• OSAP,  probation

    OSnAP

    June 4, 2017

    Hello again! It’s me the 5th to 6th student (you replied to me using a Gosling Gif!)

    So I’m a little worried about OSAP now. Thanks for clarifying that I can do a 6th year. I was put on OSAP probation bc of my performance in 4th yr and it seems I’m getting to my goal of getting off the probation this year.

    I’m just wondering if i would be put on OSAP probation again because of the line in the new OSAP Academic Progress Form:

    “You can be placed on OSAP probation if you drop below the required course load, or if you do not pass a  sufficient number of credits. Multiple program switches, course drops, withdrawals, multiple repeats of
    a program and/or taking multiple programs may also be considered as unsatisfactory academic progress”

    I’m confused because if I did a 6th year (Undergrad) would that be considered “multiple repeats of a program”?  I thought by fulling the full course load this year would take me off probation but now I’m just confused and scared I’ll lose OSAP eligibility for that 6th yr. It feels like taking a step forward and 3 steps back.

    thanks.

    PS. Wow I’m jealous they made the new forms for this year so much easier. When I had to send my letter in I had to get a counselor to sign it and everything.

    ———————————————

    hello,

    yes! i remember you! thanks for writing again!

    your question was a little loaded so we had to reach out to someone from enrolment services!

    this is what they said: (i’m going to copy and paste it word for word so i don’t mess up the meaning)

    “OSAP generally allows one extra year of funding to complete your degree.  For Undergraduate students that means 5 years in total.  As long as the student hasn’t used up the maximum number of weeks of funding or interest free status: 340 weeks.  This rule doesn’t apply to students with a documented permanent disability.”

    more importantly, we encourage you to talk to a financial counsellor at your college or go to enrolment services to get more information on your unique situation.

    in terms of getting off of probation: your academic progress will be monitored carefully so make sure you pass your courses and meet the academic requirements of your program. again, all the information available on OSAP academic probation is attached with the note: talk to enrolment services! everyone’s situation is unique, so it’s really best if they sit down with you so they have access to your information.

    hope this helped!

    peace and love,

    aska

     

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  • bad times,  gap year,  lost,  petition,  probation,  suspension,  UTM

    you need some good ‘ol r and r

    May 24, 2017

    hello aska,

    i read through a lot of your answers that were tagged with relevant terms, but I still hope I am not repeating someone’s question

    im a utm student about to be put on suspension… last school year i was negligent with my studies and so getting on probation was my fault entirely. this fall semester my marks have been abyssmal (i failed 3 courses) and I know it is my fault too, but there was also a  situation that happened during november (2016) that I could argue affected my marks.

    im not used to persisting to get exemptions or extensions (since ive never had problems that werent at least partially my fault) so I did not do anything about it at the time. now I am wondering if it is worth/possible pursuing or if it is too late. it was stressful and time consuming situation and unfortunately I do not have any official documents regarding the situation, maybe a few witnesses or pictures and onesided attempts to a file report…

    i am just grasping for any straws right now if you cant tell, just looking for a way to return to uni this september. ive read that students improved after a year off but i do not see how I will be able to cope with suspension and the burden of crushed expectations during the forced year off. needing to repay my school loans once im not full time also scares me.

    if my winter semester gpa is a great deal higher than my fall gpa this year is there a chance i could file a petition to return to school in september since I showed improvement?

    im probably hoping you could gauge my chances of returning in september and relay to me some good news ;; although I didnt mention it a lot, I do know how much of the blame for this situation is on me.

    im scared to reflect on it too much so i am trying to keep moving by looking at my options. the only hope I have right now is to ace every single one of my upcoming exams 100%..

    thank you for your time with these answers

    ———————————————

    hello,

    first of all, i’m really friggin’ sorry that i didn’t get to this question in time. sometimes it’s hard to get through everyone’s questions in time for the end of the semester, but we (yes we, i’m not alone in my efforts anymore!) are working our way through them as fast as we can.

    also, thank you for taking the time to see if this question has already been answered. we really appreciate it.

    when you emailed us, you mentioned that you were about to be suspended. i’m assuming that the suspension has now taken effect. again, i wish i could’ve offered you some advice earlier but it really wouldn’t have had much of an effect on your situation.

    so, how do we move forward from this? it sounds like you’ve had a tough year.

    first: i cannot stress this enough. go to your registrar’s office as soon as possible. even though it might seem too late, they may be able to help you file a petition to lift your suspension. please keep in mind that these kinds of petitions are reserved for very special circumstances will only be approved if the committee on standing believes that there were extenuating circumstances affecting your ability to meet the demands of school. your chances of continuing school in september will depend on whether or not your registrar believes there are sufficient grounds to file a petition. don’t lose faith, there is still hope!

    i’m not 100% sure about the timeline/deadlines on these types of petitions since they are very rare, but i would go the registrar’s office as soon as you can.

    regarding asking for extensions from profs: this is definitely hard. it took me a long time to get used to doing it, but you really need to think about it like this: you’ll never know until you ask. at least do the bare minimum and ask. if you don’t feel comfortable with asking for extensions from your profs, registrars are also capable of sending emails on your behalf.

    on the other hand, taking a year off might seem like the worst thing right now, but maybe it’s just what you need. you can get a job doing something you like and work towards paying off your student loans. the time off could be valuable for you in terms of re-evaluating your goals. a year without school might be good for your soul. think about it. a year of no readings, no essays, and no assignments sounds pretty nice tbh. relax and recuperate. it seems like what you went through was a little traumatic to say the least. don’t beat yourself up if you need some time to get back in the groove of things.

    wishing you all the best,

    aska

    *we are always here for you if you need us for (somewhat delayed) support* <3

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  • bad times,  depression,  gap year,  grades,  health,  lost,  probation,  stress

    solidarity sister

    May 4, 2017

    Hi Aska,

    I’ve come to you in the past to ask an important question that you answered spectacularly, and I’m returning to ask yet another question in hopes your answer for this will exceed how great the previous one was. Whereas my last question sent nearly a year ago was excitement and anxiety meshed into one about trying to figure out my second year courses, this one is about giving up those second year courses. Or just giving up period. Idk, basically, I’m in a deep and dark hole that I can’t seem to climb out of.

    I’m a second year student at UTSG, I am in “good academic standing”–not necessarily meaning I’m doing “good,” but the school hasn’t sent me a threatening email about putting me on academic probation, so in that case I’m golden. I have dropped 2.0 FCEs, and am currently about to fail another full year course which I sadly no longer can drop on ACORN according to the 2017 Calendar. (idk i read about talking to my registrar’s office about dropping it, idek pls confirm).

    I’m just in such a rut. I had my life planned out since my first day of senior year in high school, and now I’m barely getting by because I am so unhappy that I’ve been seriously considering professional help to get me through (although I probably won’t because of embarrassment issues). I have no motivation–the path I had planned for myself was a plan I loved, but now I’m so unsure. (I’m an English and History Major btw; was planning on getting my Masters of Teaching from OISE after completing my undergrad and then becoming a teacher. But my marks are too low, let’s face it, so I was planning on getting my Consecutive BEd from YorkU after.)

    What I’m saying is, I need advice. I need a break from life. Because I swear, just a few more weeks or days or hours on campus and I will crack.

    If I end off this year, I’ll only have 2.0 FCE’s fulfilled for my second year. Almost like it didn’t even happen and I just wasted 7K+ on my tuition. Sigh. Can I take a year off? What will happen when I ask to come back after? Can I even ask to come back after? What should I do, Aska? I’m hopeless.

    Sincerely,

    A distressed and mentally drained soul that feels like giving up on everything in the world.

    (aka probably a lot of students that go to UofT)

    Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hello friend,

    thank you so much for reaching out. i wish i could’ve gotten back to you sooner! it has also taken me several hours to craft a response to this so i apologize!

    since the topic of mental health is super super important to discuss, i’m going to try my best not to sound cliche and just be honest about my own experiences and try to give you advice based on what worked for me. (cliche’s are cliche’s for a reason though, so apologies if many are used)

    to preface all of this: i’ve been through exactly what you’re going through, and dude, i feel you. the past four years have not been smooth and i continue to deal with depression and anxiety everyday. it was really awesome of you to reach out about this topic this because it encourages people to talk about it. keeping things bottled up is never a healthy option. i am a firm believer in letting it out. anyways, please know that you’re talking to a kindred spirit and that even though i might not know you personally, i’ve been there.

    transitioning from university is a huge jump and you’re definitely going to be under a lot of pressure. deadlines, commitments, terrible profs, and newfound independence are pretty much a recipe for disaster if coupled with sleep deprivation and lack of general nutrition.

    let’s try to tackle this step by step.

    1. your academic standing and dropping courses: regarding your academic standing, as long as you are still “in good standing”, you are, in your own words, golden. failing a Y course isn’t the end of the world. just make it up in a different semester! in the future, (again, i wish i had gotten back to you sooner) i would recommend that you consider this wonderful thing called LWD (otherwise known as a late withdrawal). i’ve taken advantage of this many a time when i’ve hit rock bottom, and it’s super helpful for times when you know you’re going to fail but you’ve missed the drop deadline. read more about LWD here.
    2. getting help: admitting that you need help is pretty hard to do but it’s the first step to feeling better. i can tell you from personal experience that reaching out to a professional is definitely hard but once you do, you’ll feel so much better and you’ll feel super accomplished. you don’t need to be embarrassed about your mental health. there are more people out there than you think that are going through the same thing. how i got help: i reached out first to my friends who urged me to see a doctor on campus. i made an appointment (really the hardest part) to discuss my mental health with a physician at health and wellness and she referred me to a psychologist. with my doctor and psychologist, we developed a treatment plan to help me gradually feel better. at around the same time, i was missing deadlines, skipping classes, and staying in bed all day. it was really hard for me to come to terms with getting zeroes on assignments so i went to my registrar’s office to ask for help. i will never stop singing praises for my registrar’s office because they’ve helped me in so many ways. my registrar wrote letters to professors for me when i needed to ask for extensions but was too embarrassed to ask. they are also knowledgeable about the various campus resources that are available for students, whether it’s accessibility services or health and wellness. making my profs aware of my condition also yielded some very comforting responses. i had profs who said to me: “please let me know if you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to come talk to me if you ever need someone to talk to”. i even had profs who went above and beyond their role as a professor to make sure i was still caught up with my work by emailing me what i had missed. profs are humans too and chances are, they’ve probably gone through some dark times themselves, but you’ll never know until you reach out to them. if you only get one thing out of this post, i hope i’ve encouraged you to get help. you are not alone in this battle and there are tons of people and resources out there that can help you lessen the weight on your shoulders. trying to crawl out of the dark whole is hard but it’s easier when you have the support of other people.
    3. a change of plans: your life is constantly shifting. every factor in your life is fluid and sometimes it’s really difficult to have a set plan for the future. just look back on your life 2 years ago: how much has changed? did you think you’d be where you are today? you learn new things, try new things, and meet new people everyday, all of which could drastically change your whole life course. while sure, it’s good to set goals for yourself to work towards, don’t sweat it too hard if your goals may need to change. there really isn’t one way to do anything. going on a completely different path doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t end up at the same destination. you could switch your majors, take a gap year, decide you don’t want to go back to school, get certified for teaching languages abroad and end up teaching english in japan! same end goal, different path. it’s not the end of the world if things don’t work out right now because the possibilities are endless. *askastudentstorytime* things have an odd way of working out. i actually wanted to go into the same teaching program at OISE but found out that my grades were too low. i went to the registrar’s office one day to talk about how my grades sucked and i ended up getting a job there a couple of months later. since i started working here, planning for my career has completely changed. i may not ever become a teacher, but i’ve found something else that i also like doing, and you will too!
    4. gap year: if you feel like you’d feel better taking a year off, by all means, do it! your health is your number one priority because a degree is pretty much worthless to you if you end up destroying your soul to procure it. if you do want to take a gap year, don’t enrol in any courses in the semesters that you want off, and the school will get the hint and financially cancel you. if you are an international student, contact the CIE to double check the consequences of going on a gap year with a study permit. don’t worry, nothing bad will happen while you’re gone and you are always welcome to come back and finish your degree at any time. all you’d have to do is to re-register and pay the $25 re-registration fee at your college. see? not so scary!

    you wanted some advice for what to do so here is the tldr version of it all.

    dropping/ failing courses won’t sabotage your whole university career. it happens all the time. next time if you know you’re going to fail but you’ve missed the drop deadline, consider using one of your LWD’s.

    talk to someone/ anyone about your struggles. someone out there will be able to help you or at least relate to your struggles! take advantage of the registrar’s office and the resources available to you on campus.

    goals may change and that’s okay.

    take a gap year if you think your health would benefit from it. a break from school and some time to recuperate might be exactly what you need right now!

    i’m really sorry that you’re going through this and i hope that the summer is a lot less stressful and more enjoyable. bask in the warm sunlight and drink it all in before things get dark and gloomy again. feel free to write again! while i can’t guarantee that i will get back to you in timely fashion, i guarantee that aska will always respond eventually to any emails we receive. thanks for taking the first step to email us. be proud of your efforts.

    i know it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point in your life but i can assure you that it’s there! it’s always easier to walk through a dark tunnel with the help of people who’ve seen the light. idk, i’m trying to come up with a good metaphor but i’m not sure if it’s working.

    …k what i’m trying to say is that you’re not just walking towards nothingness.

    you’re gonna be okay. hang in there.

    peace and lots and lots of love,

    aska

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  • breadth requirements,  failing,  prereqs,  probation

    the consequences of failing a course

    March 21, 2017

    hey,

    I wanted to ask that if I fail a course which I do not need for my program
    of study and have just taken it as a breadth requirement, what will the
    consequence be?
    will I have to retake the course? will I be put on probation? will I be
    kicked out of uni?
    So I just wanna know what exactly will happen since I don’t need it as a
    pre req for my program of study!

    thanks

    ———————————————

    hey,

    great question. since it’s not required for your program, you won’t have to retake the course unless you really wanted to retake THAT specific course. in terms of how many times you can retake the course, you’re allowed to the retake the course as many times as you want until you pass the course (but why would you do that unless you need to). once you receive a passing grade in the course, you won’t be able to retake it to achieve a higher grade without the permission of a registrar.

    if you fail a course, a grade point of 0.0 will be assigned for that course, but you’ll only be put on academic probation if your CGPA is lower than 1.5. academic probation is a whole other story but they have a helpful chart to show you how it works.

    don’t worry, you won’t be kicked out of uni!

    cheers,

    aska

     

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  • other schools (boo!),  probation,  Transferring

    u of t questions only please!

    February 27, 2017

    Hey Aska,

    I’m super worried right now and need your help. I’m currently in first year in U of T and am an architecture student. I have a couple of problems I need to discuss with you guys and please don’t mind the fact that i am about to go on a somewhat emotional rant. So, here’s my story:

    First thing I did in my fall term was that I decided to choose 6 courses for my double major, 4 architecture related and 2 actuarial related, and to add to that, each one was extremely difficult, but I learned that the hard way. Now, apparently 2/6 of the courses were on wait-list and i got in them after 1-2 weeks into the term, so I had to catch up. Initially it was going well until BAM, the course load hit me hard, like a meteor, and I returned that with a punch. however, meteor>punch, so yeah it didn’t go so well. I had to juggle between written assignments, readings (TONS of readings ), quizzes, Practice problems, Problem sets (I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE Problem sets) and practical work and it was a huuuuuuuuuuge mess. I did one thing, left the others, did another thing, left the others and this was technically my routine. After a while, it got so bad that I had to drop one arch course (the practical bit) cause i was being late on my deadlines, and had a discussion with my prof. about my situation. It was only after he said that what I was doing was reckless and super difficult  that I figured out that I was messing up stuff. At the end, I was just trying my best to survive in the courses. My results have come out for Fall term and I really hate myself… (My GPA is 1.4). So in conclusion, I messed up really really really badly and it feels so not good……

    Right now, after a lot of discussion with my parents, siblings, and stuff, I decided that i am going to drop architecture and solely focus on actuarial science. I am planning on transferring to western university doing an actsci course over there that im really interested in. According to western, i need a min of 70% GPA overall and a good first year or semester grade, plus my highschool transcripts. Now, i want to ask is:

    1)I am in my winter semester right now, and planning on starting as first year in western fall semester 2017. I have found out that if I do good on both winter and summer terms that i am taking, i can get increase my GPA to 3+. Can I transfer to western for fall 2017 provided that i am taking a summer term of 2017?

    2) How does the whole transfer thing work anyway, can someone give a brief view on that.

    3) Also, suppose I don’t get accepted in western, can I continue at UOFT provided my GPA increases?

    4) when is the deadline for the transfer application?

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey,

    dude, i got so stressed out just reading this.

    since i am not affiliated with western, i won’t be able to answer any questions about admissions or transferring there (questions 1, 2, and 4). so sorry. my suggestion for you is to contact the school directly with any questions you might have. i technically could do all the research on the western website and link it to you, but i wouldn’t be able to provide any advice aside from what is written on the websites.

    i wish i could answer all of your questions but because it is about another school, i am not clear on their policies and processes. don’t worry, it’s not because we don’t want you to leave, we have your best interests at heart and if leaving is going to benefit you in the long-run, you absolutely should. U of T isn’t going to stop you!

    if you need support from us in your transfer process, i would recommend going to your registrar’s office to discuss your options. they’ll be able to guide you through the process since they do work with students that are transferring out.

    i am, however, able to answer one of your questions!

    3) since your GPA is 1.4, that means you are currently on academic probation, but:

    -if improve your grades up to a CGPA of 1.5 or higher and annual GPA of 1.7 or higher you’ll be back in good standing, meaning that you’ll be able to continue at U of T! 🙂

    -if your grades continue to be lower than a CGPA of 1.5 but your annual GPA is 1.7 or higher, you’ll continue for another year on probation. :/

    -if your grades fall under a CGPA of 1.5 or an annual GPA of 1.7 after one year of already being on academic probation, you will be suspended for one calendar year. 🙁

    get those grades up! i believe in you!

    for more info about how the academic probation thing works, check out the calendar rules on academic standing.

    hope this helped you!

    good luck with the rest of your semester and the summer! don’t feel discouraged by bad grades, it definitely took me a very very long time to figure out how to do “just okay” in school. it’s going to take time and a lot of discipline. keep pushing forward after obstacles gets you down and you’ll find that, in the end, you’ll have the strength to climb up obstacles that you never knew you could climb before! (sounds like a disney song lol)

    peace, love, and solidarity,

    aska

     

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  • CR/NCR,  dropping courses,  late withdrawal,  probation

    always choose the option with the dog

    December 9, 2016

    Hello Aska!

    I’m extremely frustrated and stressed at how much I’ve taken school for granted, so much that I’m now on academic probation! I’m currently taking 4 courses at UTSG and I know for sure I can not pass this one course. So I’m wondering if it’s possible to drop it before the deadline (Nov 6) without it harming my academic standing.

    Please tell me something good.. otherwise I’m quitting life and taking my dog and we are moving to the mountains and becoming mountain people

    ———————————————

    hello,

    first of all, i realize this answer may no longer be relevant, but i hope in the future you’ll direct your more urgent questions to a registrar! as much as i would like to answer everyone’s questions immediately, some questions do take more time to answer and as a result, it’s hard to answer questions in a timely manner.

    nevertheless, i will answer your question now so future students in your situation can benefit! dropping a course before the drop deadline will not have an effect on your academic standing. yippee! i really hope you actually dropped it.

    if you ever miss the drop deadline, you have the following options, to credit/ no credit (or as some people call it, “see-ar, en-see-ar”), or to late withdraw from the course.

    to credit/ no credit (abbreviated as cr/ncr) the course is an option if you are doing poorly in the course and are not sure if you will pass. if you do pass, you’ll receive credit for the course and no grade. if you don’t pass, you won’t receive the credit. keep in mind, this only applies for courses that you don’t need for your program. you can cr/ncr up to 2.0 FCE’s. cr/ ncr deadlines are usually well into the respective semester and are listed in the ‘sessional dates‘ section of the arts and science website.

    to late withdraw (LWD) from a course is for situations in which you think you’ll fail and if you’ve missed the drop deadline and the cr/ncr deadline. it won’t affect your GPA and your transcript will just say LWD.  you can LWD from up to 3.0 FCE’s. you’ll have to go through a LWD with your registrar and discuss what went wrong to prevent it from happening again. the deadline for late withdrawal is on the last day of classes in each respective semester, meaning dec 7th is the last day to LWD from an F course, and april 5th is the last day to LWD from S and Y courses)

    pro-tip: take a look at all the sessional dates and mark the dates for cr/ncr and LWD on your calendar. you never know when those dates will come in handy!

    registrar’s offices always get students saying, “well i didn’t know when the deadline was!” well, tough.

    moral of the story? keep in touch with your registrar’s office when you have an urgent situation. they’re a great help and don’t usually bite.

    giphy-1

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • late withdrawal,  petition,  probation,  registration,  suspension

    chin up

    September 26, 2016

    Hello,

    I was wondering if there are any cases where a student who was refused further registration was allowed back through petitioning?

    In the Jan-Apr 2016 semester, I enrolled in a few courses that I had to eventually drop due to extenuating circumstances. Unfortunately, I had confused the course drop date with the late withdrawal date and ended up having the to late withdraw my courses instead. The problem is I went over the late withdrawal limit and was left with one course that I could not have passed by then. I was on my last academic suspension, thus was refused further registration after having this failed course on my record.

    I immediately filed a petition to have the course removed from by records, but was refused. This was in April. I have been working since then, but I really want to finish my degree. Since my second suspension, my grades have been slowly improving, though not enough to take me out of academic probation. I am eight courses short of completion and to fail now because of a careless mistake, not poor grades, is regrettable. I have been trying so hard to improve. I’ve been on suspension so many times, but I keep coming back because even though I am not a very good student, I am serious about getting my degree.

    I have been talking to an academic advisor since my first suspension way back when. She’d helped me with my latest petition too, but after it was refused, I emailed her several times, including one last week, but no response. Maybe she is on holiday. Or maybe she has no obligation to talk to someone who is not a student? Is that possible?

    Are there any stories of people actually coming back from a refusal? What do you think of my situation? Also, when I was suspended for 36 months, I actually made a petition for an early return and was approved. The approval message included a line that said that this would be the only time something like this will be approved; the same type of petition will not be approved a second time. If I appeal this time, would it be a different type of petition?

    Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

    ———————————————

    hello there!

    first of all, i want to commend you for your unrelenting determination in completing your degree. i would give anything to be as determined as you!

    that being said, i wish i had better news for you.

    given the fact that you have been suspended multiple times, it’s very unlikely that the university will let you re-register. due to the unique nature of your question, i actually consulted a registrar and was told that petitioning after being refused further registration was possible, but extremely rare.

    ‘refused further registration‘ is as clear as it gets.

    if you are dead set on trying to come back (again, good for you), my advice for you is to try contacting your college’s registrar’s office. i understand that your advisor may not be responding to your emails, but if you contact the office directly, they might be able to do something for you, whether it’s helping you pursue your petition, or looking for alternate options.

    since it is a busy time of year, some registrar’s offices get backed up with too many emails from incoming students, so it may help to go visit them in person. generally, offices tend to help those who come in person first over those on the phone or those who email.

    i’m assuming that petitioning refused further registration will be a different petition because it’s making an appeal for a different rule at the university, but again, your registrar will have a better idea of how the petition process works.

    if you aren’t able to come back to school, you might want to consider applying elsewhere. you never know, another university or college may have a different acceptance standards.

    have i ever heard of anyone coming back from being refused further registration? no, but that’s not because it’s never happened before, it’s only because that in my short time as aska, i’ve never met anyone who has been refused further registration.

    in terms of my own opinion, i think it’s great that you’ve been working during your suspension and being productive. i hope that you’ve found something that you enjoy doing! maybe further employment and pursuing your career is the way to go! it certainly is cheaper than completing a degree! don’t be discouraged, you said that your grades had been steadily improving. do not forget about that progress. your determination alone will get you very far.

    aska believes in you.

    and frankly, i’m excited to see how your life unfolds. drop us a line sometime and keep us updated on your situation!

    cheers,

    aska

     

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  • bad times,  probation,  suspension,  UTM

    just keep swimming

    July 6, 2016

    Hi Aska,
    How are you?
    I have recently been suspended from UTM (I have a CGPA of 1.41) and I tried summer school and ultimately disappointed myself and my parents (they work very hard for me yet I could not do such a simple task) SO now I have a year off and I have this unruly fear that if I stay out of UTM for too long I am gonna lose whatever drive I have to study (and based off my gpa, not
    so much). I just do not want to come back to UTM after a year and make the same mistakes. I am totally aware of my mistakes and I demand redemption next year.

    tl;dr Im suspended for a year and I dont want to lose my drive to study. How do I maintain an academic mindset?

    Thank you so much and you are forever appreciated in my heart!

    ———————————————

    hello!

    i’m doing pretty good, thanks for asking!

    firstly, school is hard. don’t feel discouraged if you’re struggling. so you had a minor setback – it’s okay. you are not alone and you have a lot of support at UTM.

    the number one piece of advice we have for you is to keep in contact with your registrars because they are there to advise you in all your academic endeavours. sit down with your registrar to formulate a good plan for your undergrad. ask yourself if you truly enjoy what you are studying. if not, consider switching programs. since you seem to have trouble staying motivated, regular check-ins with the registrar will be extremely valuable for you so you can be held accountable and be less likely to slack off.

    furthermore, there are a number of academic resources available at UTM including workshops and skills development sessions. they are designed to help students develop better study habits and i’m sure they’ll be very helpful.

    some other pieces of general advice i would offer are:

    1. don’t be too hard on yourself because you can’t win them all. in the grand scheme of your life, this will only seem like a minor setback. don’t let this discourage you and bring you down.
    2. acknowledge small victories. if you finish a chapter of reading or get through a day of class, reward yourself with a treat. little progress is still better than none at all.
    3. set goals. lists are very useful when setting goals because there is a certain kind of satisfaction that comes from checking something off your list. set realistic goals like, “today i will put on pants” or ” i will attend all classes this week.”

    and there are obviously other things like exercising regularly that you could try. some people claim that you ACTUALLY feel better after exercising and you don’t actually feel like you’ve been run over by a train, but that’s just my opinion.

    during your year off, i would encourage you to try reviewing some of the course material from your first year to practice good study habits. it might seem pointless since you’ve already gotten your grades back, but at the end of the day, you’ll feel a lot more confident and prepared to tackle your second year if you feel like you know your first year material very well. use the time that you have to better your habits, and you’ll see results in the new year.

    random inspirational tidbits:

    alfred pennyworth: why do we fall sir? so that we can learn to pick ourselves up. – the dark knight rises

    THIS VIDEO is probably one of the most inspirational videos i’ve ever seen in my life. i think it’s a lot more inspirational than dj khaled.

    but nonetheless, i appreciate you too.

    good luck on getting back into the groove, we here at askastudent believe in you! may the force be with you.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • probation

    academic probe ay shun

    June 14, 2016

    hi there, i have finished my fall/winter term for first year with 4.5 credits. i already know that my gap will not reach 1.5. does that mean i am probation or am i suspended. if i take classes in the summer term, does my gap for the there course I’m taking have to be above 1.5 or do i have to also consider my course i took in the fall/winter and then my new gap would be the summer+fall/winter?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if your GPA was below a 1.5 in this fall/winter, then you would be on academic probation during the next term you took classes (be that Summer or Fall/Winter). you would need to get your CGPA above a 1.5 in the next term you are in school (for you, that would be this summer, assuming you do end up taking summer courses). if you did not manage to do that, you would be suspended from school for one calendar year in the following term.

    if any of this doesn’t make sense, try reading it again, slowly – it’s actually a pretty simple policy, there’s just no way to explain it without making it sound DARN PUZZLING. and if you have more questions, do make sure to e-mail us back with them. there’s nothing i love more than LOTS AND LOTS OF E-MAILS.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • gap year,  probation

    the break you’ve always wanted

    June 3, 2016

    Hi! I was wondering if I can take a gap year while I’m on academic probation? I’m pretty sure I’ll fail my course or the exam I’m taking tomorrow which will put me into academic probation for sure (my other marks aren’t outstanding). I know I sound all breezy and relaxed but I’m really struggling internally. I’m just not motivated for uni at all. It’s not that I don’t want to try or succeed, I really do but I can’t focus and I think a need a year off to find what I really want to do and study

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    in fact, this is a GREAT time to take a break. everything you mentioned are all valid and important signs that maybe it is time to slow down. and you know what, it looks (and feels) much better to take a year off of your own volition than to be forced to take a year off once you’re put on suspension.

    you don’t have to do anything if you want to take a year off. just don’t sign up for courses and your fees will be cancelled. when you come back, whenever that is, you would return on probation and have the duration of that term to get your marks CGPA above a 1.5 in order to return to good standing.

    you can always talk this kind of thing over with an advisor at your college registrar’s office if you want some more feedback, but if you think this is the right thing to do, then go for it!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • probation,  subject POST

    school is great except the school part

    June 2, 2016

    My first year at UofTSG was amazing…except for the marks. I failed one credit and now I only have 3.5 credits to end the year off with. To make things worse, I missed the summer school deadline. Does this mean I continue first year a second time? Would I be on academic probation? If I get that 0.5 credit in my first semester of second year, can I apply for my subject posts again? And would I still be able to graduate in four years?!?! Thank you!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you would only be on academic probation if your GPA falls below 1.5. keep an eye on your ACORN account for updates on that. CGPA has been calculated by this point, so you should know for sure now. if you are put on probation, you have one term (either Summer or Fall/Winter, whichever one comes first for you) to get your CGPA back above a 1.5 in order to continue in good standing. otherwise, you would be suspended in the following term.

    if you do finish with 3.5 credits, then yes, you would be considered a first year student until the end of the next term in which you complete 4.0 credits (either Summer or Fall/Winter). that doesn’t mean much, practically speaking, except that signing up for subject POSts and courses will be a little bit different for you.

    you would not be required to sign up for POSts this summer and would have to wait until the following April-September period. unfortunately, you can’t just sign up for POSts as soon as you hit 4.0 credits, whenever that happens during the year. it’s kind of like unlocking a level of Candy Crush when you’re really cheap; you have to wait 24 hours between quests, you can’t just blow through levels as soon as you complete them.

    finally, yes, you can still graduate in four years; praise be. you will have to take courses in the summer or a few extra courses during your future Fall/Winter terms to manage it, but it’s doable. that being said, taking an extra year or semester is not the end of the world. try not to worry about that right now. just take it one step at a time, and you’ll be at graduation, panicking about getting a job and finding a place to live, before you know it.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • grades,  partying,  probation

    GPA slave

    March 23, 2016

    Hi Aka,
    Long words in short, I’ve been here in Toronto for so long and never feel too sure academically of myself.Now I’m in my last term of 2nd year, bearing a repeat probation and the feeling of falling down the cliff is comingback again. For this time my midterms are done so poorly that I’m now writing to my registrar’s to see if switchingto part time is a wise option. But I feel like I’ve been delaying so long that I nearly lost all my acquaintances and evenmy roommate is going away to do a super fancy internship in California. My discipline is also a limited one, I also haven’tseen the possibility of switching to another major, feeling my graduation is just further that way. Is there really a way torisk and get a good-looking final mark even though my midterms are really fucked up?
    Slave of GPA

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    we’re in crunch time now. exams are about to smack everyone in the face, much sooner than anyone expects, i’m sure. if i were you, my immediate strategy would be to focus on passing my classes and getting above that 1.50 CGPA that you need to get off probation.

    cancrushed

    crunch time at uoft.

    that means you need to: put everything else aside (except food and sleep) and focus on studying. go to review sessions if they’re available. read the textbook(s). do practice questions. whatever you need to do. if you need to LWD a course/courses, start planning for that now – touch base with your registrar’s office, maybe set up an appointment with them, etc.

    after that’s out of the way and you have a little bit of time to breathe, then you can start thinking about your long-term plans. maybe you need to re-evaluate whether university is really for you. maybe part-time courses are, in fact, the best option for you; talking to your registrar’s office about that is a wonderful step in the right direction. if you’re feeling that you don’t like your current program and you don’t really like any of the other programs uoft has to offer, though, then maybe uoft isn’t for you.

    maybe that’s a signal to start looking into other universities, colleges, or jobs. what career paths are you excited about? or, if you find you can’t bring yourself to feel excited about anything in particular, is there some path that is presenting itself to you right now, that you could be qualified for?

    or, if you’re really set on staying at school, then it’s a good idea to come up with some concrete steps to improve your performance in class. commit to seeking extra help, either from a private tutor, TA/prof office hours, the academic success centre, the writing centre at your college…there are lots and lots of options, depending on what you need. your registrar’s office is a great place to discuss those options and see where you can get the help you need to succeed.

    finally, just a note: you say you feel like you’re delaying and therefore losing friends, opportunities, etc. i don’t mean to say that the situation you’re in isn’t an unpleasant one, or that you don’t need to figure out your academic situation. however, i do just want to give you a gentle reminder that just because you’re going through a tough time, doesn’t mean you’re falling behind. as long as you end up where you want to be, then it doesn’t matter how long you take to get there. focus on you. you’ll get there.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • probation

    it takes a lot to get kicked out of here

    February 16, 2016

    Hi, I got my notice of probation during the fall semester of 2015. And my GPA did not improve, I haven’t spoken to anyone about whats going on, mainly because I am incredibly embarrassed and don’t want to talk about it. I just know that I am on a 1 year suspension because I cannot access my personal timetable for this upcoming semester, it says to contact the registrar. Please help, I do not know how suspension works.
    1. I would like to know if it has started as of now and if I will get a notice, or am I supposed to know that I am on suspension because I cannot access my personal timetable on rosi2. If I am interested in returning to uoft after the suspension, what is that process like? Will I have to go through an interview or something along the lines of proving that I might do better? And has there been cases of not being allowed to return? I am stressing out because I am scared my gpa and my whole academic record will prevent me from returning after my suspension.
    I think that this is an awesome forum 🙂 and i look forward to having my questions answered. thank you.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    1. you are not on suspension yet. assuming you’re at the faculty of arts & science on the downtown campus, academic standing is not assessed until the end of each term. right now, that’s the fall/winter term, which begins in September and ends in April. that means that you’ve got almost two months before you’re assessed once more, and are either designated as in good standing or on probation.
    2. if your GPA remains below a 1.7 after your final marks come in in April, then you will be put on suspension. if this is your first suspension, it will be a 1-year suspension. after 1 year, you’re allowed to return on probation – no interview needed. if your semester on probation after returning culminates in a GPA above 1.7, then you’ll be able to continue in good standing. if you finish the semester with a GPA below 1.7, you’ll be put on a 3-year suspension. repeat that process one more time, and if you still can’t get above a 1.7, THEN you may be refused from further registration. but as you can see, there are a lot of steps before that actually happens.

    i hope this helps. i know it might be confusing to sort through all this information, but the important thing to remember is: your status doesn’t change until April. you have about seven weeks to turn this around. talk to your registrar, the academic success centre, math aid or your writing centre – wherever you need to go to get the help you need to succeed. you can do this.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. regardless of academic status, you should be able to access ACORN/ROSI. if you can’t, i would ask for help with that at the helpdesk at robarts library.

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