The second meeting of the English Bachelor Programme Committee on 10 March 2020 was rather short. We went through the curricula for 2020–2022 that were discussed in the last meeting and decided to approve them. The bachelor’s seminar was approved in rather vague terms so there’s still room to play there for individual majors. Also, a list of recommended optional courses will be added to Into – this will make it easier for some students to plan out their optional studies. It will be stressed that the list is only a recommendation, nothing more.
The English courses for Matrix algebra, Calculus 1 and Industrial Engineering have received quite low ratings from students, a lot lower than the Finnish equivalents. A possible reason for this is that the English courses are a lot more difficult contentwise, and the exams more often include highly applied questions that weren’t in the study material at all. These courses will be monitored more closely in the coming study periods.
The situation with the coronavirus is particularly interesting regarding the English bachelor programme since most applicants come from all around the world. Particularly, SAT’s all over the world have been cancelled. Applicants are required to take a SAT by the end of March so naturally this complicates things. We decided that if applicants have proof that their test site was closed down, they can still take a SAT in May and apply normally. The situation also raises questions about the amount of applicants in general: will the English bachelor programme have less applicants than the previous year, and is anyone even willing to travel anymore, come next fall?
We live in an interesting time. Remember to wash your hands and not to touch your face. And listen to this absolute banger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtulL3oArQw