failing - askastudent

failing, prereqs, repeating course

prereqs do be wrecking

December 19, 2023

desperately need some help. i kinda did really bad in 3/5 of my courses. i passed my bird courses but the 3/5 that I’m pretty sure I failed….kinda need them. I’m taking the part 2 of those classes next quarter. and I’m taking extra required courses in the summer….what do I do…

i saw this thing on reddit that the part 2 of classes, I might be kicked out if I did bad first semester. do I take those courses again second semester? can’t I take those in the summer…or do I take my part two classes next year. I’m scared for my life I’m sorry for the long question

hey there,

first of all, do not be sorry, my dude. this is not a long question at all.

just to be clear on the situation: you may have failed courses that you need as prerequisites for your classes next quarter and over the summer?

what i’d do is double-check if there’s a certain grade threshold you need to meet in these courses to fulfill your prerequisite requirements. if there isn’t a grade threshold, you don’t need to worry about being kicked out for doing poorly in those prerequisite classes. you just need to make sure you pass the courses.

if there is a grade threshold you need to meet and you don’t meet it, or if you fail the courses, then you unfortunately won’t be able to take the “part 2” courses you have scheduled, nor will you be able to take anything else that has the same prerequisites. the likelihood is that someone in the department will check whether you have the prereqs at some point in the semester, and if they find out that you don’t have them, you can be removed from those courses at any time.

so if you don’t fill your prerequisites this semester, it may be best to focus on filling them next semester, and taking your “part 2” courses in the summer instead.

also, remember not to trust everything on reddit! it’s a good starting point but we see well-meaning misinformation on there all the time. the best thing to do is usually to hit up your registrar. it’s definitely best to ask them what to do since they help people in your exact situation all the time.

i hope everything turns out okay, sending love and encouragement! this sounds really stressful too, so if you ever need extra support, here is a resource that might be helpful.

over and out,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
covid-19, failing, first year

sending hugs to all the first years <3

May 5, 2021
Hi I’m a first year life science student and to be honest this entire school year has not been great. I only passed one course and failed the rest of my courses. I don’t know what to do next to be honest. With COVID-19, online learning, online tests, online exams, online classes, the constant staring at my screen, trying to keep up with work, to be honest its too much. I don’t know what to do next with course selection and choosing majors. I plan on talking with a academic advisor. Any advice?

——————————————

hey there,

thank you for your patience with this answer! i’m really sorry to hear that things have been so rough for you. back in december, i heard from several other first years who were in the same boat as you, and it seems like this year was a phenomenally difficult one in which to be adjusting to uni life. i hope that you’re able to take some time to rest now that the academic year is over — please be kind to yourself!

i’m not sure if you’ll already have spoken to an academic advisor at your registrar’s office yet, but this is the advice i can offer you. i expect that you’ll be placed on academic probation since your CGPA is likely less than 1.50. maybe you’ll have been notified of that already, or maybe this will serve as a heads up for you. in either case, i’d ask your registrar what that means in terms of your course and subject POSt selection. there may be stipulations that i’m not aware of.

in terms of choosing majors, you’ll need to have selected the minimum program combination (a specialist OR two majors OR a major and two minors) to register in second-year courses. i’m not sure if the programs you’re interested in are open enrolment or limited enrolment, but for now you’ll need to select open enrolment programs that don’t require you to meet a specific threshold. if they’re not your actual program choices, think of them as placeholders that you can swap out next year if your CGPA is higher.

i’m not really sure what advice i can offer you regarding course selection, as that’ll depend entirely on your program goals and what requirements you need to fill. if you come up with any specific questions, let me know and i can try to help! otherwise, your registrar’s office is always a good place to go.

finally, i’d like to recommend some other resources that may help you moving forward:
- your college should have a learning strategist that you can book an appointment with. learning strategists can help you re-design your study systems, plan schedules that work for you, give you personalized time- and stress- management tips, and more. if you’ve never visited one, they may be useful to you as you try to pull your GPA up.
- i’m not sure what type of classes you’re in, but writing centres and math learning centres are also great places to visit for paper/homework help.
- if you’re feeling overwhelmed, u of t runs the ‘My Student Support Program,’ which is accessible 27/7 in multiple languages for confidential support. university is really tough, and resources like these have been invaluable to me as i’ve tried to make it through. i hope you access MySSP if you need it.
be Boundless,

aska
Read More

aska No Comments
failing, first year

you must be so tired

December 18, 2020

I’m a first year life science student at UTSG and to be honest I feel like a piece of trash. In the beginning of the term, I attended lecture, did my assignments, studied, and did the readings. But by mid October, I just broke down and couldn’t do anything. I felt stressed, overwhelmed, and motivated. All at once I just stopped studying and couldn’t do it anymore. I know I’m going to fail most of my courses. I just want to start next term on the right path. Any advice?

——————————————

hey friend,

i’m glad you reached out! things are so hard this year with online classes and all, and i can imagine first year is even harder because it’s normally already such a rough adjustment. it sounds like you started your first year on a really solid note, and hit a wall later on.

you’re absolutely not a piece of trash for hitting that wall. if you check out the recent posts on this blog (and the ones that are sure to come), you’ll see that lots of first years are in similar situations.

wise of you to come to the elders (lmao) for help. since i’ve been at this school a lil longer than you, i do have some advice for you that i hope will be of use.

something i had to learn the hard way in my first year is that you can’t get through uni alone. it helps so, so much to reach out to peers, make time for socials, and know where to find more professional help when you need it. here are some resources i regularly use (or have used in the past) that i think you might find helpful:

the registrar’s office

it’s common to deal with all sorts of academic challenges at u of t, and your registrar should be your first stop when you’re seeking help with those. an academic advisor there will be able to tell you what your options are moving forward, point you to useful resources, and just generally talk you through your situation. whenever i’ve had to make a hard degree-related decision, i’ve always found the support from the people at my registrar incredibly useful.

if you’ve never so much as interacted with your registrar before, here’s a lil guide i wrote up that might be useful.

learning strategists

you can book an appointment with a learning strategist by calling your registrar’s office. learning strategists are great for identifying any pitfalls in the way you currently approach your studies, and helping you strategize how to do better in the future. they can also help you improve your motivation to study, help you put together a study schedule, and advise you on efficient reading and note-taking.

i think that visiting a learning strategist early on next term will help you get off to a strong start! you can tell them about your situation and then the two of you will be able to devise a strategy for completing your winter semester.

health and wellness counselling, mySSP, and other mental health resources

the level of stress and overwhelm you’re describing indicates to me that academic resources aren’t going to be enough to really help you get back on your feet. it’s important to be attentive to your emotional and mental health needs as well, and that’s where supports like counselling and mySSP come in.

if you’ve never seen a counsellor, the first step (for me) was the hardest one: admitting i needed to go and figuring out how to do it. but i think it’s something everyone can benefit from, especially stressed-out students.

it’s really worrying to me that you broke down in october. i think you’d benefit from understanding how/why it happened, and how you can maybe prevent that in the future.

i dunno if that gif is the best fit here but i love how dorky and adorable it looks so it’s staying.

health and wellness counselling is available to you if you’re in ontario. you can book an appointment with an “on-location” counsellor (which basically means one affiliated with your division, ie. victoria college, the faculty of music, etc.). i think they’re doing appointments virtually or by phone right now. to my understanding, these counsellors usually offer short-term support (5 appointments) to help you meet a mental wellness goal.

mySSP is a virtual student support program that’s available wherever you are, 24/7, in a wide variety of languages. basically, a counsellor will support you (via phone or text) with the difficulties you’re experiencing, either by appointment or immediately.

if you think you might be interested in voice-call or video-call counselling but aren’t in ontario, you can always look into what your health insurance covers and seek out an non-u of t therapist.

apart from all that that, here are a few study tips from me! i found the adjustment to online schooling difficult too, but i was in school both summer semesters and i’m more used to things now. these are some of the things i wish i’d known earlier:

1. use a productivity app if your devices are distracting. i downloaded forest a little while ago, and i’ve really been enjoying the app. one of my main problems is scrolling through twitter and instagram when i should be studying, and forest blocks those apps out while letting me plant lil trees to represent my focused time! there are other good apps out there, too, if you do a google search.

2. study with friends (but the right ones). i’ve learned that hopping on a zoom call with a similarly stressed and overwhelmed friend can motivate me to study. this is my system for those virtual study sessions: we get on the call, chat for around 10-15 minutes, then set a timer for an hour and a half and mute ourselves. when the timer goes off, we check in with each other to make sure we were both productive. turning your camera on and screensharing helps, too— it’s the closest thing i’ve found to a library peer-pressure environment this year.

3. use a planner. this is a big one that really helps prevent me from getting overwhelmed. i use a monthly planner, so i can see all my deadlines well ahead of time and plan my study schedule out to prevent a crunch. it doesn’t solve all my problems with stress and overwhelm during the semester, but good planning and deadline management does help a little and maybe you’ll find that’s true for you too.

4. make time for rest.

if you’re overwhelmed, pushing yourself harder may actually be detrimental to your ability to do work. find out what refreshes you and block out space for it—you’re allowed to do things that make you feel like a human and not a homework machine. for me, playing among us with my friends and making sure i got enough sleep this semester made me feel like less of a pent-up ball of stress.

i know it seems like there’s not enough time in the day to finish your schoolwork, but i always find that the more tired i get, the less efficient i am. maybe it could be the same for you?

i hope this helped! i know the post was long, but i feel a little helpless when i get questions like these and want to make sure i give you the best, most in-depth advice i can. i’m really rooting for your success next semester—i hope you have a good, relaxing christmas break, because you deserve it.

be Boundless,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
failing, first year, math

yerrrrrr!

December 15, 2020

Hi! I’m a first year looking to double major in IR/Econ. I am doing okay in my IR reqs, all things considered, but I am failing mat137, like, big time. I’ve spoken with a registrar, and I just want to know, in your experience, is it possible to recover in a full year course from failing in the first term? Or should I drop and retake in the summer? Also, do you know of any reputable tutors that could help, outside of the math learning centre?

——————————————

hello friend,

IR and econ! a classic combination. very aoc of you.

i’m glad you’ve spoken to your registrar— that’s always a smart move when you’re in a less-than-ideal academic situation. if you’re open to it, you might also consider booking an appointment with a learning strategist, who might be able to help you identify any challenges in the way that you currently study for math. you can then develop a plan with them to tackle those challenges.

i’m assuming that a recovery looks like a mark of 60+ in the course, since that’s what’s required for entry into the econ major? i can’t predict how easy it’s going to be to recover in a full year course if you’ve been failing the first term, since a lot of that will depend on how badly you’re failing and what the structure of the course looks like. if there’s more weight in the second half of the course than the first, there’s more hope for a recovery. what i can tell you with some certainty is that it’ll take a lot of hard work to recover, should you choose that path.

if i were you, assuming you don’t desperately need to devote your time and energy to other courses, i might stick it through for a few more months and see if things get better. you have until february 22 to decide whether you want to drop the course, and that’s some time from now.

you could also technically request a late withdrawal as late as may, which basically means that the course will appear on your transcript with a LWD notation instead of a failing grade. both of those are good options if you don’t think it’s possible for you to pass the course, although i think dropping is probably better than an LWD since the course won’t show up on your transcript at all.

unfortunately, i don’t actually know of any reputable tutors for u of t math. tutors will usually post their numbers on bulletin boards across campus, but alas, i’m not sure these are the times for that right now. you might try asking r/UofT on reddit, maybe? although i always warn people to take what they see there with a grain of salt, since r/UofT is a lil chaotic and sometimes unreliable.

best of luck! i really hope that you manage to turn things around. if you continue to struggle with this decision, you can always head back to the registrar, talk to upper years (if you know any), or seek out trusted friends/family for advice.

thank you for waiting for this answer—a ton of first years are struggling right now and i have a lot of stuff in my inbox to sift through. you’re certainly not alone in this.

if you’re not yet done your exams, i hope the rest of your semester goes well. otherwise, have a good and well-deserved holiday break! if you need me, i’ll be watching the heck out of dash and lily on netflix, because hey, if there was ever a year for a sappy unrealistic christmas series it’s this one. don’t roast me. haven’t we all reverted back to our twelve-year-old selves, anyway?

be Boundless,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
academic standing, failing, first year

… so evermore is living rent-free in my head

December 15, 2020
Hi! I’m a first year life science student and pretty much I failed this term. My average for sure would be a 0 this fall term. I’m not sure what to do next? Will I be able to take courses next term or would I have to withdraw and re-enrol for 2021-2022 year and re-do first year? Would I be put on academic probation?

——————————————

hey there,

i know this term has been rough for a lot of first years, so i want you to know it’s all right to have had a ! not great ! time this sem. it’s bad enough being a first year, let alone being a first year during a global pandemic.

it’s good to look ahead, and you came to the right place with your question about what to do next. what i can tell you is that academic standing isn’t assessed until the end of fall/winter, meaning that you won’t be placed on academic probation just because of this semester. you won’t be forced to withdraw unless you get suspended.

so, as far as i know, you should be able to continue taking the courses you’re registered for next term (winter 2021). however, if you’re not able to pull your GPA up to at least a 1.50 by the end of fall/winter, you will unfortunately be looking at probation.

that sounds like a threat or a warning, which really isn’t the message i’m trying to send! it feels like my responsibility to explain how the system works, but i believe you can recover from this and i’m rooting for you all the way. do as taylor does and come back stronger than a ’90s trend.

in order to make sure you have the best shot at getting back on your feet, though, i’d really recommend that you reach out for some support. first year is hard, but it’s harder without help.

here are some things that have helped me in the past:
1. your registrar’s office should be your first stop. they’ll be able to help you understand your options, let you know about anything you should be aware of as you move forward, and perhaps refer you to more resources (or more appropriate resources) than i’m able to. please give them a call and book an appointment with an academic advisor! if you move forward with ONE of my recommendations from this post, i hope it’s this one.
2. book an appointment with a learning strategist, who will help you identify better study, productivity, and organization methods for your next semester. you can usually book one of these appointments by calling your registrar.
3. if you’re having trouble with papers, seek out your writing centre. the math help centres are great if your problems are more numerical (the page i linked you to gives you in-person addresses, but if you click the names of the offering divisions you’ll see virtual options).
4. seek out mental health help if you need it. i know a lot of students are struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns right now, which are making it SUPER difficult to get through the semester. i’m certainly one of those students. if you’re interested in what mental health resources are available to you, you can check out previous posts i’ve done on this subject, this u of t mental health site, or beacon (which is free if you’re in ontario).
5. reach out to your friends (or even chill acquaintances!!), and schedule virtual study sessions where y’all keep each other accountable. i started doing that at the beginning of december, and you wouldn’t believe how much it’s helped me.
6. look into mentorship programs within your program, college, or faculty. in my first year, it was really helpful for me to have an upper-year that i could ask about academics and university life. so much of success at u of t just comes from knowing how to navigate the school!
anyway, i’m not sure which of these resources you’ll find a good fit, and whether there’s something i didn’t mention that might help you more, which is why i really think you should call your registrar. try not to procrastinate too long on that, since the university does close on the 23rd!

other than that, i hope you have a good and restful holiday break, and that things get better next semester. let me know if there’s anything else i can help with.

be Boundless,

aska
Read More

aska No Comments
criminology, es&l, failing, first year

program scramble

March 7, 2018

Hi!

So I’m a first year at UofT (St. George campus) and I’m almost 100% sure I’m failing most of my classes.

I already dropped Psych100 first semester because I missed the first test due to a loved one passing away, and I didn’t do so great on the second test (40%). I took psych again second semester and most so second sem I have 3 full year courses and 2 half.
I planned on going into Criminology and Ethics, Society and Law but now i don’t think I’m gunna meet the requirement of 70-75% I’m going to need to get in. What can i do and what might my other options be to major in?

My grades so far have ranged from 50-75%.

——————————————

hi!

first of all, because this is a bit of a specific question, i suggest that you make an appointment with your college/ faculty registrar who’ll be able to give you more specific and personalized information.

that being said, i’ll try my best:

so, from what i can gather from your question, you will have 4.0FCE (full course equivalents) at the end of this semester, if you pass all your courses. if you do get all 4.0FCE by the end of this year, then you will have to enroll in a POSt (program of study). you need to be enrolled in a POSt before you can enroll in courses for next year. according to this list, crim is a type 3 program and ethics, society, and law is a 2L program. you can check this link out for what “type 3” and “type 2L” means.

you can still apply for the programs, even if you don’t get in. you’ll find out on july 3 whether or not you got in, then you’ll have til august 8 to accept if you get in. however, if you don’t get in, then you should enroll in a placeholder type 1 (the kind with no application required) program so that you can enroll in courses for the next year. i know it sounds kinda counterintuitive, enrolling in a program you don’t wanna be in, but you need to be in a POSt to enroll in courses, and you don’t need to enroll in any courses that have to do with your placeholder/ fake POSt. after enrolling in your fake POSt, you can take the required courses for crim and ES&L, increase your average, and then apply again the next year.

i hope that makes sense.

if you don’t finish 4.0FCE at the end of this school year, you will still be considered a “first year student,” meaning that you won’t need to enroll in a POSt before enrolling in courses.

good luck!

peace and love,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
academic standing, academic success, failing, first year

it is not the end

February 26, 2018

Hi! I’m a first year, and due to my own personal issues I’ve completely bombed this year. I think I failed two courses first semester, and I’ve already missed two midterms this semester. God just writing that out gives me anxiety. I know I can’t excuse this behaviour, but I lost a loved one before exams first semester & it’s just been really hard but I’m ready to refocus on school, I’m just worried it might be too late. Will uoft kick me out? I don’t care if my gpa is low I just want to graduate

——————————————

hi!

i’m sorry that you’ve been having a rough first year. university can be really tough, especially when you’ve got other things going on as well.

so, u of t won’t “kick you out,” but they could put you on academic probation, depending on what your CGPA (cumulative GPA) and annual GPA at the end of this school year is. if it is lower than 1.50, you will be placed on probation. basically, this just means that you can only take up to 5.0 FCE during the fall/winter session and 2.0FCE during the summer. if, after being on probation, your CGPA is less than 1.50 and your annual/ sessional GPA is less than 1.70, you will be suspended for one calendar year. being suspended means that you can’t register as a student for the duration of your suspension. for more information about academic standing/ probation/ suspension, check out this link.

but in your case right now, you would only be put on probation at MOST. and this would only be if your CGPA dipped below 1.50. so, as long as your CGPA is above a 1.50, you’re okay.

i would also suggest making an appointment at your college/ faculty registrar’s office. they’ll be able to provide you with academic advice or refer you to other resources on campus. one of the resources they may refer you to is the academic success centre. i would also highly suggest that you check them out. you can make an appointment with learning strategists and mentors, go to a drop-in session with an academic adviser, or attend workshops. they can really teach you how to learn better, which may help out with some of the academic problems you’ve been facing. i highly suggest checking them out, they’re a criminally underused resource on campus.

i really hope this helps. please know that help is always available to those who seek it out. good luck!

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
academic success, failing, health and wellness, mental health

i’m rootin’ for you!

February 5, 2018

HI!!!
Sooo ya, Im in my 3nd year of study and I already failed 2 courses back in first year. I thought I was doing fine in this course (csc236) but then the marks came and it was abysmal. During this whole year I wasn’t feeling well, a lot of anxieties and some depression – I know, I only have myself to blame. I’d like to ask what are your suggestions on the actions I should take to deal with this 0.0gpa and the advice to do better?

Thanks ;(

——————————————

hi!

that sounds like a really tough situation to be in. i’m really sorry for how long this response has taken me, but i hope that you still find it helpful.

first of all, i’m going to suggest that you make an appointment with your registrar’s office. they can help you and/or point you towards resources that can help you. they should be your first point of contact whenever you’re feeling distressed (emotionally or academically). make an appointment, talk to one of the advisers there, and they’ll be able to give you more nuanced/ detailed/ personalized advice– more than i can give you (as a lowly student blogger).

for academics, i highly suggest checking out the academic success centre. you can make appointments with learning strategists, mentors, people who work in writing centres, and a whole bunch of folks that’re there to help. they can provide a lot of personalized advice and teach you all about HOW you learn and ways of learning more effectively. that should help you learn BETTER and (hopefully) boost your marks. they also have some walk-in appointments that you can make, if you don’t wanna make an actual appointment.

you should also check out health and wellness. in your question, you said that you aren’t “feeling well” and have “a lot of anxieties and some depression.” i think that you should check out their mental health services, even if you don’t think that you need to. mental health is super important, and the university doesn’t talk about it enough. mental health can really have a negative effect on your academics and getting to a healthy state of mind can help improve your academics as well.

i hope this was helpful. i think that, most importantly, you should make an appointment with an adviser at your registrar’s office– they are literally paid to help you. school, especially this school, can be really hard, and we all need a little bit of help sometimes. there’s no shame in it 🙂

good luck.

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
failing, probation

keep holding on

September 22, 2017

Hey

As I 3rd year international student and heading to the last year of my uni life, I just found out I failed a course during the summer. It was a course for my program but it’s not a required course. This is really breaking me down because it drags my CGPA down and below 1.5. I used to be on probation before but I studied hard and pull my CGPA back to normal and safe line, now I have to face a fact that I would be on probation again when I am in the fourth year, is it going to suspend me directly? Is there any possibilities that I could make up this test to let it pass (the pass grade is 50 and I am 48), can I talk to the professor and see if he can curve? Or can I talk with the registrar office and see I could late withdraw this course? I knew the possibilities of these might be very very small but if there is anything I could to let it pass or erase this course history, I would sacrifice my life for it.

Thanks

——————————————

hi!

first, let me apologize for my extremely late response. i’ve been super swamped lately with the start of classes. i know that isn’t a good excuse and it’s pretty sh*tty of me to have put this off for so long, so i hope that you will forgive me and that this response isn’t TOO too late.

so, you shouldn’t be put on suspension; you’ll just be put on probation again. which sucks, i know, but you got out of it once, you can do it again! you should look at this link that gives has a lot of information on probation and advice. i also highly recommend visiting the academic success centre. they’re a criminally underused service here at u of t. you can make appointments with mentors, learning strategists, people who work at writing centres, and a whole bunch of other folks who are there to help out. it’s a really great way to learn about how you learn which should, in turn, help you learn better and get better marks. they have walk-in times as well as appointments that you can make. it’s pretty dope.

as for your mark– unfortunately, if that mark has already gone through and you have the final mark for the course, it’s too late to get rid of it. the LWD date has also passed. i’m really sorry about that.

if you need anymore advice at all, especially concerning probation, i also suggest making an appointment with your registrar’s office.

i hope this helps. again, i’m so sorry for my late response. i know that you’ll be able to get yourself out of this pickle. i’m rooting for you.

peace and love,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
bad times, failing, health, late withdrawal, petition

my bed is my safe place

June 2, 2017

Hey,

My registrar has advised me to petition to have a quite a few of my credits designated as LWD instead of the F’s they currently have due to my documented illness (read: mental health struggles). I was just wondering if you could give a ball-park estimation of how successful these types of petitions are? The depth of consideration these petitions are given? Will I be taken seriously or will the petition-gods roll their eyes?

I’m scared/embarrassed of submitting a petition with such a heavy request. I actually do pretty well in school when I’m not in bed all day (which has been the case for the past year and a half).*

*FYI, I am currently receiving treatment and plan to resume with my studies – I just really need my academic record cleaned up if I want to have any future in my field or any future period.

Thanks!

———————————————

hey,

while i personally haven’t seen people petition to designate failed courses as LWD, (that’s not to say it doesn’t happen) petitioning for most things at U of T is done through a case by case basis. there isn’t really a formula or way to predict what the outcome will be. since this petition is kind of a big deal, know that the petition committee will not handle it lightly and will only approve of it if there are serious extenuating circumstances.

for now, i would just follow the advice of your registrar and try to petition it anyways. the fact that your registrar has advised you to do so means that they think there could be a chance of it getting approved. and hey, it doesn’t hurt to try!

in my personal experience (meaning it might not be the same for everyone), mental health issues are dealt with pretty seriously at U of T. i’ve definitely late withdrawn from several courses over the years due to mental health issues with the help of my registrar and counsellors at health and wellness. being in bed all day made going to class and, well, pretty much everything very difficult. it was the greatest escape from reality. you’re not alone.

the good thing is, you’ve taken the initiative to contact your registrar and ask for help. the fact that you reached out for help definitely helps your case! i don’t think they’d straight up roll their eyes if, like you said, you do pretty well in school when you aren’t in bed.

i can totally understand why you’re scared; petitioning is always a little nerve-wracking. it may not be what you want to hear, but realistically, the only thing you can do is keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best! remember, health always comes first. stick with the treatment plan if it works, and always put yourself and your wellbeing before anything else. you can do this.

^me and you

(i started typing ‘hug’ into giphy and then i saw ‘hugh jackman’ [my husband], so i thought i would get him to give you some encouragement as well)

sending you our love, luck, and positive vibes all around,

aska

Read More

aska 5 Comments
averages, failing, sociology, subject POST, summer

i just want to know what i’m up against

April 26, 2017

Hi, I’m a first year student at UTSG and I’m worried that I might fail a course (even though I put it down as credit/no credit) I obviously want the credit cuz it’s a full year course but i worry I might fail. I don’t want to spend this summer in school obviously, but I’m thinking of making up for it next summer. I was wondering how does summer school work if I take one full year course? Do we meet every day? Are lecturers typically 2hrs? Are there tutorials? How many days a week would we meet?

Also I’m thinking about majoring in sociology, It says u need a combined mark of 65% for SOC102 and 103. I severely underestimated first semester and got a 64 in 102 and I’ll probably finish in 103 with around 75. Do u think I’ll be admitted into the program with a 70% overall? How competitive is sociology? I can’t find this info anywhere!
Thanks!

———————————————

hello,

first of all, i hope you didn’t fail the course! we’ve all been there at some point in our undergrads, so don’t sweat it too much. you’re only in first year and you have plenty of time to catch up if you do end up failing. fingers crossed!

i actually prefer summer school to fall/winter school (?) because i feel that i have more energy to get up and go to class when it’s nice outside as opposed to when its dark and gloomy. it’s not the worst thing! a summer of relaxation can get boring! might as well do something productive!

*my most sincerest apologies if this information is completely irrelevant at this point in time- i’m really bad at getting to time-sensitive questions on time*

every summer Y course is different. i’ll show you different examples of what to expect. since you’re pursuing an arts degree, let’s go with something like anthropology. as you can see below, you’ll have 2 two hour long lectures and one hour long tutorial per week,

but for another Y course in arts, let’s say cinema studies, you’ll have 2 four hour long lectures and no tutorial. (the lectures are usually very long because they sometimes include screenings)

if we look at yet another example coming from east asian studies, you’ll have 1 two hour long lecture and 1 hour long tutorial per week.

so you can see that it really depends on what course you decide to take. some classes come with tutorials and others come with screenings. there’s no set amount of class time that all Y classes have per week.

a question about sociology, yay! you’re talking to someone who just completed their sociology major! (humble brag, but hey, it was a lot of work and i’m glad to be done)

there really isn’t a way to find out how competitive a program is, (trust me, i even asked the registrar) but at least you know you’re above the minimum average needed and that you’ll be considered. it does say on the calendar that getting a combined average of 65% will not guarantee entrance into the program, but really, it varies every year depending on how the averages are skewed each year. maybe you’ll have a lot of overachievers this year which will bring the entrance standard up, who knows?

anyways, i hope this helped a bit. i’m sorry that i wasn’t able to provide you with any concrete answers.

i hope you have a wonderful summer and that all your exams went well!

peace, love and hope,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
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

Read More

aska No Comments
failing, GPA, subject POST

if at first you fail the course, try again

November 4, 2016

“Students with a CGPA of 2.5 or greater across the courses”

To get into my subject post, I need a CGPA of at least 2.5. I unfortunately failed one of my courses last term and I am retaking it in the fall. Will the better mark be used for my entry into the subject post or will both attempts be considered? I know you get these types of questions a lot but I am seriously stressing out!

———————————————

hello,

indeed, we do get questions like this all the time, but it’s okay, that’s what i’m here for.

with regards to your question:

*drumroll*

your higher mark will be considered! hooray!

your transcript will still show that you had two attempts, but your second attempt (assuming you’ll pass the course on the second attempt) will be considered by the department for the purpose of admission to your subject POst. if you have any more questions regarding this matter, you should definitely contact your specific department to see if they follow this general… way of doing things… (?)

i hope you get into your subject POst! school is hard, but YOU’LL GET THROUGH IT.

cheers,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments