Last updated: 2014-07-30

BOSS bidding

For the moment, this page is an excerpt from a briefing that I'm giving to some freshmen. It's basically a summary of important snippets of information about BOSS in general. I will continually update this page to make it more comprehensive in future.

Basic knowledge

There are 5 bidding rounds: - Round 1, 1A, 1B, 2 and 2A
Round 1, 1A and 1B have 2 bidding windows each
Round 2 and 2A have 3 bidding windows each

The actual datetime ranges of each windows is detailed in the BOSS circular, which the BOSS team will usually send out in an email blast informing students when it is ready for download. Therefore, it is important you check your e-mail reguarly, especially when close to bidding windows!

Maximum number of CU biddable per term: 6.5 CU
Maximum number of CU enrolled per term: 5.5 CU

Note

Freshmen are capped at 5.0 CU in their first term of study (you will not be wanting to do more anyway, 5.0 CU is not easy and can be very demanding, especially in your first term)

DICE

If you place bids for more than 5.5 CU, BOSS will ask you which course to drop if course exceeds (DICE), in case you win all your bids. This will all be done automatically, and is there to save you the trouble of ending up enrolled in more than 5.5 CU unintentionally.

Incoming Freshmen Window

Office of the Registrar reserves the lions share of certain courses specially for Freshmen and blocks out a separate date for bidding (you will only be competing with your fellow freshies). It is recommended to clear modules whose vacancies are mostly reserved for freshmen (such as STAT101) while you're a freshman (or be prepared to throw e$ at it as a senior).

e$ allocation

e$20 per course per term
Registrar assumes you will take 5.0 CU per term, so BOSS will allocate e$100 right before bidding starts

Note

Freshmen usually get less because some of their mods are preassigned (if you have 2.0 CU preassigned, you only get e$60 because you only need to bid for 3 of the 5 modules they assume you'll be taking)

Tie bids

In the event of a tie, whoever placed the bid first gets the slot (fastest finger first).

e$ refunds

If you bid and won a mod but decide you don't want it for whatever reason, you can drop it and get a refund. The table below lists the maximum refund amount for each round.

Round	Maximum refund amount (e$)
1	50
1A	50
1B	40
2	30
2A	10

Extending enrolment limit to 6.0 CU

If your cumulative GPA is at least 3.3, BOSS will prompt you to let you know that you are eligible to apply for an enrolment limit extension.

Rollover

Unused e$ will rollover to the next term

General pointers

It is not always wise to scrimp on modules, because the minimuim bid amounts increase significantly after Round 1 Window 1
That being said, do not splurge unncessarily. e$s roll over, and you need to have some savings if you are to get competitive slots in future
Always consult the past year's BOSS results to get an idea of how much to bid
Remember to balance your modules (e.g. STAT101 is heavy for those weak in math, so maybe better to take with an easier mod, or bid for less CU that term)
Ask batchmates/seniors about the professor before bidding for them, read their course outline and take note of their assesment methods & criteria
Take note of course prerequisites and mutually exclusive courses (e.g. STAT101 requires MATH001 as a prerequisite, and is mutually exclusive with STAT151)
Make sure you bid for (and secure) enough modules per term such that you can graduate on time! (in essence, make sure you have enough CUs at the end of 8 semesters)