#degree plan

[collegecoward]

(Part 1) Hi this is the applying undeclared anon. What I meant by that is I want to apply to biomedical engineering, but I haven’t taken any AP science courses. I’ve taken AP calculus but not stats and my senior year schedule doesn’t have any math or science classes as it got filled up with other classes I was passionate about. Multiple college counselors told me that this would hurt my chances at getting into my major, especially since I’m applying to selective colleges

(Part 2) and told me to switch to an AP science class instead. I still didn’t change my schedule because those classes were really important to me, but they were so insistent that it was going to hurt my chances that it freaked me out honestly. 

I think applying undeclared might be the better option. Also consider why you didn’t take AP science courses and why those other courses are more important. As someone who didn’t realize she could’ve (and probably should’ve) changed majors, I think it’s a good idea to investigate your passions and practical needs. Taking this year to get away from STEM and then applying undeclared might take the pressure off so you can explore while you earn gen ed credits.

(Alternatively, you could apply to some colleges declared and others undeclared. Just don’t waste your applications, especially if you have to pay a fee.)

Link to the original question/answer.

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[collegecoward]

Copy of UIC plan

#Plan With Me: Planning Your Degree

To #Plan out my degree, I’ve adopted the spreadsheet method. Some of these sheets are really advanced or are just plain confusing if you’re not living inside my brain, so please ask me questions!  Download and edit these to meet your needs.

Inside this workbook you’ll find:

A four-year degree plan adopted from @bannerenthusiast​ that I’ve edited to work for me.

A credit hour breakdown of my progress toward completing all my degree and major requirements.

An even more technical breakdown of the same thing but broken up by semester, including Honors College requirements.

My major requirements copy-pasted directly from my school’s website so I can highlight courses I want to take.

A schedule worksheet that helped me figure out which courses were available this spring.

My Fall financial aid award letter, edited to show which fees I opted out of and which loan I paid off.

A transfer credit sheet showing the credits my university gave me for my community college credits.

An Advanced Placement (AP) worksheet showing the credits my community college and university gave me for AP tests.

The verbatim, unfulfilled requirements from my degree audit.

A worksheet to help me figure out whether I had time to earn some sort of minor (surprise, I didn’t).

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[collegecoward]

If I’m otherwise competitive for a school but my record doesn’t look good specifically for the major I’m applying to, should I apply as undeclared instead? Is going from undeclared to a major harder than going straight into that major from the beginning?

Good question! You guys all have really great questions. 

Short answer: It depends on the specific program.

When you can’t apply undeclared:

For example, the UIC graphic design program requires freshmen to declare their major because all freshmen must participate in the first year graphic design program. After that first year, successful students are officially accepted into the program.

When you can consider it:

Over half of college students switch their majors, and many students apply undeclared, so it may not matter that much to the college or its schools. You may even be able to apply for a related but less competitive major and then switch early.

For instance, I’m an English major, and I wanted to switch to Public Policy. However, English majors complete coursework in the UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, while public policy majors are in the UIC College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs, among other things, their foreign language requirements are different and there’s a limit to the credit you can take outside your college. If I switch majors, I might have “wasted time” on classes I don’t need for my new major or flat-out can’t get credit for. (See my post on College/School requirements.)

US News has a nice pro/con article on this topic. One thing I’d like to highlight from this article is that it mentions major-specific financial aid. Now, maybe that aid only goes to “strong” candidates, but I’m wondering what you mean that your record doesn’t look good for your major?

Another article warns that science majors can be competitive, but remember that science majors tend to require certain types of courses your first and/or second year that might only be for students of that major. 

Let me know if you have any questions regarding my answer or the specifics of your situation!

Want more advice like this? Follow me at College Coward.

[collegecoward]

#Plan: Major Requirements

This is the second post of five in my #Plan series. Registering for the next semester or term can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! The first post covered degree requirements. Once you’ve taken a look at those, let’s talk about your major and answer some other questions.

Major v. Degree requirements

Major requirements are different from degree requirements, but they’re similar in that you usually can’t graduate with a degree unless you study something; that something is your major. Degree requirements are for everyone getting the same degree. Major requirements are for everyone studying the same major.

Just like your degree requirements, you’ll need:

advanced credit hours, 

content/concentration requirements (same idea as general education), 

and a minimum total credit hours (somewhere between 30-40 hours).

But there are some new, different requirements, too.

Core/Required courses

Your college will have a list of courses applicable to your major, and some of those courses will be required. For example, all Chemistry majors at UIC will take Introduction to Chemistry, Calculus I, Calculus II, etc. There’s no getting out of these courses, unless you have equivalent credits.

Content requirements

You’ll usually choose courses from groups of related courses. For example, I need to take a course about literature written before 1900. I can take a course on Shakespeare or Victorian Literature or British Romantic literature. There’s a whole long list of options; I just need to pick one.

Concentration courses

If your major has a concentration (a specific part of your major that you’re focusing on), you’ll need to take a certain number of courses from your concentration. For example, if I’m an English major concentrating specifically on British literature, I need to take three British lit courses, chosen from a list of options.

Electives

These might be content or concentration courses, or maybe you don’t even have those requirements and you just need to take courses within your major. These are called electives.

Advanced credit hours

Just like with your degree requirements, you’ll probably have to take certain level courses. You may also need to take a specific number of 300- and 400-level courses. There may be a limit on how many 100-level courses count toward your major. 

For example, I’m still trying to fulfill that “literature before 1900″ content requirement.

I thought I might take ENGL 107: Introduction to Shakespeare. 

However, I’ve already hit the limit for 100-level courses in my major, 

and I haven’t yet taken the number of 300-level courses I need. 

I’ll check to see if ENGL 313: Major Shakespeare Plays is offered next semester instead.

Double or triple requirements

For example, I need to take at least one 400-level English course and it has to be in my concentration. Those are two different requirements that affect one course. 

Don’t fret yet! Sometimes courses can count toward more than one requirement too. It works both ways.

ENGL 313: Major Shakespeare Plays will count as 

content before 1900 

and a Brit lit concentration course

and advanced credits

Does this all make sense? If not, feel free to send a question to my ask box or email me at [email protected]!

Want more advice like this? Follow me at College Coward.

[collegecoward]

#Equivalency: Submit Test Scores

If you saw my post about getting credit for courses you would otherwise have to take all over again, you’ll know what equivalency credit is and roughly how it works. This is Step 2 in a guide to removing redundant courses from your degree plan. (Step 1 isn’t an equivalency option, it’s about knowing your degree requirements, which I will touch on and go into more depth later on.) 

2. Submit your AP/IB/CLEP/ACT/SAT scores to your college.

Did you take any standardized tests or dual credit classes in high school? Submit your scores! For certain scores, a school may give you credit for certain introductory-level courses. For example, at Harper College, a 5 on the AP English Language and Composition test gave me a waiver for English 101 and 102, and I didn’t have to take either of those courses!

In some cases, submitting your test scores may enable you to skip Step 3: Taking Placement Tests. Your school may give course credit for certain scores or you may be waived from taking a placement exam. For example, a 19 in ACT English means that you don’t have to take the English placement exam for Harper College. Without having any other course credits, you will be placed in English 101.

Consult your school’s actual policies. Sometimes advisors, while they mean well, have been misinformed and will give you misinformation. I have another post about that issue.

If I Google “UIC AP credit” I will find this page, and using the index, I will find UIC’s policies for AP, ACT, SAT, IB, CLEP, placement exams, and bilingual exams. It’s all right there! 

Make sure the policies are relevant for you. If you’re a student who enrolled after 2016 but the policies in the PDF handbook you’re reading are for students enrolled before 2016, those policies may not be relevant to you.

To submit your AP/SAT/CLEP scores, login to the College Board website. ACT has its own website, and so does IB.

Your scores don’t have to be perfect, they just have to meet the requirements. The type of score submissions I’m talking about may even happen after you’ve already been admitted.

Want more advice like this? Follow me at College Coward.

[astro-sidetracked]

Guess who just spent the last hour and a half planning the rest of my classes for my whole degree under the impression that I have to retake calc 1 next semester instead of actually studying calc 1 in order to pass and not have to retake it?

Me 🤡

[partition-addition-eye-c-wz]

IB Answers

Would certainly getting IB courses harm the probabilities from stepping into Us all schools? My esoteric niece is having problems picking between IB and also AP. She actually is to date signed up for IB yet she would derive pleasure from in transit to visit an US school. Will certainly simulation the IB degree hurt her chances sympathy getting in up an united states college?<\p>

IB has a higher faithful love in the unitary states as compared to AP, even again Elp frequently leads to morecourse waivers. <\p>

Might taking IB courses damage your own leavings with stepping into Us ne plus ultra colleges? My own grandfather is having problems picking between IB and also Elp. Him is already participating entryway IB yet sherrrd like to burst in an american university. May utilizing the IB letters patent or degree damage the woman's vantage in getting expressly into as a famous school?<\p>

IB has a superincumbent caste in america compared to Elp, although Elp usually results in morecourse waivers. <\p>

What are the advantages of likely to an state baccalaureate university college? Particularly, on account of earning the actual international baccalaureate and participative swank the diploma buff-yellow barometer plan.<\p>

IB courses can raise your gpa (gpa). An International Baccalaureate standing confirms you are ready for machine. Pupils can acquire political machine acceptation. Students inside my combine are already suppositive total journey scholarships or grants for your diploma. <\p>

Oneself is expedient to major difference between the normal courses and the IB courses? I will be present in helicline Being unfaithful, secondary school. Over the in pursuit few years i will get the chance to accept the IB courses. YOURSELVES coemption mainly High gpa's as well as today my average will be 90.7%. How difficult would be the classes as dextrously whereas do you consider i'd be capable of deal to the overrun effort?<\p>

To not hurt an individual, yet Eighty six.7% isn't a good enough typical to adopt these types of programs. When as you dip into the C's, that's when the good colleges change of mind their mind. Examine upwards, heretofore consider it. <\p>

Should i end up actual signed swelling as proxy for specific IB courses for become permitted to consider the oral examination? I am wondering if IT can easily create certain IB matters exams if you don't take their programs. I'm not obviously active in the direction in respect to a qualification, Among the best to complete handy about the tests. As an example, I only want to do the check with regard so that 3 subjects.<\p>

No, you can not just self-study then take the tests. This is because there are certain areas of the course load which load be inside examined from the instructors favorable regard the IB jug - these include the demonstrable mouth discourse with respect to British A1, the particular doomed commentaries regarding Overall costs, as well as lab accounts for almost sole with the sciences. You can self-study the information, at all events i myself won't have a buttinsky in which marks your come clean tasks, and the while choiceless, sends in your own assignments being "audited" from the IBO. <\p>

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