{"id":35548,"date":"2018-09-24T08:24:26","date_gmt":"2018-09-24T12:24:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/?p=35548"},"modified":"2018-09-24T08:24:26","modified_gmt":"2018-09-24T12:24:26","slug":"in-my-element-switching-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/lifeatuoft\/2018\/09\/24\/in-my-element-switching-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"In My Element – Switching Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"I did it. I switched programs in the second week of second year. My worst nightmare came true - having to play catch up already in the second week of school. If you read my last post on applying coursework in the field<\/a>, it sounded like I had my academics together - and that's because I did. Weeks of careful planning - lunch break, no classes after 6pm, only one class on Monday<\/a> - but my life took a 180 turn when I woke up one morning to see that I was accepted to my first and second choice POSt(s).\r\n\r\n\"\"<\/a>\r\n\r\nContemplation<\/strong>\r\n\r\nGoing from a Type 1 to Type 2 (limited enrollment) Program would be a no brainer for most students.\u00a0Here's an analogy I made:\r\n\r\nImagine that in two months, you won't be able to use your right hand anymore. What do you do? You retrain yourself to rely on your left hand; but then two months are over and you actually still can use your right hand. One, you're probably going to feel a little frustrated. Two, you might have grown accustomed to your left hand. That's how I felt after being refused from my program during the first round of acceptances and now having less than a week to switch majors.\r\n\r\n
\"program<\/a>
!!!!!!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nIf you were set on the program, why didn't you just enroll in the courses before being accepted?<\/em><\/strong>\r\n\r\nGreat question.\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. In first year, I bit off more than I could chew<\/a>, so I wasn't going to take more courses than needed, especially in the first week.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. I didn't meet the minimum grade requirements so I thought it was impossible to get accepted (Hence \"training myself to use my left hand\" aka loving a different program).<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. I needed my registrar to enroll me in certain engineering courses since I would be in a joint program.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nWaking Up<\/b>\r\n

    Niranjani: \"Are you excited to study what you're studying now, everyday?\"<\/p>\r\n

    Me: \"Not really...\"<\/p>\r\n

    Niranjani: \"Well, there's your answer.\"<\/p>\r\nIn first year, I was on auto-pilot: I'd go to classes, scribble notes down, nap, then try to understand my notes. Rinse and repeat. Second year started to feel like that and I wasn't enjoying myself.\r\n\r\nDeciding Factors<\/strong>\r\n\r\nAn integral part of my decision was also my exposure to the communities of each department in first year:\r\n\r\n

    \"Bahen<\/a>
    an engineering event i volunteered for<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n
    \"Blue,<\/a>
    Chemistry, Physics & engineering t-shirts I received from volunteering<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\nIn Chemistry,\u00a0<\/strong>\r\n