Information Meeting for U1 students

August, 2007

Welcome! Department of

PsychologyFaculty of Arts

Jargon: 1. The technical terminology of a

special activity or group

2. Confused unintelligible language

3. Obscure and often pretentious language

Undergraduate Advising Offices

Department of Psychology Room N7/9 - Stewart Biology Building

Jessey Bernstein, PhDChief Academic Advisor

Mon – Fri398-6122 (no messages)

Mary Gauthier, Vvr*Undergraduate Program Coordinator

Mon – Frimary.gauthier@mcgill.ca

398-6121 (messages)

• Program advising &other academic Qs• Career & graduate

study advising• “HELP!”

* Very valuable resource

Office Hours - Sept. 4th to 18th

Jessey Bernstein, Chief Academic Advisor Monday to Friday

10:00 – 12:00 1:30 – 3:30- Drop-in only (no appointments)- Subject to last-minute changes; check website

www.psych.mcgill.ca/ugrad/advisor.htm and/or office door (N7/9)

Mary Gauthier, Undergrad Program Coordinator & Vvr Monday to Friday

8:00 – 12:302:00 – 4:00- Drop-in only

Office Hours - Sept 19th to Dec 4th

Jessey Bernstein, Chief Academic Advisor

– Combination of appointments & drop-in hours• Before dropping by, it is a good idea to consult

www.psych.mcgill.ca/ugrad/advisor.htm for possible changes to drop-in hours

Mary Gauthier, Undergrad Program Coordinator & Vvr

– Monday to Friday• 8:00 – 12:30• 2:00 – 4:00• Drop-in only

Link will give most up-to-date

office hours

These slides will

be posted here!

Other Helpful Advising Resources:Student Affairs

Dawson Hall, Ground Floor (Main Campus)

398-4210M – F

10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m(counter & phone service)

Enrica QuaroniAssociate Dean, Student Affairs

Faculty of Arts

First-Year Office Suite 2100, Brown Student Services Building

398-6913firstyear@mcgill.ca

Leslie CopelandFirst-Year Coordinator

Wendy BrettAssistant for Francophone Students

First Year

Calendar!

Other Helpful Resources:

E-Mail• Lucky you, you now have a McGill email address!

– It is: firstname.lastname@mail.mcgill.ca The McGill address and inbox are given automatically

upon confirmation on Minerva of acceptance to McGill. Notification of this is sent to the email address the student provided upon application.

• Use only this address in all communication with University departments & offices. University employees will send emails only to your McGill address.

• For information on email access set-up, etc., see www.mcgill.ca/ics/tools/email

Getting a BA at McGill:Faculty of Arts Requirements

Getting a BA at McGill: Overview

• A BA requires 90 credits (assumes you have completed U0 year, or have advanced standing from CEGEP)

• How do you structure those credits?– Multi-track system:– This enables you to acquire a breadth of knowledge in

at least two (and, optionally, three) core disciplines.

– There are several ways (multiple tracks) you are allowed to structure these 90 credits…

– Major: typically centered on one discipline/department

– Minor: coherent sequence of courses in a second discipline. Less comprehensive than a major; requires fewer credits.

Getting a BA at McGill: Possible Multi-Track

CombinationsOption C:

Major ConcentrationMinor Concentration 1Minor Concentration 2Electives

36181818

Honours ProgramMinor ConcentrationElectives

601812

Option A: Major ConcentrationMinor ConcentrationElectives

361836

Option B: Major Concentration 1Major Concentration 2Electives

363618

Joint Honours Component 1 36Joint Honours Component 2 36Electives 18

Getting a BA at McGillOption A, with Major in

PSYC

• Major Concentration (PSYC) 36 credits

• Minor Concentration (non-PSYC) 18 credits

• Elective Courses 36 credits

--------------

TOTAL: 90 credits

Getting a BA at McGillOption B, with Major in

PSYC

• Major Concentration 1 (PSYC) 36 credits

• Major Concentration 2 (non-PSYC) 36 credits

• Elective Courses 18 credits

--------------

TOTAL: 90 credits

Getting a BA at McGillOption C, w/ Specialization

Combination

• Major Concentration (PSYC) 36 credits• Minor Concentration (non-PSYC) 18 credits• Minor Conc. (non-PSYC, or Beh Sci) 18 credits• Elective Courses 18 credits

--------------

TOTAL: 90 credits

Why would someone do

this?

Getting a BA at McGill: Psychology Department

Requirements

Major Concentration in Psychology (BA or BA&Sc)

• U1 Required Courses (15 credits)– PSYC 204: Introductory Statistics– PSYC 211: Intro to Behavioral Neuroscience– PSYC 212: Perception– PSYC 213: Cognition– PSYC 215: Social Psychology

• U1 or U2 Required Course (3 credits)– PSYC 305: Statistics for Experimental Design

• Complementary Courses (18 credits)– 3 credits Psychology from List A – 3 credits Psychology from List B – 6 credits in Psychology at 300 level or above– 6 credits in Psychology at 400 level or above

Behavioral Neuroscience

Cognitive

Quantitative Methods

Social

Health

Developmental

Total = 36

credits

• Checklists

What are the Prerequisites?

• Introductory Psychology - PSYC 100– If you need to take PSYC 100 in U1, it will be

categorized as elective credit.

– If you have a CEGEP (or university-level) equivalent, you do not need to take PSYC 100

• Examples of equivalent courses (CEGEP titles) » “Introductory Psych”» “Experimental Psychology”» “Psychology”

• Biology - BIOL 111 or BIOL 112 or BIOL 115• Examples of equivalent courses (CEGEP titles)

» “Human Biology 1” (or 2)» “General Biology 1” (or 2)

Arts students only

StatisticsPSYC majors must complete 2 stats courses:

PSYC 204 & 305

You are exempted from PSYC 204 if, in CEGEP, you have already completed with grades of 75% or higher:

Quantitative Methods

AND one of

Statistics for Social ScienceAdvanced Quantitative Methods

Introductory StatisticsSocial Statistics

Note 2: If you receive this exemption, you

will replace PSYC 204 with three credits at

the 300 level or higher

Note 1: If you do have both, then you may

not take PSYC 204 for credit.

If you receive exemption & if you plan to apply for

Honours then you should take PSYC 305 in U1

• sheet with prereqs

Minor Concentration in Behavioral Science (offered only to Arts students)

• Complementary Courses (18 credits)

– 3 credits Psychology from List A (Behavioral Neuroscience, Cognitive, & Quantitative Methods)

– 3 credits Psychology from List B (Social, Health, & Developmental Psych)

– 3 credits in Psychology at 400 level or above

– 9 credits in Psychology or Related Areas at the 300 level or above in any of these disciplines:

Total = 18

credits

Why would someone do

this?

Psychology, Anthropology, Linguistics,

Sociology

Getting a BA at McGill:Other Useful Things to

Know

Elective Courses: How to Choose?

• Interest!

• Diversity

• 200 levels in Related Areas (prereqs)

• Francophones: There are a few courses offered in French; also courses in English as a second language

• Courses in Faculties other than Arts & Science: You can take a MAX of 12 credits in Faculties other than Arts & Science (e.g.: Management, Education) for elective credit. – See p. 80 of University Calendar for more details

Note: MINERVA is a computer program that was not designed to perform any gate-keeping functions. In other words, MINERVA will

let you do things that conflict with Faculty and/or Departmental regulations and requirements. So: MINERVA will not indicate to you whether you have reached your maximum. You have to

keep track of this yourself. I am here to help, if needed.

Course Load• Normally, 5 courses (15 credits) per semester

• Full-time status means 4 or 5 courses (12 – 15 credits) per semester

• Quebec loans: Minimum of 4 courses (12 credits) per semester– Other government loans: Check with Financial Aid Officer

• McGill Scholarships: Minimum of 27 graded credits per academic year (i.e., Fall & Winter semesters) to be eligible for scholarship and to keep one.

• Psychology Honours program: Minimum of 27 graded credits per academic year (to be eligible for and to remain in program)

• You are advised to take 4 courses in your first semester if you: • work over 10 hours per week• are studying in English for the first time• have been out of school for a few years• have family or other commitments that require a

significant amount of your time.

When Things Go Wrong…

• Sometimes, life circumstances are such that a student cannot do an exam or hand in an assignment on time.

• When these circumstances involve medical or other serious documentable reasons, know that you can:– Defer an exam or midterm– Get an extension (K grades)

– How?

– Note that this is different than taking an exam or handing in an assignment and then noting illness afterwards!

• What if I end up failing a course?– Supplemental exams– *New grade does not replace old grade

Now, What Do I Register For??

Everyone who intends to do a Psych Major should register for the following courses in U1:

PSYC 211 (Intro to Behavioral Neuroscience)

PSYC 212 (Perception)

PSYC 213 (Cognition)

PSYC 215 (Social Psychology)

PSYC 204 (Introductory Stats) (unless equivalent already completed)

Also recommended in U1 is:

PSYC 305 (Experimental Stats)

The number of prerequisites remaining will impact:

-when you take your stats courses

-the number of electives you take

See next slide for examples

Now, What Do I Register For??

Sample 1: Ms. Star Tingarts No prereqs completed yet:

Sample 2: Mr. I. B. Dunn Has completed prereqs, but no stats:

WINTER 2008:PSYC 204: Intro to StatisticsPSYC 211: Intro to Beh. NeurosciPSYC 213: Cognition XXXX ???: Elective or Minor XXXX ???: Elective or Minor

FALL 2007:PSYC 212: PerceptionPSYC 215: Social PsychologyBIOL 115: Essential BiologyPSYC 100: Introductory PsychXXXX ???: Elective or Minor course

WINTER 2008:PSYC 211: Intro to Beh. NeurosciPSYC 213: Cognition PSYC 305: Stats for Experim. DesignXXXX ???: Elective or Minor courseXXXX ???: Elective or Minor course

FALL 2007:PSYC 212: PerceptionPSYC 215: Social PsychologyPSYC 204: Intro to StatisticsXXXX ???: Elective or Minor course XXXX ???: Elective or Minor course

If you have some of the prerequisite or statistics courses done, your schedule would involve a combination of the principles governing those above

*PSYC 305 in

U2

Dates & Deadlines to Know About

• You can find these blue pages (pp. 20-37) of McGill Calendar (the big, heavy book)

• Fall 2007:– First day of class: Tues, Sept 4– Course Change: Tues, Sept 18– Withdrawal, with fee refund: Sun, Sept 23– Withdrawal, no fee refund: Sun, Oct 21– Last Day of Class: Tues, Dec 4– Exam period: Dec 6 to 21 FYI: Mon, Oct 8 = Thanksgiving, classes cancelled.

Tues, Oct 9 will follow a Monday class schedule.

Dates & Deadlines to Know About

• Winter 2007:– First day of class: Thurs, Jan 3 (!)– Course Change: Tues, Jan 15– Withdrawal, full year course: Tues, Jan 15– Withdrawal, winter course,

with fee refund: Sun, Jan 20– Withdrawal, winter course,

no fee refund Sun, Feb 17– Winter Break Feb 24 - Mar 1– Last Day of Class: Fri, April 11– Exam period: April 14-30

FYI: Fri, Mar 21 & Mon, Mar 24: Easter (classes cancelled)Thurs, Mar 20 will follow a Monday class

schedule.

Plan of Action:• Online: Declare your major as Psychology (MINERVA)

• By Wednesday, August 29th: Register for the PSYC courses you plan to take. After that date, you may encounter difficulty registering for them because we will open up remaining spots to non-Psych students.

• Now: Sign up to meet an Advisor this Weds, Thurs or FriWhat to bring to the meeting:

1. Student ID #, on printout of MINERVA-generated transcript2. If applicable: Prerequisites form (filled out) 3. If applicable: Any university or CEGEP transcripts (unofficial copies)4. The Psychology program checklists 5. A list of the courses you would like to take6. Minerva Course Selection Form (filled out)

How to register?

• Minerva shot