Hi i had a question about academic probation at utm. The past year ive had a lot of personal problems which has been impacting me quite a lot and becuase of it my school work was being affected. I am currently on academic probation with a gpa of 1.07. Do you think it would be possible to bring it up to 1.7 by the end of the semseter? i am currently taking 1.5 courses fall courses and have an average of about 65 in all of them. Do you think i can avoid being suspended and bringing up my gpa? help!

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hey there,

two things:

1. i have no way of knowing whether you can bring up your average. even assuming that you finish the semester with a 65% average (which is not guaranteed), i don’t know how many courses you’ve taken so far, so i have no way of calculating, hypothetically, how 1.5 credits will impact your CGPA. i think that you’re doing well so far if you’re getting a 65% across the board, but you’re going to have to calculate your own hypotheticals. if you need a little bit of help with that, i would highly recommend this GPA calculator kindly provided by UTSC.
2. however, the most important thing to remember is that your suspension will be reevalued at the end of term, not the end of the semester – that’s in April, not December. so regardless of what happens now, you have a little bit more time to get your GPA up. so keep up the good work into next semester, and remember to check in with your registrar’s office, TA’s/instructors, or the many academic resources available to you.

good luck! may the new year bring you good vibes and great marks.

cheers,

aska

Hey, I’m in a really bad situation. I just completed first year and I’m on academic probation. I failed a course in? the winter term and then took it in the summer and failed it again. I need this course for my program though. What do I do?

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hey there,

i know you’re probably feeling stressed right now. you’re probably thinking that everything is going downhill, that you can’t catch a break, and other gently empathetic Canadian colloquialisms (your…poutine is…soggy? you’ve reached your last moose? why don’t we have more explicitly Canadian phrases about disappointment?).

however, i would urge you not to think about this as a failure (to put it into harsher words).

being on probation is not failing. even failing a class is not failing*.

a much more accurate way of looking at it, i think, is as a crossroads. you have reached a point in your life when you’re being asked to make a decision that will impact the quality of your life.

the smartest thing you can do is use your probation as a time to reflect and make a decision that will be the best for you and the life you want to live *cue inspirational music stolen from the Eat, Pray, Love movie*

so, you have a few options:

1. you can retake the course. since you haven’t passed the course, you can add it yourself on ACORN.

if you decide to do this, it’s probably a good idea to look into some services at the university that can help you pass the course. your college writing centre, any of the university’s math aid centres, and the various resources and programs available at the academic success centre may be helpful to you.

and then there’s the standard stuff that’s just good practice if you want to avoid taking the course a fourth time: attend lectures/tutorials consistently, go to your instructor’s/T.A.’s office hours with questions or for feedback, do your reading ahead of time or do practice questions on a regular basis (as the course dictates), and, for the love of all that is good and right, don’t sleep through your exam.

2. you can not retake the course and start looking into different programs.

if this course is a prerequisite for a program, that means that there’s a lot more of whatever-the-failed-course-is coming your way. think about whether you actually want that.

do you want to dedicate your entire academic career to something you find so difficult? how much do you enjoy the course content? do you find the work you put into it worthwhile? is it rewarding? these are all things you should think about seriously before deciding you want to retake the course a third time.

academic probation is an opportunity to reflect on your experiences

3. you can think about taking a break from school.

this is going to depend on a lot of things i don’t know about you – how the rest of your academic history looks, whether you have any external circumstances affecting your ability to commit yourself to school, whether you have the means to take a year off (to work, recuperate, etc.).

however, i think it’s always something to think about. you should never be at university out of habit. you should only ever be here because you 100%, really want to be here.

regardless of what you decide, i HIGHLY RECOMMEND you talk with your registrar’s office about it before making a decision. you know when i’m being serious because i used all caps. see that up there? that’s all caps.

all the very best,

aska

* i mean, it?is.?technically speaking. but i’m talking about the bigger picture, y’know?

So, things went kinda bad for me last year, I ended up dropping a couple?courses and landed on academic probation. I know you’re only allowed to?take 3.0 credits on probation, but my question is, will there be any?consequence if I don’t stick to the 1.5 each semester suggestion? I know?the suggestion is to ease stress and make it easier to do well in the?courses so you can get off probation, but three of the 0.5 credit courses I?want to take are only available in first semester, along with the one 1.0?credit course I would be taking all year and one 0.5 credit course in?second semester. Will I be blocked from doing that? Or will me academic?adviser just discourage it? Because I really see no other way.

Thanks so much.

???????????????

hey there,

either i’ve missed something major, or you?have, because i can’t find any rule – on any of the three campuses – that says you can only take 3.0 credits/year while on probation.

on the downtown campus, the maximum number of courses you can take per semester is five (see “Academic Standing“). at UTSC, the limit is four per semester.

i can’t figure out what the limit is at UTM – it seems like it’s 5.0 per year but they’ve got some finicky wording going on that’s confusing me. in any case, i don’t see anywhere that the limit is 3.0.

so either you’re just MAKING STUFF UP, or you’re WRONG, OR this is a special circumstance that falls outside the regular rules.

i’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and assume the latter: if?your course restrictions are part of a special limitation from your?faculty that is specific to you, then there’s not much advice i can give you. your college/faculty registrar’s office has gotta be much more dialled in about your situation?than i am – so you’d better talk to them about it.?and if they do advise you against a lopsided?course load, then?listen to them, for goodness’ sake.

if you DON’T have any special limitations,?then you’re just wrong. haha. (but seriously, double-check the probation course regulations on your faculty/campus).

good luck with it,

aska

I’m thinking of returning to U of T now that my three-year suspension has ended, but as I did so poorly before, I’m trying to figure out how far I’ll be able to progress in the future! I’m a second year student (8 credits) with a 1.22 cumulative GPA, and while I believe I can bring it up, I fiddled around with this calculator (http://gpacalculator.net/how-to-raise-gpa/) and it seems that even if I were to average a 4.0 from now on (positive thinking!), it would be difficult to raise my CGPA just to 3.0 (and that’s the best case scenario).

How important is your CGPA (at least your early CGPA) down the road? Does U of T’s grad school typically look at your entire academic history, or are the last two years their main focus? I’m thinking ahead and wondering if I might want to go to U of T’s cinema studies grad programme for an M.A., but the page (http://sites.utoronto.ca/cinema/MAprogram.html) says “Minimum” *B+* standing, demonstrated by an average grade in the final year, or over senior courses”. Does this mean B+/3.33ish as an annual GPA or as a CGPA? And even if I do meet the minimum requirements, will they take one look at my terrible early academic history and run away screaming???

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hey there,

it’s not often i get to give out good news on this website, you know. some say it’s turned me into a bitter, hateful old witch, but i think it’s spawned my own special brand of offbeat charm.

regardless, it’s times like this, when i actually get to give good news, that i particularly cherish. they’re little gems of hope in a river of let-downs and disappointments.

that quote you pulled means that cinema studies will only be looking at your ‘senior courses’ i.e. mainly 400-level courses to make admissions decisions for the M.A. program. for most people, that translates strictly to your final year (and maybe parts of your third year). which is great news! finally!

yes, after a 3-year suspension, it must be daunting to get back up on your feet and once more tackle the beast that is academia. however, if you can muster a really exceptional average for your last year, then you’ve got a real chance for that master’s program. i doubt they will look at your first two years, but even if they do, they will be encouraged by the massive improvement that you’ve made.

so don’t worry about your first year. it will not be the death knell of your grad school application. as long as you work hard and strive to do better in your senior years, that’s all you need.

remember to take advantage of the writing centre and your TAs’/profs’ office hours to make the very best of your courses. your registrar’s office is also always available for any bumps in the road.

in sum: YOU CAN DO THIS! JUST DO IT! I BELIEVE IN YOU! ANY OTHER CLICHED (BUT GENUINE AND HEARTFELT) ENCOURAGEMENT YOU CAN THINK OF!

cheers,

aska

P.S. GPA scales work slightly differently from university to university, so if you’re going to be using a GPA calculator, you may as well use the one actually created by uoft itself.

During this semester I fell under a 1.5, just barely. I was reading through how probation and suspension work and I’m very confused about one thing. It says one’s standing is addressed at the end of each term. I, however, am international and will not be able to participate in the summer session due to family circumstances. Will my standing be addressed at the end of the Summer session even if I do not participate? I would imagine not, but the way the university site words it doesn’t really clear this up.

Thank-you for any help you can offer.

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hey there,

that’s a very good question. it’s always best to ask about these things if the wording is confusing to you (and goodness knows, uoft jargon is often confusing).

however, if you do not attempt ANY credits in the summer session, then your standing won’t be assessed. your standing is only assessed in any sessions where you took at least 0.5 credits with a grade attached to them.

so if you CR/NCR every course you took in a session, for example, or if you don’t take any courses at all, your academic standing WILL NOT be assessed. your academic standing will just remain the same.

cheers,

aska

Hi! So I am a little worried as to how this works but, it says that if you have ATTEMPTED 4.0 credits and received a CGPA of 1.5 or less, you will be placed on academic probation. However, I took about 4.5 credits at the beginning of the year, and I ended up dropping two 0.5 credits, resulting in only having 3.5 credits. Will I still be placed on probation if my CGPA is less than 1.5? Thanks!

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hey there,

so, the rule used to be that your academic standing was assessed after you attempted 4.0 credits, but that rule changed recently. starting Fall 2014, your academic standing started being assessed after any term in which you receive a final standing (i.e. a grade) in at least 0.5 credits.

so unless you credit/no-credited every single course you took, your academic standing for Fall/Winter 2014-2015 will be assessed and you’ll be placed on academic probation if your CGPA is below a 1.5.

just remember: probation is not the end of the world, and as long as you can get your CGPA above a 1.50 in the term you’re on probation, you’ll be back on track.

good luck!

aska

P.S. this is all assuming you’re a UTSG student because WHY would the campuses ever CONSIDER unifying their rules about these things when they can make really finicky regulations that are all different from each other. lol.

Hey aska,
I’m concerned that my gpa from this semester won’t be so great, but my courses next semester are more my speed and should boost it. If I fall below the 1.5 gpa this semester, but bring my gpa back by the end of the year, will I still be in poor academic standing?

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hey there,

i don’t often say this, but?good question. and the answer is: no. academic standing (in the faculty of arts & science at utsg) is determined at the end of a term, and here, there are only two terms: summer and fall/winter. so the next time your academic standing will be determined is in april. at that point, if your CGPA is below a 1.50, you’ll be put on academic probation. otherwise, you’ll be in good standing.

so you’ve got FOUR MONTHS to redeem myself. best of luck to you, fellow soldier.

cheers,

aska

hey
so last year i failed two courses and they were the only ones i was taking. i have assumed that i am on academic probation, however i was never notified that i am on academic probation. what does this mean? does this mean that since i never received a credit for either course that it doesn’t warrant probation? i’m currently successfully enrolled in a bunch of courses. i don’t understand what is going on.
cheers x

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hey there,

i’m thinking you’re probably on academic probation (you’re allowed to be enrolled in courses when you’re on probation).

however, the rules related to determining academic standing have changed recently in the faculty of arts & science, and they’re different in different uoft faculties and between the three campuses, and since you didn’t give me ANNNYYYYY context about where you’re from, there are a whole bunch of factors which mean that you may or may not currently be on probation.

you know what the best thing to do would be? can you guess it? can you guess what i’m about to say?

……………………

yep! you guessed it! go and have a nice chat with your registrar’s office. i would link to where your registrar’s office is located and a handy phone number you can reach them at, but i don’t know where you go to school. so. just use this, i guess.

best,

aska