hi! yet another first year here in your ask box, lol! i have two sort of related questions for you.
i was looking at degree explorer today to be a Responsible Student. i know for sure that i want to major in english, but i’m not sure what i want to do for my other one. if you have any tips on finding good a program that you know you’ll enjoy, i’d appreciate it ? i know that’s a bit of a silly question because there’s no real answer to it, but i’m honestly terrified i’ll choose a program that i’ll end up hating.
and second (the more important question i wanted to ask) – i was looking at the program requirements for the english major program and some of the courses i have to take are ENG202, ENG203, ENG250, and ENG252. butttt if i do all of these it means that 2.0 FCEs are already taken up in my second year, and i added in some courses that i might potentially want to take (ENG273Y, JEI206H, ENG289H) – some part of the english major requirements, some not – so that means i really only have 0.5 FCEs left for whatever other major i decide on. obviously, i know i could give up on some of those courses i want to take out of interest, but i feel like if i do that i might get unmotivated for school and all, and i really do want to take them. sooo after all of that background context – is it weird/not recommended if i take about two courses or so from ENG202, ENG203, ENG250, and ENG252 in my third year even though they’re 200 level courses to free up some space in 2nd year? will that somehow set me back or be a bother to me in my third year? i’m just worried since i don’t know what else i’d want to major in, not to mention that i want to do either a 0.5 BR=4 or BR=5 in second year to get that over with.
i hope this all makes sense!
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just sent you an ask about english major stuff! i forgot to also mention that one of the courses i want to take for fun is CIN215, so that’s why i only have 0.5 FCEs left for my other major (whatever it’ll be). you probably don’t need all of this info, but just making sure haha thank u again!
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hey there,
welcome to the ask box! i do love a Responsible Student™.
i’ll try to answer your questions in order. first, do i have any tips on finding a good program?
finding a program that you love can be tough for a lot of students — many of us don’t wake up one day and just instantly know what we want to do. here are some of my suggestions:
- did you take an introductory course to random a subject in first year, only to find out you absolutely adore that subject? that might be a good sign that you’d enjoy studying it further. this is actually how i chose one of my programs.
- sit down and take the time to really flesh out your academic interests. you probably like reading and writing given that you’re interested in english — and that’s great because you’d need to read and write in many of the humanities and social sciences. is there anything within those fields that you find particularly important? are you passionate about equity, or documentaries, or gender, or creative writing? in all likelihood, there’s another major out there that will both use your skills and get you excited.
- you could also find something that complements english well, or goes at literature from a different angle. lit and crit, for example.
i can also refer you to some programs that i’ve heard people really enjoy:
- diaspora and transnational studies is quite groundbreaking, and will push you conceptually. i’ve had friends transfer into that program from things like IR and polisci, because it’s a lot less eurocentric and a lot more cutting-edge. if you’re interested in gaining cultural competencies, talking about diaspora and orientalism and nostalgia, and understanding globalization, this program is very cool.
- book and media studies apparently has some not-so-thrilling required courses, but i know people in the program who really love it once those courses are over and done with. BMS has some really cool fourth-year seminars taught by well-known figures in the journalism/publishing industry, and sometimes i wish i was in this program.
- urban studies is also really interesting if you were drawn to u of t because of the city!
second, is it weird for you to take 200-level courses in third year? absolutely not. i know tons of people who do it. i even know people who take first year courses in your fourth year. i see the 100/200/300/400 level designations more so as recommendations (and determinants of grading expectations) than i do rules.
in fact, i think it may be a good idea to free up some second-year space for courses from your other major, since u of t’s upper-year courses tend to have so many prereqs based on second year program requirements. for that reason, although i understand your desire to take fun courses, i would caution you to make sure you focus on getting your program requirements out of the way first so that your later studies aren’t impeded.
if you have any further questions you can shoot me another message. i’d also recommend that you get in touch with your registrar’s office if you’d like someone to talk this over with you via the phone. an academic advisor there will have access to your full academic history, and will also know the ins and outs of planning your degree. in a sense, they’re often a lot more helpful than i can be.
i hope this helped! good luck with whatever you ultimately decide to do. i have faith that you’ll make the best decision for yourself!
be Boundless,
aska