FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
SSC QUESTIONS
What is the science students’ council?
The Science Students’ Council, aka your SSC, is composed of 63 science undergraduate students working to advocate on behalf of YOU, the science student body. Our members include elected representatives that serve as your voice within our supporting Faculties, and appointed commissioners responsible for improving your undergraduate experience. We are your link to the University Students' Council, the University Senate and the various departments within the Faculty of Science and the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.
Due to an overwhelming amount of requests, we only share posts from our affiliated department clubs and the USC. You can either email us a link to your post or send us a DM through Facebook or Instagram (we will not be making the promo for you). If you have any other inquiries, you can send us an email or message us from the chat box.
Can you help us promo/repost something?
We no longer rent out lockers at Natural Sciences. We were in the process of finding a new location but were halted because of COVID. For now, we recommend reaching out to the USC as they rent out lockers in various buildings across campus. Follow us and we’ll keep you posted!
Do you guys still rent out lockers?
You can check our applications page which is regularly updated with any current opportunities we may have. We elect First Year Representatives in September, hire committees in October, and elect our department representatives and executives for the upcoming year in March! We suggest you follow us on our Instagram and Facebook pages, or sign up for our mailing list to get notified right away when we have opportunities (we promise we won’t spam you).
I’m looking towards getting involved with the SSC. What are some ways I can do that?
CAMPUS/ACADEMIC QUESTIONS
How do i print at the library?
Western has a new, super handy system called PaperCut. If you go to this website and log into your student account, you can add money and print right from there. o Click ‘web print’, then ‘submit a job’, and select your printer (this will almost always be drucker\Library-Black-and-White). Then, upload your file and voilà!
Just be careful! Colour printing costs 5 times as much as black and white! ($0.50 compared to $0.10)
Are there mental health resources on campus? What about in london
Absolutely. There are many resources both on campus and off campus that you can get connected with. The Wellness Education Center is a great first step. Visit their website to find out more!
Student Health Services also has counselling options (located in the UCC lower level, room 11, past the Tim Hortons and down the hallway).
If you live in residence, feel free to email needtotalk@uwo.ca
Where do I go for academic counselling?
Science Academic Counselling is located in the North Campus Building (NCB) on the second floor, just follow the purple footprints! Right now they are supporting students virtually through daily virtual drop-in appointments, booked virtual appointments, and ZOOM group counselling. Find out more here.
There are also department-specific counsellors, who are usually more knowledgeable about your particular area of study (especially in your upper years, and when you’re selecting a major). Their information can be found here.
I need specialized learning support, or want to improve my academic skills. Where can I go?
The Student Development Centre is your go-to. Check out their website and explore the various services they provide. You can also reach out to your sophs, TAs, profs, even your RAs and Dons and they will be able to point you in the right direction.
What is owl?
OWL is Western’s online learning management system, with each of your courses having a separate tab on the homepage. Within each course tab, you will find the course syllabus, posted lectures, readings, etc. This is where some profs may post online quizzes, important announcements, and also your grades for labs, assignments, and exams. You will likely end up using it almost every single day, so we encourage you to check it out even before courses start at owl.uwo.ca in order to become comfortable with it. Make sure to check out the course syllabus and any announcements your profs have before classes start!
WHAT IS A COURSE SYLLABUS?
A course syllabus is a crucial document that you will get for each of your courses. It outlines your professors’ contact information, office hours, course content, course materials, lab/tutorial information, and midterm and assignment dates - just to name a few. We cannot stress enough how important it is to read the course syllabus for each of your courses before classes start, or at the very least, within the first few days.
how do i contact my professor
1. Email: Emailing your prof can be stressful, but sometimes it’s necessary, such as when you need exam accommodations. There are specific protocols for emailing professors in terms of the format, what to include, and when it is appropriate to email them. For example, some profs tell you not to email them about course content questions because there are teaching assistants (TAs) to handle them. This is all outlined in the course syllabus, which is another reason why it’s so important to read that document as soon as possible. Finally make sure to address them correctly e.g. Dear Dr. or Dear Professor.
2. Office hours: Office hours are a great opportunity to develop a relationship with your professors, which can often be tough with such big class sizes. You can go discuss any questions you have about course content, how to succeed in their course, or even just get general advice from them. The vast majority of profs genuinely enjoy talking to students, so we really encourage giving it a try. We know how intimidating it can be, but feel free to grab a friend and go together.
Do I need to buy my textbooks?
When you look at your textbook list on Student Center, some books will be required and others will be suggested. We recommend you look at your course syllabus before buying anything because sometimes profs say that the textbook is actually optional, or that you can buy used ones or previous editions. However, lab books need to be bought new from the bookstore, so there’s no getting around that. Profs usually talk about which books you need in the first class, so don’t feel pressured to buy every “required” textbook right away - we recommend waiting until the first class to find out details!
what is a lab/tutorial? when do they start?
Labs are designed to let you apply your knowledge from lectures into practical experiments, whereas tutorials will often be used for Q&As with teaching assistants (TAs), and learning skills development. It’s important to remember that, unlike lectures, if you are more than 5 minutes late for a lab, you won’t be let in. Labs and tutorials usually don’t start until the second or third week of classes, but check your course syllabus/OWL announcements to be sure.
what happens if i miss a lab?
If you need to miss a lab because you’re sick, or for compassionate reasons, the protocol for what to do is explained, in detail, in your course syllabus. You will have to submit a form (found on the Science Academic Counselling website), and some kind of documentation to Academic Counselling, and if approved, the lab will likely not count. As long as you follow the instructions in the course syllabus, everything will be okay! However, if you just forgot or slept in, you can try to talk to your professor about it, but there’s often not much they can do for you. You can also use your Self-Report tool, for which you have one-per-semester - check academic counselling for more information on this tool!
how do i add/drop a course?
You can add and drop courses online on your Student Centre page. The deadline to add/drop/swap any first-term or full year courses online is September 17th 2020, the deadline to drop first-term courses online without academic penalty is November 17th 2020, and the deadline to drop a full-year course without academic penalty (by emailing scibmsac@uwo.ca) is November 30th 2020. When adding or dropping courses, make sure to consider which courses you need for your program by consulting the Academic Calendar online, which also has all the important dates you will need. As well, it never hurts to book an appointment with Academic Counselling if you’re unsure about anything in this process!
You can get between many of the buildings on campus through tunnels, it’s true. There is one between the UCC and the Social Science Centre (enter through the hallway near the bookstore), between the UCC and Weldon Library (enter beside the Optometrist), and between Natural Sciences Building and Physics and Astronomy Building (enter near NS1)
I’ve heard rumours about underground tunnels…. Is this true?
There are lots of hidden study spots on campus. Some of our favourites are:
The International and Graduate Affairs Building
Beside Arts & Humanities, featuring what’s basically a beautiful greenhouse and a quite murmur of students.
North Campus Building (NCB)
At the far end of the building there are huge windows that you can look out while studying and enjoying coffee and snacks from the café.
There’s also more than one level. Don’t be afraid to explore!
Physics & Astronomy Building (PAB or PANDA)
There are large ceilings and lots of chairs and tables to get some studying in between classes.
UCC
There are comfy booths on the second floor if you like the muffled noise from below, or hidden cubicles on the third floor if you like less noise.
The best perk—so many coffee options just steps away!