Supposedly, opinions are a little divided on add/drop season at McGill. I can’t even begin to imagine why – add/drop is not only a lot of fun, but it’s crucial to having a successful semester with classes and professors you can tolerate actually like.
Try everything!
In these precious two weeks where you can chop and change your schedule to your heart’s content, you should try everything. Naturally, you’ll be stuck with some compulsory classes, but never fear! A lot of classes have multiple sections with different professors, so you can at least have a choice in who is teaching you the material.
If you’re doing electives (for fun or an easy A), add-drop is also the perfect time to see if the class that sounds interesting is actually worth it, or if you should ditch it and pick up Natural Disasters (ATOC/EPSC 185).
Find out if you can make that walk.
For new students, a ten minute break between classes might sound like enough time – sure, you’ll just grab your bags and scurry over to the next building. But McGill’s campus is bigger (and steeper) than you think, and add-drop is the perfect time to test out distances (or your athleticism) to make sure you’re not stuck with a class that you’ll be perpetually late for. Here are some building distances that you probably won’t make in 10 minutes:
Arts/Leacock/McConnell/Burnside/(Pretty much anything near Sherbrooke) to McMed
Leacock/Arts to Currie Gymnasium
Adams to Education
You get the picture – Education, McMed, Stewart Biology and the Law Building are up a steep hill, and while that’s fine if you have a little time, it’s not realistic to try to make that journey in 10 minutes.
If in doubt, consult Google Maps.
See an advisor if you’re confused
We all know that McGill’s administration isn’t great, but if you need advice or help, there are people you can talk to. The internet and older students can be a great source of information, but sometimes it’s nice to talk to an official (although that term might be a tad generous).
Get in touch with your academic advisors to ask about major/minor requirements, streams, and so much more. Advisors are organised by department, but there are also some for specific streams.
Check out the directory here.
Go to OAP!
The Best Place on Earth is only open for a few weeks at the beginning of every year, and you might think that you don’t have time, or shouldn’t really be soaking up the sunshine after class when you have scheduling to do. You’d be wrong.
Add/drop might be confusing and hectic, but it’s also a beautiful time when most of your professors will just be going over the syllabus (although be warned, some professors start the course early when they really should be waiting until add/drop is over). With this in mind, why not enjoy the two weeks of little to no work and have some fun?
Good luck, and have a great Add/Drop!
Images obtained from:
http://montrealinpictures.com/blog/tag/mcintyre-medical-sciences-building/