Firstly, I
really need to emphasize here that you
need to contact Deanna Lundmark to go through the course evaluation and approvals process, and to start the process
as soon as possible. While I went through the process myself when applying as an external student and, as such, have some experience and good intentions, there are
FAR more things that go into course approvals than I honestly have time to look at (e.g., course levels, course load, prior courses completed, etc.), so the official process really is necessary. Furthermore, it is really important to get your official course approvals all in order and recorded well ahead of time, so you don't run into any problems/surprises during the application process. I too was an external/non-UofG student, so I understand all too well how confusing, long, and frustrating the process can often be, but, still, it has to be done. As you are hopefully already aware, the process is outlined on the following admissions web site:
www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/recruitment/en/applyingtodvm/Makingacourseevaluationrequest.aspUltimately, what they are trying to avoid are students who have
already completed upper-year courses from going back and doing lower-level courses
of the same material to inflate their grades (i.e., as they will theoretically find the lower-level courses easy since they have already done the same subject at a higher level). The same reasoning applies for courses of the
same level in the
same subject area, as this would essentially be like repeating an already completed course (which is not allowed as, again, it could be used to inflate marks).
I take "
Subject area" to refer to
closely related subject matter. For example, "genetics" or "calculus" or "organic chemistry." In the broader fields (e.g., "Biology," "Chemistry," etc.) not
all courses will be in the same subject area (e.g., a hypothetical "evolution" course and an "invertebrate zoology" course could both be BIOL courses, but they would be
different subject areas), but some courses therein
will be in the same subject area (e.g., a level 2 "human physiology" course and a level 3 "human physiology" course are the
same subject area).
I'm going to give below some examples to try to further clarify things:
For the purposes of these examples, let's assume all other things about the semesters are equal, the courses taken in isolation would be acceptable, and the semesters would be "acceptable" semesters. Furthermore, these are oversimplified examples, wherein I am not taking into consideration any other courses than the two specified in the example itself.EXAMPLE 1:
Year 3: Course A (level 3 advanced genetics course)
Year 4: Course B (level 1 or level 2 genetics intro course)
Course A = acceptable as prerequisite
Course B = NOT acceptable as a prerequisite (as it was of a lower level than the already completed course A, and both are the same subject area, "genetics")
EXAMPLE 2:
Year 3: Course A (level 3 Introductory Statistics)
Year 4: Course B (level 3 Introductory Statistics for Scientists)
Course A = acceptable as prerequisite
Course B = NOT acceptable as a prerequisite (as it was at the same level as the already completed course A, and both are the same subject area, "introductory statistics")
EXAMPLE 3:
Year 3: Course A (level 3 Animal Biology)
Year 4: Course B (level 1 Plant Biology)
These courses are in different subject areas so, in the isolated case of this example, both would be acceptable as prerequisites. The fact that the plant biology course is of a lower-level and taken after the higher-level animal biology course is irrelevant, as they are different subject areas.
So, for
your courses in particular:
- So long as the two additional level 3 courses you plan to take in 4th year are truly in different subject areas than those level 3 courses already taken in 3rd year, you should be fine (Ms. Lundmark is the only one who can definitively tell you whether or not they are sufficiently different subject areas).
- So long as you have never taken any other courses in plant biology (or a similar enough subject area to plant biology) of the same or higher level, than taking the level 2 plant biology course will in all likelihood be fine (Ms. Lundmark is the only one who can say if this course would be acceptable for the purpose for which you plan to use it).
- So long as your two geography courses are considered sufficiently different (again, Ms. Lundmark is the only one who can say definitively), it would be fine.
Just one more thing to keep in mind: as you are a 3rd year (soon to be 4th year) student and are taking some lower level courses (i.e., level 1 and level 2), just be sure to keep in mind the following requirement, applicable for "
students in science programs with more than 10 credits" (i.e., typical 3rd year student and higher), when scheduling your courses:
Finally, while I hope this is at least somewhat helpful, keep in mind that I am nothing official and
don't know the details of your academic career or of the courses to which you are referring, so these are just my own general thoughts and best judgments based on the information provided and my own experience. I also want to re-emphasize the importance of contacting Ms. Lundmark
as soon as possible to start the course approvals process. While it will likely take a fair amount of time to go through, it is necessary for applying, and she is the only one able to give you
truly definitive answers to your questions, approving or disallowing your proposed courses and/or semesters.
