One option is to take , where you’ll get a predesigned course schedule for your first year and take nearly all of your classes with the same people.

What is Science One?

Science One is a first-year program that integrates Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. The program focuses on the connections between disciplines and highlights the interdisciplinary nature of science, while teaching both the foundational content and the tools and approaches of modern scientific research — within a single, 28-credit course.

Why should you choose Science One?

Science One offers an immersive learning experience and a solid foundation for your undergraduate education. It also makes the transition from high school to university smoother with standard timetables, coordinated assignment schedules, a set space in the library to study, and support from a community of students and faculty. All Science One teachers attend each other’s classes to dynamically shape your curriculum, and you’ll share your own work and study space with your instructors.

Because Science One takes a select number of students, you’ll find yourself spending a lot of time with your cohort, which will help you make friends. You’ll also be taught by a select number of professors who will decide together what will be on the curriculum each week and how the disciplines will interact – meaning that you’ll make close personal connections with your profs. There will also be the opportunity to take part in peer-group workshops or field trips.

Is Science One right for you?

Science One can be challenging. It has a competitive application process, and teaches first-year science at one of the highest levels at ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ to a tight-knit group of students. Its extended timetable makes it an intense program, but stimulating and rewarding at the same time. You’ll be one of just 75 individuals, and will be supported by nine instructors, offering you an excellent student-to-professor ratio of 8:1. You’ll also take part in weekly tutorials, learn from guest lecturers, and have extra instruction in science literacy and computer programming. The curriculum includes mentorship on two major research projects – the results of which can be published in undergraduate journals – and you’ll attend student conferences and field trips.

Science One is also a social experience. You’ll help elect student representatives to sit in on the Science One student council and the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS), and take part in alumni-led mentorship and social activities such as the Winter Formal and Pie Day events.

How to apply

If you want to take part in Science One, you’ll need to  at the same time or shortly after you ’s Bachelor of Science degree, as registration opened on November 1, 2025. You are encouraged to apply early, as applications will be assessed in the order they’re received. Applications received after April 30 may be considered, but not with the same priority as those before that date.

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If you have been accepted into the Forestry or Land and Food Systems faculties, you are eligible to apply for the  study option.

What is Land One?

Land One includes a selection of core courses in Biology, Economics, Math, and English, as well as an integrative seminar. You’ll take all of these key classes with a maximum of 50 to 60 other students. You will also take part in a seminar, where you’ll enjoy hands-on experiences, build relationships with your instructors, and learn how to solve the problems that are negatively impacting our land.

Why should you choose a first-year study option?

If you’re looking to make new friends from your first day, Land One could be the right path for you. You’ll benefit from smaller class sizes in select courses and your seminar group, a dedicated study space, and low student-to-instructor ratios. Also, you will get to participate in experiential learning opportunities such as field trips and other hands-on activities.

Is Land One right for you?

To take part in Land One, you’ll need to take all of the classes required for the program, which will provide you with 17 credits that can be applied to meet your program requirements. On top of that, you’ll have time to choose additional courses in your first year that help you meet your program requirements and build your own educational path.

Land One’s seminar course covers a range of issues related to land use, climate change, food security, and sustainability. Much of your time will be spent discussing and addressing how to solve these problems. You’ll also take part in some hands-on activities, such as a visit the ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Farm to learn more about sustainable food systems and a two-day field trip to ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½â€™s Malcolm Knapp Research Forest, where you’ll experience the coastal old-growth rainforest first-hand.

If you’re in Forestry, Land One is particularly useful if you have enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources or the Bachelor of Urban Forestry. It is a particularly good fit for the Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources.

If you’re in Land and Food Systems, you’re eligible for enrolment in Land One if you’re taking a Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology, a Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Health, or a Bachelor of Science in Food and Resource Economics . Land One is also a good fit if you plan to apply in second year to the Global Resource Systems program.

How to apply

Applications to Land One are now open and the deadline is May 15,Ìý2026. Once you have been accepted into your Forestry or Land and Food Systems degree program, you will need to  through Land One’s website. As part of the process, you’ll be asked to write a letter of intent (500 words maximum) explaining why you want to join the Land One cohort. Land One is limited by size, so apply early!

Enrolment in the study option may require additional high school courses not required for admission, so it’s important to Ìý´Ç²Ô±ô¾±²Ô±ð.

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There are three ways to shape your first year in the Faculty of Arts.  and the  offer curated course schedules, where you’ll take most of your classes with the same group of students—helping you build connections with peers and professors from the start. These programs provide a more structured, interdisciplinary learning experience with built-in academic support, making them a great way to transition into university. You can also choose to create a Custom Timetable, selecting individual courses and building your own schedule.

What are Arts One and CAP?

Arts One and CAP allow students to study together in small seminars (up to 25 people) and larger lectures (up to 200 people). Each brings courses and ideas together across different disciplines – for example literature, history, psychology, economics, and philosophy – by focusing on a shared topic or theme.

Both programs are worth 18 credits, but you can take up to 12 additional credits (2 classes each semester) to explore other subjects you’re interested in.

Why should you choose Arts One or CAP?

Arts One and CAP will help ease your transition from high school to university by offering:

• A pre-selected timetable — most of your first-year requirements are included, so you don’t have to worry about picking courses to fulfil your degree requirements
• Coordinated assignment deadlines, which means your major assignments won’t overlap or cause too much stress
• Dedicated academic support with program-specific advisors who are there to help you throughout your first year
• Access to exclusive study spaces where you can connect with your classmates and professors

The small-group format makes it easier to form friendships and build a sense of community, while close interaction with your professors helps you build personal connections and sets you up for a variety of degree pathways across different disciplines.

What’s the difference between Arts One and CAP?

Arts One

Arts One is a single, integrated course led by five instructors who work together to create the assignments and a reading list centred on a shared theme. The program is capped at 100 students, and then divided into five seminars each with up to 20 students. You will also meet regularly in smaller groups to present and discuss the papers you’re writing, offering a more personalized way to refine your work and ideas.

Rather than taking six separate one-term courses, you’ll take one cohesive course with multiple components that let you approach the materials from a variety of perspectives.

You’ll explore classical and contemporary texts from novels and philosophical writings to political texts, films, drama, and graphic novels to discuss their impacts on culture and society. The professors will take turns giving the weekly lectures, and you’ll work closely with one instructor who leads your seminars and tutorials each week.

CAP

In CAP, you’ll get to choose from one of , each offering a different combination of courses from across the Faculty of Arts. This year’s streams are: Environment and Society, Individual and Society, Law and Society, Media Studies, and Political Science, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE).

While courses in your CAP stream are separate, the faculty members work together to make sure the themes and concepts you study in each course are connected. They also coordinate the timing of major assignments and tests within your CAP courses, helping make your core workload more manageable, (deadlines for elective courses are set independently).

Like Arts One, CAP offers smaller classes than you will find if you choose a Custom Timetable, with seminar-style courses typically having 25 students, and lectures having up to 200 students.

How to register

Registration for both Arts One and CAP is first-come, first-served. Both programs simplify the process by offering easy-to-use forms on their websites, or you can register directly in Workday when first-year registration opens in June. Find out more about and on their websites.

Looking for more information? Read what it’s like to be an and a and why students chose each program.

The post Which Arts first-year study option is right for you? appeared first on ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ | Undergraduate Programs and Admissions.

Here are some current student tips for how to stay patient, and keep yourself busy, while waiting to hear back on your application.

Tips for staying patient while waiting to hear back on your application

Soak up the last few months with your hometown friends

“It is easier said than done, but living in the present and enjoying where you are now are the biggest pieces of advice I would give to someone dealing with staying patient while waiting to hear back about admissions. It is important to remind yourself that you will soon be living a very different life, no matter what university you decide to go to, so it is important to soak up every last second of where you are currently!

My friends and I also made a purposeful decision to limit the amount of conversations we had around our university admissions. Instead, we focused on creating and checking off things from a hometown bucket list—things we couldn’t complete anymore once we all ultimately chose universities and moved away! We also all stayed busy with our passions to keep ourselves distracted and tried our very hardest to soak up the last few months together before embarking on great new adventures.”

– Elleda S., fifth year Political Science student

Schedule activities to look forward to (that have nothing to do with school!)

“Honestly, it’s hard, but reminding yourself that the outcome doesn’t define your worth helps a bit. Try not to refresh your inbox every hour (we all do it, but still). I made a list of things I wanted to try or do that had nothing to do with school and actually scheduled them in so I had something to look forward to. I also stayed busy with school, which helped time pass faster.”

– Zaina A., fourth year Honours Psychology student

Start learning on topics that you’re thinking of studying

“Something that I did when I was waiting to hear back from my application was to start educating myself on possible topics that I was thinking of studying! Yes, that was super nerdy of me. For example, I was really excited to take an English class, so I took it upon myself to read some classics on my own. Hello, Jane Austen! Also, it is important to still have fun and enjoy your life in the interim. Once your application is submitted, it is fully out of your hands. Hang in there and I wish you all the best!”

– Marleigh M., fifth year Philosophy student

Remind yourself that the admissions process takes time

“I tried not to overthink it too much so I wouldn’t stress myself out. I knew I applied closer to the deadline, so it made sense that my letter might come later than others’. I kept reminding myself that the admissions process takes time; they’re going through so many applications and considering a bunch of different factors. Just because it’s taking a while doesn’t mean it’s a bad sign. That helped me stay a bit more calm and patient.”

– Miwa K., fifth year Media Studies student

The post Tips from students: How to stay patient while waiting to hear back on your application appeared first on ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ | Undergraduate Programs and Admissions.