• internal transfer,  prereqs,  psychology,  UTSC

    an interesting conundrum

    May 15, 2018

    Hey there,

    I’m a third year psych specialist at St. George. I recently received an acceptance for internal transfer at Scarborough. I took PSY201 in the summer of my first year and remember nothing of it. Scarborough has PSYB07 as a requirement, which that excludes PSY201 (which I took), so I will have to take the next PSYC08 or PSYC09. I am not confident at all in taking these courses since I remember nothing from my first stats course. How much do I have to remember to take them? Will I be lost? Is there anyway they will let me take PSYB07 and start over?

    Please help!!

    ——————————————

    hi!

    wow an interesting conundrum; actually WANTING to take a prereq even though you’ve been excused. most people wanna skip any prereq that they can. hat’s off to you, m’dude.

    unfortunately for internal transfers, or people transferring to u of t from another university, you can’t forfeit your transfer credits, unlike IB/AP credits. so, it looks as though you will have to take PSYC08/09 without taking PSYB07.

    however, it may be a good idea to get in contact with the department of psychology at utsc to see IF (and i strongly emphasize IF!!!!!!) they can make an exception for you.

    i hope that helps!

    and justice for all suffering GIF

    xoxo,

    aska

     

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  • applying for U of T,  computer science,  GPA,  innis,  internal transfer,  Transferring,  urban studies,  UTSC

    top secret internal transfer gpa’s

    February 6, 2017

    Dear ask a student,

    I am in second year at UTSC and I am looking to transfer downtown for urban
    studies. In first year I took computer science and finish the year with a
    low GPA. Now in city studies after the first semester my sessional GPA was
    2.93 but my cumulative GPA is still below 2.5. Will they look over my first
    year since I am now doing better in City Studies and is there a chance I
    can still get in with just my recent GPA improvement?

    Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hello!

    soooooo when UTSG is looking at internal transfer students, (students who are transferring from one U of T campus to another U of T campus) they will consider your CGPA and your most recent annual GPA. however, they will also have access to your whole transcript if they notice some inconsistencies in your GPA.

    in terms of GPA cut-off, i would check with the urban studies department directly to make sure you’re within the range. for some reason admission GPA’s for internal transfers are kind of top secret. they used to post them online, but i haven’t been able to find it ever since they revamped the future.utoronto.ca website. right now, the admission GPA’s are mostly circulated by word of mouth, but for entry into a specific program like urban studies, it would be in your best interest to just ask them!

    hope this helped!

    wishing you all the best in your transfer! hope we’ll be seeing you downtown!

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • admissions,  arts & sciences,  St. George,  stats,  UTM,  UTSC

    i will find you

    January 18, 2017

    Hello! I can’t seem to find the statistics on those that were accepted into the faculty of arts and science. Help would be appreciated!

    ———————————————

    yo,

    stats are hard to find. don’t feel bad. you have come to the right person.

    in addition to being ridiculously charming and hot (like my homeboy liam neeson), i also possess a very particular set of super ninja detective samurai skills. fear not, for i have found what you are looking for.

    there’s this super cool thing called Common University Data Ontario (CUDO) which can give you stats on:

    • Number of degrees awarded, student enrolment and entering averages – all by program;
    • Number of students living on campus and activities offered;
    • Student satisfaction;
    • First-year tuition and ancillary fees by program;
    • Number of teaching faculty;
    • Undergraduate class size, by year level;
    • Research awards granted; and
    • Graduation rates and employment rates by program.

    click on the year that you want to see and voila! you can even look at stats on UTM and UTSG.

    go crazy!

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • astronomy and astrophysics,  campus,  GPA,  internal transfer,  St. George,  subject POST,  Transferring,  UTSC

    please be the new neil degrasse tyson

    December 2, 2016

    Hi,
    I am a first year student currently majoring in the Physics and Astrophysics program at UTSC and was wondering what GPA I should strive for in order to be admitted into UTSG. I know that competitive programs tend to require 3.7 – 4.0 GPA’s, but I’m assuming competitive means engineering rather than physics.

    Also, do you know the deadline for internal transferring? I can’t seem to find it anywhere. I’m assuming that it’s sometime after, or maybe during, the winter semester since that’s when the latter half of my physics related courses are.

    Thank you for your help

    ———————————————

    hello hello!

    so first of all, we don’t actually have a physics and astrophysics program at the st. george campus so it would mean for you to find a similar subject POSt, like astronomy and astrophysics.

    there isn’t really a GPA range posted anywhere in regards to astronomy and astrophysics specifically, but i’ve been told by admin that the grade that we were accepting last year was B+~ A- (3.3-3.7) for internal transfers, but these averages do change from year to year, so keep that in mind. if you want something more accurate/ updated, you could always contact enrolment services directly!

    in terms of evaluating your GPA, they would be looking at your CGPA as well as your most recent annual GPA.

    when it comes time to apply, go see your registrar’s office to make sure you’re on track for your transfer. once that’s all settled, you’ll have to complete an online application right here.

    the next deadline for an internal transfer to UTSG is january 13th 2017 for a september 2017 start date.

    it will ultimately be up to you to decide whether you want to major, minor, or specialize in astronomy and astrophysics, but since astronomy and astrophysics subject POSt’s are all part of type 1, you can apply following the completion of 4.0 FCE’s.

    best of luck! i hope you get in and become the new neil degrasse tyson.

    giphy

    peace and love,

    aska

     

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  • admissions,  applying for U of T,  averages,  polisci,  social sciences,  St. George,  subject POST,  UTM,  UTSC

    a polisci question on election day

    November 8, 2016

    Hi, what are the approximate averages needed for ontario students to get into BA political science at St George, Mississauga and Scarborough? Thanks

    ———————————————

    hello there,

    first, let’s break this down. at U of T, political science falls under the category of social sciences. if you want to pursue political science, you might consider applying to the social sciences stream after high school.

    once you are accepted, you’ll first have to complete a total of 4.0 FCE’s (full course equivalents, or credits) until you can be accepted into a political science program, be it a major or a minor. 4.o FCE’s just means that you’ll only be able to apply after first year. keep in mind, you don’t necessarily need to get into your program after first year, you can enter in second year and on!

    in terms of admission into the social sciences stream at each campus, you’ll see here that they recommend the following averages: low to mid 80’s for U of T St. George, mid 70’s for UTSC, and mid to high 70’s for UTM.

    before you choose your first year courses, definitely refer to the calendar and look at what courses you’ll have to take and what grades you’ll need to get to be accepted into the polisci program. since i am the nicest stranger you’ll never meet, i’ve linked you to the political science calendar of each campus: UTSG, UTM, and UTSC so you can see what you’ll need. you’re very welcome.

    giphy-5

    i hope you get into polisci and do some good in the world. don’t forget to thank aska when you receive a nobel prize. happy (or unhappy) election day!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • applying for U of T,  gap year,  intake,  keeners,  UTSC

    we got ourselves a catherine keener

    November 8, 2016

    Hi, i graduated high school in June 2016 and I decided to take a gap year before I attend university. Hence,I will be applying to utsc for entry into September 2017. If I do get admitted into my program will I be able to at least take my electives during summer 2017? I’d really like to get a head start since i did take time off from school due to unforeseen circumstances.
    Thank you for your times and hope to hear from you soon!

    ———————————————

    hey,

    first of all, i totally understand your desire to get a head start. the sooner you’re done with school, the better. (at least that’s how i’ve always felt)

    unfortunately, first year intake at U of T is always in september. to my understanding, starting first year during the summer has only been granted in very unique circumstances, but is highly discouraged and “rarely entertained”.

    one of the main reasons for this is that transitioning from high school to first year is a big jump and getting settled into university is such an important aspect of the whole university experience. the university will have orientation events (not just frosh week) in september to help you adjust along with your peers. you’ll definitely understand what i mean once you start in september.

    furthermore, i imagine the whole process of petitioning for early intake would be extremely arduous and just not worth it. summer courses also generally move at a faster pace and it would be an even bigger jump to go from high school straight into university summer courses. since i’m saying all of this, it might seem like summer intake is actually an option, but it really isn’t.

    trust me on this one, september intake is the way to go. you’ll find a lot more support from both campus resources as well as friends you meet during frosh.

    just make sure you apply by january 13th and if all goes well, you’ll be set to start in september!

    ^this is an amazing song, by the way.

    i hope this cleared up some of your questions! best of luck with your application!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • campus,  internal transfer,  rules,  St. George,  Transferring,  UTSC

    sticky situation

    November 7, 2016

    Hello,

    So I originally enrolled at UTSC because I had missed the application
    deadline for SG. I decided to start in Scarborough and brave the commute (I
    live downtown) for a year to hopefully try for an internal transfer later.
    I dilly-dallied and decided I enjoyed Scarborough bc of a course offered
    (IDS) but then started to hate the commute and now want to return to my
    original idea of transferring.

    My question is about courses at another campus:
    I have the intention of transferring (again missed the deadline last year
    BC I thought I liked Scarborough) so ideally I would like to gather
    downtown courses this year so i can transfer in my third year.
    So. I currently have 3 utsc FCE’s (from 2015/2016) and took 1 FCE this
    summer at SG. As of this fall, I enrolled in 2 more FCE’s on the st.george
    campus, but have a sneaking suspicion that I am in violation of the rules
    for taking courses at another campus.

    On the office of the registrar website it states:
    “Courses at UTM or St. George
    utsc.utoronto.ca/registrar/courses-other-campuses
    You can take a maximum of 5.0 credits at another U of T campus (or 1.0
    credit if you have completed fewer than 4.0 credits) as a UTSC student.”
    I SWEAR I had spoken with a councilor who said I could only take 1 FCE in
    the first year only. NOT that I needed to also complete at least 4.0 FCE at
    utsc. What is your understanding of this rule? Can I appeal? I am enjoying
    my courses and do not want to be removed.

    ———————————————

    hi,

    you, my friend, are in a sticky situation! i honestly wasn’t sure if i should answer this question because i thought you would be removed from your courses by now, but since i haven’t heard anything about you being removed, i’m going to assume you’re still in your st. george courses.

    you are, indeed, in violation of a rule at U of T, but at the same time, getting kicked out of your courses this far in would suck.

    giphy

    first, go back to your counsellor and be all, “yo wut?”

    okay, but seriously.

    in regards to your inquiry, i called the utsc registrar’s office and asked what they thought about your situation. based on what they told me, it seems like you have two options.

    first, (10/10 would recommend) you can call admissions at st. george to let them know about your intentions to transfer. in this scenario, you would probably have to tell them the number of FCE’s you have completed at scarborough and st. george. they may even subsequently remove you from your courses if they ask for your student number.

    on the other hand, it is also possible that they may make an exception for you if they know you’re thinking of transferring to st. george eventually. you’ll still have to wait until the next deadline (january 13th),  of course, but you may be able to keep the courses you’re in. you could definitely mention that you heard from your counsellor that it would be okay. i can’t guarantee that you’ll see this outcome, but you never know until you call!

    your second option, (1/10 would not recommend) is to not call at all. the course-remover people will eventually do their rounds and remove you from your st. george courses. after that, if you want to argue this, you’ll have to open up communication with the university and explain why you broke the rules. i can’t speak on behalf of the course-removing people, but if i were in their shoes, i would be less forgiving if it seems like you knowingly broke the rule and didn’t seek out any guidance or resources.

    if i were you, i would call admissions to see what they can do for you. you may be surprised at what they have to say. if they end up removing you from courses because you called, that blows, but remember, it would’ve happened sooner or later.

    giphy-4

    just be honest and come clean about your intentions instead of living in fear!

    i hope you do the right thing.

    cheers,

    aska

     

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  • residence,  St. George,  UTM,  UTSC

    myspace

    October 17, 2016

    Can I live on campus in a single room? Or are all the rooms shared? Thanks

    ———————————————

    hi,

    yes, you can live on campus in a single room! not all rooms are shared. since you didn’t specify which campus you were interested in, here’s info on all of them!

    this is an excellent page which explains facilities and room styles for every residence at the St. George campus. you can even download a PDF which compares all the residences! for a similar resource at UTM, click here.

    UTSC’s residences are unique in that they consist of townhouses and apartments, but you will definitely be able to find single rooms within them for sure.

    hope this helped! if you have any more questions regarding each residence, i highly recommend that you give them a call or send them an email! most residences hold tours for prospective students and their parents.

    on another note, i feel your desire to live in a single room. i don’t know what i would’ve done if i had to live with another human being in my room. *shudders*

    cheers,

    aska

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  • arts & sciences,  co-op management,  UTSC

    lul bye artsci

    June 2, 2016

    hey aska,
    I’m planning to attend utsc next year for co-op public policy. I originally chose this program because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but recently I decided that I actually want to study economics. is it possible to transfer into the co-op economics for management studies (BBA) program during my first year? I took the required math courses but I know there is a supplementary component so I’m not sure what to do.
    also a friend told me that there are courses all management students take first year, so if I must transfer the second year, are there any prerequisites that I need to take during my first year? Do I take these courses and public policy courses since that’s my program for the time being?
    thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey,

    first of all, kudos to you for knowing what you want to do!

    friends jumping excited

    most of us deny that we hate our subject POst until after we graduate yayyyyy *sobs in corner*

    so it looks like you may be able to switch into your BBA program in second year if you take the appropriate first year management courses. it says here in the calendar:

    “Students admitted to Arts & Science Co-op from secondary school will request a specific Co-op Subject POSt, or program, at the end of their first year, after achieving any necessary required courses for that particular area of study.”

    if you take the courses required, you may be able to switch, however i would highly recommend (in fact, just do it) that you double check with the contacts i have provided below. since this is such a specific question, i feel like you would benefit a great deal from getting in touch with the program because you may need special permissions to switch.

     

    deanna burrows- (one of the many artsci co-op people)

    dburrows@utsc.utoronto.ca (416) 208- 2681

     

    christine arsenault- (management co-op person)

    arsenault@utsc.utoronto.ca (416) 287- 7112

     

    you can find these numbers and more in the utsc telephone directory, and it’s almost always more effective if you call instead of emailing.

    i wish i could tell you more but it is really up to the co-op directors to decide!

    (sorry about the late response as well, we’ve been undergoing changes here at aska and some of our answers were deleted and had to be rewritten)

    good luck at scarbs!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • courses,  UTSC

    courses for coop

    April 5, 2016

    How do co-op students finish their studies? Do they have to complete a year course in 4 months(study term)? I checked course schedule there?s no specific course for co-op students. I’m from utsc btw.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    because of coop, UTSC doesn’t have any full-year courses (with a very few exceptions, like work term prep courses, independent and research project courses, and capstones; these can either be taken alongside a coop term, or are not required courses). other than the exceptions i listed, all courses are?half-year courses, so you can take any one you want and finish it in four months!

    best,

    aska

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  • subject POST,  UTSC

    your program is gone lol bye

    February 11, 2016

    Hey aska! I’m applying for UTSC linguistics but some people told me that they are considering cancelling the subject in that campus! The option is still on OUAC, but what if it’s real? Will I be considered for a similar programme in other campus? Nooooo
    ———————————————

    hey there,

    first thing’s first: you enter uoft as a program-less student, regardless of the program you listed on your OUAC application. so even after you get in, you have a full year to test drive some courses, and decide if the program(s) you were set on when entering university are really for you. if linguistics goes under after a year or you decide you want to do something else, that’s no problem.

    i should note though, that if linguistics is listed in the calendar, it’s real. if the program goes under while you’re in it, you’ll be grandfathered, meaning that no new people will be allowed in, but you’ll be allowed to finish your degree in that program. the university wouldn’t leave you high and dry like that.

    hope that helps!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST,  UTSC

    racking up the POSts

    August 13, 2015

    Hi AskA~

    I’ll be entering my 4th year at UTSC as a Human Biology and Psychology double major this fall, but I’m currently thinking about coming back for an extra year– for an Applied Statistics minor. I can’t seem to find much information regarding “double major + minor”; but is this scenario possible (i.e. just add the subject post on ROSI)?

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you can totally do that! it’ll be a little trickier if you plan on graduating this year, since that would mean that your extra year would be under non-degree studies. in that case, you’d have to talk to your registrar’s office (and the computer science, mathematics & statistics department) about the possibility of retroactively putting the completed minor on your transcript.

    UTSC explicitly states that students admitted as “[s]tudents admitted as ‘non-degree’ students are not permitted to enrol in a Program of Study,” but it’s worth it to speak with them about whether an exception can be made, since you would be continuing on from your degree studies, rather than being admitted from outside the university.

    however, if you plan on just graduating a year late, all you have to do is add yourself on ROSI! any combination of subject POSts you can think of is allowed, as long as your total POSts doesn’t exceed three, and you have no more than two specialists or majors. easy peasy.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • probation,  UTSC

    probe a shun

    May 4, 2015

    Hi,
    I am a life science student at UTSC and have almost completed first year. As of now my CGPA is 1.47. I realized that this is not adequate in order to complete the Life Science program. If i want to switch in to Management (Accounting program) what is the minimum average or GPA I should maintain? Is there any possible way that I could increase my current GPA? Please advice?

    Regards.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if your CGPA is a 1.47, that means that you’ll be on academic probation in the next term that you take classes. ‘what’s academic probation???’ i hear you ask. well, when you are on academic probation, you have one term to get your CGPA above a 1.60 and be in good standing. otherwise, you’ll be suspended for one year. and no one wants that. so, what can you do about it?

    there are plenty of resources available to increase your GPA. in fact, utsc requires that you use them at least once when you are on probation, but i’d recommend taking full advantage of them. the Academic Advising & Career Centre is a great starting point, and if you’d like help with specific courses, why not check out the Writing Centre or the Math and Statistics Learning Centre?

    you probably wouldn’t be able to enter into management just yet. you need to have completed 4.0 FCEs (including certain management courses) and admission is competitive. what you can do is spend the next year working on getting the prerequisites* you need to apply for a management POSt.

    if you take advantage of the resources around you and work hard to improve, you can definitely kick that probation to the curb.

    best of luck with it,

    aska

    * “Courses completed must include MGTA01H3, MGTA02H3, MGEA02H3, MGEA06H3,MATA32H3, and MATA33H3. MATA32H3 and MATA33H3 are strongly recommended, however MATA30H3/A31H3 and MATA35H3/A36H3/A37H3 may also be used to satisfy the calculus requirement.“

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