Hey aska,
I just finished first year in life sciences with exactly 3.5 credits, so I’m gonna be in first year again I guess.
Earlier in the summer i asked my registrar if this means I’lll have to do 5 years instead of 4 if i didnt take summer school and she insured me that i wont have to. But the issue is that I want to major in human biology. its a type1 program and i have all i need except for chm136, but i need chm136 for the second year courses. BIO230, HMB204, BCM210 & HMB265. Im worried that these courses may not be available in the summer and I really don’t have a plan for what i could possibly do, anything is helpful.
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hi!
this is a tricky situation. i just wanna preface this response by saying that i’m but a humble student blogger. yes, i am privvy and somewhat all seeing, but people at your registrars office actually know everything. in fact, it’s their job to know everything (or refer you to someone else who knows more everything than their everything). i know that you said that you’ve already talked to them, but i think it may be a good idea to go back for a follow-up appointment to discuss your options.
that being said, i’ll answer your question to the best of my ability.
so, you’re right, you will still be considered a first year student this year (second year students are students with at least 4.0FCE). if you do still want to graduate in four years, it’s still possible! though you may need to take more than 5.0 FCE at some point or summer courses in order to graduate in four years, it’s doable. but, you should keep in mind that it’s totally okay (and normal!) to take more than four years. lots of students even take LESS than 5.0FCE every year and more than 4 years to finish their degrees. work at your own pace. if finishing in four years is super important to you, that’s also valid! just remember that you will probably need to take more than 5.0FCE and summer courses at some point to do that.
as for the courses you want to take, i suggest that you take a look at the faculty of arts and sciences’ timetable to see when those courses are offered. then, you can check to see if you could take those second year courses in the winter semester if you take chm136 in fall semester. according to the timetable, chm136 is offered in the fall, which means that you can take some of the courses that you need chm136 for in the winter semester, if they’re offered.
you can also check out the department’s previous summer offerings to get an idea of what courses will be offered next summer. there’s no guarantee that courses that were offered previously will be offered in the future, but it’s a good way to get a gist of what courses are offered in the summer sessions.
again, i think that going to see someone at your registrar’s office to discuss options and academic planning would be a good idea, but i hope this helps a little.
good luck, i’m rooting for you!
xoxo,
aska
