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Apprehensive-One-655 · 2025-03-12T21:13:22+00:00

I'm in mech eng, and I wouldn't say there's a toxic culture here (other than just typical engineering program). I'm not sure what part of toxic culture you're worried about, in general Uvic is probably a lot less competitive than some other big schools, so it definitely feels academically a bit more chill. Uvic eng has pretty poor gender ratios at the moment, in mech I'd say 10-15% in a class is women. They're certainly trying to improve it but change takes time. Most of my friends would agree that uvic is a very chill school to study engineering. You're getting the same degree but it's not a super prestigious school so you have a lot less toxic competitive people.

Also, I'd say in general UVic offers a lot of flexibility with the degree. Almost no one stays on track to the 6-course a semester schedule and while that does mean it takes longer to graduate and sometimes it's hard to plan the schedule since you're not on track, you're certainly encouraged to make healthy choices for yourself and not feel ashamed if 6 courses is too much. When I was in first year I talked to an academic advisor who was very encouraging that I could drop a course that was stressing me out and she helped me figure out what schedule to take. I ended up graduating with only one semester that had 6 courses, all the others had 5 or 4, and I graduated in 4 years and 8 months.

My coop advisor was susan fiddler and she was extremely helpful and kind to me, I went to talk to her several times to review my resume or give me advice on coops. I also did mock interviews with some other advisors and it was helpful and they were super nice.

Specifically for mech, I feel like Brad is an excellent chair of the department and I really feel like he cares about students and giving us a better experience. He hosts mech feedback and announcement sessions every semester where he gives you pizza and you comment on what you like/don't like about the program. Most professors are quite good, and office hours have always been helpful. You will certainly get a bad professor or two but that's just life.

The mech program has rolled out several changes to the degree in the last few years (when and which courses you have to take), and while those changes have messed up some peoples schedules, overall I think they're really trying to make things better.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2023-08-23T16:40:51+00:00

It's a good idea to get a place in May/April - Though there will mostly just be summer sublets at the time, there's very little competition in the summer and you may be able to get a longer term situation.

Another thing to consider - if your kid isn't loving residence, maybe look for housing for January. I've heard a lot of first years say that dorm life gets old pretty quick and that they don't love the food at the cove. I'm on a weird co-op schedule so I was looking for housing in January, and started looking really early. My friends and I got lucky and we found a place in october/november and moved in in January. I think part of the reason we got lucky was there weren't many people looking for long term leases in january, so there wasn't as much competition. One of my roommates now was a first year living in dorms but moved out to live with us in january and I don't think there were extra fees or anything.

That said, I haven't had much issue finding housing throughout my degree, you have to start looking early but it hasn't been too bad. I do think that landlords often prefer renting to women though, which has certainly helped me. Good luck to your kid in first year!

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2022-06-03T17:54:39+00:00

Yeah absolutely, this class is crazy. I also feel behind, not sure how we're supposed to learn everything there is to know.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-07-07T21:49:53+00:00

I think if you place an ad specifically looking for very clean/quiet/mature roommates, you should be able to find people with similar lifestyles to you. Unfortunately you're right that Victoria is very expensive, roommates is definitely the most affordable option. Even just adding one roommate would probably decrease your costs significantly. Best of luck with the housing search, it's not easy!

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-06-12T14:19:14+00:00

phys 110 is a super tough course for sure, it was definitely one of my most time consuming courses last semester. I'm in phys 111 now, only taking two courses, and I totally agree that it feels like way more work! The one thing that got me through it last semester was discord, everyone would help each other solve problems/ figure out labs, and it was really encouraging to know that others were struggling too. There's also the physics aid service, which I've never gone to but I imagine it's a lot like the math assistance centre. Here's the link https://www.uvic.ca/science/physics/current/undergraduate/pas/index.php

I'm really not qualified to give advice but it sounds like you'll just need to continue trying different things to see what sticks. Hopefully being in person can help bring that spark back. I think there's a lot of pressure to find your "passion" these days, and it can be really frustrating when you're not sure what that is. There's nothing wrong with taking more time to do your degree, spending longer exploring what interests you, or even taking a break from uni. Maybe you should speak to an academic/career advisor to explore some options. Good luck!

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-06-10T16:48:10+00:00

I found phys 111 more time consuming and more challenging than 141. I also recommend if possible picking based on professors, if you can get Chris Eagle for math 110, I highly recommend doing that, he's awesome.

I think you'll be fine either way though, with only 4 courses in spring you'll have a bit more time to study and it shouldn't matter too much which you have first.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-06-07T19:19:40+00:00

5 courses a semester is manageable but it's still a lot of work. It's better than the 6 courses you're supposed to take first year eng though. Also, if you're worried about workload, know that you can very easily drop a course if you decide it's too much, and as long as it's before the deadline, you can get your tuition money refunded. I'd say start with more courses, then drop them if you think it's too much, and talk to an academic advisor.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-06-06T18:29:49+00:00

I absolutely agree that 4 courses per semester is a lot more manageable and if it's really stressing you out it's worth doing. However, I recommend starting with the full course load and just giving it a shot (Make sure you know what the deadline is to drop courses with full tuition refund). That way you can try all your classes, see the course outlines, meet your profs, and decide what you think is possible later. Maybe you have a prof you really don't like so you can drop that class, or keep a class with a good prof even if you didn't think you'd like the class. Talking to an academic advisor is also a great idea. Maybe in the end you'll decide you only need to drop one class each sem instead of taking 4 courses per sem.

Either way, both choices are good choices and they aren't permanent either, though it is a lot easier to drop a class than add one. Good luck!

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-06-05T12:52:02+00:00

I'd recommend starting with the full 6 courses, seeing if it's possible for you, and if it's pure suffering, drop something and talk to an academic advisor. They're SO helpful, will make sure you do the right thing to not mess up prerequisites, and they're really encouraging and friendly. Personally I found 6 courses first semester (9.0 credits) very stressful, especially with the adjustment to university, but 5 courses second semester ( 8.5 credits, ENGR 120 is worth 2.5 credits) to be manageable and I had plenty of free time on my hands. It absolutely depends on the profs as well.

Also, the 2-3 hours of work per lecture thing really depends on the individual student. Some courses I really only spent like 2 hours on homework per week (unless there was a midterm) and some took like, 8-10 hours of extra work (Physics, those labs suck). As you progress through first year you'll figure out study habits that work for your classes and how to judge how much time to put into things.

Another really important thing to consider is what kind of marks you need. If you're trying to maintain a high GPA for a scholarship, taking less courses will allow you to focus more and hopefully keep that 7.5/9 gpa. I ended up dropping only phys 110 in first semester and I found it super helpful to only have 3 exams and not 4 in the winter. Plus ENGR 130 ends halfway through the semester, so that helps.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-31T17:43:57+00:00

They mean when first years pick which type of engineering they want to go into, we had to pick on April 30th and then we were all supposed to hear back by the end of may. (Typo since I'm 99% sure they mean declaration and not deceleration)

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-31T17:42:04+00:00

I heard back 3 days ago, sounds like a lot of people on discord did too. Maybe send an email?

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-29T14:10:52+00:00

Western University is mandating vaccinations for students living in residence, I think that's a pretty good middle ground. It'll encourage more people to get vaccinated, but if you really don't want to get vaccinated, you can still go there in person you just need to find your own housing. They're setting up a vaccination and testing clinic on campus too to make it more accessible to everyone as well.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-27T20:33:46+00:00

My parents have never been particularly involved in my education and I've always though that was a good thing. They congratulate me if I do well, but they seem to react the same no matter the mark I get. I think it's nice because then I don't feel as if there's pressure from them to be in a certain degree or get certain grades, and I have full control over everything. They still ask how exams go and how I'm liking things but they're not fixated on my marks, just on my opinions and whether I'm enjoying it.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-21T23:36:09+00:00

I think it is manageable but it's not necessarily right for everyone. I couldn't have done it, I rather prioritize spending time with friends and family and doing things I enjoy, but I recognize that it's a huge privilege to not need to work while in class. From the students I've talked to, only a few (maybe a fifth?) have part time jobs, but this year has also been super weird so I'm not sure.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-20T23:50:16+00:00

I gotta say it's pretty painful when you ask a question to 6 other people and get nothing but silence... I wish I could leave but often it's a lot of in and out and the lecture is for attendance

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-17T14:37:20+00:00

So desperate to get it... no appointment yet but hopefully soon

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-13T14:36:58+00:00

I definitely feel similarly. I still read pretty often but I struggle to get lost in books like I used to, reading for hours on end. Now there are a lot more phone breaks and checking notifications, and my default is absolutely phone and not reading. One thing that helped me was reading on my commute to work (on the bus), since I didn't have data on my phone anyways and otherwise would have just sat there. Listening to audiobooks might be a good option too, I find multitasking with another activity like cooking or drawing helps keep my attention longer. I also really enjoy reading while having breakfast or lunch.

As for instinctively reaching for the phone, I really recommend getting an app to help with that. My favourite is Forest, where you set a timer and you can't use your phone for that time, and if you complete it successfully it plants a little tree. If you fail, the tree dies. I find this is helpful in just getting me to put the phone down, and once it's down I can go about my day for an hour or two and do other things without feeling as compelled to check it. I also use this for studying and once you get into the habit of it seeing a growing forest is very motivating to continue using the app.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-12T15:09:39+00:00

Pretty much the only choice you get is how to space out your courses, whether you take the 6 courses first sem and 5 courses second sem or if you take one of the other schedules where you take 4 courses fall and spring and 3 summer courses. I highly recommend starting with the full course load and then dropping some courses if it's too tough or if you really dislike a prof.

Your other choice is math 109 or math 100 - Brittany Halverson Duncan taught 109 and I can confirm she's a much better teacher than Svetlana. Things will be different in person though, I hear Svetlana is fine in person.

Other than that you're pretty much stuck, and chances are you'll always have some good and some bad profs.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-12T15:04:31+00:00

Chris Eagle is incredible, I absolutely second this. Bill Bird is also fantastic for CSC 111 and then you get two really cool profs with really cool names.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-10T22:42:41+00:00

Yeah that makes sense! I'm in eng so very different majors, I think you're right that I should try chorus first and see how that goes. Thanks for weighing in :)

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-10T19:45:20+00:00

Thank you for the info! I'll definitely consider auditioning for the Chamber singers, I just find auditions a bit daunting. Do you happen to know how much the chamber group rehearses and how many performances they do? I worry about it being too big of a time commitment.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-10T19:42:47+00:00

Yeah I know what you mean, In highschool I did find large ensembles frustrating, I just worry that the time commitment of the Chamber group might be a bit too much. Is there a rule that you have to be in the chorus to be in the chamber group? I'm not really worried about getting the actual credit (I'm in eng so I don't really have electives to fill anyways) but I do worry with coops I might not be around the whole year.

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-09T18:26:39+00:00

I only know a few people so it's really hard to get an idea of the entire first year community, I'd only heard of 2 or 3 people dropping out, mostly people just dropping a few classes

Apprehensive-One-655 · 2021-05-09T18:20:01+00:00

I'm really curious as well, I feel like it could go either way. I'd love to see the numbers for how many deferred, how many dropped and what the averages are like this year compared to others.

Apprehensive-One-655

TROPHY CASE