For Arts & Science students like me, there are a lot of things you hear, some of them real and some of them legendary. These legends (or maybe even myths) are always the kinds of things you hear about, but are never really sure of. A lot of these concepts are important things to know as a student, and sometimes you just don’t want to scroll through pages and pages of fine print, which is why I’ve rounded up a handy list! Here are a few myths/real life concepts, what I’ve heard about them and what they actually are.
The Dean’s Promise
The concept of the Dean’s Promise is what’s mostly sparked the idea for this post after hearing fellow community crew members discussing it. Cynthia has also talked about the secretive ways to get what you want (such a foreign concept here…).The sheer power it seemed to hold for a fourth year, who after years of surviving the cruel hierarchies and twisted academic food chain, deserve some sort of leverage! And leverage it is: the Dean’s Promise ensures that if there is a class you need to get into for your program in your last year, but can’t because the cruel gods of the waitlist won’t allow you, you’ll still get in. Keep in mind that the course has to be mandatory, and there is a list that Arts & Sciences will place you in. In the end, you'll get into a course that will make sure you meet the program requirements you need to graduate. I know, pretty mythical right? But true!
Credit/No Credit
I know, you hear a lot about credit/no credit, but I just thought I’d reiterate: the date has been extended, so you have more time to decide if you want to credit/no credit the course that won’t count for your program. Also, its changed from a 60% pass requirement to 50%.
Success
Ah, one of my favorite words. I’m still trying to figure out in what forms this exists, but as soon as I find out, I’ll get back to you.
Drop Dates
This is one of my favourites, though mostly because a lot of my own friends weren’t aware of the policy. You can imagine how smug I felt explaining what section 3.2.3 says in the teaching handbook. It’s actually university regulation that you receive a significant portion of your mark before the drop date ends. Oh, and no course is allowed to have a single assignment or project to determine 100% of your mark. Once I got over the initial excitement of becomeing aware of all these rules, I found it kind of discomforting that as a third year, here were all these rules I hadn't been aware of.
ROSI Start Times
From what my registrar has told me, there apparently is a formula ROSI uses in deciding your start time within your year: the number of courses you have taken. Meaning, if you’ve taken far to many, chances are your start time will be earlier. (I know of one person whose was so early, they’ve been getting their start-time for the year above!) If you're entering fourth year, ROSI kindly switches it up for you: the less credits you have, the earlier you're up to bat, because even the Wicked Witch of Waiting wants you to graduate accordingly. I think it's her way of making up for the three years of sheer terror, but call it what you will. It's nice to know that in spite of the sheer panic that good ol’ Ro sometimes causes, there's some sort of structure behind it.
Old Exam Repository
While ASSU does have a huge test bank, there’s an old exam repository you can access online! While not all classes are on there, I’ve personally found a number of past tests from classes, and can be an incredibly helpful study guide.
Snow Days
LOL...but there is a number if, you know, this does actually become Frosty the Snowman’s wonderland someday: Snow Phone (Weather Advisory) – 416-978-SNOW
If there’s anything else you’re unsure about, the new artsci website is looking pretty neat and easy to navigate, or go visit your registrar’s office.
-Vahini