On Campus

A little Bird told me…

Need some help finding a great (and easy) elective?

Trying to decide which electives to take to balance your course load for next term? Can’t choose between that psychology or philosophy course?

Just check out Birdcourses.com. It’s a website where Canadian university students can vote on their courses’ “birdiness.” Or in other words, how Mickey Mouse a course is.

My undergrad enrollment appointment is this week. Meaning, I need to know exactly what electives I want for next semester. Thanks to one of the best websites ever, I was able look for  the perfect electives that could complement my course load.

Yes, courses that sound easy and almost guarantee a good mark.

All of the most important intel about a course is listed on a single page. This includes which professors you should try to get, and whether tests and finals (if the course even has them) are essay-based or multiple choice.

Plus, there’s a section for comments where other students can share their impressions of the course.

Of course, some students want to take courses that also broaden their perspectives, enriching their lives with new ways of thinking, helping them discover a more profound sense of Self. Or something like that.Little bird

Just as long at the course has a perfect 5 on the birdiness scale.

Sometimes you’ll see a course with a mixed rating. Like Molecular Biology at Waterloo. Whoever posted this course thought they should spread the joy known as Molecular Biology, by claiming “This course is easy-fasheezy. You learn about cells and how they affect you and why you should care. Word! This course was so fun.”

I was thrilled when I read that. It’s a course I need to take in third year. Now instead of dreading it, I could actually look forward to it.

But then I read some of the comments posted from other students who had already lived through the course.

“No…this course is by far one of the hardest bio’s i’ve taken and is known to be a really hard biology…if ur looking for an easy bio try 439.”

And, “Without a doubt, the hardest bio course, and aside from org. chem, the hardest course ive taken yet! i took it DE…biggest mistake! assignments and quizzes are easy enough to make you think you can do ok…the final is BRUTAL!”

This is one of the small dangers of the site. Although most students simply want to share the triumph/euphoria of having found the perfect bobo class, there’s always someone with a sick sense of humour.

Turns out that Molecular Biology course might not be so birdy after all.

“I don’t know who put this course on this site. But it definitely licks balls.”

– Photo courtesy of klynslis

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