First Year FAQ
1) What is the Coordinated Science Program (CSP)?
2) What is a Standard Timetable?
3) What courses does the Standard Timetable include?
4) How many courses should I take?
5) How are the workshops like?
6) How are the courses different from first year general science besides the mandatory workshop?
7) If I didn’t take Physics 12 this year, can I still take Physics 101 and the CSP physics course?
9) What kind of work is there in CSP that’s different from general classes?
10) What is the CSP workload like?
11) If I’m not the most vocal or social person, will I be able to make friends?
12) What classes would I be able to drop?
1) What is the Coordinated Science Program (CSP)?
The Coordinated Science Program is a program tailored specifically for first-year students entering the Faculty of Science. The goal of the program is to help make the transition from high school to post-secondary education as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. This is achieved through the sense of community within the program – enabling the growth of strong friendships, efficient study groups and a powerful feeling of belonging.
The program is suitable for students who have broad scientific interests and want to explore the sciences in a community of like-minded students. The courses taken through CSP further satisfy the majority of requirements for several science specializations. This also enables students who are yet unsure of their future career path to gain valuable experiences in the major domains of the sciences.
The most beneficiary characteristic of the program is the Standard Timetable (STT). The Standard Timetable ensures that all CSP members are enrolled in the same core courses and sections (see below for further detail). Essentially, the majority of one’s first year’s courses will be comprised of the same community of 160-170 students. This smaller class size not only helps foster a sense of fellowship within CSP students, but also allows for a much easier academic and social transition to university. A great feel of camaraderie is forged throughout the year, supportive academic learning groups are formed and everlasting friendships are established.
The Standard Timetable is not limiting however, and students are more than free to add further courses to their timetables. Any additional courses not part of the Standard Timetable will not solely consist of CSP members in them- however this ability grants students the freedom to expand and explore other unique passions or to fulfill specific requirements for their intended major specialization.
The STT consists of courses that many science students commonly take and that are requirements for many specializations. These courses include:
- CHEM 121
- CHEM 123
- BIOL 112
- BIOL 121
- PHYS 101
- MATH 102
- MATH103
- CSPW 100
When registering for the program’s courses, there are different “CSP Sections” through which one can register their courses. These sections differ only by their CSPW 100 times (your workshop time) and your tutorial/laboratory times (this is relevant for both CHEM 121/123 and PHYS 101). This is done because you can’t fit all 160 CSP students into one lab/tutorial time – so for those components of a course you will be split up. Otherwise, the rest of your CSP timetable should be identical with other CSP students.
Many people take electives on top of the core CSP courses. Here are some example schedules from previous CSP students:
Keep in mind that some 2nd year specializations require a minimum of 30 credits in first year (several of these are Honours Specializations). An average science student does have around 30-35 credits in their first year, although 35 credits is verging a quite difficult timetable. In addition, the Workshop (CSPW 100) is not listed in the Sample Timetables above, but was nevertheless still taken.
Weekly workshops are pretty relaxed for the most part. Most workshops are targeted towards one of the CSP subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Math, and Biology in the first semester & Chemistry, Math, and Biology in the second semester). In these workshops, there are activities planned to help you understand certain concepts. The subjects are usually chosen around the midterms; for example, if the Math 102 midterm is coming up, the coordinators will prepare activities to practice math concepts. At the end of each semester, you make a presentation based on a specific topic from one of your CSP courses. These presentations are meant to help reinforce concepts that you may not have previously understood.
6) How are the courses different from first year general science besides the mandatory workshop? Are they more challenging? How are the professors?In general, the courses you take in CSP are similar to those that you take in General first year science. The general course outline is chosen for you (as specified in the response above). However, you can still choose to add electives that fit into the CSP timetable. Many people tend to add English into their schedule as you need two English courses (6 credits) by the time you enter fourth year. The two most popular English courses that CSP students take are ENGL 112 and ENGL 110 (SCI 113 is a smaller-sized English course that focuses on scientific writing but cannot be taken by CSP students during the winter session because you are already in a cohort setting). Most life science specializations in second year require you to have BIOL 140 course, so students tend to add that elective into their schedule as well.
From personal experience last year, the professors for the CSP section were generally (or at least seemed) a lot more interactive and invested in the their students’ progress. For example, our chemistry professor in second term held normal office hours and online office hours every week. She came to our CSP study room to answer questions, and held review sessions nearing midterms and the final. Although not all professors put this much effort in, my overall experience with professors was very pleasant and they are very willing to help you out as long as you make the effort to reach out to them!
Classes were definitely more fast paced than in high school (coming from someone who did not take AP or IB courses), but definitely manageable. Being part of CSP allowed me to quickly form study groups, so online assignments and quizzes can be easily tackled!
7) If I didn’t take Physics 12 this year, can I still take Physics 101 and the CSP physics course?If you don’t have Physics 12 you can still register for CSP and still take most of the core CSP courses, however you will not be able to register for the CSP Section of PHYS 101. The CSP physics course is PHYS 101; those without Physics 12 have to complete PHYS 100 in their first semester before they can register for PHYS 101, and thus will not be able to take PHYS 101 with other CSP students. Students who wish to register for CSP without Physics 12 must contact the CSP coordinator Bill Thompson. Once contacted, Bill (as we like to call him) will help guide you through the process of registration for non-Physics 12 students.
You can most definitely add extra courses, in fact this is recommended as many specializations in 2nd year require more prerequisites than is covered by CSP. These courses have to be registered separately from the Standard Timetable, but will be registered together at the same time on your Registration Date.
9) What kind of work is there in CSP that’s different from general classes? Are there presentations and projects like that in both or just CSP? The CSP course-load is almost identical to that of a general science student. The only exception is the additional mandatory 2-hour workshop every week specifically for CSP students. These workshops consist of activities that help students bond with each other while reviewing course material. Occasionally you will have mild presentations to prepare for workshops, but these are not strenuous projects.
The CSP workload itself will be dependent on the amount of additional courses you take alongside the Standard Timetable. On its own, the CSP timetable is minimally difficult. While CSP students do often have a similar course-load as general science students, the connections and study groups formed within the CSP community often make it easier and less stressful to study for classes. Whether or not you did AP or IB, the material taught in your courses will not be dependent on this fact, so don’t stress out if you didn’t take either AP or IB. As for the ability to get a job – that is entirely dependent on which specialization you decide to pursue and the amount of work you’re willing to put in. Remember to work hard and it will all pay off!
Don’t worry! A lot of people also feel that way coming into university. Being able to make friends was one of my biggest fears before coming to UBC, but I quickly realized that it was the same case for almost everyone. My advice is to just be open minded and not be afraid of putting yourself out there. Try everything and don’t be afraid of trying something new. Simply just saying hello to everyone with a smile on your face is enough to break the ice and build a connection because most people are just as shy as you are. I found that just hanging out in the designated CSP Study Room (Kimberley Study Room) in Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKB) was a very easy way to meet people and start great friendships.
You are able to drop one course for the whole winter session, however you cannot drop the CSP workshop. For instance, if you have AP Biology credit, you can drop BIOL 121. If you have AP Chemistry credit, you can drop CHEM 121. If you have AP Calculus AB credit, you can drop MATH 102, and for Calculus BC credit, you can drop MATH 102 or MATH 103. If you have AP credit for Physics, you can drop PHYS 101.
http://you.ubc.ca/admissions/advanced-placement/
This site above shows you which courses you can get credit for with all the AP credit at UBC. Keep in mind you can only drop (use your AP credit for) one of the CSP courses (BIOL, CHEM, PHYS, MATH). This doesn’t include other courses/credit outside of your standard time table (standard time tables are basically your CSP courses that are prearranged for you). So if you have AP English credit you can take that credit instead of taking an English course, or any other course outside of CSP.
If you are missing Biology 12, you will have to take BIOL 111 before you can take BIOL 112, and since BIOL 111 is not in the CSP STT, that will count as a dropped course. The same goes for if you are missing Physics 12; you will have to take PHYS 100 before you can take PHYS 101.