Frequently asked questions (FAQ) - undergraduate students

Looking for a resource map that connects you to multiple useful websites? Check out and bookmark the Registrar's Office current students webpage! This is your one-stop shop to quickly find information on a wide variety of subjects (ex. enrolment, important dates, exams, graduation, key contacts, resources and services, etc.). You can also use their chatbot to get quick answers to general questions.

Course selection and course enrolment

Enrolment periods

Course selection is when you submit your wish list of courses for a future term. The scheduling system will try to create conflict-free class schedules depending on what students choose during this time. Please note that course selection does not guarantee that you will get into courses. When too many eligible students request a course during course selection, Quest uses a lottery system for placing eligible students into the course as there are limited spaces. Once the add/drop and course enrolment periods begin, you can change your schedule.

The add/drop period is when you can change your courses (add/drop/swap) or enroll in some if you haven't already. The first two days are the add/drop appointments; you may view your appointment time on Quest. You may learn more on the registering for courses webpage and check enrolment dates on the important dates calendar.

Course offerings

You may view the list of course offerings on Quest and the Schedule of Classes. Please use Quest to check if there is still space in the course.

To determine which institution is offering a course, you may check the campus location (“camp loc”) column on the schedule of classes. When it shows “ONLN”, it means that the course will be offered online. When it has “BLND”, then it will be blended (some activity online and some in-person, ex. Tuesdays online lectures and Thursdays in-person lectures). When it says anything else, then it’s offered in-person. For online and blended courses, the last letter indicates the institution.

If you want online courses and are struggling to find some, then you could consider taking courses at other institutions.

Course Advice

What courses to take

You are encouraged to take required courses at your current academic level (ex. 300-level courses when you are in 3A and 3B), when they are being offered throughout your progression, and then choose your electives. You may take courses in your major/minor, BA breadth requirement courses, or electives that can be counted towards your BA degree requirements. Please use the plan checklists as a guide for what courses to take each year.

Please note that core courses (ex. SOC/LS 221) are offered every fall and winter term, and occasionally (but not always) in the spring terms. At least 2 electives at the 200 to 400-levels are offered every term (fall, winter, spring). Please plan accordingly. 

If you are in a 4-year general or Honours major, you are strongly encouraged to split your 400-level courses between 2 terms (4A and 4B) because these courses tend to be more challenging and space is very limited.

Are you in ARBUS?

  • ARBUS SOC majors should take SOC 280 (backup option: ARTS 280)
  • ARBUS LS majors may take LS 280 or ARTS 280

Cross-listed and held-with courses

All courses taken under a subject, which is cross-listed or held with a course within your academic plan, will count towards that plan and its average. So, a course cross-listed or held with LS will count as a LS course; a course cross-listed or held with SOC will count as a SOC course. For example, PACS 202 counts as a LS course because it is cross-listed with LS.

Special topics

Special topics courses (ex. LS 496, SOC 430) count as separate, different courses as long as the topics are different. For example, if you took two LS 496 sections, one on “Gender and Crime” and the other on “The Criminology of Mobility”, they could both count towards a Legal Studies plan as they are different courses.

Transfer credits

You may take courses at other institutions through the cross-registration form (for courses at Wilfrid Laurier University) or the letter of permission form (for courses at all other institutions). You will need to send the form and a copy of the course syllabus to the relevant department for approval. For SOC and LS course approvals, please send them to the SOC or LS Undergraduate Associate Chair. 

Course delivery mode

Please note that the SOC and LS plans are in-person programs, so we cannot guarantee any online courses. If you are interesting in online studies, please look at the online program options.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are available during regular class hours (Monday -Friday 8:30 am – 5 pm). If you need to work or have other commitments, it is your responsibility to schedule that outside of regular class time. Work is not an acceptable reason to request accommodations or extensions on your course work. If you want to work full-time, then you could consider taking a study term off and return to studying in a future term. 

Course load

Students may take courses on a part-time or full-time course load. Students can request an exception from their primary advisor to take 6 courses in a term if they meet the requirements stated in the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar. Please note that the cumulative average must include final grades from all the terms that precede the 6-course term. For example, if you want to take 6 courses in the winter term, then you will need to wait until your fall grades are posted on Quest to apply. Please note that taking 6 courses is not recommended because it is very time-consuming, difficult, and stressful. You are responsible for keeping track of the deadlines to drop courses by regularly checking the important dates calendar. If you find that 6 courses is too much for you, then please consider dropping courses before the WD deadline. Please note that if you are not eligible to petition grades of a 6-course load term because you could have dropped them earlier in the term.

Repeating courses

You can only repeat a course if you failed it (no credit grade [NCR] or numerical grade of 49% or lower). If you want to repeat a course you passed (credit grade [CR] or numerical grade of 50% or higher), then you will need to petition for an exception. Students are not recommended to repeat a course unless it is required for their academic plan (major, minor, diploma, specialization, program) or degree (Bachelor of Arts). If it’s not required, then it is best to take other courses to boost your average as this will provide you with a fresh start with different course content and assignments. Retaking a course can be stressful as you may remember your past struggles and challenging if you previously had difficulty understanding the material and being successful with the assignments. Please note that repeating a course does not replace the grades of your previous attempts. Both the grades of the first attempt and the second attempt will be included in your average, just like with any other courses you take. 

If you are struggling with your courses, please check out the "academic success" section of this FAQ.

497, 498, and 499 courses

SOC 497, LS 498, SOC 498, and SOC 499A/B all require department consent to enroll, meaning that you cannot self-enroll in these courses.

Process to enroll in SOC 497

Please follow the instructions on the Undergraduate Research Assistantships webpage.

Process to enroll in SOC 498 or LS 498

  1. You must find a faculty member who is willing to supervise you. Please see the list of UWaterloo and St. Jerome's University faculty members.
  2. Once the faculty member agrees to supervise you, they (the faculty member) emails the Sociology and Legal Studies undergraduate advisor to confirm they are willing to supervise you providing:
    1. Student name
    2. Student ID number
    3. Description of the research/topic (topic title: 30 character limit including spaces)
  3. The advisor will provide you with a permission number after the add/drop period so you can enroll in 498. 

Process to enroll in SOC 499A/B

Please familiarize yourself about the course by reading the information on the Senior Honours Essay webpage. Enrolment instructions can be found in the "enrolling in SOC 499A/B" section.

Enrolment issues

Reasons for enrolment issues

If you have difficulty enrolling, please check the course descriptions to see if you meet all the required prerequisites and haven’t taken the antirequisites, the Schedule of Classes to see if you fall into the reserve category and if you have a time conflict, and Quest to see if the course is full (closed). If it’s full, continue checking Quest regularly to see if space opens up later as students change their classes. In the meantime, please enroll in courses that still have space.

Academic level

Please note that your academic level (ex. 3B) is not how many terms you have been in university. Rather, it is a measurement of your progress towards completing all the courses for your BA degree (30 courses for 3 year general, 40 courses for 4 year general or Honours). If you complete less than 5 courses in a term, then you might be in the same academic level for more than one term since you are taking a lighter course load. Please see the determination of level and term of study webpage on the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar to learn more.

Override requests

If you require a course override, please visit the Arts enrolment problems and course overrides webpage to find out who to contact for help.

If a SOC or LS elective is open on Quest and you meet all the requisite, reserve, and time conditions, please email the Sociology and Legal Studies advisor for help. If a 200 or 300-level elective is open on Quest and you do not meet all the conditions, you may also email the advisor to request an override. No overrides will be provided for 400-level courses if you do not meet all the conditions.

Dropping courses

Please check the important dates calendar to find the deadlines for dropping courses. The 100% tuition refund deadline is the last day to drop a course without it appearing on your transcript. After that date, the WD period begins, followed by the WF period. If you drop a course with WD (withdrew, no numerical grade, no credit granted), the course will appear on your transcript, but it will not impact your average as it has no numerical grade. If you drop a course with WF (withdrew, failed, no credit granted), the course will appear on your transcript with a 32% grade, so it will impact your average. For instructions on how to drop a course, please see the dropping courses webpage.

If you are in co-op, please note that you need to be in full-time studies (3 or more courses) every study term as part of your co-op requirements. If you plan on dropping courses and move down to part-time studies, you can either 1) drop a course after the government count date (November 1 for fall, February 1 for winter, June 30 for spring) to stay in co-op, or 2) leave co-op if you drop a course before the governement count date. Unfortunately, you cannot stay in co-op and move to part-time studies by dropping courses with a 100% tuition fee refund. 

If you plan on going to graduate or professional school, please see the graduate school and career advice section as dropping courses might impact your eligibility for admission. Also, if you are receiving financial aid (OSAP, bursaries, scholarships, etc.), please reach out to Student Financial Services because dropping courses might impact your financial aid.

If you are struggling with your courses, please see our tips for academic success.

Degree and Plan Requirements

Requirements

It is your responsibility to ensure that all your degree and plan (major, minor, specialization, certificate) requirements for graduation have been met.

Please check your degree and academic plan requirements on the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar.

Additional courses

For the plan requirements, please note that additional coursesat the 200 to 400-levels exclude core courses. You must take the core courses and the additional courses. For example, a SOC or LS major cannot count SOC/LS 221 as an additional course at the 200-level.

Checklists

You are strongly encourage to use the plan checklists to track your progress in the plans, identify your unique versus double counted courses, and determine which courses you need to take.

For information on plans in other subjects, please contact the advisor for that subject.

Double degree

For information on the UWaterloo-Essex double degree (Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws), please see our Double Degree in Human Rights Law webpage.

Degree audits

The Sociology and Legal Studies advisor does not provide degree audits. You can however send your completed checklist to us to have it checked for errors. You are encouraged to perform your own degree audits using the checklists, along with the degree and plan requirements listed on the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar. 

Double counted vs unique courses

It is your responsibility to ensure that you follow the rules on double counting vs unique courses.

Tracking double counted vs unique courses will be easier if you use the plan checklists. You must meet the minimum number of required unique courses for SOC and LS plan. Please see the Undergraduate Studies Academic Calendar webpage on counting of courses for more information.

A unique course is used to fulfill only 1 academic plan (ex. LS major). Unique courses can be standalone courses (ex. LS 101) or cross-listed courses (ex. SOC 280/LS 280). Please note that BA breadth requirements are not an academic plan. So, you can count a course towards the BA breadth and 1 academic plan (ex. LS major), and still have it count as a unique course.

A double counted (shared) course is used to fulfill 2 academic plans (ex. LS major and SOC major). Double counted courses can be standalone courses (ex. SOC 101 which is required for both LS and SOC plans) or cross-listed courses (ex. SOC 221/LS 221).

How many unique courses do I need? It's easier to focus on how many courses you can double count.

  • Double Honours majors: 8 out of the 16 courses for the first major must be unique to that major and 8 out of the 16 courses for the second major must be unique to that major. A maximum of 8 courses can be double counted between the 2 majors.
  • Honours/4-year general major + minor: 8 out of the 16 courses for the major must be unique to that major and 4 out of the 8 courses for the minor must be unique to that minor. A maximum of 4 courses can be double counted between the major and minor.
  • 3-year general major + minor: 6 out of the 12 courses for the major must be unique to that major and 4 out of the 8 courses for the minor must be unique to that minor. A maximum of 4 courses can be double counted between the major and minor. The remaining courses may be double counted with another academic plan.
  • Double minors: 4 out of the 8 courses for the first minor must be unique to that minor and 4 out of the 8 courses for the second minor must be unique to that minor. A maximum of 4 courses can be double counted between the 2 minors.

Advising

If you have questions or concerns, please email the Sociology and Legal Studies advisors and include your student ID number. Please note that the advisors do not provide degree audits. 

For virtual and in-person advising appointments with the advisors, please use the online booking system to schedule an appointment. If you have many questions or want to discuss petitioning, please book 2 consecutive appointments. You will need to send your advisor a completed plan checklist prior to your appointment.

You may also book an appointment with the Sociology and/or Legal Studies Undergraduate Associate Chairs. 

Please note that our department can only assist with SOC and LS courses and academic plans (majors, minors). For courses and plans in other subjects, please contact the advisor for that subject.

If there are concerns about your academic standing, you will be contacted by email in the first month of the term. If you are not contacted by us and would like to know your standing, you can view your official grades and academic standing decision on Quest at the end of the first month of each term.

Academic success

Changing your major/minor

To make changes to your degree and/or academic plans (major, minor, diploma, specialization), you will need to fill out and submit a plan modification form to the appropriate advisor. The Sociology and Legal Studies advisor can only approve plan changes in SOC and LS, but not other subjects. For plan changes in other subjects, please contact the advisor who manages that subject.

Co-op and experiential education

Finding information

Please see our departmental co-op webpage for information about Sociology and Legal Studies co-op. For general information about co-op, please visit the Co-operative Education and Arts co-op websites.

Sequence change

If you are interested in changing your coop sequence, please see the "requests for sequence change" section on Arts co-op webpage to see if you qualify for a sequence change. If you fall into one of the accepted reasons categories, you may fill out and submit a sequence change form to your academic advisor(s) for approval.

Dropping co-op

To drop co-op and switch into the Honours regular stream, please fill out a plan modification form and send it to your major advisor(s) for appoval. You would make the change in section 3, question 3, bullet point 2 (select “Hons. Regular” instead of “Hons. Co-op”).

Help

Who to go to for help:

  • To connect with your co-op advisor, log into the WaterlooWorks portal. On your dashboard, click the tab “Send a Message” and then select the option “to my advisor” from the drop-down menu. This will allow you to send a direct message to the appropriate co-op advisor.
  • For general co-op questions, please contact the Co-operative and Experiential Education office at ceehub@uwaterloo.ca. For PD course questions, please contact the Centre for Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) at centreforwil@uwaterloo.ca.
  • Sociology and Legal Studies students can contact the advisor with co-op questions related to your academics (ex. co-op sequence, applying to or dropping co-op, PD course requirements, etc). 

Alternatives to co-op

If you are interested in other experiential education opportunities, then you could consider the following opportunities.

  • EDGE program: a certificate program through Work Integrated Learning Programs for non-co-op students where they develop key professional skills, explore their career options, and market themselves to employers
  • Work programs: part-time and full-time work opportunities on campus for domestic and international students
  • Volunteering opportunities

Graduate school and career advice

The Centre for Career Development (CCD) can provide you with career advice through their career advisors, and graduate and professional school advice through their further education advisors. You may also reach out to the Sociology Society and the Legal Studies Society for information and attend their career and graduate school events. You may also benefit from reaching out to the Writing and Communication Centre for assistance with writing a personal statement.

To apply to graduate school in Ontario, you would apply through the OUAC website. For law school information, please see the attached document.

If you are interested in graduate studies in the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, please contact the graduate coordinator and advisor.

For information on the UWaterloo-Essex double degree (Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws), please see our Double Degree in Human Rights Law webpage.

Please note that graduate and professional school programs vary greatly in their admission decisions when they look at your course load, credit/no credit grades, WD and WF grades, and the year level of your courses. If you plan on pursuing graduate or professional programs, please check their admission requirements and reach out to their admissions team or department to see if you would qualify for their programs. You may also connect with a further education advisor at the CCA for advice.

For a list of careers for Sociology and Legal Studies graduates, please see the Arts undergraduate careers webpage. You may also check out the co-op student jobs section on our departmental co-op webpage to view past placements.

Graduation and convocation

Please visit the Registrar’s Office graduation and convocation webpage, the convocation website, and the Arts convocation webpage to learn about the graduation and convocation process.

Applications to graduate are reviewed and approved one month after your last term at UWaterloo. For example, if your last term is in the winter, then your application will be reviewed and approved by the end of May. 

Petition

Process

If you plan on submitting a petition, you are encouraged to first connect with your academic advisor. 

Your petition would need to clearly state what you are requesting, then describe what extenuating circumstances you experienced and how they impacted your studies.

Examples of requests include converting courses to credit/no credit grades, retroactively withdrawing from courses after the deadline, enrolling in courses after the deadline, increasing/decreasing your course load (ex. requesting to take 6 courses), reconsider a decision made by Co-operative Education, etc.

Extenuating circumstances include but are not limited to: mental health, physical health, disability, family/relationship issues, financial/employment struggles, housing issues, and more.

It is important to include documentation with your petition to increase the chances of it being accepted. Documentation can be a verification of illness form from a doctor, counsellor’s letter, AccessAbility Services letter, proof of death certificate/funeral invite, instructor's letter/email, community service provider's letter, employer’s letter, etc. It would describe how your extenuating circumstances impacted your academics.

Please keep in mind that petitions are not guaranteed to be granted. There are 3 possible results: the petition is granted as requested, it is granted but not as requested, or it is rejected. The result is final and cannot be changed. It is best to have alternative plans in mind (ex. taking extra courses to increase average, consider graduating under a different major, etc.) in case you do not get the outcome you desire.

Please see the Arts petition page and policy 70 for more information on the petition process. If you have questions for the committee, you may send them to petitions@uwaterloo.ca

Instructions

  1. Read and follow the instructions on the petition form very carefully.
  2. Gather any documentating to support your case.
  3. Fill out the form.
    1. Desired outcome (required, max. 100 words): briefly and clearly state what you are requesting (ex. convert a term to credit/no credit grades).
    2. Extenuating circumstances (required, max. 250 words): describe the situation you experienced and how it impacted your studies. Explain what the situation did to make it harder for you to succeed academically (ex. depression made it hard for you to focus and be motivated because you had trouble sleeping and eating, and felt sad and isolated). If you run out of space to discuss your situation, you may upload a letter as an attachment in the petition form or email it to the committee.
    3. Timeline (optional): include a timeline of events with dates and how those events impacted your situation (ex. November: depression started, January: started counselling sessions, March: dropped some courses to have a lighter course load and prioritize your wellbeing).
    4. Supports accessed (optional): list the services, resources, and people you went to for help and describe how they helped you with your situation.
    5. Future (optional, max. 100 words): describe what you hope/plan to do moving forward to be successful academically. This can include using services and resources on or off-campus (ex. Student Success Office), changes in habits (ex. regular sleep schedule and reaching out to family/friends for support), strategies you plan on using (ex. taking lighter course loads), etc.
    6. Documentation (optional): upload all the documentation you have to support your case (ex. counsellor's letter).
  4. Once you filled out the form and you uploaded your supporting documentation, review everything in case you need to edit any information. You may send a draft to your advisor if you would like feedback on it. Once you feel ready, submit your petition.

Wellness and Academic services and resources

Academic services can help boost your academic success and wellness services can provide you with support for various concerns. Free services and resources are bolded below; the ones that are not bolded may or may not be free.

On-campus services

General services:

Academic support:

  • The Student Success Office: workshops, resources, peer success coaches that provide custom advice, tutors, study groups, etc.
  • The Writing and Communication Centre: workshops, help with improving essay/assignment/exam writing skills, and help with communication skills (presentations, discussions, etc.).
  • The Library: workshops and resources. They can help you learn how to do research, how to read/understand journal articles, how to cite sources and write a bibliography, how to publish your work, etc. The Sociology and Legal Studies subject guide links you to select resources in Sociology and Legal Studies that are available for University of Waterloo students, faculty, and staff. If you have any questions, please contact the SOC and LS librarian.
  • AccessAbility Services: services for students with a permanent, temporary, or suspected disability or medical condition (ex. asthma, depression, concussion, ADHD, etc.). You may contact them about accommodations, adaptive and assistive technology, and connecting with a learning strategist. Please connect with them at the beginning of every term for accommodations.

Wellness support:

  • Health Services (519-888-4096): doctors who can help with physical and mental health
  • Coronavirus support (1-833-892-6819): COVID-19 information and support, what to do if you test positive for COVID-19, concerns about COVID-19 symptoms, questions about self-quarantine, testing
  • Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (svpro@uwaterloo.ca): sexual violence support
  • Counselling Services (519-888-4096): wellness workshops; individual and group therapy for students residing in Ontario; resources; and assistance with mental health, struggles with life on campus, relationships, academic success, etc.
  • Empower Me (1-833-628-5589): telephone, video, and online counselling available 24/7, 365 days a year for students in Canada and many other countries
  • MATES (mates@wusa.ca): confidential peer support program offered by WUSA for assistance with social difficulties, mental health, academic struggles, and transitional challenges with adapting to university life or different cultures
  • Move Your Mind: peer-to-peer program that helps students experience the physical, emotional, mental, and cognitive benefits of physical activity by helping to break down barriers preventing participation
  • Chaplains: spiritual or religious support from many faiths

Student communities and resources:

 

Off-campus:

Wellness support

Supportive communities

  • Indigenous support: Talk4Healing 1-855-554-4325 (helpline for Indigenous women)
  • 2SLGBTQ+ support: the Centretown Community Health Centre (community support services, programs, health and counselling services for LGBTQ+, trans, and gender diverse people), Kind Space (LGBTQ+ community and peer support programming), and OK2BME (counselling, events, support services for LGBTQ2S+ in Waterloo Region)

Updated May 16, 2023