• late withdrawal,  UTSC

    UTSC LWD (we sure do love our acronyms)

    March 9, 2015

    I heard you’re the (wo)man to talk to.
    I just bombed two of my midterms horribly 🙁 and the deadline to drop courses has passed! As I just came off probation, I don’t want to mess up my GPA anymore — so I plan on using LWDS again (I have already used 1.0 of my 3.0 credits). So I tried to go on eService but it doesn’t show any of my courses! What’d I do wrong?! Is it because I still have a balance on my school account?
    On a side-note, while looking at some of your previous LWD-related answers, how bad do LWDs look on transcript (like in my case) for future employers? Would I still be hireable?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if the courses you want to LWD are S-section courses, then the request period doesn’t open until march 23rd. so that might be why.

    other than that, i can’t do much more than guess at reasons why you can’t see your courses – mostly because i’m not a utsc student and i didn’t know what eService was until i just looked it up to answer your question.

    if you’re thinking about LWD’ing a course, and especially if you’re just off probation, you should probably be talking to your registrar’s office before making this decision anyway. while you’re there, you can ask why you can’t see your courses online. it might be because of your financial account, or it might be an entirely different reason – i’m not sure. but you should for sure talk to someone about it.

    as to whether you’d still be hireable, that kind of depends on the job you’re gunning for. generally, LWDs are more of an issue for people applying to graduate/professional schools.

    if you’re applying for a job straight out of undergrad, your employer probably won’t even know what LWD means, if we’re being real. in either case, an LWD is not damning by any means.

    two LWDs are a little bit worse than one, but again, not the end of the world. but definitely do talk to your registrar about the specific implications of an LWD on the jobs you’re thinking of going after.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • probation,  UTSC

    probation gestation

    January 15, 2015

    Hi,
    I’m a student in UTSC, and I’m currently on Academic Probation continuing from 2 semester again. If I achieve less than 1.60 on the FALL term, will I be suspended for 4 months? Or will I only be suspended after the WINTER term is assessed? Please answer!
    Thank you.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    this is worth saying once in a while, and i haven’t said it for a bit, so here goes:

    as much as i wish we were, askastudent is not a professional, full-time department within the university of toronto. also, the “student” part of askastudent means that we can’t always answer things right away.

    says right here that it can take up to two weeks, and that’s because we need to take time to, y’know, pass our classes and stuff. so if you’ve got a SUPER URGENT inquiry, always go to the appropriate uoft office first. they work a lot more hours to be able to get back to you faster.

    onto your question.

    UTSC’s timeline operates in terms of sessions, like UTSG. however, unlike UTSG, scarborough is divided into three sessions: fall, winter and summer.

    academic standing is assessed at the end of every session, so if you were on probation for the fall session, your standing would have been assessed at the end of the fall session. if your GPA fell below 1.60 in the fall, then you’re “liable for suspension or refusal of further registration” for the winter term.

    but you should have received an e-mail from your school about the exact terms of your suspension if you were suspended, so if you didn’t, i would e-mail the utsc registrar’s office and ask about it.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • psychology,  UTSC

    some money math

    November 25, 2014

    Hey Aska,
    So I’m now a fourth-year Psych student at UTSC who realizes how much I effed up over the past three years and would do anything to start all over again (not really)… but that’s not an option. My biggest dilemma now is D-levels. Fall semester is almost over and the one D-level program requirement I’m hoping to take in the winter is still listed as interim. The other D-level that should fulfill my degree requirements is quite unattainable for me at the moment since I never got to take one very significant B-level for my Bio minor (so not many C-levels available for me either, but manageable), and I’m simply done my English minor without having taken any D’s. Worst case scenario, I wouldn’t be able to get into any D-levels at all this year and I’d have to take another year. I probably shouldn’t say worst though because this would also very likely increase by GPA. But after I complete winter semester I’d have 18/20 credits so I only really need 4 courses next year (and summer wouldn’t be an option either because there are no courses offered that I need / have the prerequisites to take). Would it be possible to only take Fall semester full time next year if I manage to get into two D-levels then? Or would it be better if I only take two courses per semester and go to school for both semesters part time? Thanks a lot!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    both the scenarios you listed would be possible. i guess it’s up to you to decide which one would be more feasible for you. i’m not sure what you might mean by “better” other than “cheaper” and “quicker,” so i’ll just address those two adjectives in particular.

    if you were to take 2.0 FCEs in one semester (i’m gonna assume you enrolled in or before 2011 because you’re in your fourth year), it would cost you $3,191.95.

    if you were to split it between two semesters, 1.0 FCEs/semester, it would come out to $2935.12. so you’d save about $250 if you were to do 1.0 FCEs in each semester, but you would also be in school for one semester longer. (you can see where i’m pulling all these numbers here).

    so i guess it’s up to you. and, partly, to when the courses you want to take are offered.

    best of luck, my friend, and try not to beat yourself up over your situation. people’s university careers almost never go the way they plan – and that’s not always a bad thing. you’ll get through it.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • transfer credits,  UTSC

    i hear the deer actually sit in class with you

    November 20, 2014

    Hi,

    I was just wondering what the policy was at UTSG for taking classes at other campuses. I’m seriously considering taking a few courses over at UTSC but wasn’t sure if this was allowed. if it is, would classes taken there be counted as transfer credits? Is there is a limit on the number of courses i’d be able to take? Could i complete a major/minor there rather than at st.george? Are the classes any different in significant ways (academic and other wise)?

    Would you recommend taking classes there?

    Any info would be really helpful,

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it’s totally allowed! UTSC and UTM courses will show up on your transcript and count towards your CGPA just like a UTSG course. however, it’s a good idea to talk with your department about whether you meet the prereqs for any UTSC courses you want to take, AND whether those courses can be counted as program requirements here.

    there’s no limit that i could find, though you’ll find that there’s a limit to the amount of commuting that your soul is able to tolerate.

    all subject POSts you enrol in have to be UTSG, artsci subject POSts. you’ll likely find it impossible to complete all your prerequisites for a subject POSt using just UTSC credits.

    as fir differences, there’s nothing really substantial. the classes are different in that they’re different classes. that sounds stupid, but honestly – they’ll have a different syllabus, a different prof, and a different class size than the UTSG equivalent (if there is one).

    some general classes (like first year calculus or econ) are pretty similar between campuses and even between universities, but it all depends on the course. the best thing would be to call the department at UTSC that offers the courses you’re interested in, and just ask. there’s no general academic difference.

    although, you’re more likely to encounter deer at UTSC. so if you’re afraid of deer, i do NOT recommend taking classes there.

    but otherwise, if there’s something they offer that we don’t have here, yeah – go for it.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST,  UTSC

    *standing ovation*

    November 11, 2014

    Hi, I am a first year student here at UTSC and I have a question. What the hell is a subject POST??!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    first off, i want to point out how GREAT this question is. it’s to the point, it includes the campus you’re from, AND it has so many question marks and exclamation points that my HEART RATE ACCELERATES just from LOOKING at it.

    like, i haven’t even had my coffee yet, and this question has got me moving closer towards cardiac arrest! whoo! what a question to wake up to!

    subject POSt stands for ‘subject Program of Study’ and it’s basically just a bunch of courses that make up a program. a POSt can be a specialist, major or minor.

    in order to graduate from uoft, you need to complete a certain combination of subject POSts. those combinations are: one specialist, two majors, or one major and two minors. you can get into other wacky combos like a specialist and a minor or two majors and a minor or a specialist and a major, but the first three are kind of the default.

    you apply to your POSt(s) after you’ve completed 4.0 credits, which for most people is in the summer after first year (between April and September).

    for that reason, it’s a good idea to browse the list of subject POSts before then so that you have some idea what you want to study when it comes time to apply. keep in mind, though, that you can (to a certain extent) change POSts after second year, if you’re unhappy with what you’ve chosen. so don’t FREAK OUT, alright?

    cheers,

    aska

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  • keeners,  UTSC

    a tangled, tangled web of degree requirements

    August 11, 2014

    Hey,
    how long do you think it would take to complete a Philosophy/History double major at UTSC if you took courses every summer? Just wondering 🙂
    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i know y’all think this is like a super easy question to answer, but there are so many variables involved that it’s actually almost impossible. so, let’s unpack this and find out, together, just how complicated this is.

    1. both the history and philosophy majors require 7.0 FCEs – 14.0 FCEs total; simple enough, right?

    WRONG. history and philosophy are close/flexible enough disciplines that you can probably have a bit of overlap between courses (i.e. take credits that fulfil requirements for both POSts). however, you have to keep in mind the 12.0 distinct credits rule when entertaining the possibility of overlap – only 2.0 FCEs out of a double major worth 14.0 credits can overlap.

    so your two majors could take anywhere between 12.0 – 14.0 FCEs to complete. already, we’ve got some uncertainty. but it gets worse.

    2. in a degree at UTSC, you’ll need to fulfil the breadth requirements. that’ll take 2.5 credits altogether, however, some of the credits that fulfil the breadth requirements will likely fulfil your major requirements, as well.

    meaning you’ll have take anywhere between 0.0-2.5 FCEs on TOP of your major requirements to meet the breadth req’s.

    so already – assuming you don’t have to late withdraw from a course, and that you pass every course you take – we’re looking at anywhere between 12.0-16.5 FCEs.

    of course, you need at least 20.0 FCEs to graduate, but depending on how many credits it takes you to complete those requirements (i haven’t even factored in the requirement that both history and philosophy have that you take a certain number of upper-year FCEs – that could up your credit count, too), you may have to take more than 20.0 FCEs.

    as you can see, this is getting nightmarishly complicated. let’s just assume nothing goes wrong, your plans won’t change, and it’ll take you 20.0 FCEs on the dot to complete your degree.

    how long would it take if you took courses every summer? well, that depends. how many courses are you planning on taking  here we have another ambiguity. let’s just assume you were to take the expected full-time course load – 2.5 FCEs – every term.

    20.0 FCEs/2.5 FCEs per term = 8 terms.

    8 terms/3 terms per year = 2.66 years. you would finish in june of your third year. which – i believe – means you would be able to request a june graduation.

    so there’s your short answer, but as you can see, things are never as simple as they first appear. uoft is good at teaching that lesson.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • enrollment,  UTSC

    i want to be at utsc (temporarily)

    July 31, 2014

    i am a st george student who wants to enroll in a class at scarborough campus. what day can i do that?

    ———————————————

    hey there anonymous st. george student,

    man, i thought this was gonna be easy to answer. it’s such a short question!

    i found out that UTSC students can sign up for UTSG/UTM courses on august 15th at 6am, and UTM students can sign up for UTSC/UTSG courses on the same date, so while i would assume that the same applies to St. George, i can’t say for sure. (of course UTSG had to be the ONE CAMPUS that didn’t specify. sigh.)

    try enrolling in the UTSC course(s) you’re interested in on your start time, just in case. if it doesn’t work, my bet is it opens august 15th at 6am. if anyone knows for sure, please do let us know!

    sorry i couldn’t be of more help. i hope you enjoy all the deer and celebrities filming rural shots in scarborough!

    best,

    aska

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  • UTSC,  wait list

    no more waiting for me!

    July 31, 2014

    Hi ASKA

    My little brother is at UTSC and wants to major in computer science. Except he needs two courses to get into the program and due to a crappy starting time he only managed to get into one. CSCA48H3, Introduction to Computer Science II. But he needs to take  CSCA08H3, Introduction to Computer Science I in the fall semester so he can have it as a pre-requisite for CSCA48H3, in the winter session. He is currently 24 on the waitlist, there are 122 people on the wait list and there are over 150 spots (not sure of the actual number ) in the class. What are my brother’s chances of getting in before the wait list drops? Plus what are the chances of the professor taking an initiative to let him in considering it a first-year course and lots of other people would want in to his/her lecture.
    Thanks.

    Concerned Sis

    ———————————————

    hey there concerned sis,

    the general rule of thumb is that if your spot on the waitlist is within the first 10% of the total people allowed in the course (e.g. you’re numbers 1-10 on a waitlist with 100 people), you have a good chance of getting in.

    if you’re spot 24 on a waitlist of 122, you’re at 19%, which is not great. however, it’s also not terrible, and there’s no harm in staying on the list, especially since your brother can enrol in an extra 0.5 FCEs as backup starting august 15th at 6am (before any UTSG students start to panic, this is the UTSC date. don’t get your timetables in a knot).

    the chances of the professor taking the initiative to let him in? zero. profs aren’t in charge of that. your brother could go and speak to the prof/department in person, but i doubt it would do much good.

    for now, it’s a waiting game.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST,  UTSC

    applying late, testing fate

    July 9, 2014

    Is there a deadline for current students wanting to apply and switch into a limited program, such as Computer Science or New Media? To clarify, if I am in my third or fourth year, is it too late for me to get into one of these programs? I am a 3rd-year student in Mathematics who wants to get into one of these programs. I know I will be held behind by some terms, but I just wanted to know if there’s still a chance.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    based on that exotic program i’ve never heard of, i’m gonna guess you’re a UTSC student? my detective skills are really starting to approach master level with you guys leaving all these SUBTLE HINTS about where you go to school instead of just saying it outright. is it a test, i wonder? should i be getting ready for the final showdown? or are you all running from the law and you don’t wanna reveal your campuses to me? you’re damn miscreants, every single last one of you. i just know it.

    anyway.

    the new media major had a May 1st deadline for its supplemental application this year, so it looks like you missed the boat on that one. also, they specify that “[a]dmission is by competitive application at the end of a student’s first year,” so it’s unlikely that they accept people after second year.

    the deadline to apply for computer science is august 2nd, but the department states that “[s]tudents are admitted to the second year of the program,” which, again, probably indicates that they don’t accept people after second year.

    sometimes, if you beg and bribe and cry-scream into their faces enough (read: call the department and politely explain your situation), it’ll turn out that they’re?willing to consider accepting a handful of students after second-year. obviously it depends on the program, but you’ve got nothing to lose by contacting them (here’re the contacts for computer science and new media).

    good luck and i hope it all works out, chum,

    aska

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  • computer science,  courses,  enrollment,  UTSC

    restricting the people from computers

    June 26, 2014

    Hi Aska,

    Can you help me out?? My brother is starting his first year at Uni in September. He wants to transfer from Physics to Computer Science at UTSC,
    he wants to take all the required first year Computer Science courses during the first year but was worried that the rosi would give priority to?computer science students and he will not be able to get a spot in the required courses. I surfed the UTSC website and I wasn’t able to find out if first year computer science courses have priority. I know you mostly deal with UTSG questions but can you find out if the 4 courses all computer science required in the first year are priority? Thanks

    Helpful Sis

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    good on you for being a helpful sister. one time, i rolled my sister down the stairs when she was a toddler to see what would happen. it was like rolling a watermelon down the stairs.

    as far as i can tell, all comp. sci. POSt require 3.0 A-level FCEs (that’s A-level as in first year, so if any brits are reading, don’t be alarmed), so i’m not too sure which 4 courses you mean. buuut you can see all the enrolment controls for EVERY CSC course right on the timetable. convenient, eh?

    under the ‘restrictions and instructions’ column of the timetable, there are different letters. if a course has a C, that means the course has a restriction. just click on the C and it’ll lead you to this explanation of all the possible restrictions. there’s no mention there of a priority or other restriction for A-level CSC courses, so i think your lil bro will have no problems enrolling.

    best,

    aska

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  • probation,  UTM,  UTSC

    this generation is going to the dogs

    June 2, 2014

    Hi, if I get placed on academic probation from utsc, will a letter be mailed to my house?? I dont want my parents to find out

    ———————————————

    Hi,

    I was wondering if u of t sends a letter of probation to your house. Or do they just tell you by email?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i woke up at 6:30 this morning, all fresh and ready to take on a new day at Askastudent HQ. “what will the bright-eyed, spry, driven youth of uoft ask me today?” i asked, feeling a tingle of anticipation (or possibly a tingle from lack of blood circulation; it’s difficult to tell the difference) at the thought. maybe they’ll ask me how to broaden their opportunities outside the classroom! or perhaps they’ll inquire whether they can help with the growing homeless dog population in toronto!

    i get into work, big smile on my face, sit down at my computer, and what do i find? not one, but TWO questions about how to PULL A FAST ONE on your parents! do kids really do this? just lie to their parents like that? in my day, kids didn’t lie to their parents. in fact, they were so honest that one of my friends snuck out?every night to the forest behind her house to pick wildflowers for her mother. how dedicated is that?

    anyway, as SHOCKED and APPALLED as i am by this blatant lack of respect, this uncalled-for SNEAKINESS may work out for you. according to the UTSC calendar, “[s]tudents who are on academic probation, suspended or refused further registration are emailed” (that’s under the first heading, ‘Grade Reports.'”) at UTM, “[s]tudents whose academic performance has resulted in probation, suspension or refusal of further registration will be notified by e-mail.”

    UTSG students are less fortunate: your probation letters are mailed to your mailing address. tough luck, kids.

    UTM and UTSC students, technology is on your side. for now.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • probation,  UTSC

    probing the rules on probation

    April 24, 2014

    Hi aska,

    So if I’ve attempted 3.0 credits and one of them is a Credit/No credit (so only 2.5 is being assessed for my CPGA), and I still eligible to get put on academic probation?

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    so, yes, UTSC says you need to have attempted 3.0 FCEs in order for your standing to be assessed, but i know how confusing the word “attempted” can be in this context to a student (“what do you mean, attempted? i did the work! i attempted to show up to class on time!” etc. etc.). however, since CR/NCR courses count as degree credit, you’ll still be assessed at the end of this term. just because you have a CR/NCR, that does not exempt you; they’re just going to use your other courses which do have final grades on them to assess your academic standing.

    however, i happen to know that the rules are going to be changing in regards to this very soon on the downtown campus, so it’s probably a good idea for you to call scarborough and see if similar changes are happening there that may impact your situation.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. the person who asked this question said in the subject line of their e-mail that they’re at utsc. i didn’t just, like, randomly assume it, or divine the information with the magical powers i was given at birth. clarity is always helpful is in these situations, friends, so good job to the person who asked the question for helping me help them: you’re not bad, kid. not bad.

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  • residence,  UTSC

    bein’ school-ist to UTSC

    February 28, 2014

    Hello,

    I’m currently a student at UTSC but was looking to do a semester at utsg while also living on res there. When I applied, I didn’t get into utsg so the option of the res isn’t even available on myres. Would I have to transfer and be a utsg student to stay on res there during my semester? Please help me out.

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’ve done a lot of searching around for this question, just ’cause I’ve never had one like it before (you can congratulate yourself on being so unique). unfortunately, despite the awesome uniqueness of the ask, i have to give a kinda disappointing answer.

    i wasn’t able to find any reference to UTSG accommodations for non-UTSG students. even the independent residences seem to only provide residence to students on the downtown campus. i’d suggest trying to get onto the waitlist, but if UTSG residences aren’t appearing on your myres at all, then i don’t know how you might do that.

    if you’re up to spending upwards of $5000 for one semester, you can take a look at these B&Bs available through Uoft’s temporary housing page. although i’ve gotta say, that’s hella expensive, and it makes a whole lot more sense to me to spend, like $1000 or so commuting for the semester, than $5500 living in the city. but hey, it’s totally up to you.

    as for transferring, most undergrad programs can only be transferred into for september, since a lot of our courses are a year long, rather than a semester. i doubt you could pull it off, if i’m being honest.

    so yeah, i couldn’t find much, but i am just a peon in the goliath that is the uoft machine. if you want to make sure there are no other options available, i’d suggest calling housing services at 416-978-8045. that way you can hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

    sorry, i know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but commuting’s not so bad! this morning, i was twenty minutes late to class because my train was delayed, then a crazy person started talking to me while I was trying to buy subway tokens, then my token didn’t work and i had to wait in line for five minutes to buy another one!!!! so you see, it’s not all bad.*

    best,

    aska

    *no, seriously, i’s not always that bad. i just try to be funny on here. am I funny? please love me.

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