• admissions

    i’m getting so old

    June 4, 2021

    Hey there! Will I have to state which program(s) I’m interested in when applying to the social science admission category, or any others for that matter? Thanks a lot 🙂

    ———————————————

    hi!

    i’m working from my memory here, but when i applied to u of t, i did have to include one program of interest in my application.

    there’s one big thing to note about that, though: you won’t be held to whatever program you choose, so try not to overthink it.

    first of all, the program you choose won’t be realistic anyway. unless you plan to pursue a specialist, you’ll need to complete more than one program to earn your degree. when i applied, you could only select one program and i selected a minor. i could never have graduated with that selection.

    also, even after you’re admitted to u of t, you’ll still need to go through the subject POSt selection process after second year to actually become a student in your desired program(s). you can read more about that process here.

    why does the application process bother asking if all this is the case? i’m not sure. i selected a program affiliated with the college i applied for, in hopes that it would make me a better candidate for that college. i don’t know if that’s how things actually work, but if you want to try that strategy, you’re welcome to.

    i hope this clarifies things! again, i’m working from a memory that’s a few years old now, so if you know anyone who has applied to u of t more recently it may be worth checking the details over with them as well.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions

    the ol switcheroo

    May 16, 2021

    Hi! So I’m not entirely sure if I want to apply to social sciences or life sciences next year. I’m leaning more towards social sciences though. Question is, if I get accepted into social sci and end up deciding I want to go into life sci can I make that switch? And if I decide to stick it out until the end of first year in social sci and decide that it’s not for me will I be able to easily change programs? Or will other students get priority? Thank you!

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    it’s very normal to be uncertain about what you want to apply to!

    if you get accepted into social sciences and end up deciding you want to go into life sciences, you can certainly make that switch. the nice thing about u of t is that you don’t need to put another application in to switch faculties, the way you might need to at another school where there are separate faculties for arts and science.

    really what you’re applying to when you apply to ‘social sciences’ is an admissions category. i believe it may give you priority enrollment for social sciences courses, but it’s not a program per se — programs are your majors, minors, and specialists, which you’ll apply to after first year.

    so it should be quite straightforward to switch between admissions categories, at least within the faculty of arts and sciences. if you decide to switch relatively early on, for example before you register in your first year courses, then you could just avoid selecting prerequisite courses intended for social science students (like SOC100, for example). instead, you could select prerequisite courses for the life science programs you’re interested in. to find those prerequisites, consult the artsci calendar. 

    if you want to keep your options open, you can try registering in prerequisites for both social science and life science programs in first year. then, you’d be able to apply to any of those programs during the program selection period that begins near the end of the academic year. for more information on applying to programs, you can check out this webpage. 

    if you commit to social sciences in first year and then decide closer to the end of the year that you want to switch, that’s a bit more complicated. you’ll need to pick placeholder programs in order to be eligible for second year registration, and in your second year, you’ll need to take those life science prerequisites. then, at the end of your second year, you can apply to life sciences programs. you might be wondering if entering your programs so late might be considered abnormal, but it’s actually quite common — lots of people decide to switch!

    i hope this helped, and feel free to send me another question if any of this isn’t clear. i realize the system can be quite confusing!

    @ U of T,

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions

    back door entry

    April 19, 2021

    Hello! I’m in my second semester of 11th grade and I recently bumped UofT to my top choice school. Problem is I did really poorly in functions this year (low 60s), I plan on applying to life sciences (biodiversity and conservation biology). The requirements are English, Bio and Calculus. I’m getting a tutor this summer and shooting for low-mid 80s in Calc next year. Is it likely that I could be accepted? Or should I just apply to Humanities and try switching into life sci if I get accepted?

    ——————————————
    hi there,
    it’s great to hear that you’re hoping to come to u of t!
    i struggle to answer questions like this because i’ve never been inside the admissions process, and what i do know about admissions from research is quite vague.
    if you’ve taken functions 11 and are seeking to do better in calculus 12, you may want to note that u of t does consider grade 11 marks for life sciences admissions if grade 12 ones aren’t available. however, i’m not 100% sure how much of an equivalent functions is for calculus. and i can never really assess the likelihood of someone’s acceptance based on a partial account of their academic record — i get a lot of questions like yours, and unfortunately can’t give people the answers they want.
    for a better answer, i’d recommend that you speak with someone from admissions. i’ve linked their contact info here. i’d ask them whether a midterm mark in calculus 12 would be considered with enough weight that they wouldn’t look at your functions 11 mark. i’d also ask what they think about applying to humanities and switching to life sciences later. i guess that’s kind of like using a back door into the admissions process — to me, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but i wouldn’t be surprised if there are some complications. so just check that over with someone who’d know better.
    good luck with your tutor lessons this summer! i hope that goes well.
    be Boundless,
    aska
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  • admissions,  grad school

    wrote you an essay

    February 12, 2021

    hi, i’m looking into speech pathology for my masters at UofT and it’s such a dream to go there but i’ve heard a lot of bad things about it,,? specifically the over the top strain regarding work load; university is hard, duh, but people have been telling me it’s worse than other unis regarding this but i don’t know how true that is. in addition, i’m not sure how much you know about the speech pathology program there (i’ve done a considerable amount of research on it myself) but i was just wondering if there was any insight you might be able to offer? thanks <3

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    thank you for waiting for this answer!

    i feel like i’ve gotten questions about speech pathology in the past, but unfortunately, u of t is such a huge school that it would be impossible for me to be familiar with every program.

    i can write a little in response to what you’ve heard about u of t, though, in hopes it will help you in your deliberations.

    in many ways, getting to attend u of t really is a dream. before attending here, i experienced a dilemma similar to what you’re weighing now — i wanted to become a u of t student so bad, but i’d heard such terrible things about the school. one of the smartest people i knew said they wouldn’t be able to pay him any amount of money to choose u of t. my friends at other canadian universities are convinced that no matter how bad they have it, u of t students have it worse.

    in some respects, it is really important to acknowledge the strain that studying at u of t can create. the workload is demanding, the expectations are high, and your peers are brilliant. in certain programs more so than others (think super-exclusive ones likely to attract ambition), there’s an atmosphere of competition. many students, especially those who are racialized, LGBTQ, and women, experience pretty intense impostor syndrome here. u of t is also many years deep in a student mental health crisis. i don’t want to paint this school as rainbows and butterflies, because it’s not. it is absolutely true that some people have a deeply difficult time at this school.

    with that said, that’s only one potential side to the u of t experience. while my experience does contain some of the difficult things i’ve mentioned above, i am incredibly happy with my choice to attend u of t and am glad that the horror stories didn’t scare me away. for starters, u of t is an innovative university — my course material regularly blows my mind, which makes learning here so much fun. i’ve gotten a boost to my career here that i don’t think i would have elsewhere — being a u of t student comes with so many opportunities and valuable connections. i have had to study hard, but alongside that i’ve met some of my favourite people ever, felt supported by most of my professors and TAs, and got to be involved in some really cool extracurriculars. u of t has so many offerings, and if you’re willing and able to invest in your learning and your community, you will get a lot out of studying here. i should also note that there are a lot of student supports available to help you succeed, like writing centres and learning strategists. 

    actually, i took a semester of courses at a different canadian university, and actually got lower grades there. go figure. i think to a certain extent, university is just university and you have to grind no matter where you are.

    if you’re worried about what you’re hearing about u of t, i’d take a step back and consider yourself as a student. what kind of support system do you have? what do you value from a university education? what are the pros and cons of all your options? if you have the passion to engage in rigorous study and the support system to see you through challenges in your personal life and degree, and if this is truly a good option for you, then i wouldn’t shy away just because you’ve heard bad things. my experience here has been good. yours can be, too.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • admissions

    don’t we all wish i was the admissions average fairy

    February 4, 2021

    hey i was wondering what average is needed to get into utm forensic science program 🙂

    ——————————————

    hi there,

    unfortunately, the admissions average changes year to year depending on the batch of applicants. so as much as i’d love to give you a concrete answer, it would be impossible for me to say!

    as far as i’m aware, no admissions average is published anywhere.

    if you’d like, you can always try getting in contact with the department, but i wouldn’t be surprised if they also can’t tell you.

    sorry i can’t be more helpful! best of luck with your (potential???) application, though.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions,  law

    nOt LikE thE OthEr LaW sTudEntS

    January 22, 2021

    Okay feeling really silly: I asked the following question answered under “she doesn’t even go here!” without stating what I was applying to haha. I applied to UFT LAW, but am unsure how I would be perceived as (1) a commerce student interested in criminal justice/prison reform (not a conventional path), and (2) a condensed degree – that I am still completing. Any thoughts appreciated! Thanks !!!

    ——————————————
    hi!
    thanks so much for waiting for this answer, i’ve been quite overwhelmed. i don’t know how anyone is still functioning normally with *gestures at whole world* all this going on.
    it’s hard for me to say exactly how you’ll be perceived, but personally, i think what you’re doing is really cool.
    i’m glad you ended up applying to u of t law! i’m sure there’s a diversity of interests within the faculty of law, and my best guess is that you won’t be too out of place.
    i wouldn’t worry too much about being unconventional — i hope you’re not pursuing your studies to make other people happy! it sounds to me like you have a good sense of what you want from your degree, and just need a lil push of confidence to keep moving forward.
    if it’s admissions you’re worried about, though, i’m afraid i can’t provide much valuable insight into that. i’m not really that familiar with law school admissions in general, and can’t get into admissions officers’ heads no matter how hard i try.
    regardless, i’m sure the quality of your application will matter much more than whether or not your path and interests are conventional! in your last question, you were wondering whether it was even worth applying if you didn’t have strong experiences to show for your interest in criminal reform. remember that school is a good place to get that kind of experience, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
    wishing you all the best with your application! glad you’re going after your passions.
    be Boundless,
    aska
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  • admissions

    you guys never tell me what you’re applying to :(

    December 21, 2020

    I was looking at program admissions and unfortunately it requires Grade 12 Calculus, I was only able to take the 3 Pre-Calc classes as regular calculus interfered with my science courses. In university, I only made it through half a year before a car accident and could not complete my calculus class. I am currently enrolled in a college engineering program, but I am unsure if my math courses are fine. I fear I will be rejected right off the bat as TLG is competitive. Is there a way around this?

    ——————————————

    hello there,

    thank you for waiting for this answer, i’ve been drowning in messages from distressed students! hopefully this will get to you in time.

    i’m not really sure what you’re applying to, as you didn’t specify. my best guess is that you’re applying to UTSG’s life sciences program, since TLG is the OUAC admissions code for that. my apologies if i’m wrong! but i’m going to write this post accordingly.

    Eddie Murphy Whatever GIF by Coming to America

    i’m not sure if there’s a way around the calculus requirement for admissions into UTSG lifesci. from what i’m aware, since calculus is a prerequisite for admission, they’ll be using that course to calculate your admissions average. i don’t think you’ll be able to get in without it, although you could certainly try.

    it’s possible, though, that there’s some kind of exemption for extenuating circumstances, such as your car accident. the only way to know for sure would be to contact the admissions office and ask them directly. you’d need to do that pretty much right away, as the university closes tomorrow (the 21st) and opens again on the 4th.

    again, sorry it took me so long to get to this! that’s 100% my bad.

    oh yeah nod GIF by PBS Digital Studios

    wishing you all the best with your application!

    rgt getbeget GIF by Romania's Got Talent

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions,  colleges,  rotman

    picking a college is like choosing a cult to join

    December 19, 2020

    Hello, I’m an American student who would like to attend UofT. If I’m interested in business, which college would you recommend I rank first? Thank you

    ——————————————

    hello,

    an american!

    if you’re interested in studying at rotman commerce, it doesn’t matter too much which college you rank first! i wouldn’t say any of the colleges have a particularly strong rotman community—i think rotman kids are pretty well dispersed.

    if you’re worried about proximity to your classes (assuming you’re hoping to live in res and this godforsaken pandemic is a thing of the past by your first year), then victoria, innis, and woodsworth might all be good colleges to consider. i’ve heard that many of the first-year rotman courses are at victoria college. the rotman building itself is right next to innis, just down the street from woodsworth.

    however, i wouldn’t make the location of your college the determining factor in your choice. if i were you, i’d look into the unique character of each college, the scholarships that different colleges offer, and what the residence conditions are (assuming, again, that you’re hoping to live in res). for example, innis and woodsworth offer apartment-style residences. most of the others do a more traditional dorm experience, but if you do a little digging you can find the differences between those experiences: you’re more likely to get a single room at trin than vic, for example.

    each college is known for something different. trinity and innis tend to be tighter-knit communities, since they’re both quite small and only admit students who rank them first—but they both have very different vibes. victoria is another one that needs to be ranked first, and is known for being a little more literary/artsy, plus since vic charges higher student fees they tend to have more fun stuff (muji pen giveaways during finals, free pancake days etc). UC has some fantastic clubs, and is home to many of the most creative students i know. i’ll stop short of giving you a full rundown, since i don’t really want to inject too much of my own bias into things. i think if you do a little research, you’ll find that one or two college communities stand out to you more so than the others, based on your values and what you’d like to be surrounded by.

    good luck with your application!

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

     

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  • admissions,  colleges,  scholarships/bursaries

    i want to take a long nap

    December 18, 2020

    Hi! Could you explain how your college choice matters if you’re not in residence? Also, I keep hearing that scholarships can be divided by colleges. Which college is the best for scholarships? Thanks!

    ——————————————

    hi!

    so sorry it took me a while to get to this, my ask box is filled with students in distress right now and i’m the very slightest bit worried and overwhelmed lol.

    college choice does still matter, to a certain extent, if you’re not in residence. your college will determine things like which registrar’s office you go to, which clubs you’re most likely to join (since colleges have clubs), and what your most immediate community is at u of t. think of a college like your university home base.

    your college will also run your orientation, if that’s something that matters to you. innis is a dry orientation, whereas there’s plenty of drinking that happens after-hours during trin’s O-week. different colleges just have different character, y’know?

    of course, if you’re not on res, you don’t technically have to interact with your college very much at all. you could totally carve out your own path and make, i don’t know, the biology student union your home base. if you’re a victoria college student, you don’t need to join vusac. and you don’t need to be a victoria college student to write for the strand. in other words, you can join a college club without being part of the college.

    what i’m trying to say is that yes, colleges do kinda matter, but overall you’ll get to shape your own experience with how a college affects your university experience.

    aight, let’s talk money now.

    many scholarships are indeed divided by colleges. from what i’ve heard, trinity and victoria are the best for scholarships, since they tend to be more “prestigious” colleges with more donors, i guess? i’ve heard that st. mikes isn’t particularly great, scholarship-wise. but most colleges do have some kind of college-affiliated scholarships, whether those are in-course academic scholarships or leadership scholarships.

    if scholarships are a major area of concern for you, i’d recommend that you look up the two or three colleges you’re most interested in and compare their info on scholarships. for example, here’s the vic page. you should be able to find the others by googling “[college name] u of t scholarships” or something along those lines. you’ll quickly be able to get a sense of how much money is offered at different places, and what you have to do in order to qualify for those funds.

    i hope this answer finds you in time for your applications! wishing you all the best with uni apps, and i hope you have a wonderful (or at least tolerable) holiday break.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions

    could you be a little more vague?

    December 9, 2020

    When it says provide all academic history, for every school you attended. I was previous at a post-secondary institution for health sciences, fresh out of highschool, unfortunately due to mental health problems and a Concussion, I was left with a first year of a GPA between 2.8 and 3.1, Now 3 years later, I am at a different Institute studying Science and Engineering with a GPA of 4.175 and almost all high 90’s in each course. Will I have to apply for special consideration due to my bad 1st year?

    ——————————————

    hello!

    since i’m not really sure what you’re applying to, it’s really hard for me to answer this question, unfortunately!

    Season 2 Netflix GIF by Gilmore Girls - Find & Share on GIPHY

     

    my advice would be to get in touch with the admissions office of whatever program or institution you’re interested in, and see what they say. after all, some programs (if you’re talking about graduate school) will only really look at your last two years of studies.

    sorry i can’t be more helpful! what i’ve heard is that (again, if you’re talking about graduate school) most applications will allow you to explain any anomalies in your academic record. for example, you could throw a sentence in about your rough first year in a personal statement. there’s no way to know for sure about this, though, unless you speak to someone in admissions.

    anyway, i’m rooting for you and really proud of you for doing so well in your current program. your GPA is wildly high, and it looks like you’ve really bounced back from your challenges in first year.

    if you’re not done your fall semester yet, best of luck with the rest of it!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions

    i used to be this ambitious too but now i’m a lil tired

    November 27, 2020
    Hi, I had a question would 2 specializations in IR and Commerce be possible in a cross campus UTM UTSG scenario? How long would this program take?

    Would I recieve two degrees an HBA and a Bcomm or choose between one of them?

    Since I’m still in High school I’m not sure how applying to both works, would i apply to the social science stream and the Rotman commerce stream with the supplemental application.

    Would there be situations where I have to go to both campuses in the same day? Also im terrible at math, I heard there is a waiver form at UofT that if you dont have a high school pre req than you could sign that and still take the course, I do not want to take Calculus, would I be eligible through that waiver or would I have to take Calculus to gain admission into Rotman, if not how hard would it be to gain admission if I didn’t?

    Can I take courses from IR and Commerce and graduate within 4 years if so what would be the course combinations?

    Thanks in advance!

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    to be totally honest, it sounds incredibly difficult to me to do two specializations at two different campuses. i’m actually not sure if it’s possible, because i’ve never heard of anyone having done it. my gut says that it’s probably not possible. but i would encourage you to call the admissions office and see what they say.

    < maybe there are ways to get an exception, or alternate ways to study what you want without going to so much trouble? with that said, you can certainly still apply to both UTM and UTSG, according to this webpage. i’m not sure if the rules are different if you’re out of province, so you can check that over with admissions as well. and just so you know, rotman commerce is a UTSG thing, not a UTM one.

    in the event that it is possible to take programs at both campuses simultaneously, i certainly do think that you may need to attend class at both campuses in one day. of course, that depends on how many courses you’re taking at once, and when they’re being offered.

    i’m not 100% sure about the waiver that you mentioned. i’ve never heard of it myself, and wouldn’t feel comfortable confirming it to you with hearsay anyway. for that, i would get in touch with the appropriate departments— here’s the rotman contact info, and here’s the utm management department’s contact info. regardless of whether it’s true that you can sign a waiver to bypass calculus, i don’t think you’ll be able to gain admission to rotman without it. this webpage states that calculus is an important admission requirement, which indicates to me that they won’t consider you as an applicant if you don’t take it.

    as for the course combinations, well, you can check out the required courses for the IR specialist and major, or the commerce specialist and major. if you’re interested in doing two specialists for sure, i think it would be challenging to get your degree done in four years, since each specialist will usually take up at least two years’ worth of credits (assuming you take 5 courses each fall and winter semester). however, i wouldn’t worry a TON about getting things done in four years flat, unless you’re worried about funding. plenty of people take an extra semester or even an extra year to get the degree that they really want!

    overall, having thought about your question, i’d encourage you quite strongly to talk to a guidance counsellor at your school about this. have a conversation with a u of t admissions officer as well, if you’re able. you seem incredibly ambitious, but i would caution you that while u of t is exciting and offers a lot of possibilities, it’s important to be realistic about how demanding it is. for many students, it would be stressful to complete two specialists just at one campus, much less two specialists at two different campuses. if you’re confident that this is what you want, then by all means go for it and thrive, and i’ll be rooting for you! but i’d think it through quite extensively first and make sure that you’re certain about it.

    anyway, one last thought: if you’re set on doing commerce and IR, i would highly recommend that you look at this double degree program webpage, and give it some consideration. it might be the answer that you’re really looking for.

    good luck with your uni apps!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions,  colleges

    ! prospective ! student ! alert !

    November 21, 2020

    hi! i’m applying for september 2021 for social sciences (and probably some other programs) and i was wondering what the differences between all the colleges are? do i have anything to do with them if i have to learn from home? what’s the point of them? side question, do you have any tips for (possibly) incoming students?

    ——————————————

    hello hello,

    colleges! the classic admissions question.

    so to give you the rundown, colleges are basically smaller communities within the very large faculty of arts and science. some of these colleges, like victoria and st. mike’s, used to be separate universities that were absorbed into u of t like a baby eating its twin in the womb.

    your college affiliation is mainly significant because it determines which registrar’s office you go to for administrative services and academic advising and which residence(s) you’re eligible to stay at. you’re also eligible for certain scholarships and resources at your college that other college’s students won’t be allowed to apply or qualify for. apart from that, your college can often become the student community that serves as your home base, since there are college-specific clubs, student governments, and newspapers that you can get involved at.

    if you’re planning to learn from home (to be fair, we don’t REALLY know what september 2021 will look like yet), your college will still matter for all those reasons except res. if you’d like to make an informed decision but aren’t concerned about res, i’d pay particular attention to what clubs and scholarships are available at the colleges you’re interested in, as well as the general character of the community (which you can read about on reddit* or get ~ vibes ~ about on instagram).

    you should also note what you need to do to get into the college of your choice. some colleges, like victoria, trinity, and innis, will only consider you if you place them at the top of your rankings list. victoria and trinity also require supplemental applications.

    anyway. do i have any tips for incoming students? heck yeah i do.

    depends on what you wanna hear about. i guess i’ll throw some generalized tips at you:

    • be aware of what program selection is! in short, when you’re admitted to u of t you’re not really admitted to a program yet— you’ll need to go through a second admissions process after first year. it’s a good thing to be aware of because if it hits you like a surprise… well, that’s a lot of unwanted stress.
    • start learning what it means to take care of yourself and your mental health before you enter university. that’s vague, and i’m sorry, but it really is something good to start thinking about. university (at a normal pace, anyway) will strain you like few other things and it’s good to start building habits that will enable you to endure it. for me, that would have looked like beginning to visit a counsellor while in high school.
    • enter university with an open mind and some confidence in yourself! if i could do my first year again, i would tell myself that there’s no good reason to feel like an impostor and that there was a lot i could achieve at this school. i definitely wasted a lot of time in first year held back by impostor syndrome, which seems to be relatively common at u of t.

    i hope this helped! good luck with your uni applications process— i hope you get into everything you want and that you make the right university choice for you. and let me know if you have any specific questions re: tips for incoming students.

    be Boundless and stay safe,

    aska

    *obligatory note: take things that you read on reddit with a grain of salt! r/UofT makes things sound a lot scarier than they really are sometimes, and not all the academic information on there is correct. but for things like gauging the character of different colleges, you can’t do much better than a crowdsourced opinion.

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  • admissions

    not (gonna be) a doctor, shh

    November 15, 2020

    I am currently studying at medical school in my country and I am beginning to think that it just isn’t for me. I am planning to pursue something else. Having said that, I was applying to UofT and I was asked to enter my the schools and post secondary institutions I have attended. Should I include my medical school education in this list or should I only include the high school I went to? Thanks in advance.

    ——————————————

    hello hello,

    i hope i’m getting to this question in time, and my apologies if it’s too late! it can take up to two weeks for me to answer questions on here. in the future, you can actually phone the university’s admissions offices for a quicker response.

    anyway, to answer your question— my understanding is that when you’re asked for your full academic history, you’re meant to include every school you’ve attended, even if you haven’t graduated. that also means you’ll need to send transcripts from every school you’ve attended to u of t for your application to be assessed. again, you can contact the admissions offices to confirm this, but that’s what i know from my experience applying to u of t.

    i hope that helps! good luck with your application, i really hope it goes well and that you get in.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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