By Sarvenaz Oloomi BA ‘22, former Arts Peer Advisor
Before your registration day, it’s helpful to browse the UBC Course Schedule to find courses that spark your interest and fit within your academic plan.
When I accepted my offer to UBC Arts, I wanted to be proactive and plan my courses before registration. I made a list of courses I’d need to complete my degree, along with a few electives I was interested in, and checked their credit amounts. This helped me visualize how courses would fit together to make my first-year schedule.
In this guide, I’ll share some tips that helped me start planning my first year schedule, and might help you build your own with more clarity.
Explore your academic interests
The amount of choices can be daunting, especially since it seemed like there were so many fields and academic areas I hadn’t gotten to explore in high school or even heard of before. While making my course schedule, I realized I wasn’t sure what I wanted to try out. I took some time to reflect on what I enjoy, from my favourite high school classes to the books, movies, and topics I keep coming back to.
If you’re not sure where to begin, try thinking of things that you’re passionate about or that interest you outside of the classroom. You’re more likely to enjoy the class (and do well in it) if the subject genuinely interests you.
Identify and choose your first-year study option
I researched the three first-year study options (Arts One, the Coordinated Arts Program (CAP), and the custom timetable) and thought about which one would work best for my personal academic journey. When I applied to Arts, I already knew I was interested in majoring in psychology, so I decided that the custom timetable was the right option for me. It allowed me to take multiple psychology-related courses right away, while still fulfilling degree requirements.
All three first-year study options have their own strengths, so ask yourself which will provide you with the support you need as you transition to university life and which is the best fit for how you like to learn.
Consider credits and degree requirements
You can take up to 30 credits during the Winter Session, usually 5 courses per term. To reach second-year standing by the end of your first year, you’ll need to complete at least 27 credits.
Most single-term courses are worth 3 credits. Some courses extend across both Winter Terms and are typically worth 6 credits.
- If you are in Arts One or CAP, those programs are each worth 18 credits over the full Winter Session. That leaves you with up to 12 credits left to use for electives.
With a custom timetable, you’ll have the full 30 credits to design your own schedule from scratch.
It’s important to fulfill the Writing Component requirement and start working towards your Ways of Knowing Breadth Requirement in your first year.
- If you choose Arts One or CAP as your first-year study option, you’ll automatically fulfill the Writing Component through the program.
When I was creating my course list, I made sure to include the introductory Psychology courses I needed, a few electives, and some courses that met degree requirements— all while staying within 30 credits for the year.
The Ways of Knowing Breadth Requirement is designed to help you explore different areas of study as you work toward your degree. You’ll take courses across four breadth areas:
- Humanities and Creative Arts
- Language as Meaning
- Natural and Physical Sciences
- Social and Behavioural Systems
It also includes a course on Place and Power, which will introduce you to the history and current realities of the region and encourage you to think critically about systems of power and place.
If you’re not sure where to start in your first year, you could try selecting a course from each of the breadth areas. It’s a great way to explore your interests while checking off your degree requirements.
Navigate the Course Schedule on Workday
When you’re looking at the course schedule on Workday, you’ll see course codes written like this: WRDS_V 151 01A. This stands for Writing, Research, and Discourse Studies (subject code), offered at the UBC Vancouver campus (campus code), course number 151, section 01A.
The Course Number tells you the level of the course, 100-level for first year, 200-level for second year, and so on. The section code refers to the specific class time and format (or “section”) of the course.
Not every course will be available to you right away. Be sure to check the prerequisites and course notes to see if a course is restricted to certain year levels, majors, or programs.
Choose courses and electives
Electives are a great way to explore your interests and try something new. I took courses that were prerequisites for my intended major in psychology, but l also signed up for courses that just sounded interesting, or came highly recommended by friends. One of those was an introductory sociology course, and to this day, it has been one of the most inspiring courses I have taken!
As I built my schedule, I kept track of the credits to stay under the 30 credit limit for the Winter Session. I started with required courses, then added my electives.
To avoid time conflicts, I organized my list of potential courses by class days and times, which made the planning process feel a lot more manageable.
Create saved schedules on Workday
Making a saved schedule in Workday can help you plan out your classes for the Winter Session. It lets you check if you meet the eligibility for each class, and helps you spot any time conflicts early on.
Just remember: saving a course to your saved schedule doesn’t mean you’re registered. You’ll still need to officially register on your assigned date and time.
I usually make a few different versions of my schedule just in case a class fills up. Lectures, tutorials, and discussions can have limited seating, so having a backup plan ready has definitely saved me stress on registration day.
Getting ready for registration and your first year
You’ll get an email from Enrolment Services with your exact registration date and time, but you can also check the registration schedule on the Enrolment Services website. Once you know your timeline, start exploring your study options, checking degree requirements, and building your saved schedules to get a head start.
Taking the time to plan made a big difference for me. I felt more confident going into registration, and more excited about my first year. The transition from high school to university can feel like a big shift, but understanding your degree requirements and having a plan in place can make things feel a lot more manageable. It’s one of the first steps toward setting yourself up for a strong start in your undergraduate journey.
Sarvenaz Oloomi BA ‘22, former Arts Peer Advisor
