I may or may not know what I'm doing.
2020-09-06
Note: Courses, academic advisor, availability, Quest
This is part of a 3-part series on preparation for first year at the University of Waterloo.
Today’s topic will be on courses. After accepting and satisfying UW’s conditional offer of admission, you will need select courses. I will discuss course selection in general. If you need advice on which courses to pick, you can see your program requirements on the undergraduate calendar, or ask an academic advisor.
You must choose courses for the upcoming academic term (unless your life is already planned out, such as in engineering). This is done through Quest. During the course selection period, students essentially add their desired courses to a shopping cart, in descending priority. As long as you complete your selection(s) before the deadline, you will have the same chance as everyone else. I suggest that you prioritize program requirements over electives. Once the course selection period ends, the registrar attempts to make a conflict-free schedule for all students.
If you have missed the course selection period, or would like to change your mind after this period, you may do so during the drop/add period. This period, unlike the first, is first-come-first-serve. Even if you would like to add the course, there is a possibility they might not be able to due to space or time constraints. If this occurs, you may be able to ask an academic advisor for an override, although this is not guaranteed. Overrides also typically require the course professor’s approval.
Class schedules and term availability are accessible through UW’s administrative systems. The undergraduate calendar’s course lists are also a good resource. There are also other sites such as UW Flow and Odyssey which format the course’s schedule and availability in a slightly nicer way and can provide student reviews of previous course offerings. As with all reviews, there may be biases involved.
Some courses are only offered on specific terms. You will need to plan your courses ahead of time, including pre-requisites, so that you will be able to complete your degree on time and/or if you want to take specific electives.
The important information to take away is that you are able to select courses through Quest during the two periods. You may also contact an academic advisor for advice or for course overrides. Some courses are only available on certain terms. However, courses are not the only part of first year preparation. I will discuss the next topic in the next post.
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