Question about retaking courses, limit, etc (UBC & SFU)
 

So basically I'm wondering how retaking courses works at UBC and SFU what differs. I know so far SFU allows you to retake 5 courses? Does the situation change if they failed the course instead of passing with a poor grade? How about UBCs policies on retaking courses?

SFU retakes replace current marks for calculating GPA for internal purposes.

You get 5 attempts in total, included retakes transferred from other schools. Some departments will only allow you to attempt a class twice, unless permission from the department head is received.

No it does not change.

At UBC, for calculating your reported average, retakes do not replace the current mark.

I'd like to note, how your marks are treated depends on what the people looking at them want to do.

For example, SFU may replace your current mark with the retake. But if you go apply to UBC law school with your marks, that class you replaced is used in their calculation.

So 5 retakes for both UBC and SFU?

From what I remember, you can retake a class at UBC as often as you want, as long as you give them money. But it might have changed.

I'm not the one actually in this situation but if someone was attending SFU and failed 5 courses...what are their options?

I thought when you transferred from other institutions, you start from scratch?
Meaning, if you retook 2 courses from other institutions and you transferred into SFU, you are still up at 0/5 for retakes.

Beg

Hmm, actually I'm not too sure now. You might be right. Check the academic calendar.

Beg for you life basically, gotta talk to dean of Faculty or Department, I know people who have done it, 6 or 7 max retakes is the most I have ever heard of.

I'll give you an example of what happened to me. I took math 151 at SFU got a C+. A semester later I was RTW so I went to Capilano, took the equivalent there and got an A. When I transferred back to SFU the C+ still stands because they say the level of difficulty at Capilano is not on par with SFU.

What they are saying is you will get credit for the course, but your original grade at SFU still stands.

I can probably explain it a bit more clearly if you elaborate on your situation.

I don't have a situation... but let say Student A went to Cap, took a Math course, failed it there, and retook it again IN Cap.

Now fast forward to transfer into SFU... now would you say that retake that Student A did for math counts as one of the max 5 retakes at SFU?

Also, in your case, I thought they already account for the difficulty when they take off 0.3 of the GPA of your transferred courses because that's their policy. Pretty bullshit if they don't and just state that as their reason...

They don't count the A from Cap because you got a C+ at SFU. I think as long as you get C- or higher at SFU you can't up your mark from the transfering institution.

ASG111 - Hmmmm thats a tricky one, but I don't think it counts. I had a friend who took math course at Cap failed, took it again when he got into SFU. They did not count it as a retake. Technically retakes should only be counted when they are retaken at SFU to up a course mark previously taken at SFU.

Hope that makes sense

Another example, like stated earlier I took Math 151 at SFU C+, then at Cap A. During my last sem I didn't know what else to take so I thought hmmmm I'll redo Math 151. Online registration didn't let me saying I already retook this course, which is half true. But I went to math advisor and she over-rode the system and let me in.

So I guess it really depends who you are dealing with.

That 0.3 is the biggest myth. It probably stems from the extremely large group of people who couldn't get into business.

0.3 deduction is only done for transfer to the faculty of business IF you have a combination of both transferable courses complete at another college/university AND SFU aka Category 4 applications. The 0.3 deduction is not done at universities.

If you're applying to sfu business with just college marks, they do not do that because you're only competing against other college students.

All other faculties do not do this.

What? Run that by me again? I have talked to large amounts of advisors and they have all said the same thing. When you transfer from a college to SFU Business, they take off 0.3 for ALL the courses transferred INTO SFU.

There are 4 different categories for application into the faculty of business.

You only compete against those within your category. (Although it seems cat 3 and 4 guys compete against each other)

Cat 2 people (You are transferring from another school AND have never taken a course at SFU) are in a different pile than cat 4 people (those who have completed courses at other schools AND have completed courses at SFU)

It's easy to see through the past minimum GPA for entrance. The gap each semester between cat 2 and cat 4 people can vary a lot. Sometimes it's 0.1, other times it's 0.6

UBC has a max too, its about 4 times total.

from personal experience at ubc is 2 times
i failed math 180, 2 times. Couldn't take it the 3rd time, took 184, and passed easily.
i wish i took 184 to start.

As far as I know, you cannot retake a class you already passed at UBC to achieve a better grade at it. For failed courses, UBC only allows you to take the course twice total (one failure) with the exception of one of the first year Calculus courses (Math 103), but I think that's a good thing. If you can't do it the second time you probably can never do it. Taking a course FIVE times? That's ridiculous. How can you stomach paying that much money and going through the same dull crap through that many repetitions? Take something else would be my recommendation. Or you can beg for an "adjudicated pass".

Honestly the whole "cover up your previous failure" at SFU after a retake is going really easy on the students. I never liked how they do the marks there, from utter bullshit (some of the bell curving) to what pretty much seems like GPA-fixing (retake a class five times, fail 4, get an A on the 5th, only the A appears).

I don't think its taking the same course 5 times...I think its you can take a course TWICE to a total of 5 courses...I think, don't quote me.

No. You can retake any course, up to 5 times.

Uh, no. What he said is correct.

Twice is the limit, afterward you are required to get permission from the department through the chair or the undergraduate adviser.

Well, it depends on who's looking. If you are referring to the calculation of your average, then retaking the class doesn't replace the grade. It will only bump up your average as if you just took another course. HOWEVER, when applying to other programs....they may do things different.

At SFU, I know you can take any given undergrad course twice, unless you've been granted special permission. (How to go about obtaining the permission though, I have no idea).

i think what you should be asking is

how fucking stupid do you have to be to retake the same course 5 times

if by the 3rd time you still don't get it maybe its time to try something else