Hey aska,

First off, I just want to say that you’re awesome!

Secondly, I want to ask about graduating. (I know by the time you see this, 2nd sem will probably have started but I would like your opinion anyway). I’m in fourth year and I had intended to graduate in June but that now seems highly unlikely if not impossible. I started the fall sem with 5 classes and ended with 2 and a late withdrawal. I have been going through depression, family issues, and an overall lack of motivation for school. In the winter sem, I’m scheduled to take 6 classes, which I fear will drive me insane but I want to get as many credits as I can given I flopped the fall sem and tuition is so darn expensive. If I keep and pass those 6 classes, I will have 19.5 credits (so close!). Now, my question is what are my chances of getting a course overload so that I could still graduate in June? I know 7 classes is crazy, but I don’t want to pay more tuition in summer school. Or should I just stick with what I have and take a half credit in summer to graduate in November?

Given that most of my classes in the winter sem will be electives, should I take advantage of the credit no credit option and use them all? (that would leave me with only 3 courses in which I would get a mark). Are CNC a “bad” sign or negatively looked upon by potential professional or masters programs? Although, I have no current intention of applying to any future program, I want to keep my options open and not screw myself over. Especially since I’m in my last year, how would this be taken? Keep in mind that I already have a .5 CNC from 3rd yr, a LWD from 1st yr, and a recent .5 LWD this past sem. How will schools look at that LWD I got in 4th year? Did I forever ruin any chances to be accepted in a masters program, for example?

P.S sorry for the long msg and thanks

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hey there,

thanks! it’s super cool that you think i’m awesome because i find validation through other people instead of having a healthy sense of self-esteem. it’s people like you who help me function, man. you should feel proud. (no but seriously, i’m glad i’ve been in any way amusing/helpful to you. srs).

alright, on to the meat.

this is just my honest opinion, but 7 courses is really a lot. i’d say you have a valid reason for wanting them, so you might be granted course overload. by the way, you have to go through the registrar’s office to do that, so if you have reasonably good grades and you explain about wanting to graduate in June, and if the courses you want to take aren’t all incredibly demanding, there’s a definite possibility you could be granted an overload.

buuuuuut i wouldn’t advise it, especially in your last year. i understand that the financial aspect of it isn’t a small thing, but if you’re even contemplating the idea of some kind of graduate school in the future, you don’t want to screw yourself over especially in fourth year, which is in some cases the only year grad schools look at.

personally, i’d take the last credit over the summer. if you can, maybe try to find a summer job to alleviate that cost. trust me, i completely empathize with how hella expensive it is to pay for your education, but i think it’ll pay off in the long run.

as for CR/NCRs, they’re only really a problem if they’re actually requirements for a graduate or professional school. since all of the courses you want to use CR/NCR on are electives, it shouldn’t prove to be too big of an issue. in fact, it might even be helpful if you think that using CR/NCR will give you a higher overall GPA (something grad/professional schools also look at). and if you’re gonna be taking 6 or even 7 courses i understand that making 1.5 CR/NCR would definitely be helpful.

HOWEVER i have to add the mandatory cautionary that credit/no-credit isn’t a strategy, it’s a helping hand. if you think you’ll do really well in your electives and they’ll boost your GPA, then you might as well take them properly. who knows, down the line those marks might come in handy for a job application or something, and it’s a real hassle to get your mark released after you’ve made it credit/no-credit already (trust me, i work in a uoft office – people have to jump through flaming hoops backwards to get CR/NCR marks post-exams). also, if you use CR/NCR on three courses all in one year, it might look a bit suspicious to a grad/profession school, though i’d suggest you talk to any grad schools you might be interested in to make absolutely sure.

as for the LWDs, they’re not great, and they definitely would affect something like a grad school application, but i wouldn’t say that they at all ruin your chances. obviously it depends on your overall GPA and the specific school in question, but if you’ve done well in the grad program’s prerequisites and you have a competitive average, i think you would still have a chance. especially since one of your LWDs was in first year, which is pretty much irrelevant for almost all grad/professional schools.

also, lots of grad schools have a written application component where you can make a personal statement. that gives you a third, non-marks based chance to prove yourself as a worthy candidate. finally, most grad schools allow you to write them a letter explaining why stuff like LWDs have happened, if there’s a specific reason (don’t do that as part of your personal statement tho that’s a big no-no).

i hope that’s been somewhat useful to you! best of luck, man, hope it goes smashingly, and congrats on graduating. you lucky butt. grr.

aska