Should I Switch? These are the questions to ask if you're thinking about changing programs

Having been in 5 different faculties over 10 years of university, I have some advice I’d like to share. And yes, you read that correctly – I have been in 5 different faculties, and I have no shame in sharing this detail with you – in fact, that’s the whole point of this post. Changing your program of study is fairly common during one’s university career. In fact, depending on what articles you read, some state that anywhere from 50-75% of people change their major at least once, with people commonly switching up to 3 times.

So, it’s likely that changing programs is something that has gone through your mind too. Before going ahead and making the switch though, there are a few things that you should consider.

First thing’s first, do you really want to do this?

Hopefully, by asking yourself the following questions, you will get a better idea of whether or not you are certain this is the right decision for you - not the right decision for your parents, your friends, or anyone else –just you. Try writing your answers down, and look at them frequently as you think this through.

Why do you want to switch out of your current program?

This is one of the most important things to think about. What is it about your program that you don’t like? Are you not doing very well? Did you decide it wasn’t for you? Or is it that you just don’t see yourself being in that field? Whatever the reason, make sure you have a clear mind, are free of any external pressures, and aren’t doing this in a particularly emotional or vulnerable point in your life. 

Confession: The first time that I chose to change programs was during my first year of university. I hadn’t realized how different University was compared to high school, and I was instantly overwhelmed. Long story short, I dropped out of my program before I could even give it a chance. I was certainly not ready for university, and I left a good degree with co-op opportunities because I was overwhelmed by the whole experience – not just my program. Although I love where I’m at now, I still feel that I made this decision too quickly while in a vulnerable place. That’s why I highly recommend starting with this question.

Are you overwhelmed? Feeling unsuccessful? Do you need more personal or academic support?

A few of my friends switched because they failed a term, or felt overwhelmed with busy class schedules and multiple assignments that were due every week. First year is tough, no joke, and university in general is hard. However, the truth is everyone has to study, and everyone struggles. If you feel that you would be happy to stay in the program if you could just “survive” here are a few resources that can help out. Just remember that you’re not alone.

The Student Success Centre - the student success center has been referred to quite a bit in this blog, and there’s a reason we do that. They offer workshops, guidance, and tips and tricks for unlocking your full potential in school! 

Counselling and Clinical Services is another big hitter, also for good reason. They offer individual counselling, workshops, and group therapy for anything which could be standing in the way of your success!

Why did you choose your current program in the first place?

Sometimes it can be good to think about what it was that attracted you to your current program. Did it seem interesting? Did you think it would lead to stable job opportunities? Had you hoped it would be fun? Were told that you would be good at it (either by friends, family, or teachers)? Think back to what was going on when you applied to the program, and you might get some insight into where you want to go (or stay) next. Think about your original motivations and think about who they most benefit. 

Have you researched the program you’re thinking of switching to? 

Does the subject matter excite you? Do you feel motivated to learn it? Do you actually enjoy learning about the subject?  What skills will you develop? What will your study/work environment be like? What career paths are available to graduates? Your education is an investment – it’s an investment of your time and your money, and you should be interested in getting the most out of the experience. And that means enjoying the experience. 

Research the career options that this program could lead to, and consider auditing a course.

Confession: One of the things that made me fall in love with the life sciences was sitting in on an upper year genetics course that my sister was taking. 

Be careful though, make sure this doesn’t cut into any of your current class time, and that you are still able to keep up to date with your current courses. Also, I would say maybe sit in on 2-3 lectures tops on different subjects, make sure you ask for permission from the instructor before auditing a course.

If you know that someday you want to enter a professional program, like Law or Medicine, don’t focus on trying to take “pre-law” classes - especially since there is no “pre-law” program at the U of A. There isn’t a “pre-med” program either. And if you were to talk to a faculty advisor, they would recommend that you take the classes that you will enjoy and that will in turn get you the best grades achievable (because you’ll actually want to learn about the subject and will be more inclined to do well).

That being said, do all of your homework. If you know that you want to have a certain type of career, and you know that it does require a certain degree – find out if your program of interest can lead to that degree. And do not forget to look at the entrance requirements/pre-reqs., especially if you are thinking about switching faculties. Not all faculties are able to accept internal applicants. And if you are thinking about switching faculties, remember that you will have to go through the formal application process to do so. (More on that later.) 

What’s the difference between my current program, and the program I am considering switching into? 

Keep in mind that a lot of programs have significant overlap in their course requirements. Some of your credits might be transferable, so it could be beneficial to take courses common to both programs, and having some extra time to reflect on whether or not you want to switch. If you do this, be sure to check the calendar and to speak with a faculty advisor and/or program advisor. (It’s recommended that you speak with the advisor of the program that you’re interested in switching to.)The advisor will verify course requirements and might even be able to help you plan out which courses would be good to take. If you aren’t sure which advisor you should be speaking with, visit InfoLink (or call them or email them). The InfoLink staff can help you identify which advisors to see, and they can also let you know about any special information that might help you better prepare for an advising session.

Also, don’t forget to do a program check! You should do this at least once a year even if you aren’t thinking about switching. Having a program check will allow you to see exactly what credits you have and which ones you still need for your current program.

You should also try making a pro/con list for the programs you’re interested in. (Including your current program, if it’s still something you’re considering.) Take a look at:

• Course load
• Pre-reqs
• Application requirements and time lines (if applicable)
• Time requirements 
• Job opportunities
• How many people are in the field
• Possibility of a joint major or minor
• Funding options
• Program requirements

After making a pro/con list, try mapping out what the next few years of school could look like in your possible programs of study. While doing this, try to identify any courses which overlap, or any courses which have the same prerequisites. This can be really helpful, especially if you are considering multiple program options. It’s also a good idea to do this for at least the next semester, since applying to a new faculty can take time (if that’s the route you choose to take).

Okay, so I’m darn sure I need to switch majors, how do I do it?

As I mentioned up at the top, changing majors is quite different from changing faculties. The number one thing you should do if you are considering a switch (either within your current faculty or to a new one), is to talk to the applicable advisor(s). Be sure to visit the advisor for the program that you are thinking of moving into. If you don’t know who this person is, visit InfoLink (as described earlier) and/or visit the program’s website. 

They’ll be able to guide you from there. 

Remember that your student experience is temporary, and although it can be easy to get caught in the trap of thinking that a particular degree will limit your future path, know that there is flexibility in what any university degree gets you, and many programs have transferable skills. After all, no education is wasted education.

ALBERT - YouAlberta Contributor

Albert is a final year MD/MBA student. When not at the books, he enjoys playing guitar, squash, dancing, cooking, travelling, and adrenaline sports. As a kid, Albert would often throw up whenever startled, to the dismay of haunted house employees. With a stronger stomach, he intends to try unique food on every continent.

Let's just look at dogs - we've earned it!

Ah, exam time, that wonderful part of the year where everything gets put on hold, laundry piles up, and the promise of a few weeks of nothing but sleep and Netflix are so close, but so far away. (Although, isn’t that what we do during the term too?)

Kidding aside, exams are an incredibly stressful time. Whether it’s your first year as a university student or your tenth, there’s still an aura of tension across campus during the last few weeks of the term. It’s interesting to see how people combat stress during this time.

Studies have shown that animals are able to help alleviate stress and anxiety, and after going to one of the Furry Friends events in Cameron Library myself, I can say this is true for me. So, here's what you likely came here for: pictures of cute dogs! (And, as a bonus, a few random facts about dogs... because, why not.)

Fact: The only sweat glands a dog has are on its paws. Part of the way dogs cool down is through panting.

Fact: The Newfoundland breed has a water resistant coat and webbed feet. It was initially bred to help fisherman and for rescues.

Fact: An American Animal Hospital Association poll found that 33% of dog owners admit to talking to their dog on the phone or leaving messages for them.

Fact: Dogs are sensitive to the earth’s magnetic field. A recent study shows that when there is little variation in the magnetic field, dogs tend to poop along the north-south axis. Under an unstable magnetic field, this behaviour would not occur.

Fact: A dog’s sense of hearing is more than 10 times more accurate than that of a human. With this heightened sense of hearing, there are frequencies humans cannot hear that dogs can. In fact, the song “A Day in the Life” by The Beatles has an extra high pitched whistle added in after the song. This is only audible to dogs, and is spliced in with some studio chatter.

The amazing thing about spending time with happy, social pets is you can almost watch the stress melt away. People would come in tired, stressed, or shy, and a dog would run up to them ecstatic to say hello! You could see the stress leave, and over time people were happy, laughing, and meeting new pet lovers at the same time. It just goes to show you how much community there really is at the U of A, and this is another excellent way to help us remember that the struggles of university are normal, and that it’s okay to feel stressed out. It’s also okay to relax from time to time and have some fun!

On that note though, if you ever do find yourself feeling overwhelmed with school, PLEASE don’t be afraid to talk to your colleagues, or seek help from the services provided by the university and the Students’ Union.

Dean of Students Mental Health Resources
Peer Support Centre (780-492-4357)
The Student Success Centre (If you need extra study help)
Counselling and Clinical Services (780-492-5205)

The next Furry Friends will take place on December 9th from 11:30-1:30 at Cameron Library. 

Also, if you happen to be walking through CCIS on a Tuesday or Friday – you should peak in the Science Student Service Office to see if Ruby the Science Dog is around!

ALBERT - YouAlberta Contributor

Albert is a final year MD/MBA student. When not at the books, he enjoys playing guitar, squash, dancing, cooking, travelling, and adrenaline sports. As a kid, Albert would often throw up whenever startled, to the dismay of haunted house employees. With a stronger stomach, he intends to try unique food on every continent.

Special thanks to Karen Xu for providing a camera and taking a few photos!

10 Helpful Apps for University Students

Besides being able to make calls (wait phones can do that?!) smartphones and tablets can be used for so much more than Facebook and cat photos, and the power of technology can be harnessed to make your life in university so much easier! Here I present to you (in no particular order) several of the most useful apps that have gotten me through school.

aCalendar (Free: Android) 

A good replacement for the stock calendar app found on your phone. Includes to do list, as well as tasks. Fully integrates with google calendar. Particularly during exam time, the to do list has been incredibly helpful for me. The premium version is called aCalendar +.

Image courtesy of Google Play

CamScanner (Free: Android, iOS, Windows) 

When I started at U of A, I decided that I was going to make all of my notes digital. Still, it’s sometimes so much easier to write something down on a piece of paper. For those occasions, CamScanner has been incredibly helpful. Simply photograph what you would like to “scan” and the app will help you crop and touch up your scan before uploading to a Dropbox or email account. There is also a premium version of this app as well.
Alternate: Microsoft Office Lens

Image courtesy of CamScanner

Google Keep (Free: Android, iOS)

Sometimes you are in class, and need to jot down a quick note, number, or fact. Keep is a notepad app which syncs between your phones, computers, and tablets. A lot of my “quick reference” notes are on Keep, where they can be accessed as needed! 

Alternate: icloud notes

Image courtesy of Google Keep

OneNote (Free: Android, iOS, Windows) 

Image courtesy of OneNote

When you have a full course load, it can sometimes be tough to keep track of the countless powerpoints, assigned readings, supplementary exercise sheets, etc… OneNote is an awesome solution to this. Upload your powerpoints, pdfs, written notes, and videos onto your “workbook” and you have everything in one place ready for immediate access. Better yet, you can jot notes down beside or on your slides once they are on a one note book. The other really cool feature for me, was the ability to make an empty page, format it to look like lined paper, and take written notes directly into my workbook. This is the best way to combine digital with written schoolwork, and has helped save me a lot of time!

Alternate: Evernote

Dropbox (Free: Android, iOS, Windows)

Image courtesy of Drop Box

Collaboration is a huge part of university work, and for group assignments, a program such as Dropbox is essential. On some of my teams, we have a group Dropbox folder. Any file we want to share with the group we simply drag and drop, and the file automatically syncs to everyone’s Dropbox. Even for solo work, I use Dropbox to have access to my documents between computers and portable devices.

Alternates: Google Drive, One Drive

Google Docs (Free: Android, iOS, Windows)

When I was in undergrad, I remember working on an essay with a classmate, while they were simultaneously doing the same thing . It would become really messy when we tried to send each other our work and then consolidate everything into one document. Fast forward to a few years later, the last group paper I wrote, 4 of us were working on the exact same document simultaneously, watching each other make changes in real time. This becomes incredibly handy when you are unable to be physically present at a group meeting, but would like to follow along, or contribute. Bonus - not only is it free, but you already have your own @ualberta secure account.

WhatsApp (Android, iOS, Windows)

Instant messaging across platforms and with groups. I have used this app to keep track of group work on multiple occasions, and it’s much easier and more convenient than sending emails.

Alternate: Touch, kik, iMessage

Image courtesy of WhatsApp

Sleep Cycle ($0.99: Android, iOS)

One of the most important things to ensure success in school is getting a good night’s sleep. This app helps you do just that. Set the alarm for the time you would like to wake up by, and the app tracks your movements during the night in order to wake you up in the lightest phase of sleep. I use it every night to track my sleep. It even keeps statistics on other factors which may affect sleep quality, since you can add notes such as “drank an espresso at 11:30 p.m.” to your log. I certainly thought it was a gimmick when I first began using it, however that first morning when I felt like I woke up before the alarm clock, had a truly refreshing sleep, and DIDN’T hit snooze, I knew I had found a keeper!

Image courtesy of Sleep Cycle

Refworks (Web)

If you’re like me, your research papers often have a fact, followed by “(CITATION HERE)” and then when it comes to filling in the actual citation, you forget where it came from. Refworks provides an answer to your bibliography woes. This is an online reference management system that is available to all U of A students. It lets you search your articles, add them to a database, and organize them for easy access in the future. When it comes to actually creating your bibliography, Refworks takes the hard work out of it, and can even export your works cited in formats such as BibTeX.

While we’re on the library subject, the U of A Libraries are a phenomenal place to find even more resources to help make school easier. Often they can point you to educational apps, and electronic resources that you may not have known about otherwise. A large amount of my learning during medicine came from apps, which I found from the library website!

Google Now (Android, iOS,)

This is going on here because it saved my skin a few weeks ago. Google Now is a smart assistant, initially for android, but now on other platforms. This program provides personalized and location based information including articles to read, weather, and traffic information. A few weeks ago, I was out with some friends, and we forgot where we had parked the car. After some time walking around aimlessly, I flipped my phone to google now, and it had marked down the exact GPS location where we had left the car: Amazing!

Image courtesy of Google Play

Albert - YouAlberta Contributor

Albert is a final year MD/MBA student. When not at the books, he enjoys playing guitar, squash, dancing, cooking, travelling, and adrenaline sports. As a kid, Albert would often throw up whenever startled, to the dismay of haunted house employees. With a stronger stomach, he intends to try unique food on every continent.

13 Tips to get the most out of your student budget

University is pretty pricey, there’s no doubt about it. Somewhere between paying for tuition, textbooks, housing, and pizza fuelled study binges, the realization sets in that everything has a price! I can’t say I am an expert at saving money, much on the contrary actually… HOWEVER, these are things I should have done during my university experience (and am going to do this year, honest). You will notice most of this revolves around food, maybe I like to eat a bit too much, but this is where a lot of dough can be saved!

1. Ditch the cafeteria and the fast food

This one’s a no brainer, if you make your own food at home, it’s not only healthier (usually), but also a lot cheaper per meal.

Spoiler Alert: We'll be offering up some brown bag tips later this month.

2. Cook in batches 

This saves you both money AND time. A lot of people comment that it’s difficult to make their own meals every day. What I often found worked was to make a large pot of chili, or stir fry, or whatever large quantity of food I desired on a Sunday afternoon, and hopefully this would at least make lunches for the whole week! If you go the extra step and pre-package all of these, it will make things much easier when preparing your lunch each day. 

Double Spoiler Alert: We're going to offer up more on this later too.

3. Make your own bread/dough/pizza

A bag of flour, a jar of yeast, and water will likely run you less than $15 and can last a very long time which is quite the deal when you consider that you have to spend  $2-3 every time you buy a loaf of bread from the store. Plus, who doesn’t love the smell of fresh baked bread? Good starter recipes can be found on allrecipes.com, or simply by doing a google search.

4. Go to school run events

Almost every club meeting, educational session, and large event has some form of catering. This one’s a win win, not only do you get to mingle and learn, but you might also get a free meal! Often the SU runs social events as well, which if they aren’t free, they’re very easy on the wallet. 

For the first week back - be sure to hit up as many of the SU WOW pancake breakfasts as you can! They should be over in the WOW Villiage are in front of CCIS.

And word on the street is that there will be free hotdogs for lunch handed out in front of the Admin Building on Monday (i.e. Orientation) and Tuesday (i.e. the first day of classes). Maybe. I'm not making promises.

5. Contests! 

This might be a bit of a stretch, but I can recall at least two separate occasions in one term where this became beneficial. It involved an eating competition both times, and the winner received a gift card to the university pub. Free meal in front of an audience and free meal, not bad! Other competitions around campus often involve gift cards or other free things like school supplies.

6. Participate in surveys/studies 

A lot of researchers, companies, and student groups will often give you a gift card or a monetary incentive for a small amount of your time.  

7. Forget the car, walk as much as you can! 

This is not only good exercise, but time away from the car/cab is money saved.

8. Or use your U-Pass! 

Seriously, you’ve already paid for it in your fees, so go get it and use it. 

9. Get a job 

There are a multitude of job opportunities both on and off campus. In the retail and hospitality industry, it’s as easy as going to the company website and submitting an application. For campus jobs, there are a multitude of places to find work. Within the U of A, one can often find work with Campus Rec, Res Life, The Bookstore, InfoLink, and other departments within the Student Union and the University community. Good starting points include CAPS and jobkin.ca. International Student Services has put together an excellent document with some great starting points as well, so you might want to peek at it here.

10. Sell your old stuff

The internet makes it easy to sell a lot of things that you no longer need, but that may be exactly what someone else is looking for. I have sold a lot of video games, electronics, and books through an account with sellercentral.amazon.ca, check it out. For extra, you can always sell some of your family’s unneeded items… obviously, do this with their permission…

11. Buy Used – Books that is! 

Check out InfoLink's Used Book Registry to see what you're fellow students have to offer (and yes, some do literally offer up their old books for free), or stop by SUBtitles to see what books are available for consingment. 

You can also sell your old books back to the Bookstore, every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You might even want to check out the new eBookshelf that's been made available on iTunes, since it will offer digital versions of your coursepacks, etc. (The Bookstore's main page is the best place to learn more about the e-materials.)

12. Apply for scholarships/bursaries 

There are a lot of scholarship competitions to check out, in addition to bursaries. To see what is available to you, simply log into bear tracks, and go to the awards section. For more information, check out the Registrar's site. 

Other “one stop shops” for scholarship information include www.scholarshipscanada.com

and the Alberta Learning Information Service Website.

13. Be aware of retail tricks

So, when it comes to your everyday spending, keep in mind that there is a "science" to getting you to spend more than you may need or want to. And lucky for you, we've listed a few of them in our post Top 10 Retailer Tricks Students Should Know.


Editor's Note: A previous version of this post suggested that there were 16 tips to know... but wanting to be economical, we've cut that down to 13. And have also shaken our fists on the formatting in the original word doc where this post was drafted. 

  

Albert - YouAlberta Contributor

Albert is a final year MD/MBA student. When not at the books, he enjoys playing guitar, squash, dancing, cooking, travelling, and adrenaline sports. As a kid, Albert would often throw up whenever startled, to the dismay of haunted house employees. With a stronger stomach, he intends to try unique food on every continent.

Campus Pastimes: Frisbee in QUAD (and Other Places...)

Need a study break? Killing time between classes? Bored and looking to throw stuff around on campus? There’s a solution to all these issues, in the form of a magical, flying discus. Yes, the Frisbee! It’s versatile, cheap, and can involve as many or as few players as you want. When it comes to what you can do with a Frisbee, the sky is the limit (right?). 

Dad-esque jokes aside, if you've walked through QUAD on a summer's day, you've seen people playing with Frisbees... below are the things they're likely doing.

Ultimate Frisbee

Image courtesy of ultiworld.com

The premise of ultimate Frisbee is quite simple. In many ways, it’s similar to hand ball, with some bits of soccer, and depending who you talk to, maybe a little bit of football too. I wouldn’t do justice trying to explain the rules here, but if you need a refresher, you can find the rules Ultimate Canada rules here OR you can check out the quick “What is Ultimate” guide on the U of A Ultimate Club's website.

In any case, you get the opportunity to do some cool dives into the end zone!

This is a great team sport, and can be done on a regular basis or at random. And I know you play Ultimate Ualberta, a walk through quad at lunch time is just about all the proof I need! Other good locations to play, assuming that you prefer setting up your own random play, include Lister field, and the Corbett Hall Green.


If you are looking to play with a little more structure and regularity, check out the Campus Rec Ultimate Frisbee league or the U of A Ultimate Club. 

Campus Rec offers both competitive and rec leagues over the summer session (the big difference between the two being that the competitive teams get to have playoffs, while the rec teams can from time to time be awarded extra games). 


You can get involved either as a team, or as a free agent once sign up becomes available. 

Side Note: I can't tell if the U of A Ultimate Club is still active, but they appear on BearsDen (i.e. the student group database/community which is a good sign). If they have disbanded though, you never know when someone might get it started again. It could even be you! Yes, you!

Frisbee Golf

When I was 11, a friend introduced me to Frisbee Golf, and immediately I was hooked. The name pretty much says it all: it’s like golf, only you use a Frisbee instead of a ball. Because of this, it’s relatively cheap, can be played anywhere with identifiable landmarks, and is much easier to pick up, especially if your golf swing needs a bit of work! Normally there are actual cages for targets, but you can also use trees or other easily identifiable things instead.

These are the general rules:

1-4 players

1-18 “holes” each with a starting point

Players take turns aiming for the target, every throw is one point, and on subsequent turns, you throw from where your Frisbee landed.


Lowest score wins.

YouAlberta's Frisbee Golf Course

I made this course with a friend a few weeks ago. We thought it provided a good challenge, we might also not be the best shots. We specifically chose locations which were off the main path in order to explore some green areas, as well as avoid hitting people or breakable objects. For all of these locations, the foot icon indicates the starting point, unless the picture includes someone taking the shot, in which case imagine yourself standing where the person is.

*Disclaimer: While we picked areas without nearby breakable objects, there are occasional windows. Watch your swing!

Target 1 - Arts/Business QUAD - Par 4

For this one it’s not so much the distance that’s troubling, but the obstacles that will be in your way.

Target 2 - QUAD (facing CCIS) - Par 4

No holding back on this one, get your strong arm ready for force!

Target 3 - QUAD (facing Athabasca Hall) - Par 2

Begin at the corner of the metal statue. (Also, in case you haven't noticed it before... there's a metal statue in QUAD, just by what's left of V-Wing.)

Target 4 - Engineering QUAD - PAR 4

Stand 3-4 feet to the left of the engineering sign post (whose edge is visible on the far right of this image). This one has a risk of going onto the path, if this happens, start from the beginning!

Target 5 - Engineering QUAD Again - Par 4

Another tough one, obstacles abound.

Target 6 - The Jubilee Auditorium Green - Par 3

Target 7 - The Jubilee Auditorium Green Again - Par 2

Target 8 - Lister Field - Par 3

Target 9 - Lister Field Again - Par 2

Bonus! (And proof that people really do play Frisbee on campus...)

Interestingly enough, when we were out, a quick look to the left and, a friendly game of Ultimate Frisbee! They asked us to join, as we were two students with three Frisbees. But we were on a mission, a mission that was scheduled to end with frozen yogurt. (And I am pleased to say that it did.)


Special thanks to Alan Elms for helping me with photography, picking out locations, and being an excellent model.

----About the Author

Albert

Albert is a 5th year MD/MBA student. When not at the books, variety is his game. He enjoys playing guitar, squash, dancing, cooking, travelling, and adrenaline sports. He is passionate about the student experience, and has worked on Orientation, Residence Life, and student mentorship committees. As a kid, Albert would often throw up whenever startled, to the dismay of haunted house employees. Once he is grown up, his dream is to work on every continent, and to always try new things!