Wassap Aska?
I’m going to UTSG next year and I dunno if you get asked this a lot but what are the “bird courses”? I’m going for some kind of an arts major (history maybe?) but for first year I just want the easiest possible courses at the university because I’m scared shitless.
Thanks!
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The best kept, big little secret at UT St. George is ASSU’s Anti-Calendar?(AC). It’s your academic neon bible. Read it. Worship it. Just because I love you (yes, you!), here’s a handy guide to reading it:
The AC is a Grammy Award-winning band from Montreal… oh wait, the AC is an annual course evaluation conducted by the Arts & Science Student Union. It’s also the most-used tool for students when selecting their courses. Generally, students look at the retake rate: the percentage of enrolled respondents who “would still have taken this course, disregarding their need to meet program or degree requirements.”
While this sounds like a logical way to choo- choo- choose your courses, it totally ain’t that straightforward. These train tracks are bendy, baby.
You say: “But whyz?? I is confused.”
I say: The survey is voluntary. It’s in-class. And it’s at the end-of-year. Students who are doing badly tend to (1) drop out and (2) stop attending. Students who are doing well tend to (1) stay in and (2) attend. This is especially true for elective courses. And those are the only ones you get to choo- choo- choose.
This creates selection bias in the AC methodology that favours respondents who perform above average. Basically, the retake rate is a big little half-truth. It’s useful only in broad strokes; so, I follow the rule of thumb to avoid electives with lower than an 80% retake rate.
Now, about these bird courses: one student’s GPA-saving phoenix is another student’s albatross. Like, I have this one friend who I met in band camp, Winnie, the British Bulldog. He studies peace & conflict studies. Mostly the peace part. I also have this other friend, Sterna, the Arctic Tern, who studies geography.
Both of these friends study the Arts. Both think that each other’s field is a total borefest. When choosing a course, bird or not-bird, think about whether the course material seems interesting to you. If the class is too boring, you may lose your motivation and that albatross will fall right out of the sky.
You should also cross-reference the Anti-Calendar with the helpful Rate My Professor website. And if you still want me to suggest a course: take DTS201.
You say: “Aska – you are wise and warm. Like alphabet soup.”
I say: “Thanks for noticing,”
Aska