• admissions,  english,  scholarships/bursaries

    i just want money for my academic achievements is that too much to ask

    Hi! I received 95 and above in grade 12 english this summer is there any scholarships available at u of t for english? Also I’ve been told they don’t count it when its done in the summer…

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you can take a look at all the awards offered by the department of english here, though i don’t think the fact that you got a 95% in english will be relevant for any of them (kudos, though). looks like they’re all based on achievements in english courses at uoft.

    if you’d like to apply for any scholarships based on your high school achievements, you may want to look into entrance scholarships offered by the university. or you can go searching out in the wild west of external scholarships. prepare yourself, though. they can get pretty wacky.

    finally, if you take high school courses in summer school, they will be counted towards admission.

    cheers,

    aska

  • admissions,  scholarships/bursaries,  victoria

    an issue of timing

    So, I got the President’s Entrance Scholarship last week which was awesome 😀 (I’m super duper glad) and a friend of mine got it a day before me. However, we’re a bit confused because a lot of other people received their scholarship along with their admission letter. We got ours several weeks after our admission letters came in. Another puzzling point is that it says on the website that average of admissions is what they look at, yet we got our admission before our midterms and got the letter after our midterms. What is going on? We were also wondering if we got any money from our college (both of us are at Vic). How will we know and when will we be informed? My other friends who already received everything said that they got the email from Vic a week after the scholarship letter. What on earth do they do over at registrar to give out these scholarships? We’re so confuzzled, help us aska!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m in a counting kinda mood today, so i’m just gonna go ahead and number all your questions/concerns, because there’s rather a lot.

    1. why did you get your scholarship letter when you did?

    the university can’t do everything at once! it might not look it, but the people working at the university are only human.* also, admissions explains that “the decision is sent either in the offer of admission or under separate cover” – so it’s not a big deal if your scholarship didn’t come with your offer of admission. as long as you got the notification, then you’re getting the scholarship, same as all your friends.

    2. why did you get your admission offer when you did?

    do you mean that you received your admission letter before midterms, and your scholarship letter after them? again, it just takes time to do these things. if you didn’t get them all together, that’s not significant to you or your studies.

    the reason you got an offer of admission so early is because it was a conditional offer; the conditional offers are reviewed in July and made final for students whose final transcripts meet the conditions of admission.

    3. will you get any scholarships from vic/how will you know?

    that’s up to vic to decide. they say here that students “will receive notification of the award with their offer of admission from the University of Toronto,” so if you’ve received your offer of admission, but you didn’t get anything from victoria college, then you probably haven’t got a scholarship from them, unfortunately.

    all in all, everything looks like it’s going as it should be! just keep an eye on your Join UofT account and your physical mailbox, and you should be all set. if you’d like to make sure everything in the process is continuing on smoothly and correctly, read over this checklist. and i’m always here to answer any other questions you may have!

    cheers,

    aska

    *will smith trying to act in a serious way is probably one of my top 10 favourite things. if you ever want to woo aska for free uoft keychains or something, take me to a will smith action movie. oh man. what a riot.

  • scholarships/bursaries,  victoria

    some good news for a change

    Hey, aska!

    This is going to be a scholarship question…

    I received my letter telling me that I’m a UofT Scholar, which comes with a $5000 award. I also got an email from Victoria College informing me of a $3500 scholarship from the college. Does this mean I get the combined sum in total? Or is one counted as part of the other? The FAQs on the website weren’t clear enough.

    Thanks!
    P.S. Can’t wait for the next season of GoT!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    wow, this is a great question to be able to answer. according to vic’s handy FAQ, the college scholarship can be held along with other uoft scholarships. meaning you should be in for $8500 in financial aid. you excited? you should be! i’m seriously psyched for you, and i don’t even know you. congrats!

    P.S. i’m glad you’re excited about GoT. i’m excited. everyone should be excited. i hope everyone who reads this decides to start watching it and i can graduate knowing that i’ve made a positive impact on the uoft community.

    P.P.S. also, I know this should go without saying, but you’ll only get the $3500 from Vic if you actually choose to attend Vic. I know that seems obvious, but I’ve learned to cover all my bases on here. cheers.

     

  • scholarships/bursaries

    is free money worth it, he asks

    So I’m apply to U of T and they’ve been telling me to fill out this awards profile to be eligible for certain scholarships. The thing is, all these scholarships that it would make me eligible for require like a 90-95 average to be considered, which I’m sadly not going to get. So, is it worth my time to spend a few hours filling this thing out if I’m fairly certain I’m not going to get these scholarships? Will admissions look at me and see that I haven’t done it and think less of me? Will it affect my chances of getting in at all? Will the Leafs win the cup this year?
    Thanks loads

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you’re like definitely sure you’re not going to have over a 90% average, then i think not applying is a sensible decision. admissions definitely won’t think less of you, and it won’t impact their admission decision – it’s just for your own benefit.

    but you know what, it does only take a few hours, and most of uoft’s scholarships aren’t entirely based on academics, so if you have the time, may as well fill out an application, right? the worst that could happen is that you don’t get free money. plus, the year’s not over yet, and you could surprise yourself with your marks.

    leafs…that’s hockey, right?

    best,

    aska

    P.S. my MAN FRIEND has informed me that there is not a chance in hell the leafs will win. soz.

  • admissions,  colleges,  computer science,  international students,  meal plans,  residence,  scholarships/bursaries,  woodsworth

    the longest question ever submitted to askastudent

    Hi there!
    I’m just currently trying to get my stuff together for applying to different universities and I just had some questions and things I need to confirm. I’m currently in Grade 12 in Edmonton, Alberta and I want to get into Computer Science at Saint George.
    Firstly, I would like to eventually end up in the Software Engineering stream and I just wanted to make sure that this stream is under Computer Science and not engineering or its own department (different universities does this differently and I just need to make sure I’m applying for the right thing).
    Secondly, With the application process, if I were to apply right now, but my marks increase in the future could I update the marks?
    Thirdly, With Computer Science, do I need to submit my Math 30 mark or can I just submit my Calculus mark and skip over math?
    Fourthly, how do I go about getting my official transcripts to you? Is this an automatic process or would I have to talk to my school administrators?
    Fifthly, speaking of marks and transcripts, I know some Universities will look at your grade 11 mark if you are currently not finished a prerequisite, is this true at U of T? Also, is the application average calculated by taking the required courses then taking the highest courses on the transcript or is it based on submitted courses?
    Sixly, Okay I know you guys are probably sick of these questions about Colleges so I apologize beforehand. Anyways I just wanted to know how much being affiliated with a college really matter? Such as, would belonging to University College or Saint Mike’s over New College have an affect on future job prospects or grad school applications? (Basically how much does the prestige of a college matter).
    Sevenly (okay this numbering system is starting to sound ridiculous), what is the cutoff for Trinity College? I am afraid of putting Trinity as my first choice because I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of getting into Victoria, Innis or Woodsworth. Speaking of Woodsworth, as Woodsworth doesn’t come with a meal plan so what alternatives are there? Also I heard somewhere that Woodsworth won’t consider you if you don’t put them down as your first choice, is this true?
    8ly, Would getting a single room hinder on my social life, I’m worried that if I get a single room then I won’t be able to connect with as many people.
    9*10^0-ly, how much support is there for first years, I know this probably varies from college to college but just generally speaking are there a lot of support options? I have never been in Toronto so I would imagine I would be pretty lost without it.
    My highest marks as they currently stand: [information redacted for privacy purposes]
    Finally with this information what do you think my chances of getting into Computer Science and into Trinity are?
    And as a little side request, do you happen to know where I might find like a side by side comparison of the colleges? As well as where I might find scholarship information?
    Anyways thank you very much for taking the time to read this. This would definitely clear up somethings for me. I look forward to hearing from you!
    Best Regards.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    congratulations man, you win the award for longest question ever received on askastudent. i’m impressed that you wrote all this out, seriously. meanwhile, i’m sitting here trying not to dribble egg salad on myself. it’s a wonderful thing uoft does to you.

    i’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m gonna answer all of your questions briefly here, and i’m gonna refer you to our (NEW AND EXPANDED WOW) FAQ to answer some of the more general questions about colleges, living in residence, etc more extensively. sound good? good.

    let’s get to these questions.

    ———————————————

    Hi there!
    I’m just currently trying to get my stuff together for applying to different universities and I just had some questions and things I need to confirm. I’m currently in Grade 12 in Edmonton, Alberta and I want to get into Computer Science at Saint George.

    Firstly, I would like to eventually end up in the Software Engineering stream and I just wanted to make sure that this stream is under Computer Science and not engineering or its own department (different universities does this differently and I just need to make sure I’m applying for the right thing).

    –> Software engineering does not exist as a separate stream at the downtown campus. UTSC’s computer science program offers a software engineering stream.

    Secondly, With the application process, if I were to apply right now, but my marks increase in the future could I update the marks?

    –> The final marks that the university looks at are your mid-May marks. Your school should be able to update these, and if not, you should be able to do so through OUAC. (If you have any trouble with this, contact OUAC directly.)

    Thirdly, With Computer Science, do I need to submit my Math 30 mark or can I just submit my Calculus mark and skip over math?

    –> Calculus and Vectors and Advanced Functions are both required

    Fourthly, how do I go about getting my official transcripts to you? Is this an automatic process or would I have to talk to my school administrators?

    –> Talk to your school about it! They should be able to help you out. Otherwise, see if you can apply through the OUAC 105 form, which is for out-of-Ontario students.

    Fifthly, speaking of marks and transcripts, I know some Universities will look at your grade 11 mark if you are currently not finished a prerequisite, is this true at U of T? Also, is the application average calculated by taking the required courses then taking the highest courses on the transcript or is it based on submitted courses?

    –> No. The application average is from your six highest courses including prerequisites. That stuff they tell you about universities sometimes looking at grade 11 marks is most likely a lie. obviously i’m not on any application committees, but if you’ve done well in grade 12, i’d say that’s more than enough.

    Sixthly, Okay I know you guys are probably sick of these questions about Colleges so I apologize beforehand. Anyways I just wanted to know how much being affiliated with a college really matter? Such as, would belonging to University College or Saint Mike’s over New College have an affect on future job prospects or grad school applications? (Basically how much does the prestige of a college matter).

    –> It really really doesn’t matter.

    Seventhly (okay this numbering system is starting to sound ridiculous), what is the cutoff for Trinity College? I am afraid of putting Trinity as my first choice because I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of getting into Victoria, Innis or Woodsworth.

    –> There is literally no cutoff. Admission also depends on the trinity college profile. Innis and Vic will not consider you if you don’t put them as #1. Woodsworth will.

    Speaking of Woodsworth, as Woodsworth doesn’t come with a meal plan so what alternatives are there?

    –> Here are some dining options available to all students.

    8ly, Would getting a single room hinder on my social life, I’m worried that if I get a single room then I won’t be able to connect with as many people.

    –> Not at all. You’ll be leaving with these people, using the same washrooms, eating with them on a regular basis…if you’re friendly and willing, you won’t have a problem meeting people.

    9*10^0-ly, how much support is there for first years, I know this probably varies from college to college but just generally speaking are there a lot of support options? I have never been in Toronto so I would imagine I would be pretty lost without it.

    –> I’m not quite sure what you mean by support. There’s plenty of academic support offered by each college and also by the university – all you have to do is look around!

    My highest marks as they currently stand: [Information redacted]. Finally with this information what do you think my chances of getting into Computer Science and into Trinity are?

    –> I ca’t be the one to tell you that. All I’ll say is, just apply, and don’t worry about it before you hear back from the university. Life is too short to stress out about a dumb little thing like this. Do the best you can, apply, and that’s really all you can do.

    And as a little side request, do you happen to know where I might find like a side by side comparison of the colleges? As well as where I might find scholarship information?

    –> That doesn’t exist. Scholarship information can be found here.

    best of luck,

    aska

    ———————————————

    and there we have it! like i said, some of these questions will be going into my new FAQ, so keep an eye out for that for an EXPANDED ANSWER to a lot of these questions, with more INFORMATION and GIGGLES than you could possibly imagine. thanks for the typing workout, and remember to stay cool *sunglasses emoji*.

  • admissions,  scholarships/bursaries

    grade 12 application woes

    Hi!I was wondering about admission scholarships… which marks do they look at? You see, I took some Grade 12 courses in Grade 11, and I did not do that well in some of them (mid 80s) .. so I was hoping that the top 6 marks including second semester midterm is what they look at for admission scholarships.It says on the website that they look at the marks of admission and do not look at final marks.Does that mean that they look at only first semester marks, or also second semester midterm marks? Thanks! 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    admission scholarship info is here and all the info you could ever want about all the application and non-application and faculty-specific and college-specific scholarships is here. the gist of it is that you get $2000 if you have over a 92% automatically. If you’re under that, you may or may not get any amount under that – and there are many other scholarships you can apply to, both before and once you’re attending the university.

    basically, scholarship decisions are made based on the marks they use to consider you for admission, which is your six best Grade 12 U/M courses (that’s university-level and mixed, if you’re a non-Ontarian), including required courses. If you completed a grade 12 course in grade 11, they’ll still be looking at those, but yeah, they’ll only be looking at the top six grade 12-level courses, so don’t worry.

    about the final marks they look it, basically, the final offer is made in mid-may – so if you completely fail all your courses after may, yeah, they might take issue with that, but may is basically the last time they’ll be looking at your transcript and making a final decision.

    all in all, it’s mostly a non-stressful, pain-free process and as long as you keep working as hard as you have been (i know how hard it is okay trust me June exams are Satan’s gift to teenagers), you should be at university with probably some amount of financial aid by september!

    hope that helps,

    aska

  • colleges,  IB,  scholarships/bursaries

    Rocking the IB credits (and college shtuff)

    Hi aska,

    I am a Canadian Citizen currently going to school at an international school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am a senior enrolled in the IB diploma and I have two questions for you.

    On some of the other universities websites I found that you could get admission scholarships based on your predicted IB scores not just your %, is that true for UofT? I am predicted a 38 without bonus points, would that get me any admission scholarships?

    I also have another question. For colleges I can’t quite seem to decide between Trinity and Victoria. I initially liked Trinity because of the prestige and academic environment, but is it too snobby? Do people there ave fun or is it all work no party? Is vic going to be more of a party/work place?

    ———————————————

    hello there,

    Uoft doesn’t seem to have any direct information about IB. Lucky for you, I am not just some Uoft peon. I am a MASTER DETECTIVE, and I have done a bit of sleuthing around.

    The requirements for the President’s Entrance Scholarship (the highest value of admission scholarship you can get, at $2000) requires a minimum Grade 12 average of 92%. I’ve looked it up, and there is a handy conversion chart available for just your dilemma. The conversion chart just gives ranges, but it looks like a 38 in IB would work out to a 92%, which would mean that you qualify for that $2000. *pops party popper*

    As to colleges, aska’s talked about them before. All I’ll say is that college reputations are really shadowy and honestly, I’m not totally convinced there’s not just like a handful of bored upper-year students every year who make stuff up about every college in order to confuse prospective students. To make an informed decision, I’d suggest looking at what the residences (Trin) (Vic), college buildings and college track one programs (Vic) (Trin) offer.

    As to parties and snobbishness, I haven’t been to any Vic-associated (whatever that means???) parties so far, but that’s because I’m a boring old snob, not ’cause my college is. If you want to have fun, you’ll be able to regardless of where you go. I know lots of nice people and have friends from both colleges. So do some reading, and don’t listen to the stuff people make up – whatever you choose, you’ll be just fine 🙂

    aska

  • admissions,  IB,  scholarships/bursaries

    once upon a time i called you guys “international bachelorettes”

    Hi Askastudent,

    I just graduated this year from the IB program. It was a great experience (even though it was quite tough) and I learned a lot about myself regardless. Unfortunately, I didn’t do as well as I thought I would have in the finals, even though I had done better during school. The results just came out this weekend (June 6th).

    If you are wondering why I’m asking you about Uni. at this time of year, well it’s because I decided in Nov. of my senior year that I will be taking a one year sabbatical post-high school. Hence, I will be applying next academic year (this Dec/Jan). U of T was one of the universities I was hoping to aim for, but now I’m not so sure D:

    *Here are my final grades:*

    Bio HL – 6
    Chem HL – 4
    Math HL – 3

    English SL – 6
    Psych SL – 6
    Spanish B SL – 5

    E.E. in MUSIC – C
    TOK – A
    (bonus 2 points)

    That gives me a total of 32 points. Which I feel is a bit below the usual threshold at UofT, but I believe that there’s still a small chance for me. As you can probably tell, I wish to apply for a seat in the Life Sciences/Biology major.

    So, what do you think of my situation? Any important factors that you think will play a big part in my decision? Advice on what you think I should do that might up my chances (SAT’s, online programs, etc)? Also, if you could give me some idea as to whether I am viable for some kind of scholarship?

    I’d appreciate the honest feedback.

    Thanks,
    A prospective student.

    ———————————————

    Prospective student,

    I think many things.

    I think “I don’t know what the heck those numbers are supposed to mean… I should probably look that up.” I think “I can’t believe I got home at 11 PM last night because of that crazy ass weather.” I think “I need a coffee.”

    But I also think you shouldn’t have much of problem getting into UofT. 🙂

    Looking at the requirements, they call for a score of at least 28 or more, but for more competitive programs (like Life Sci), you should have at least 30 to be competitive — which, yippie, you have!

    There’s no need to take SATs or online courses because fact: UofT doesn’t give a crap about em.

    But one thing I want to let you in on is the possibility of getting a transfer credit or two!

    Basically, if an IBer scores a final grade of at least 5 on their HL exam, a transfer credit may be awarded. So for you, since you got 6 points in your Bio HL, as long as you submit your results to Enrolment Services by a set date, you can get two little things that’ll appear on your transcript as “BIO1**H,” which are supposed to be the equivalents of BIO120H and BIO130H.

    (Granted, depending on what programs you’re interested in, opting out of those transfer credits might be beneficial. I’ve been told that for say a Neuroscience specialist, you’re better off actually taking BIO120H.)

    Now for scholarships, there are some of the few offered to incoming students. For the most part, they’re based on your grades. Past those ones, you’ll have the college-based scholarships and then when you’re actually a student, there are usually a bunch of department-based scholarships too.

    Just note that because of the huge student population, scholarships tend to be veeeery competitive.

    Annnnd I think that’s that!

    Have fun applying. 🙂

    xoxo,
    aska

  • scholarships/bursaries

    i give you money, now you give meee money

    Yo dawg,

    So I`ve recently been accepted to UTSG, which was all nice and well. However, I was looking forward to receiving an Admission Scholarship too. At the time I was accepted, my average was just 1% shy of the requirement, which was not nice and well at all. I`m wondering if I`ll maybe get a second chance with final grades in June, or am I done for good?

    P.S. I wasn’t sure if you answered questions about pre-enrollment, but I didn’t really know where else to go. so sux fer u lololol.

    Thanks dawg

    ———————————————

    Bro,

    I haven’t been called “dawg” in like eight years omg.

    Unfortunately, admission scholarship eligibility is decided with your admission average, so there won’t be any “second chance.”

    Sorry, homie! 🙁

  • scholarships/bursaries,  UTM

    well… we will always have osap <3

    Hello!

    I applied to UFTM’s Life Science for the full time program starting in September 2013 and I was just wondering if they give any entrance scholarship money. I have an average of about 83-85%.

    Thank you for your time!

    G.S

    ———————————————

    Heyo!

    Okay so according to UTM’s Viewbook for incoming students, there are indeed entry scholarships — however, the minimum average needed is 88%. Take a look at page 7 of the book to see all the numbers. 🙂

    totally broke,
    aska

  • scholarships/bursaries

    show me the money

    Hellooo

    I heard all colleges will automatically give students with a GPA of over 3.5 a scholarship. I know Vic gives $1000, and that UC gives $500. What about the other colleges?

    ———————————————

    Hello there, presumed scholarship seeker.

    The way these little scholarships work is really based on how much money a particular college has left over to spare to its students. Moreover, the GPA that you seem to need is really based on the number of applicants. Sometimes that required 3.5 can turn into a 3.52 if there are too many people applying.

    But for your own knowledge, Innis College will consider students for certain scholarships of varying amounts as long as they meet the GPA requirements of either 3.5 or 3.7 (along with the other conditions). On the other hand, Woodsworth seems to require a 3.5 GPA for scholarships of around $500 or so.

    Finding the scholarships is a pretty simple process. Just go over to the given college’s website and look for the tab that makes the most sense for scholarship info to be hiding under. Or even easier, you can make an appointment with the financial advisor of the college as they, more often than not, are quite familiar with their college’s scholarships.

    penny pinching,

    aska

  • scholarships/bursaries

    mo’ money

    Hello,

    I am a newly admitted student to U of T, belonging to Trinity College.

    My admission letter informs me that I have been recognized as a U of T Scholar, which comes with an award of $5000. Some blogs indicate that $5000 is the maximum that U of T may offer you while others state that Colleges may offer you additional scholarships (in one case, $5000 + $4000 from Vic). Is $5000 the maximum that the University will provide incoming students with?

    Also, I have not yet accepted my offer to U of T. Is there an advantage in accepting my offer early – better access to housing, course selection? When
    do these open?

    ———————————————

    Well, well, well,

    $5000 isn’t enough for you eh? What’s next … trying to take over the world?

    I’m just messing with you. I’m sure you had to work your ass of to get those grades, or you owe someone a ton of money for them doing your homework for you! In either scenerio, you should get some dough.

    So, the $5000 that you received was a University of Toronto admissions scholarship … check it.

    Meaning, that you will still be eligbile for your college’s Admissions Scholarships. They have all the shiz-naz here.

    Gifts for insightful answers are always welcomed.

    forever bling-ful,

    aska

  • international students,  residence,  scholarships/bursaries

    questions from a boy and his chinese mother!

    Hi Aska: I’m an upcoming student, currently live in China, and about to head to U of T in several weeks. I found your website really helping. As I trace back to earlier questions, I discovered many important details that I missed for a first year student. And I still have some questions about academic life and… something embarrassing (LOL)
    First question is about the POSTs. The handbook said that to satisfy the BA/BSc degree, I have to enroll in at least 2 major or 1 specialist programs. What I wanted to know is, can I enroll in 3 majors or 1 specialist and 1major program? Is that possible to be completed in four years? Should I pay additional tuition fee for that?
    I know there is some scholarships available for international student. Can I apply for more than one scholarships at a same time? Is there any limitations about the number of scholarships I applied for? I’m not greedy, but the tuition fee is really expensive (Honestly, more than $20,000), I wish to know if there’s some way to make the situation a little better.
    And the final, blockbuster question is from my mum. I bet this is the first time in aska history, that somebody want to know if the Innis Residence offer bedclothes, and should her son carry his bedding set for several thousand miles all the way from Beijing to Toronto (Oh, mom!).
    That’s all, many thanks, and, looking forward for your answer.

    ———————————————

    Hello there all the way from Toronto! (But on the internet, we’re the same.) Don’t feel embarrassed by your inquisitive nature or your darling mum. And congratulations on making Aska history!!!

    First things first. While it is possible to complete a specialist and major, or three majors, you have to consider your time and course registration. Many students end up with these combinations because they take courses that overlap, or have interdisciplinary seminars. No one is stopping you from taking as many courses as you need and want to, in order to complete your program, but it is good to keep in mind that a Specialist is 10 courses, and a major is seven. If you have to fill to fill five breadth requirements, plus 10 courses as is…maybe you won’t be able to give yourself the wiggle room needed. Talk to your registrar about your ambitious plans and they will help you (I promise!)

    You might finish your program in four years, or more, depending on how many courses you take (many students find themselves taking 3-5 courses a year, which designates you as a “full time student.”) There is no additional fees, depending on whether you complete a specialist or a major, just the fees towards courses and other compulsory fees for student societies. Keep that in mind.

    In terms of scholarships, by all means, apply for as many as you humanly can apply for! No one is going to be aware of how many scholarships you are applying for, and if you are eligible for more than one scholarship (and you receive more than one scholarship) – that is totally sweet-ass-sweet. Admissions and awards lists some scholarships on their website that you might be eligible for, though it gets a little trickier for international students. Your registrar should have some advice about good places to hit up, and while you may not be eligible for OSAP, there are some bank loans with low interest.

    In response to your mom, all beds come from the Innis Residence stripped bare. (Which is actually a good thing, considering.) Bring your own bed clothes or buy some new sheets at a local department store. I recommend The Bay, for that touch of classic Canadiana.

    Best of luck with your upcoming move!

    xoxo, Askastudent