Hey aska!
I’m entering my first year at the UofT for humanities and in second year I want to be in the health studies and employment relations program doing a double major. Both program say that there is limited enrollment. I even visited the campus and talked to a prof there and he said he doesnt know too much about the health studies program but knows they only take in 40 people from around 200 applications.
I talked to the Health Studies student union on their facebook page and they said from what they know the program accepts everyone who qualifies so that was confusing cause online it says its limited enrolment. In health studies you can take any course to get in but you should have some science courses and social science courses. However, for the employment relations
program they want you to take economics and the sociology and psychology courses.
I’m really worried I may not get in the programs and I know people say “have a backup” but those are really the only 2 programs I am into and I want to work in a hospital or business as a coordinator or human resources manager or perhaps in health policy. I really do not want to transfer into York U second year for their health management program because I like UofT
much much better. From your experience, have you seen people who did not get into their program? Did you get into the program you wished to be in? And finally what advice would you give me?
Thanks so much for your time!
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hey!
welp. i feel you like you’ve already done more research than i have on this one. i don’t want to disagree with so many sources, but i believe your initial information was correct. the employment relations major is indeed a type 3 (which means there is limited enrolment), and the health studies major is a type 2L (also limited enrolment).
i’ve never heard that stat about health studies before, so i can’t confirm it, but who am i to contravene a professor? what he said certainly makes more sense than what the health studies union said, since program enrolment is definitely limited for the health studies major. maybe they meant it as a consoling platitude (like, “don’t even worry about it! pretty much everyone gets in who applies!”) rather than an actual fact.
but let me back up for a second here: you’re only going into your first year. i feel like you’re worrying about things that are way, way out of your control right now. i know you’ve got your heart set on this path, but you never know – you may end up hating it. i’m not saying you will, just that it’s a possibility. you may change your plans entirely. or you may absolutely CRUSH your courses and be basically a shoe-in to both your majors. right now, you can’t know for sure which way it’s gonna go.
in the face of that uncertainty, what i would do is stick to your plan and focus on doing as well as possible in your courses, to increase your chances of getting into the majors you want. try to focus on the now.
nonetheless, i’m feeling that you have a LOT OF ANXIETY about this, so i’m gonna go along with you on your hypothetical for just a minute. let’s assume the worst case scenario: you don’t get into either one or both of your majors.
i have seen lots and lots of people not get into their program of choice, and while i admire your drive, there is one thing and one thing only that distinguishes success from failure: being able to adapt. that doesn’t mean giving up on your dream. but if (worst case) you don’t get into one or both of your majors, you can STILL ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL of working in human resources/health policy – you just might have to go about it a different way.
for example, maybe you don’t get into employment relations, but you still make sure to complete the required courses to gain CHRP designation, making it easy for you to go out into the world and do human resources for a living. instead of health studies, you pursue a global health major; very similar, but it’s a type 1, meaning you’re guaranteed enrolment.
or maybe you do a Master’s of Industrial Relations and Human Resources after your undergrad, and then go into the working world.
there are many, many more options that can all take you to the same place. and if you need some help figuring out which options are available to you, you can always book appointments with your registrar’s office throughout your time at uoft.
see? even your worst case scenario is survivable.
all the best for your first year,
aska