Outside subject(s) in 1st and 2nd year *post here with questions*

I'm so confused! :frown:

I went to find my DoS yesterday to make an appointment with her for choosing outside subjects, but she'd left a note on her door to say that they would be meeting as a group on Wednesday, so I'd missed it. I sent her an email, to which she's replied telling me to email someone else because I'm in their DoS group, but it says on the sheet I have that I'm not.. Anyway, I'm panicking because it's Friday now and I still haven't been registered for outside classes. WTF do I do?!

Reply 243

ninja-lewis

9

truthandtragedy

I'm so confused! :frown:

I went to find my DoS yesterday to make an appointment with her for choosing outside subjects, but she'd left a note on her door to say that they would be meeting as a group on Wednesday, so I'd missed it. I sent her an email, to which she's replied telling me to email someone else because I'm in their DoS group, but it says on the sheet I have that I'm not.. Anyway, I'm panicking because it's Friday now and I still haven't been registered for outside classes. WTF do I do?!

Go to the department office and have someone there sort it out for you - failing that try someone senior in the department. 2nd, 3rd and 4th years should be registering with Student Support Officers in the department office so they should be able to sign you up as well (otherwise the only person who can is your DOS).

It's not a huge worry though - Week 1 and Week 2 are always in a flux so just go along to your chosen outside courses until your DOS signs you up. If they take registers, just add your name to bottom and explain to the lecturer. You won't have access to WebCT in the meantime but that's unlikely to be urgent just yet - if it is you can always ask someone in the class to forward notes to you.

Therefore department office -> DOS and if you're still getting the runaround try the head of department or anyone in department responsible for 1st years/undergraduates to give the process a kick up the backside.

Reply 244

Delaney

Apparently I need to take 80 credits in History for my degree choice, I guess this means I'm only allowed to take 1 outside subject?

Reply 245

OP

Delaney

Apparently I need to take 80 credits in History for my degree choice, I guess this means I'm only allowed to take 1 outside subject?

you are correct :smile:

Reply 246

Delaney

oxymoronic

you are correct :smile:

Thanks

Reply 247

OP

Delaney

Thanks

As has been said in my OP - you can ask to take extra courses for "fun" if you wish by speaking to your DoS once you arrive. Although given your application, you will be potentially arriving in two years so it may well have altered by the time you arrive and history could be worth a different amount!

Reply 248

truthandtragedy

Is there any way of switching an outside course halfway through first year? I'm signed up for 1A and 1B Archaeology, but I'm really really not enjoying it. Not sure who to ask about it, so thought I'd post here before emailing tutors/dos etc. Was thinking since I'll have completed 1A, I could possibly change to 1B of a different subject..?

Reply 249

OP

Original post by truthandtragedy

Is there any way of switching an outside course halfway through first year? I'm signed up for 1A and 1B Archaeology, but I'm really really not enjoying it. Not sure who to ask about it, so thought I'd post here before emailing tutors/dos etc. Was thinking since I'll have completed 1A, I could possibly change to 1B of a different subject..?

You sometimes can... it depends really how helpful your DoS wants to be (or at least, this is the impression I got in 1st/2nd year!) so I'd speak to them ASAP and ask about it. Technically, the courses are separate if they're A/B and you do not have to have done A to do B, although this is often the case with most students. You'll need to give them an indication for what you want to study instead and why as obviously, you won't be able to carry on to 2nd year with the subject as you've not done semester one. They'll also ask why you don't like arch so be prepared to give reasons beyond "its boring".

Hows criminology? everyone I knew who did it despised it.

Reply 250

truthandtragedy

Original post by oxymoronic

You sometimes can... it depends really how helpful your DoS wants to be (or at least, this is the impression I got in 1st/2nd year!) so I'd speak to them ASAP and ask about it. Technically, the courses are separate if they're A/B and you do not have to have done A to do B, although this is often the case with most students. You'll need to give them an indication for what you want to study instead and why as obviously, you won't be able to carry on to 2nd year with the subject as you've not done semester one. They'll also ask why you don't like arch so be prepared to give reasons beyond "its boring".

Hows criminology? everyone I knew who did it despised it.

Thanks oxy, you're a gem in this forum! My dos isn't too keen on me already since I missed our initial meeting, so I'm a bit hesitant in talking to her but it's gotta be done. I want to take up sociology since I've studied it before and know that it'll be something I'm familiar with and (sort-of) enjoy, rather than archaeology where it feels like I'm really struggling. Will have to try explain this to her, not sure how it'll go down hah!

Criminology is bloody awful. It's very dry, quite dull and the only people I know who like it are law students. Most of it is to do with government policies, which I wasn't prepared for but meh, I'm gonna stick it out.

Thanks again, love!

Reply 251

OP

Original post by truthandtragedy

Thanks oxy, you're a gem in this forum! My dos isn't too keen on me already since I missed our initial meeting, so I'm a bit hesitant in talking to her but it's gotta be done.

You'll get there :smile:

if they don't reply to your emails, really push them with emails and you could also contact the sociology course organiser and say you want to transfer if you get no response from your DoS. I tried to swap courses in 2nd year and my DoS replied to the email 3 months later! They've probably totally forgotten who you are and that you missed their meeting so I wouldn't worry about that too much.

I want to take up sociology since I've studied it before and know that it'll be something I'm familiar with and (sort-of) enjoy, rather than archaeology where it feels like I'm really struggling. Will have to try explain this to her, not sure how it'll go down hah!

I think its a valid excuse... perhaps say something along the lines of arch isn't what you were expecting and it'd benefit you more for psych to study X in sociology rather than whatever it is you're doing in arch.

Criminology is bloody awful. It's very dry, quite dull and the only people I know who like it are law students. Most of it is to do with government policies, which I wasn't prepared for but meh, I'm gonna stick it out.

Its a full year course isn't it? you just read a book at the end and the exam is based on that? A lot of people I knew stopped going to the lectures and just read the book for the exam... although the course content might have changed now!

Reply 252

Kelz_26

Do you have to do outside subjects for everything apart from medicine? What about medical sciences?

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 253

OP

Original post by Kelz_26

Do you have to do outside subjects for everything about from medicine? What about medical sciences?

https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/ipp/utmesci.htm

Yeah, you'll be doing things outside of medical sciences, but its more restricted than the arts people have it. Its the same for most biological science courses.

Reply 254

Kelz_26

Original post by oxymoronic

https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/ipp/utmesci.htm

Yeah, you'll be doing things outside of medical sciences, but its more restricted than the arts people have it. Its the same for most biological science courses.

Thanks. If you're doing medical sciences can you take psychology and/or maths as outside subjects?

Reply 255

OP