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Directed Studies at UBC??


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Hi everyone, I'm wondering if anyone has taken BIOL 448 or any directed studies at UBC?

 

I am currently volunteering in a lab during the summer and will continue throughout the school-year. I was thinking that instead of using that time as a volunteer only, I might as well get credits for it.

 

Also I heard with directed studies you will do your own project and looks better for your application/more chance for publication?

 

If I am to take this course, I will have to drop two of my "GPA boosters". So I don't know if it's worth dropping two electives.. I looked at the grade distribution and it doesn't look bad but can anyone comment on the relative workload compared to a 3 credit course, grading, and whether it is worth it??

 

thanks in advance!

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Haven't personally done one but I've seen co-workers do it so I know a bit about how it works. You are given your own project to work on. Depending on the supervisor and what they want to let you do, it could be awesome. It could also be really tedious. From what I've seen, the expectation is that you hang around the lab for as long as it takes for you to actually produce some results, which means that a directed studies can turn into being a part time job. Even if the course description says 5-10 hours a week, it doesn't mean that that will be enough. The amount of time you put in depends also on the project, how badly you want to make it work and what the particular PI's expectations are. In terms of evaluation, at the end of the term you write up a mini paper on your work and your findings and you defend it in front of a committee, usually made up of 2-3 people. The defense is something you schedule yourself and people try to do it after all their exams are done. You make a ppt presentation, you talk about it and then they grill you with questions. Based on your knowledge of what you worked on, your report, your work ethic in the lab and your presentation you get assigned a mark.

 

From the students I worked with, the major complaint was that they had to be at the lab quite a bit and this stressed them out because they had 4 other courses to study for. If I were you, I'd bring it up with your supervisor and see what projects they have to offer and what they'd expect from you. You won't lose brownie points in their eyes for inquiring, and if you decide you don't want to do it you can always just let them down easy.

 

EDIT: Keep in mind that regardless of the workload, you do get to do more as a directed studies student than as a volunteer, so it would definitely be a good experience!

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  • 1 month later...

Highly recommended. It's a good way to get a letter and if you put some work into establishing a good relationship with your PI and getting some results it's a 6 credit A+ to boot. You also learn a lot about yourself and will develop skills that are important for a career in medicine.

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