SEE THE UPDATED 2014/15 VERSION
OF THIS ARTICLE HERE: http://bit.ly/1oryTu5

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How To Make A Mock Timetable

BY FEONA GRANT, MACINSIDERS

Course registration can be a major pain. We have all by now shared the frustrations of SOLAR, which we by no means would like to experience again, but we'll have to several times for the next few years. Yay! … Please note my sarcasm.

To make the experience much easier in future years and now before timetables are released early August, I'd like to share some tips on how to make a mock timetable. Mock timetables are exactly what they sound like. Using the trusty Master Timetable, you can figure out relatively quickly what your timetable will look like. This will give you time to work out conflicts and also to place your classes, tutorials and labs in timeslots to your own personal preference. Hopefully that means you can say adios to those dreaded 8:30 classes and 10 hour days. Luckily for all you visual learners, I'll include some cute screenshots along with my horrible laptop touchpad drawings.

UPDATE: You can use a tool created by a fellow MacInsiders user to build your mock timetable automatically at http://www.timetablegenerato r.com

Making a Mock Timetable:

The first thing to do is to actually make the timetable. You can use programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel as well as others to do this. It's as simple as creating a table in Word and putting in the times and days. Here's a blank template courtesy of MacInsiders that you can also use: Mock Timetable Template. I use Excel personally, and I find it just looks better but it is up to you. Make two copies of this, one for Term 1 and the other for Term 2.

Everyone loves the day the Master Timetable comes out and for good reason. Pull it up on your web browser, and you will see this page. Before you even move your mouse or finger on your touchpad, write down all the classes that you have or will register for. Here's a random list for your own reference.

PSYCH 1X03
PSYCH 1XX3
LINGUIST 1A03
SOCIOL 1A06
ANTHRO 1Z03
FRENCH 1K06
POL SCI 1G06

Make sure that you have all the prerequisites for each class in addition to filling the requirements of your program. This is very important! You will run into unnecessary problems on SOLAR, and you only have 45 minutes to register or switch around your classes. You can do anything on SOLAR easily in five minutes, don't take up time that could be given to someone else who is ready to tear their hair out because they can't get in. Now, if you want to know more about your classes, you can ask upper years here on MacInsiders, take a look at the Reviews section or look at the Undergraduate Calendar. Even old course outlines can give you a hint to what a course is all about, you just have to search on McMaster's website.

Back to the Master Timetable main page … I will demonstrate how to look for a class: PSYCH 1X03




There are a lot of options for you here. You can give as little information as just the subject, and the search will give you every class in every level in that particular subject, along with every term, every day, every professor, etcetera. To make it easier and less time consuming on yourself, you can just type in a number from 1 to 4 on the Course Code box, and it will give you your level only. You can also select what term it occurs (remember Term 3 means the class is all year), whether it is during the day or evening, what faculty it is in, and even the time of day or days during the week. It really narrows down your search and makes it easier to plug into your mock timetable.

Now, I will continue on. I've selected PSYCH-PSYCHOLOGY from the drop down menu, along with the entire course code. I could have, just as easily, typed in 1 and it would've given me all the first year Psychology courses. Here I am now...



Every search listing will tell you what term it takes place, whether it is day or evening, the title, the faculty and the department - which is why you don't necessarily need to fill it all that information in the beginning. It really is up to you.



Pay attention to my less than perfect squares. When inputting information in your timetable, you will need this information. Remember that you can only choose ONE Core, which is represented by a C + a number. For example, take C07.

PSYCH 1X03
C07 MONDAY
11:30-12:20
PC/237
Prof X

In your timetable now you would type out the course name, course section (07), course professor, and course location in the Monday, 11:30-12:20 timeslot. Oh, don't forget what term it takes place in! Most courses take place more than one day a week, and sometimes at different times, so pay close attention and don't get confused. It's no use worrying over a conflict that isn't actually a conflict because you got the wrong times or days down.

You will also do this for your tutorials and labs. If a course runs all year, which means it's 6 units and is a "Term 3" class, you cannot choose C01 for the first term and C02 for the second term. I know it will be tempting to do so if you run into conflicts, but there are ways around it, you just have to find it and perhaps suck it up when you have to take an 8:30 class.

You've noticed by now in the earlier image that the professor is missing. In this case, it's because this class is a web module (it takes place online). Sometimes information will be missing, but do not worry about this. Take as much information as you can, and you will see by the time timetables are released the missing details.

Now you've got your timetable set up, and you might have run into conflicts, perhaps even forcing you to take classes at a less than desirable time. It can be lame, we've all gone through it and understand. As much as you can though, avoid early morning classes if you know you can't handle them. Even though we've gone to school for about 17 years and woke up early every day, for some reason not a lot of people (including myself) can handle it in university. Try to avoid one hour breaks. They're nice for lunch, but they're lame if you have to stick around the university especially if you live off-campus. 3-4 and even 5 hour breaks are the worst for commuters who are forced to stay on campus all day just to wait for that one class at 5:30. You'll be tempted to skip it, trust me. Don't do it to yourself if you can help it.

A final thing, you can set up your timetable however you want. Just make sure you have the important information. Here's an example of mine in Excel (Please don't stalk me!):




Good luck in making your own awesome timetable, but remember to be sensible and adjust it to your own needs.

Wow, my mock timetable looks nothing compared to that :p. I’ll definitely be using this article next time I have to create one.

Thanks Feona!

Excel is the best program to use for making Mock Timetables (in my opinion).

Originally Posted by jhan523

Excel is the best program to use for making Mock Timetables (in my opinion).

yeah, I think, so, too.
I did my mock timetable on Excel, too (Y)

Originally Posted by xo.monica

yeah, I think, so, too.
I did my mock timetable on Excel, too (Y)

After first year, I do everything in Excel XD

Originally Posted by jhan523

After first year, I do everything in Excel XD

haha, Im glad I got to get familiar with Excel in grade 12 data management.
if it wasnt for that, I wouldnt have even known it exists.. xD

Excel totally is the best. There's so many tools that you can use that it's easy to forget about them. :] Word is annoying to make timetables sometimes, harder to change things.

this timetable deffiantelty makes mine look pathetic, deffiantely doing it your way next time ps id killll for your schedule

Originally Posted by Giuseppe

this timetable deffiantelty makes mine look pathetic, deffiantely doing it your way next time ps id killll for your schedule

Haha, glad it could help. My schedule's alright, unfortunately, you just have to hope the sections you want aren't full on SOLAR. But keep trying if something is full, it might just open up.