come back

I know the meal plan gives you a 10% discount for the food on campus, so without the discount will the total amount of money spent on lunch will be more than if I have the meal plan? Should I be avoiding having lunch every day to save? I want to avoid spending too much money on food


r/uoguelph 1d ago

Biomedical engineering graduates!

3 Upvotes

Hi there, just curious where are all the biomedical engineering graduates working? what field? do you regret it at all? are you enjoying it? is it what you expected?


r/uoguelph 17h ago

must haves

0 Upvotes

what are must haves freshman going into cjpp


r/uoguelph 1d ago

SPMT 1120 vs SPMT 1020 — which is easier?

3 Upvotes

Has anyone taken SPMT 1120 (Dynamics of Sport Fans) or SPMT 1020 (Sport Management Today)? I’m a second-year BSc student with a pretty heavy science course load and looking for an easy GPA booster. Which one is easier to get a 90+ in with a lighter workload?


r/uoguelph 1d ago

What computer science jobs do you have?

3 Upvotes

If you have a cs job please say the role, the pay, how you got it and what year you’re currently in.

If you had more than one job, please say all of them!
Just curious!


r/uoguelph 1d ago

Event registration page not loading

1 Upvotes

Is anyone else experience the same issue? There’s a few events I’d love to attend but I am unable to access the pages without it saying something like “We’ve run into a problem, tap the button to try again.” What’s weird is that other events do load for me but these ones won’t. Plz help 😞


r/uoguelph 1d ago

When do work-Study Interviews go out?

3 Upvotes

Mainly asking people who did do work-study.

I'm kinda stressed as I also didn't get a URA position so I hope I'm not cursed with the misfortune of no job.