IS THIS TRUE??? what the heck!

I was offered admission into Social Sciences I and i'm really happy about that and everything, but i really wanted to get into a science program (Bsc)... asking around my peers i was told that social science is a really flexible program and that i would be able to switch going into second year.

However when i spoke to the academic advisor today, he told me that doing something like that is very hard as preference is given to Life Science students and that i would get to pick from "left over " courses.

This really upset me because i was so set on coming to Mac for social science first year and taking all my electives for life sciences and switching into a science program second year....and now im not sure if i can do that? and if i can...its going to be very hard and pretty much useless if im going to be picking from "left over" courses!??!?

has anyone else ever gone through this process? feedback please please please!

I don't really think that's correct.

However, I believe that if you're in social science I, you may have to get permission from the instructor to take first year science (biology, chem, physics etc) classes or wait until second year. This is because most of these classes are compulsory for first year science students but would be electives for you.

Simply put yes and no.

Yes you will get the leftover courses because people in the science program need to take their courses, however, a lot of courses such as chem and bio remain open. If you have difficulty getting into them, you can keep trying up until the first week of school, i'm almost certain you'll be able to get in. You won't need any isntructor permission as long as you have all the prerequisits from highschool.
No, it's really not that difficult to switch across programs.

You should be able to get in. If you're interested in majoring in a program in the faculty of science and can't get into a particular course you need as a pre-requisite for that major, email the associate dean of science and they'll help you out.

Take everything an academic advisor says with a grain of salt, especially if it contradicts what you've heard of other people doing (and vice versa). Usually the cause of confusion is the advisor has misunderstood you, or you have misunderstood what someone else had said.

As far as I know, when applying for level two they don't give preference based on which faculty they come from. Your problem might be completing the courses required for admissions to the programs you want. Luckily social science only requires 4 social science courses first year, and psych and geo will fit this requirement while being able to fill a science requirement.

With these courses in fact, you can essentially be in Life Science I while being Social Science I.

You would take

GEOG 1HA3
GEOG 1HB3
PSYCH 1X03
PSYCH 1XX3
(These cover your Social Science requirements and also count as science courses)
CHEM 1A03
CHEM 1AA3
PHYSICS 1L03
BIO 1A03
BIO 1M03
MATH 1LS3

This would cover you for the following programs:

Honours Biochemistry (and all variants thereof)
Honours Chemical Biology
Honours Biology (most if not all variants thereof)
Honours Molecular Biology and Genetics
Honours Biology and Psychology
Honours Life Sciences

I hope this helps.

I just realized that what your advisor raised as a concern and what I answered for you (would you be able to transfer into level 2 science) are different concerns.

The advisor does have a valid concern. There will almost certainly be spaces available in the science courses. These are huge multi-sectioned classes. If for some reason it doesn't work out you could apply into a 3 year BSc. Life Sciences, fix the holes in your requirements during first year summer, shadow the program you desire in the second year and transfer to the program you want after the second year.

Psych can could as a Soc Sci? I thought it was admined by the Psych department in the Sci Faculty...maybe I'm wrong. There are TWO psych branches, but I think 1x-3 counts as a science course.

If not, you could take some stuff in the summer (some soc scis probably so you can sub in some sci) to fill it up while still being ok for science...

But double check that idea, I'm not positive about if they'd let you pull it off.


To put it in perspective, don't stress about this. Majors don't matter really until fourth year (They actually ask you to declare it for convocation because they don't know exactly what major you've completed) anyway (unless you want to specialize or need to get into a really popular course - have it as a requirement ensures you a seat, but so do lurking on SOLAR enough) - just pay attention to the requirements and you'll switch over eventually.

Originally Posted by britb

Psych can could as a Soc Sci? I thought it was admined by the Psych department in the Sci Faculty...maybe I'm wrong. There are TWO psych branches, but I think 1x-3 counts as a science course.

I know the department is in Science but its on the Social Science I course list according to next year's calendar.

Social Sciences I {0720}

Program Note

Students should select courses based on their academic interests and anticipated Level II program of study. Elective courses may be taken from other faculties, where requisites are met.

Course List 1

ANTHROP 1A03, 1B03, 1Z03
ECON 1B03, 1BB3
GEOG 1HA3, 1HB3
HLTH AGE 1AA3, 1BB3
INQUIRY 1SS3
LABR ST 1A03, 1C03
POL SCI 1G06
PSYCH 1X03, 1XX3
RELIG ST 1B06, 1D06, 1J03
SOC WORK 1A06
SOCIOL 1A06

Requirements: 30 Units

12 units from Course List 1
18 units Electives, which may include courses from Course List 1. (See the Degrees, Programs and Courses section of this Calendar for a list of elective courses available to Level I students)

Originally Posted by britb

Psych can could as a Soc Sci?

Psych is under both the faculties of science and social science. Usually grad schools will allow you to use psych to fulfill a science requirement or a social science requirement.

Kinda the same as OP, but if I wanted to switch from Soc Sci to Env Sci it's not hard so long as I get in to the pre-req courses right?

Originally Posted by changturkey

Kinda the same as OP, but if I wanted to switch from Soc Sci to Env Sci it's not hard so long as I get in to the pre-req courses right?

Yeah, as long as you are able to get into the courses needed for the Env Sci program you will be able to transfer (I assume Env Sci doesn't have a student capacity limit).

One last question; when I sign up for my courses, will I be blocked by the "program" or whatever that you use to sign up for courses because I'm in Soc Sci instead of Science?

Originally Posted by changturkey

One last question; when I sign up for my courses, will I be blocked by the "program" or whatever that you use to sign up for courses because I'm in Soc Sci instead of Science?

There might not be space, but keep trying as people are always switching. I don't think the courses have restrictions. You should look at all the courses you want to take and if there are any restrictions you have to contact the specific department, tell them your situation and ask them for a waiver.

i was wondering.. if you do plan to switch from social science to life science ... would you need to complete 30 units from life science or only the required courses for the Level II program your heading to? ... thankyou

Originally Posted by k.shobi

i was wondering.. if you do plan to switch from social science to life science ... would you need to complete 30 units from life science or only the required courses for the Level II program your heading to? ... thankyou

All you need for any program are the prereqs listed in the course calendar for that program. For life sci, you need:

Completion of any Level I program with a Cumulative Average of at least 6.0 including:

3 units from MATH 1A03, 1LS3
12 units BIOLOGY 1A03, 1M03 (or 1AA3), PSYCH 1X03 (or 1AA3), 1XX3 (or 1A03) with an average of at least 6.0
9 units from Life Sciences I Course List

Since Psych 1X03 and 1XX3 also count as Soc Sci, you could complete level 1 Soc Sci, using the other courses required for Life Science II as your level 1 electives.