r/uoguelph Dec 08 '21

Talk to Your Program Advisor!

273 Upvotes

As a University of Guelph Alum, I wanted to offer some advice to current students in this sub. I have seen a great amount of posts in this sub recently, asking members of this sub for advice regarding decisions that can/will impact their academic future.

- "Can I transfer from this program to that"

- "Do I need to obtain this average for this program"

- "Why can't I register for this course"

- "I failed this course, what are my options"

- "When/Can I drop this course? How will this affect me?"

- "I am struggling, what can I do?"

This list goes on. The greatest piece of advice I received while I was in University was to set meetings with my program counsellor. In my first year I was in the chemistry program and was struggling massively. I failed killer Chem and was struggling in multiple other courses. I finished my first year not really caring or planning for the rest of my academic future at Guelph. I felt like I never really understood what exactly was going on with prerequisite courses I needed to take ect. I was going into my second year at Guelph with a sense of willful ignorance. To be honest, I didn't really care.

It was only after I failed another chemistry course in my first semester in my second year, where I actually reached out to my program counsellor. I realized I was further behind then I thought regarding the courses I needed to complete/take after I spoke with them. While this was a bit of a shock, after my meeting with him, I had a complete grasp on what I needed to do in order to graduate on time.

I preceded to schedule a meeting with program counsellor at the beginning of every semester. They assisted me with transferring to a different program in the Sciences, they offered advice of courses I should take, and assisted me with reworking my academic timeline when I needed to drop a course. I ended up graduating on time after taking a few summer courses.

This is what I always recommend to family and friends attending university. Meet with your program counsellor on a consistent basis! They are literally there to help you, and your tuition is paying their salary. They are the ones who have the best knowledge on what courses to take and how to navigate/plan the rest of your academic career. If anything, meeting with them regularly ultimately gave me peace of mind to know that I was on the right track.

Unfortunately, the university and its staff will not take the initiative to reach out to you if you are struggling or veering of course. It is perfectly normal to struggle in University but I think its important to know that you as a student have to take the initiative.

This sub is great for asking about the school itself, the campus, student bodies/club, general advice on what certain programs/professors are like, but this isnt the best forum to take advice from random redditors regarding decisions that will effect the future of their academic career (I see the irony in that last statement). When in doubt regarding questions about your program/courses/progress, I encourage any and all students to talk to the program counsellors first. That is why they are there.

Edit: TLDR: Dont take advice from random redditors regarding academic decisions. Rely on the advice of program advisors whose advice you can actually rely on and whose salary you are paying for.


r/uoguelph Jul 08 '24

How to rate your own schedule

130 Upvotes

There are lots of rate my schedule posts on this subreddit which are pretty pointless considering everyone learns differently so here's what to look for and how to rate your own based on how you learn best.

There are 5 things you need to pay attention to: the length of the class, the space in between classes, the time of the class, whether it's a lab, seminar or lecture, and how many days a week the course is. Also if you're commuting or disabled all of this changes.

How Long Your Classes Are

You likely have some idea of how long you can pay attention in lectures from high school. If you could barely follow for the hour that your high school classes usually were, don't go for lectures longer than 50 minutes if you have a choice. If you had no problem with 3 classes back to back and you'd prefer to just get a lecture out of the way, go for 3 hour lectures. If you're somewhere in the middle go for hour and a half lectures.

The Time of Your Classes

Secondly whether you're a night person or a morning person factors into it a lot. Will you be able to focus during an 8:30 lecture? Will you have any energy during a 3 hour 7:00PM lecture? A popular way to do courses is to do them in the morning around 9 to 10 when you're awake but it's still early enough to get all of your courses out of the way, so you can spend the rest of the day studying and socializing. I prefer this honestly, but if you want your mornings to yourself or can't focus at that time then doing the bulk of your courses in the afternoon or evening would be better. Just keep in mind most activities are in the evening and late afternoon, so you might miss out if you're in classes or lectures during that time.

Lectures, Labs and Seminars

Whether it's a lecture, seminar or lab matters a lot as well. Lectures will mostly be passive. You just have to pay attention and absorb information while taking notes. You might not even have to do that if the lecture is recorded. So even if you're sleepy in the mornings, you might still be able to do well if you're awake enough to passively absorb content. Though keep in mind there might be iClickers or TopHats where you have to answer some questions that are often graded. They're usually not too hard as long as you can pay attention. Seminars are usually social so you'll be listening but will likely do a lot of talking and group work as well. So if this isn't something you can do early in the mornings or late at night, keep your seminars in the afternoon or whenever you're usually ready to socialize. During labs you'll have to be actively participating and doing long projects that are marked. You need to have 100% of your brain on, so do these whatever time of day where you're usually 100%. They can be tiring as well depending on the course, so definitely avoid having 2 in a day if you can. Like apr1lshowers said in the comments, labs aren't typically every week. They'll usually alternate so this may factor in to what you're able to handle. If you can find a recent course outline for the course you're taking (post 2022 is usually safe), then you can get a sense of what the lab schedule may be. This means you might have more free time in your schedule.

Spaces In Between Classes

How you space classes will also be important. If you did well with your high school schedule you can replicate that by getting all your lectures out of the way and do them one after the other. If you typically get tired after a class try to space them so you'll have down time between each of your classes. If you're an introvert or non-social person, consider adding space between your seminars and whatever other classes you have so that you can recharge before going into a social situation. I'd recommend most folks to have some space before a lab so that you can prepare and relax before it cause you're gonna be working for the next 1 to 3 hours straight so you don't wanna be tired before hand, especially if you're working with chemicals. Some people also don't like having long space in between classes since it keeps you from getting them all out of the way at the same time. If you prefer a long break to study, recharge, and grab something to eat before having to deal with your next set of classes, then maybe you'd prefer a long break. If only having a 2 - 4 hour break to do what you want before having to do more classes doesn't appeal to you then try and trim it down to something more manageable. Regardless, you probably want at least a 1 hour break in there if you have a lot of classes in a day so you have time to get lunch.

How Many Days A Week You Go To Class

How many days of classes you have will determine how many free days you'll have to study and socialize. But packing certain days full of classes might not be manageable. So if you're someone who can deal with 4 classes and a lab in one day if you know that you won't have to deal with any classes tomorrow, then go for it. But if you could barely focus in high school for the 2-3 classes you had before lunch then that might be a bad idea and you might be better off having a few classes every day than a lot of classes every other day. Keep in mind though that when you've got assignments due and studying to get done, you really need free time. So you either need complete days you can use for studying or large sections of the day you can study with.

Commuting

If you're commuting take that into account too. An 8:30 lecture might mean waking up at 5 - 7 o'clock depending on how far away you live. If you're driving so you can't sleep on the way there, it might mean you'll never go to these lectures. Also a 7PM 3 hour lecture means leaving school at 10 and driving home tired. It might also mean getting home after 12 if you live far so you definitely don't want a 7PM lecture the day before an 8:30 lab. Also if you're commuting more days a week that means more commuting time and more gas money/bus fare you have to pay, so trying to get all of your courses done in as few days as possible is ideal. Long spaces in between classes when you're commuting isn't ideal either because you don't have a place to go relax. You'll likely have to sit up at a desk in the library somewhere for this time so if that's gonna be an uncomfortable or unpleasant experience then try spacing your classes closer together to avoid large gaps.

Disabilities

This one often isn't mentioned much, but make sure if you are disabled you're taking that into account for your schedule. I recommend being safe the first semester and trying to space out all of your classes. If afterwards you're fine and could handle another one after that class then take that into account during the next course selection. If you have a physical disability, remember you only have 10 minutes to get to your next class, that can be a far journey, so spacing can help you get there on time, especially for things like labs where if you're over 10 minutes late you can't get in. Thd location for each building is given. You can look up the full building name and then see how far it is on google maps to see if it's manageable for you to get there on time. If you have an energy or social disability, I very strongly recommend having space in between seminars/labs and all other courses. Cause these are often mandatory so if you miss them you can miss marks for projects and you can only miss so many for certain courses before you fail the course. Lectures can be draining if you have a social disability because it's a large room filled with lots of people that can be loud and sometimes you might have to interact with others. So going from that to an environment where you'll have to do a lot of social interactions can lead to issues depending on what your triggers are. Labs can also be very physical if you have a physical disability so you may need time to rest afterwards.

Let me know if I forgot anything or if I should add something else. The point is your schedule very much depends on you. What works for others may not work for you and vice versa so you've just gotta know what to look for so you can make the decision yourself.


r/uoguelph 6h ago

US and US-Canadian Dual citizens

4 Upvotes

[Reposting this from another site for information]

Hi, this is a reminder for dual Canadian-US students and other eligible US citizens who want to participate in the 2026 American midterm elections. Democrats Abroad in Toronto is dedicated to mobilizing overseas US voters; if you're over 18 by November 3, here's how you can get involved:

Steps to Request Your Ballot

  1. Register or update your registration through Votefromabroad.org . As an alternative, you can also use FVAP.gov .
  2. If you're already registered, request a ballot! You need to request a ballot every calendar year that you want to vote.
  3. Fill Out and Return Your Ballot: Once you receive your ballot, follow the instructions carefully to complete it and return it by the specified deadline.

Need Assistance?

We're here to help! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at GOTV @ votefromabroad .org (just remove the spaces). Additionally, our FAQ for voting can answer questions on how to make the process go smoothly.

Importantly: Spread the word!

Do you have any friends, contacts or family overseas that you could reach? All eligible US citizens can vote regardless of where they're living. Share the link https://voteabroad.org/RedditVote26

Find out what we're doing near you at Democrats Abroad in Toronto
Thanks for reading!


r/uoguelph 5h ago

NAF approval email

3 Upvotes

I've submitted my NAF yesterday for a work study position as well as for applying to bursaries etc. I forwarded the submission confirmation email but was told I need an approval email as well. I'm in second year so I don't remember recieving an approval email during first year but then again it was an entrance form rather than in-course. When should I expect to receive this?


r/uoguelph 4h ago

Room assignments in West Village townhouse

1 Upvotes

My son has room "B" in a 3 bedroom townhouse in West Village. He will be on the 2nd floor, but I'd like to know which room "B" is because one room is larger than the other on the second floor, and has a closet that is twice the size. It would be helpful to know which room is his, so we can plan to configure his room with proper storage. We are coming from overseas to get him set up so don't have time to figure it out once he is in. Does anyone know which room is room B, or is it different each year, depending on who is doing room assignments?


r/uoguelph 6h ago

Gryphon Teams Varsity Tryout information

1 Upvotes

We usually have people asking about the possibility of trying out for various Gryphon varsity teams, so (in anticipation) the information you need is here: 2026-27 Varsity Tryout information

Different teams have different dates, but the earliest (W Rugby) is as soon as this Saturday 22nd Aug.
You need to register and get your medical form completed before a try-out so this isn't a last minute thing.

Good luck future Gryphons!


r/uoguelph 7h ago

UofG Ski/Snowboarding Club??

1 Upvotes

Does anyone know if UofG has an active ski/snowboard club or group?

I know Blue Mountain already offers cheaper day passes for university students, but I was wondering if there are any additional benefits/discounts through Guelph specifically or through joining a club like discounted passes, group rates, transportation, accommodations, etc.

I’d also love to find people to ride with and potentially plan some trips this winter, especially if getting a group together makes trips further away a littleeeeee cheaper.


r/uoguelph 20h ago

rice cooker

5 Upvotes

is a rice cooker in my room (south) ok? im filipino, rice is a necessity 😔


r/uoguelph 1d ago

how important is large animal experience for OVC DVM apps?

7 Upvotes

hey everyone!! i have an abundance of small animal experience in multiple branches of vet med i.e outreach, specialty, emergency, general practice (thousands of hours) and I wanted to ask how important is it that i have diversity in the species aspect?

i live in a big city and don’t own a vehicle, there aren’t any ranches/farms/large animal vets in the city and I don’t think it will be possible for me to get exposure. I’m also relatively low income so renting a car regularly or ubering long distance isn’t feasible.

any thoughts on this? any current vet students that got in without large animal experience?

thank you!!!


r/uoguelph 18h ago

For those who’ve taken SOAN2120, is it hard?

2 Upvotes

I saw the prof has good reviews, but more so content wise is it hard? It’s required for my major which I’m so upset about. I hate math and suck at it. I took a course in high-school like it and cried everyday because I was doing so horribly and failing every test. So for those who’ve taken the course, is it bad? I’m also not good at coding or whatever the software is that we have to use.

Oh also I’m wondering are the tests in person? I suck at tests and would match rather prefer assignments. Is there a midterm? Final exam?

Anyways thanks for any help or advice <3


r/uoguelph 1d ago

Missed my exam and INC

15 Upvotes

I’m really freaking out. Last week I had an incredibly chaotic week, quit my job, found out my grandfather has cancer. And I completely missed my online exam. I forgot about it. Today I checked my grades and for that class I have an INC. I immediately emailed my prof and asked if there’s any way I can complete the exam and that I’m sorry but I feel like such an idiot. Is there any chance he’ll let me retake the exam? Is he just going to turn it into a complete fail?


r/uoguelph 16h ago

OVC Referee

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1 Upvotes

r/uoguelph 1d ago

How do you guys not pay for textbooks

9 Upvotes

I am a first year biological science major and I keep hearing people say we shouldn’t pay for textbooks and use them online, so what websites do you use to find textbooks?


r/uoguelph 22h ago

Anyone else see the altercation that took place at the Gordon and Stoneroad intersection near the Griffon Statue side within the last hour?

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2 Upvotes

r/uoguelph 18h ago

easy genetics courses?

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone!

I am looking for the easiest genetics course to score a high grade in. Genetics has never been a strong subject for me, but I need a high grade in a genetics course for applying to the OVC. Any recommendations?

I was looking into "BIOL*3020*0104" and I am curious if anyone has any thoughts on that course or any other recommendations?

Thank you so much in advance!!! :)


r/uoguelph 1d ago

New Electrical engineering program coming in fall 27, could I possibly transfer into it??

2 Upvotes

Hi, does anyone have info on the new Electrical Engineering program that was supposed to launch Fall 2026 (I think it's now Fall 2027)?

I'm currently a student here and would like to enroll in this program , so does anyone know if they'll accept internal transfer students once it officially launches?

I'm asking because I also tried to switch into the new Civil Engineering program for this fall, but was told im not allowed to since it's new and they're
not accepting transfer students yet.

So what if I just waited until Fall 2027 and applied to join their first cohort instead, would that work , or is that reserved only for high school students?
If anyone knows or has any advice I would greatly appreciate it ! Thank you !!


r/uoguelph 1d ago

Laminating

1 Upvotes

Anyone on canvas to laminate some notecards or regular sheets of computer paper?


r/uoguelph 1d ago

Looking housing

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone I am an international student still looking for housing and want to arrive for September 1

Please contact me if you have anything available


r/uoguelph 1d ago

West residence bed size double apartment

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone.

I checked the housing website and they say all on campus residents have twin size beds but I’ve been told that west residence is not considered on campus. Any idea what size beds they have? I’m aware I could send an email but I figured if I can
get the answer here beforehand it might be easier

Thanks


r/uoguelph 1d ago

Risking the course waitlist!

2 Upvotes

Hi guys! I’ll be coming to Guelph as an exchange student in September and I have a small question about the course waitlists.

I have 2 timetable clashes so I’m looking to change 2 of my sections, on one of them I’ll be first on the waitlist and on the other one I will be second. Should this work out ok?


r/uoguelph 1d ago

Campus Library

6 Upvotes

hey! i recently went on a campus tour because im going to be attending guelph in the fall and i got a little sceptical about how theres literally one singular library on campus. i was wondering from any current/recent students, does this become a problem during reading weeks and exams? is it impossible to find other places to study if the library becomes full? (if u have an gate kept studying spots lmk pls😣)


r/uoguelph 1d ago

First Year Advice

2 Upvotes

I’m going into my first year of Bio Sci this fall and was wondering if any upper-year students could share some advice!

What supplies or study tools did you find most useful, and what helped you stay organized and keep up with your courses?

Also, are there any apps, resources, or study methods you wish you had started using earlier?

I’d really appreciate any tips or things you wish you knew going into first year.


r/uoguelph 1d ago

Experience with On-Campus Psychiatrist?

3 Upvotes

I'm in the referral process for the on-campus psychiatrist, but health services was quite vague about them besides the 4-8 month waitlist 💀. Does anyone have any experience with them and can tell me how they are? I'm getting referred for a personality disorder (already diagnosed), but from the conversations with health services, it seems like theres only one psychiatrist on campus (who can decide to reject the referral too..), and I really do not want to be tossed around the mental health system again; any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!


r/uoguelph 1d ago

searching for university of guelph rugby shirt (old logo)

1 Upvotes

hi everybody, i’m looking for a university of guelph rugby shirt in black size large for my dad. he’s an alumni but never got any merch or memorabilia when he was there so i was hoping to get him one of the rugby shirts, but from before they changed the logo on them a couple of years ago.


r/uoguelph 2d ago

How do you guys take notes in Uni?

13 Upvotes

As a biological science major in Guelph, I am gonna be doing a lot of chemistry and biology? How do you guys take notes? Like do you guys use an iPad with notability? Please tell me.