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Course Load Road Map


Wartortle

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For anyone interested:

 

I called uOttawa admissions and was told that this was fine. Essentially, you just need to have 3 years of full-time studies (4 courses/semester) by the time you apply! It doesn't matter if you take the extra courses in another year or during the summer, so long as the equivalent of 3 years have been completed.

 

I'm a bit confused hear, isn't full time studies considered 5 courses per semester, not 4 courses/semester?

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 5/29/2017 at 10:33 AM, alexwaltz said:

 

I'm a bit confused hear, isn't full time studies considered 5 courses per semester, not 4 courses/semester?

Full course load, in general for Ontario and most Canadian schools, is 5 courses per semester. However, Ottawa allows you to complete a minimum of 4 in every semester but you have to complete those 1 extra courses in the summer or another year. So yes, it still is 5 courses, they just allow you to distribute it a bit differently if you must. In general though, 5 courses per semester is the standard and the safest way to set up your courses for most schools.

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  • 3 or more courses per semester are considered full time
  • 5 courses per semester is considered full-course load 
  • 4 courses for one semester and 6 courses for the next semester is also considered full course load
  • There is a difference between full-time study and having a full-course load
  •  A Full course load also means that you are full-time, thus qualifying you for weighted and cumulative GPA calculations
  • Being full-time but not taking full course load qualifies your courses for cumulative GPA consideration, but not weighted GPA
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I have a fairly specific query related to course load: does anyone know if clinical placements that are part of my program can be used to reach a full course load? I'm a nursing student in my second year of school, and for this year, I took a few courses over the summer, and now from September to April I'm in 4 courses (each one is a full year course), and my clinical placements are considered a part of one of those courses (it's not like other schools where the clinical placements are their own pass/fail component). What I'm wondering is, can my clinical placements be counted to reach a full course load? In terms of hours of class per week, I'm not hurting for hours at all. My placements for this year consist of 8 hours each week in first semester, and 12 hours each week in second. That's on top of our class component: in first semester we'd have 6 hours of class each week, and now in second semester we have 4 hours of class every other week (to offset the time difference due to the clinical time being 4 hours longer each week). So that class is basically 12-16 hours each week, not just 3 hours like the rest of my classes. 

If I hurt my chances by only taking 4 courses this year, I get it; that's on me. I should have thought of this beforehand, and I'm not trying to make excuses for myself. But in the 4th year of my program, in the first semester students are only scheduled to take 4 courses, and in second semester, students are only scheduled to take 2 courses: the clinical practice class, and another professional elective. The reason for this reduced amount of classes is that the placements are now 36 hours each week. It's a full work week, because this semester is your last stop before you're an RN. So if that's not going to be considered a full course load, does that mean that choosing this very program eliminated my chances of being considered for a wGPA, or can I write to them and try to grovel for special consideration? 

I'm not trying to commandeer this thread with my sad little life story, but I figured I'd be better off posting in an existing thread related to my concern, rather than starting a whole new one.

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  • 1 month later...

I just finished my first year with a perfect GPA, but am worried that I screwed up my app since in both the Fall and Winter semesters I had only taken 12 credits (4 courses each semester).

If I complete the remainder of my undergrad with 5 courses each semester and make up for the missed credits in the summer session next year, will I be alright when it comes time to apply? (I am not currently taking any summer courses since I am travelling soon.)

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 6/4/2018 at 9:03 PM, Great_Wumbo said:

I just finished my first year with a perfect GPA, but am worried that I screwed up my app since in both the Fall and Winter semesters I had only taken 12 credits (4 courses each semester).

If I complete the remainder of my undergrad with 5 courses each semester and make up for the missed credits in the summer session next year, will I be alright when it comes time to apply? (I am not currently taking any summer courses since I am travelling soon.)

I'm pretty much in the same boat as you; my first year was a full course load (7 first, 6 second), but in my second year I did 4 and 4. I've emailed a few medical schools about this that use a weighted GPA formula (UBC and U of T), and they've all told me that they give you a section on their application forms to explain your situation if you think you deserve to have the weighted GPA formula applied. So you still get the chance to explain why you think you deserve the wGPA, they may be willing to apply a wGPA formula anyway. However, it's entirely up to them whether they do it or not, and at U of T at least, they won't tell you if they gave you the wGPA or used the cGPA.  I also emailed the Schulich School, and they said they consider the best two years where you were taking a full course load.So unfortunately, it looks like any year where you weren't taking a full 5 courses wouldn't be counted at that school. Congrats on finishing you first year with such a great GPA, I'm sure you worked hard for it. 

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