When you accepted your offer to officially become a York University Lion you probably pictured all the typical aspects of student life: a late-night study session at the library, an engaging discussion in a lecture hall or maybe even an unexpected discovery in the lab. The next step before you can create those memories is to register in your courses.
Your first time enrolling in courses can be daunting, confusing and even frustrating. From learning the process to understanding course codes, it might seem like you have to teach yourself a whole new language, but you don’t have to go it alone! Instead, there’s a portal designed just for you that can help you get your head around all things transition, enrolment and orientation.
YU Start is a new student transition program and is chock-full of helpful modules to first help you understand the ins and outs of registration before you ever even select a course.
Here are the top 5 things you can learn on YU Start to start off on the right track and build a timetable that works for you.
1. Vocabulary and decoding
Course codes might seem indecipherable at first, but following along in YU Start, you'll learn the shorthand you need to quickly identify the faculty offering the course, length, number of credits, format and more.
Not to mention you’ll also learn the insider language to make course descriptions easier to parse.
Pro tip: Check out our two blog posts on unique terms at York and university acronyms to learn more!
2. Degree progress
Even though it seems like convocation is a lifetime away, it’s important to understand how to monitor your progress towards graduation. In YU Start you’ll be introduced to the Degree Progress Report tool. Although you need to be enrolled in courses before the report can start tracking, you’ll also learn how to cross-reference your degree requirements. This will inform which courses you should choose.
Visual Schedule Builder
Scheduling is not everyone’s forte. Even if it is, course enrolment can be the kind of rapid-fire activity that trips up even the most planful people. YU Start will give you a crash course in using the Visual Schedule Builder, a vital tool for you to plot your courses thoughtfully and according to your scheduling needs.
4. Getting involved
It goes without saying, but university life extends beyond your day-to-day courses and school work. Not only does YU Start help you navigate your first round of enrolling, but it also provides tips, tricks and suggestions for how to get involved on campus and find your people. You’re about to spend the next few years of your life here, so you might as well invest in the fun stuff too!
5. Getting prepared
It’s true, there’s a lot to learn and consider as you get ready to join us on campus, and like any firsts or big transitions, anxieties can build up in the unknown. YU Start can help you understand what to expect and how to prepare so you can leave your worries behind and gear up for an exciting, successful first term.
So, if you’re in the market for advice ahead of starting your studies this fall, look no further than YU Start: your one-stop-shop for all things transition and orientation.