Student LifeMcGill University

Undeclared

Undeclared 

Believe me when I tell you that it’s ok not to know what you want to do with your life. 5 years of University still hasn’t made my path overwhelmingly clear, but that’s ok. 

I still look back at my time at McGill as a transformative and eye-opening experience, but that could have been very different if I didn’t take my first year to explore different disciplines. Staying undeclared through my first year was the best decision I made and let me tell you why.

What does it mean?

Simply put, remaining undeclared means that you are not taking courses that fulfill the requirements for a specific major and minor through your first year. In practice, you can take almost any intro course in the cornucopia of disciplines offered at McGill with very few consequences, which I will discuss later. 

Academic Exploration: 

The greatest benefit to a first-year undeclared status is that you can sample a variety of academic flavours. If you always had a taste for Canadian Politics, why not try out POLI 221, or if debating is your guilty pleasure, give Sexual Ethics (RELG 271) a try. 

If you have a sharp ear for music, Art of Listening (MUAR 211) and Basic Materials: Western Music (MUAR 201) are wonderfully easy courses. Finally, Muslim Societies (ISLA 210) is an incredible introduction to a misunderstood religion and an easy class to boot. After my first semester of self-discovery, I found myself a little more cultured and even more certain of which courses I should completely avoid. 

Build up your GPA:  

Another positive to remaining undeclared is that general Arts classes are always insightful and easy for the most part. While this is a subjective statement, Arts classes tend to have a casualness that programs such as engineering lack entirely. If you have no problem participating in class and writing essays, use these courses as a GPA boost and a cultural vacation. 

Requires Serious Planning: 

One of the harsh negatives of remaining undeclared is that you lose a whole year of credits that are required for the major you will chose in U1. This doesn’t necessarily mean you will have to take an extra year, but you will have to plan your next 3 years down to a T. 

Do not let this deter you however! There are so many courses offered during the summer months which are as you would expect condensed and intensive.

The world is a scary place that won’t forgive you easily when you make a misstep. Remaining undeclared through your first year will allow you to make those missteps while you still have a support system to catch you if you fall. 

Let your time at McGill University be a window to the wonders of the world and not merely a microscope over one topic, you will thank me later.