A refreshing break from your traditional courses in the Faculty of Science. Although FRST 303 is still a science-based course, the focus is on the growth and evolution of trees and forests.
FORMAT OF THE COURSE
Due to the pandemic this was an online asynchronous course. Lectures were live and recorded on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The instructor, Chris Chanway, was also nice enough to schedule a 15 minute break every lecture. The entire course was graded on one midterm and one final exam. Both were of the same format: define a few words and answer a few long response questions. The exams were not invigilated and were closed book.
GPA 🙂 OR 🙁
This course might be the easiest course you could ever take at UBC, especially for science students. Half of the course content is going over basic biological concepts such as what is a cell. Having two assessments make up your entire grade may seem daunting; however, the entire question bank for both exams are provided to you a month in advance. Sadly, only 20/200 students enrolled would show up for live classes because of this. You basically don’t have to study and you can rest easy as long as you just answer all the test bank questions beforehand. I know of some people who didn’t study at all and still got an A+. In fact, the course average for my section was 94.
FRST 303 grade distribution. Credits: ubcgrades.com
verdict? to take or not to take
If you have no interest in trees or forestry I wouldn’t take this course, because the material will seem very dry. If you’re looking to bump up your GPA, need upper year credits, or just looking for a small break in a heavy workload this course is definitely for you!