Congratulations on getting into Integrated Sciences! I look forward to getting to meet you all on campus this fall!
My name is Hannah, and I will be entering the 4th year of my Integrated Sciences degree and my disciplines are medical genetics and disease prevention. I have taken courses from genetics and evolutionary biology to statistics and immunology. I am a worklearn student in the School of Population and Public Health and I volunteer in the Emergency Department at BC Children’s Hospital. If you have any questions about my course selection or opportunities for students in ISCI feel free to reach out at [email protected]! Officially starting your specialization in ISCI can be a bit daunting with trying to find a mentor and writing your degree proposal all while figuring out what courses you want to take in second year. As ISCI students, we have been given the opportunity to design a degree with courses that interest us and are specific to our future goals. Here, I am going to share with you some of the ways that helped me to plan my second year courses and develop a plan for my degree. For many disciplines, the second year courses are similar. If you want to learn more about the specific courses recommended in different disciplines check out our post from last summer here! This post outlines the second year requirements and choosing disciplines that interest you. Tip #1: In planning my proposal, I found it helpful to begin at the 400-level courses and work my way backwards: Example: I want to take MICB 402: Advanced Immunology -> I need to take MICB 302 as the pre-req in 3rd year -> I need to take MICB 202 in second year as the pre-req Example: MEDG 420: Medical Genetics -> Take BIOL 335 in 3rd year-> Take BIOL 234 in second year Selecting your fourth year courses may seem like a task for 2 years in the future, however, having these courses in mind as you plan your second year will help you in writing your curriculum rationale over the next few months. It is helpful to make a list of all of the 400-level courses that you may want to take and look at their 200 and 300-level pre-reqs as many courses will tend to have similar pre-requisites especially in 2nd year. Having a bank of 400-level courses and 300-level courses to choose from will also help in planning as the timing of courses may not always work out in your favour. Tip #2: Use the worklists on your SSC to draft potential timetables. Many upper level courses stay at the same time so this can be a helpful way to keep track of your credits and see the timing of the courses. These worklists are helpful to decide which upper level courses you may want to take each year and can help you plan your courses term by term. Remember, some upper level classes only have one or two sections and will only be offered during a specific term. Tip #3: Write down WHY! Why are you interested in taking MICB 402 or MEDG 420? How will this course fit into your degree. Keeping small notes on these questions will help you in a few months with you proposal. Example: MICB 402: Advanced Immunology will encompass all of the knowledge that I have gained in previous courses and tie together the molecular basis for lymphocyte development that will help me to better understand the complex immunological processes that occur in the human body. This course will also draw from my genetics discipline in the exploration of the relationship between genetics and the immune system. This example is pretty detailed but it can offer some insight into the types of things that you will want to think about when choosing your courses. Tip #4: Try something different! There are so many courses offered at UBC that can be included in your degree proposal. Take a fun elective or try a directed studies if you are interested in research! You have the freedom to design a degree that is unique to you so why not take this opportunity to incorporate your interests or curiosities into your degree! Tip #5: Make time for your degree! Course planning and the degree proposal process can seem like a lot of work to get started on. The earlier you are able to start on this process, the more time you will be able to dedicate to researching courses and opportunities that will enhance your degree. Taking advantage of some of the free time that you have this summer will pay off once the fall term begins. The time and thought that you put into your course planning and rationale will show in your degree proposal. I hope some of these tips were useful for you and that you were able to gain some valuable ideas from this post! Good luck with your course selections and feel free to reach out if you have any questions! - Hannah VP Admin and External
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Blog TeamHannah, VP Admin Archives
January 2022
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