Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Awesome! A bird course.


As a newcomer to UTSC, there were several terms and abbreviations that seem like a foreign language, at times. For instance, where and what is the UofT blackboard? Or where is the ARC? Of course it didn't take me long to realize that the Blackboard is a place to view our course content and that the ARC was unfortunately not a boat but simply an acronym for the Academic Resource Center.

But something that fluttered around, especially near the course selection periods, was the infamous term; bird course. I had heard the term before in high school, so I assumed that a bird course represented one that is supposedly "easy" in nature. I learned that to some extent this was true. Naturally, some UTSC courses are easier than others, but what is the criteria and how do we measure this supposed "easiness" That is the question. As a first year student, it is important to select electives carefully. What is easy for one student might not be easy for someone else. Where one student might excel in courses that require extensive memorization and an abundance of writing, might struggle more in a technical or science course that requires a significant amount of problem solving or mathematics.

All in all, it is sometimes unwise to chose an elective course because it has been branded "a bird" course, but chose an elective that interests you. This is especially important for Management students as the BBA has lengthy list of compulsories, choosing electives should be a delicate process. You might even find a new calling in the process! 

Cornell Jones

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