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Having to take 1st yr courses in 2nd yr!

 
Old 07-06-2009 at 07:39 AM   #1
rebeccaaa
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Having to take 1st yr courses in 2nd yr!
I had all of my courses picked out accordingly then of course when I get on solar 90% of the ones I wanted were full. I got in all of the courses that I needed for my program, however for my electives I had to end up taking 2 first year courses. They were literally the only 2 courses availible that I was actually was qualified to get into, because all of the 2nd yr courses I wanted to take as electives were full.

My question is will it academically hurt me taking two 1st yr courses when I'm in 2nd year? Also if I contact the Dean of the faculty of the course I want to get into, will they let me even though I'm only using it as an elective? I'm just curious if then I won't be allowed to get into 3rd yr programs because I didn't have enough 2nd year credits.

Thanks in advance!
Old 07-06-2009 at 07:48 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rebeccaaa View Post
I had all of my courses picked out accordingly then of course when I get on solar 90% of the ones I wanted were full. I got in all of the courses that I needed for my program, however for my electives I had to end up taking 2 first year courses. They were literally the only 2 courses availible that I was actually was qualified to get into, because all of the 2nd yr courses I wanted to take as electives were full.

My question is will it academically hurt me taking two 1st yr courses when I'm in 2nd year? Also if I contact the Dean of the faculty of the course I want to get into, will they let me even though I'm only using it as an elective? I'm just curious if then I won't be allowed to get into 3rd yr programs because I didn't have enough 2nd year credits.

Thanks in advance!
Unless your program specifically says in the Undergraduate calendar that you need a certain amount of level 2 courses, it doesn't matter nor will it hurt you academically. Just make sure you're taking the necessary courses to get into level 3 classes for the future.
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Old 07-06-2009 at 11:22 PM   #3
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Taking first year courses as electives will definitely not look bad academically. I met a lot of upper years taking first year classes. And usually you can take classes from another faculty as long as you meet the pre-requisites. For some you may need permission from the faculty or you may need to be in the program. You should look up the classes in the course calendar first or contact the faculty to make sure.
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Old 07-06-2009 at 11:50 PM   #4
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It's fine as long as all the courses you're taking aren't in first year.

I believe you can take up to a max of 48 units from first year. Keep in mind that graduate schools may have a certain requirement that you take a certain number of courses from your current year of study.

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Old 07-07-2009 at 01:34 PM   #5
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It's totally normal to take first year courses in second year. Think of it has raising your GPA if you work for it, since you know what they expect in first year courses. But always, always satisfy requirements first.
Old 07-16-2009 at 02:04 PM   #6
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Taking too many first year classes does look bad for grad school though.
Old 07-16-2009 at 02:15 PM   #7
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You can only take a maximum of six first year courses/eighteen units after first year though. That's not very much considering you take forty classes for your degree/120 credits.
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Old 07-16-2009 at 03:45 PM   #8
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Is 48 units the maximum for all faculties? Or does it differ?
Thanks!
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Old 07-16-2009 at 03:47 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ~*Sara*~ View Post
Is 48 units the maximum for all faculties? Or does it differ?
Thanks!
It's 48 units for almost all the programs. I would check them all, but there are just too many.
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Old 07-16-2009 at 04:22 PM   #10
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Quote:
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It's 48 units for almost all the programs. I would check them all, but there are just too many.
almost all is good enough, haha thanks!
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Old 07-16-2009 at 04:22 PM   #11
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Quote:
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almost all is good enough, haha thanks!
Yeah, definitively check for the programs you want to apply to though.
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Old 07-16-2009 at 05:02 PM   #12
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I don't think grad schools tend to care about the courses you're taking (so long as you meet their requirements), except for some qualitative applications. I know of some med schools for instance, which look not only at your GPA, but also the difficulty of the courses you've taken each year.
Old 07-16-2009 at 05:10 PM   #13
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rebeccaaa: You're lucky D:
At least you managed to get electives. All the second-year AND first-year ones I wanted are full! Looks like I'll be bugging associate deans for the next month or so.
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Old 07-16-2009 at 07:14 PM   #14
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I was told this year I could take as many first year courses as I wanted.

Second degrees are awesome.
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Old 07-16-2009 at 10:14 PM   #15
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Ohh, so instead of counting as an elective.. it would contribute to a second degree?
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