I was just looking over my program requirements and it appears I am missing many more units then I had previously thought. I'm in a science program and needless to say, I found 5 courses at a time to be extremely overwhelming. So, although I usually started off the year with 10 courses they usually dwindled down to 8 or 9. I always thought that I would make up for those courses in the summer term but the ones that I needed were never offered.

I guess my question is: are there any serious consequences of staying back a term or a year? Do grad schools look down upon students that do? Are they more reluctant to accept those who have not taken full course loads in their undergrad?

Any input would be seriously appreciated!

Originally Posted by volatile.

I was just looking over my program requirements and it appears I am missing many more units then I had previously thought. I'm in a science program and needless to say, I found 5 courses at a time to be extremely overwhelming. So, although I usually started off the year with 10 courses they usually dwindled down to 8 or 9. I always thought that I would make up for those courses in the summer term but the ones that I needed were never offered.

I guess my question is: are there any serious consequences of staying back a term or a year? Do grad schools look down upon students that do? Are they more reluctant to accept those who have not taken full course loads in their undergrad?

Any input would be seriously appreciated!

They recommend students to always take a full course load. It's not required but highly recommended because they want you to be used to having a heavy workload.

Therefore it technically doesn't matter since it's not required, but obviously people are biased so it's still good to take full course loads.

Well, every grad school and professional school is different, so this might not apply to every school. I don't think any school would fault you for taking an extra term, but not taking a full course load is something that will definitely hurt. Some programs won't look at people who didn't take a full course load- and some won't take into account marks that weren't taken with a full course load. Others could be more lenient.

If you are looking at grad school, you should really go talk to an academic advisor while planning your schedule for the rest of your time at Mac, they have probably helped a lot of people in the same situation.

Thanks for your quick reply guys. It is definitely very valuable information for me. It's a shame I didn't know about this earlier though :(

I think it's beneficial taking more time in general.

Grad school is supposed to be a hell of a lot of work. Taking more time to finish your degree allows you to:

• Take extra time for classes and get better grades
• Have the opportunity to do additional extra curricular activities on campus
• Work part-time
• Travel
• Complete internships
• Gain an extra year or two of maturity. I don't think a lot of 21/22 year olds understand the work required going in. That's why there are lots of grad students who start their Masters in their later twenties.
• Work for longer than a summer, and thus have less debt going in.

This article may be of some use/comfort: http://talentegg.ca/incubator/2010/0...d-your-degree/

I should note however, none of us really know what grad schools look for from applicants. Not only does it vary from school to school, but it is also different from program to program within schools. You'd have to ask the schools you're considering applying to.

I know what the schools that accepted me were looking for, but for those that didn't I'm still unsure. Even if you email them and ask, you're not given a lot of information, since so much of it is contained in other applicants' applications, which is considered confidential.