askastudent

Dear Aska,

I finished 1st year with 4.5 credits and a 3.58 GPA. I eat, sleep, and only think about getting on the Dean’s List. Since I won’t be considered now (as it requires 5 credits) is there still a chance for the summer session? I’m taking a 1 credit course now, and say I maintain my average, will I be on it for the end of the summer session?

Sincerely,

Trying to get dhat paper.

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Paper lover,

Seeing at your summer session is where you’ll earn your fifth credit, yes, if you meet the 3.5 requirement June or August, you’ll get to breathe the sweet scent of that dean’s list, as incredibly creepy as that may sound.

So make sure you maintain your average and you’ll get the sheet of your dreams!

xoxo,

aska

Hi ASKS!

I am a transfer student and have been offered admission to the Humanities and Social Sciences at St George campus last night! The email says i am admitted to the Humanities and Social Sciences category but OUAC gives me an alternate offer in Honours Bachelor of Arts. I was wondering are they the same thing? I have indicated that I am a transfer student and my program when I applied on OUAC. I am really confused…What should I do now?

Thanks!

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Hey hey

Don’t worry — there’s nothing you need to do.

Basically, when you’re initially admitted to UofT you’re usually put into a stream. But yeah, anyone who comes in for Humanities or Social Sciences will end up with an Honours Bachelor of Arts, so no need to worry.

Essentially, they both mean the same thing.

Cheers!

aska

hi,

I’m an arts and sci student. I will graduate this june. I am not an innis student. Is it possible to transfer to innis college now? I am willing to postpone graduation for this.

Thanks,
Hashem

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Hashem,

If you plan to graduate this June, then no, this little transfer is not doable. Or well, it’ll be very hard. I spoke to the head honcho over at Innis College and he says that if you’re reaaaaaaally eager to join the Innii (what is the plural of Innis…), to come over and maybe have a chat with him and he’ll see what can be done.

However, the problem is that, well, the grad booklet thingies are being printed already annnd you won’t really be in them. Sounds silly, right?

But if you plan to postpone graduation for the sake of getting into Innis, you’re kind of crazy! In this case, fine, yes, it’s possible, but consider whether or not that that’s reaaaaally a good idea. A PRACTICAL idea.

If you firmly believe that it is, then you’ll have to write the college a lovely little letter explaining why Innis is your one true love and why you deserve to be taken in by the Innis Folk.

Cheers!

aska

Hey aska,

So I have all my final marks, but my cGPA isn’t on ROSI yet. I know I am going to be suspended next year due to poor grades but I’m already past that and am planning for the future. I need to be officially suspended (have my cGPA calculated and so on) so that my one year suspension can start. I was planning to be able to register for courses next summer but my GPA isn’t out yet and courses for this summer already started so most likely I won’t be able to register for the first semester next summer. Long back story, sorry, but I just really need to know approximately when my cGPA is going to be calculated.

Thanks,
HJ

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Hey hey!

Some fun facts about the University of Toronto: St. George has about 56,000 students. UTSC has about 11,300 students. UTM has about 12,500 students. Pardon my awful rounding, but this fantastic university has about 80,000 students if you combine the undergraduates and graduates.

Meaning ROSI has a grand total of 80,000 students. And, not to evoke the whole but-am-I-just-number-at-UofT fear felt by the majority of UofT students, you really are just 1 in like 80,000.

ROSI tends to screw everyone over here and there, but seriously, give it a break!

It takes tiiiiiiime for your grades and GPAs to finally come up.

But anyway, I don’t know if you’ve checked your ROSI since you last, but you should be able to see your CGPA now. Likewise, if you’re suspended and enrolled in summer courses, you may find that you’ve been removed from them because of the suspension.

Which doesn’t have to be bad I suppose. I mean it’s summer. It’s absolutely beautiful outside right now despite the forecast of thunderstorm after thunderstorm. So go check your ROSI, confirm your suspension, and let your new plans begin.

Cheers!

aska

Hi,

I’ve spent wayy too much time today going through your archives.. makes for a good read for procrastinators.

Anyways, I’ve been accepted at St. Mike’s college so I’m thoroughly confused about the residences. I’ve been through your blog and found no comparisons of the residences within St. Mike’s (so I’ve done my research)

I was wondering if you could give me a general response of the students staying at Loretto’s college vs. those staying at SMC? My parents say they’d be comfortable with me in Loretto’s for the first year, but I don’t want to miss out on the freshman fun and if coed > than loretto’s then I’d have to talk to them about reconsidering.

Thank youu 
PK

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PK,

I’ve actually answered this exact question before and was met by this one totally awesome response.

I’m hardly a pro on St. Mike’s residences and don’t know a lot of people who’ve lived in them so sorry, I can’t quite give you any accounts, but the general consensus seems to be that if you’re choosing between the those two…

(Note: Kind thanks, @vikkitokkz, for your hilarious reply to my tweet.)

Likewise, from my own experiences of visiting Loretto, it just wasn’t my favourite place. Very… long. Great bathrooms though! I actually quite liked the bathroom situation that went on there.

But yeah, I say you should just go to St. Mike’s. If the problem for your parents is the whole co-ed thing, just point out that while the res is co-ed, floors are single-sex, as are the shared bathrooms — meaning they can relax, there won’t be any hanky panky. Sort of. Whatever.

Cheers!

aska

Hi! Im a first year at UofT
I’m asking yet another question about academic probation which I have been freaking out about since the exam cram session in March/April.
I have yet to be notified that I am on probation. Is no news good news? I may just be insecure and think I’m going to be placed on probation. Anyways, if I am on probation, I have read countless times that I will be put on good standing if I have a cumulative GPA of 1.50 or higher, or less then 1.50 CGPA and a 1.70 annual GPA.
First off, I know this may sound stupid and ignorant, but I really really don’t know. What exactly is a 1.50 GPA in percentage (of average) because on the websites I’ve checked it says a 1.30 is a 57-59 and then 1.70 is 60-62. Well where is the 1.50? Is this a really stupid question?
Also, since I am a first year, and I know a CGPA means my average overall including every course I have taken and annual means only in one term, Well If I’m on probation with a CGPA of less then 1.50, for my first year, then that means that my last term didn’t go well either, or I wouldn’t be on probation, right? So that rule cannot apply to me. So I must raise my CGPA to a 1.50.
I am taking two summer courses. I know this may seem ill advised but I need them to get into the program that I want to, and they are an extension of an intro course I took this year and I did pretty good on it, and I really like it. I’ pretty confident I can pull it off.
That is all,
Thanks!

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Yo.

No news isn’t necessarily good news. At this point, CGPAs have yet to be added up/put on ROSI, so while you may very well be in good standing, you can also be in probation.

The best way to figure this out though is to use this GPA calculator graciously given to us by UTSC to figure out what you’ve ended the year with. And just note, to avoid any confusion, that since you’re in first year, your CGPA and annual GPA are going to be the same thing.

Now a 1.49 (because let’s just stick with that since it’s our concern) is tricky to define, but if you want it in percentage, I guess it’s around 59 or so? I know, things are a huge pain because of that lack of clear equivalent of a 1.49 between the 1.3 and 1.7 bit, but basically if you have all your grades, jot down their grade point values, and then add up the values. Then divide sum by number of courses. Then voila, your CGPA. Just don’t forget that Y courses have double the weight of H courses!

Annnnnd uhhhh I don’t really understand what you’re asking me in the second chunk of questions, but annual, to be clear, means yearly. So it refers to the GPA of both the fall and winter semesters combined. But long story short, yeah, your CGPA needs to be 1.50 or over  to be in good standing.

As in not on probation.

And then summer courses.

Oh, summer courses…

If you’re in a place where you’re afraid of being on probation, there’s a good chance that you are. I don’t mean to be harsh, but it’s best to be realistic. If that’s the case, summer courses are NOT a good idea, largely because they’re accelerated. You’re doing twice as many readings as you normally do and you can very well have a midterm or essay due in your second week of class.

Whatever program you’re looking at will be around next year, but if you don’t meet the requirements to pull you out of probation at the end of summer, you certainly won’t be.

Again, I’m not saying that to be harsh. Summer school can be a bit of a hit or miss situation, and if you’ve been missing all year or barely hitting — hence the probation possibility — summer school could very well lead you to suspension.

Anyway, if you ARE on probation, you’ll see that on ROSI by the end of the month when your sparkling CGPA tells you everything. Likewise, you’ll be mailed a letter from the Faculty explaining your probation, and you’ll be contacted by your college to discuss… things.

Best of luck though!

xoxo,

aska

Does u of t offer online courses?

And if so, can I take them and use the credits towards my degree?

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Hey hey!

Online courses aren’t really big at UofT, but after a good twenty minutes of scouring the internet, giving up, trying again, and then finally using a little common sense and checking my aska archives, I finally found the one page UofT seems to offer on online courses!

So good job, past-aska! You da man. Or woman. Whatever.

But yes, if you take something from that list, it can certainly count towards your degree.

xoxo

aska

My GPA is 3.2 right now and I have 2 years left, can I still graduate with a 3.8 GPA if i take 5 FCEs each year for the next two years and get As?

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Yo.

Oh god. A number question.

So using this lovely calculator so graciously offered by UTSC to students from all three campuses — I’m looking at you, UTM — I’ve entered your current CGPA with 10.0 FCE’s worth of courses all with full 4.0s.

Annnnnnd even if you rock the next two years, you’ll only be at a 3.6.

Which, to be clear, is still a pretty awesome grade! I’d be happy with a 3.6, so don’t sweat that missing 0.2!

xoxo,

aska

Hi aska,

I have asked so many questions of you and you have always come through; I hope you can do the same in this case.

I will be entering my 5th year in the fall. I currently have a major in history, but I have applied to switch into a history specialist. The history specialist allows students to take up to 2.0 FCEs in courses related to history.

I was wondering: if a student has taken more then 2.0 history related courses, is it possible for them to choose which ones can apply towards the requirement in the specialist program?

For example, I have POL200Y1, SMC413H1 and ENG385H1 that apply towards that particular requirement; Is it possible for me to take VIC440Y1 in the next year, and have that replace POL200Y1 in the related courses and apply towards the 9.0 history credits requirement? If possible, this would allow me to take only 5.0 credits in the next year rather than 6.0.

Thank you in advance for all the help.

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Hey!

Glad I’ve been helpful.

Students don’t really choose what courses count for what requirement if they have a surplus of them. Basically if I took three half-credit courses in pre-modern history where I only need 1.0 FCE, Degree Explorer or whoever will be looking at your grades just takes whatever it feels like to satisfy the requirement.

So in regards to your situation, I’m a little confused.

Yes, VIC440Y can “replace” POL200Y (depending on how Degree Explorer feels) when looking at whether or not you’ve fulfilled your requirements, but why would taking it next year alleviate your course load?

Doesn’t it make things worse? I mean you’re taking an extra credit which you don’t need…

Am I missing something?

xoxo,

aska

I got waitlisted for trinity one program International Relations, what’s my chance of getting in? How long is the waitlist and were do I stand there? Is there anyone I can talk to about this specific question?

Thanks.

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Hey hey,

For starters, congratulations! Trinity One makes me think of the Slug Club with how… Trinity it is (read: elitist). It’s competitive and they’re picky so yay you for making it to the waitlist at least.

But for these One programs, waitlists are a little tricky.

From what my source tells me, how things work is that after the initial 25 students are chosen, the rest are waitlisted. I assume that of the, say, 75 applicants, the other 50 are ranked in such a way that if someone from the 25 decides to go to McGill, numero uno on the waitlist is contacted. So I suppose the waitlist = [number of applicants] – 25.

That is, of course, assuming they didn’t throw out your application entirely for writing something like “I wanna join cuz it seems fun” on your statement/essay/thing.

As for your standing… dunno.

If you’re super keen on knowing your ranking though, I’d recommend chatting with program director or associate registrar. I know if must be frustrating to not know how many people need to be offed for you to get in, so I hope they have answers for you!

xoxo,

aska

Hi there, I had a question regarding course calendar changes at UTSC. I enrolled into a specialist programmed in 2011, and would just like to know if I would be able to take courses in future calendars that aren’t in my calendar’s course list. Thanks for reading

Regards,
James

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Hey James,

The rule of the thumb is that students are supposed to follow the calendar of the year they entered their program.

So if I entered my English major in 2010, I follow those requirements, but if I play the fickle card and decide I want to do a Specialist and switch over in 2011, I now use the 2011 calendar’s requirements.

But if your situation is something along the lines of “oh, they added some courses that sound totally rad” and said courses aren’t on your year’s calendar requirements but work for another, go have a chat with your program’s undergraduate adviser person thing! I’m sure they’ll be accommodating.

Cheers!

aska

Hey !

On the site for subject posts it says, “No more than six courses may be 100-series.” Does the six courses include a failed course?

Thanks,
Janet

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Hey Janet,

This is one of those questions that put me in a moment of doubt of my own basic knowledge because I’ve never been asked that before.

But no, that doesn’t include failed courses. So you can have 8.0 FCEs worth of 100-level courses, but as long as 2.0 of them are failures, you’re good.

Or to word that better: a failed 100-level course does not count towards that 6.0 FCE limit.

xoxo,

aska