• admissions,  grad school

    Grad school please take me, I’m nothing without you

    Hey, I am a student at Mac and lately i’ve been stressing out about grad school. I’m an honor B.A in poli sci and right now i only have a B to a B+ average and i was wondering about my chances about getting into grad school at U of T or at this point anywhere. I have to do one more semester but right now I cant think of a future outside of school.
    Thanks and all the best Aska.

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

    Yo yo Gangsta (I’m just assuming you’re a thug as you go to school so close to the Hammer)

    Here’s the little bitch about applying to Grad school (and Undergraduate for that matter), the entry grades change from year to year based on the amount of people applying and their grades. Damn that competition, but really what would the world be without it.
    Here’e what the U of T Poli Sci website states:
    “For admission to the MA program, we normally expect a B+ cumulative GPA or above. We take into account improvement over the course of your undergraduate career.”
    Meaning that I would still apply because it could be one of those years when he GPA is a little lower OR kill you next semester and raise it to a firm B+ or A -.
    In anycases, it’s not a total write off … but check out this database,?it gives you the entry requirements for each graduate school in Canada. Click on the program name?of each school to see the details.
    I’ve seen some as low as 73 (University of Northern British Columbia) … probably because they feel bad for making their school name so long.

    So … yah, your life?is?not over yet. And I’m sorry it could never work out between the two of us, all I cant think about is a life after school. I just wasn’t meant to be.

    Until we can be together again,
    Aska

  • sex/romance

    U of T dating 101

    Hi.

    I have two questions. First, I know students cannot have “relationships” with prof’s but what about TA’s? (After the course is over of course! Just being curious 😛 not to say that I don’t have a hot TA out there, which is partly why I ever go to tutorial.)

    Secondly, I don’t know how to talk to boys! I know it may seem weird, like how can I not know, right? Well, I went to an all girl highschool and obviously there were no boys there (I’m in first year). thus, I cannot communicate with them. I don’t know how. Is there something I should know? Some secret I am not aware of? I am a shy person, which makes it harder to make friends in general, but boys are the worst.

    ———————————————

    Dear Vixen-to-be

    I’m a little sad to hear that you went to an all girls school. BUT on a positive note, you got to skip all those awkward relationships that come with new hormones.

    Side bar and yet another top 5 list
    5 Awkward Highschool Boy/Girl moments you got to miss

    1) When a group of friends just date eachother, so they don’t have to talk to the scary boys/girls outside of the clan

    2) Having your boyfriend fall for your sister who is two years older than you because she’s ‘more experienced’

    3) Love triangle between 2 best friends and a boy/girl who’s in love with only one of them

    4) Love triangle between 2 best friends and a boy/girl who’s in love with both of them

    5) Love triangle between 2 best friends and a boy/girl and they give up on him/her and start dating eachother (also a time for experimenting with sexuality).

    Anywho … the word on the street is that TA’s are a go after you’re finished the course. AND if you happen to fall in love in your next tutorial, then just switch TA’s … I really can’t see the problem with that.

    What is it with the university giving us smart, tattooed babes to mark our papers? They know our hormones are going nuts right? I bet it’s so we go to class. Both you and I have made sure to go to tutorials based on the TA and not the material being discussed.

    Talking to Boys 101

    First off it’s totally not weird to not know how to talk with guys. Even the ladies who think they know how to talk to them, are really just getting hit on for their tight jeans and low cut shirts.

    The beautiful thing about university is that people WANT to meet new people here. I know your stomach probably twists when you think about talking to a certain guy, but take a couple shots and go for it.

    The great thing is that you go to university. It’s the perfect way to start a conversation. For example ‘what program are you in’ or ‘isn’t this prof a jack-ass’

    Here’s a website for pick lines for girls to use on guys (these are terrible, but might just work on a humour level)

    I’m really sorry to say that there is not a secret or Harry Potter spell that can make this easier. Just don’t stress, if it doesn’t go well with one person, there are plenty of other options. Guys are like girls, minus the talk about hair, nails, boy bands, and that time of month. But they do like movies, music, sport, the usual.

    OR you could just walk up to a guy and give him a movie style kiss, that’s sure to get their attention

    Keep me updated on you love life, I feel like once you get over your first awkward conversation, you’ll just be cruising.

    OH I ALMOST FORGOT … in a world of online dating, U of T has a website for dates and friends to be … Check it (no longer in service). Who knows how it works, but maybe you find someone who’s not a creep.

    With kindness,
    Aska

  • engineering

    No sex change required to be an Engineer at U of T

    Hi aska~
    I am a student in Alberta and am interested in applying to UT in engineering. Since I am a ESL student, I took the toefl test and got a mark
    of 106 (required 100). My average without english would therefore booms to be about 93. I do have some volunteering work, part time job or acdemic contests experience, but I’m still a little worried about the chance I can get in UT into engineering because UT does not admit a lot of girls for engineering. So do you know how likely would I be admitted? and should I try to make a higher mark in toefl test?

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

    Yo Yo,
    I want to say this in the nicest way possible, but have you followed in Walt Disney’s foot steps and been frozen for the last couple of decades and finally warmed up. Canada in the 21st century does not discriminate against females in post secondary institutions

    I … just …i’m not sure where you got your information, but its incorrect.

    Ok … your admission to the University of Toronto has nothing to do with your gender. Males and females are equally capable of becoming an engineer as long as they are willing to paint their face purple.

    So focus on your grades and not a sex change.

    BUT on a positive note … 93 is a relatively good average. Contact the department of engineering and ask them for their grade range for admission. The cutoff grade changes each year depending on the competition.

    Love Always,
    Aska

  • Transferring

    red rover red rover UTSG calls another UTM student over

    Hey guys,

    I’m a first year at UTM, but I’m very much looking to transfer to UTSG because they’re the only UofT campus that has the program I want: Architectural Studies.

    I’m in Social Sciences @ UTM and the program I want is in the Humanities @ St. George. I was wondering what my chances of getting accepted there would be, in your opinion? If I reach the required GPA and even a bit higher, do you think I would get accepted?

    Thanks,

    Sarah

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

    Whaddup Sarah (you may be one of the few to use your real name … or is it your real name)

    The competition differs each year depending on the amount of applicants and their grades, BUT what I can tell you is some more information on an internal transfer (which is you!)

    Here’s the schools site on transferring and this is what it says about your specific situation:

    “You are an internal student if you previously registered at the University of Toronto in a degree, diploma, certificate, pre-university program or as either a non-degree or visiting student.

    • Admission consideration is based on your CGPA and most recent annual GPA.
    • Program prerequisites must be met at either the senior high school or university level. Applicants to limited enrolment programs must present the required first year university courses.

    And here is the application deadlines and forms.

    What I would suggest is going into an academic counselor and having them look at your grades and they could give you more insight as to the likelihood of you getting your transfer.

    And UTSG converts another.

    Always in my Heart,
    Aska

  • colleges

    You are the college of my dreams, baaaby

    Hello!
    So, the time has come to apply to universities in my senior year and as if applying to schools and finding a program suitable for myself, I need to rank colleges to live at if I do get accepted to UofT. I’m incredibly stuck on which one would be right for me and what they all have to offer. I realize they all have websites, but nothing that really made me make up my mind about a certain college. (Lack of pictures of the res..I’m a visual type of decision maker, I suppose) Can you give me brief descriptions of what each college is like? I plan to eventually visit a few, but is there any way you can make my decision a little less harder with some background information and what the res life is like in each of them?
    Thanks!
    Indecisive

    ———————————————

    Why hello there Little Miss Indecisive,

    Quick side bar, kind of, as I haven’t said anything yet. When searching for ‘Little Miss Indecisive’ as in the Little Miss and Mr Men books.
    These are 5 of the results that showed:
    1) Different Coloured Girls – power ranger wanna be in my opinion

    2) Stuffed Peppers – who knows

    3) Sawyer from Lost – Hunka Hunka, well if you’re into that thing

    4) Sprinkle Cookies – I’m sensing a food theme

    5) Miley Cyrus – no list would be complete without Miley Cyrus – i would also like to point out the two young girls stalking in the background.

    Google has officially let me down, for the first time ever … i think we may need to get a divorce .. ok maybe just a separation. Let’s not be too extreme.

    Anywho, lucky lucky you. This question has been asked before and thoroughly answered by yours truly:
    CHECK IT YO

    I know this seems like a life or death question but you really can’t make a bad decision. You probably can make a good one though.

    Sorry for the rant-like response – someone didn’t quite get their coffee this morning

    Tender Love,

    Aska

  • economics

    To infinity and bey … and to my room to study for Math 133Y

    Hey aska.
    So I’m a first year student at UTSG and I planned on doing a specialist degree in IR. But now I am reconsidering and thinking of doing a major in IR and a major in Economics. However, I only took Eco105 and no math course and for economics a calculus course is required (ps. I suck at math). Are my chances of doing a major/minor in economics completely shot?

    Thanks, Y.

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

    Hey there, partner of a love/hate relationship with math,

    Skip the first paragraph if you don’t want my opinion. Proceed to paragraph number two for the hard facts.

    Ok. So, I was looking at IR and Eco and you do realize that both involve math right? I don’t know … maybe it’s just me … but i wouldn’t want to suffer through 4 years of something buuuuut that’s up to you. Maybe your mentally prepared for this … or I can suggest counselors that can help you to not have a mental breakdown come 3rd year.

    NOW on to your question: You can totally take a major or a minor in Eco, but you can’t enroll the subject post until next year when you finally take that dreaded math course (MAT133Y). And unfortunately you can’t take the other required courses until you take that math as it, along with ECO 100 Y, are prereqs.

    There are course grade requirements and CGPA requirements, so I’ll quote the lovely course calendar
    “Enrolment in this program is limited to students with 67% in ECO100Y1 or 80% in ECO105Y1, MAT133Y1/(MAT123H1,MAT124H1)/MAT135Y1/MAT137Y1/MAT157Y1 and a CGPA of 2.0.”

    I’ll just confess this now, I’m assuming your talking about the economics arts program. If for some inconceivable reason I’m wrong, just check the course calendar and they will show you the requirements as above.

    Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

    Yours Truly,
    Aska

  • friends

    Let’s get it on …

    Hey aska,

    I’m in first year at St. George (whattupp!). As you know, the semester is almost over and I haven’t been able to make any friends. None of my
    high school friends go to UofT either, so my confidence is kind of shot. I mean, I have at least one person to talk to in all of my classes, but I feel like we won’t be able to maintain that friendship after this semester, or after the year for that matter. I guess the problem is that the people I meet aren’t even in first year and the classes are enormous. Not only that but i know it’s my problem too, I guess I’m an introvert and I just don’t know how to start a conversation or keep it going. They say you make all your friends in first year. I feel like by now everyone has developed their own groups or busy with their studies, and not looking to make any new friends. And I also feel like it’s too late to join any extra-curriculars. Any advice? I really don’t want to spend my next three years alone.

    Signed,
    Not the Only One?

    ———————————————
    Hey there future social butterfly,

    You make a lot of friends in your first year, but you’ll snag a few in every year.
    Are you in residence? If not I would suggest living in one. This is an awesome way to meet people!
    But it’s definitely not the only way. The college that you are affiliated with will host a ton of events throughout the year that you can participate in … think formals, pub crawls, movie nights.
    Oh i know you’re getting excited BUT THERE’S EVEN MORE!
    There is a whole ULife website dedicated to things you can try and groups you can join.
    University is awesome as everyone is here to have a good time and meet new people (and study when time allows).

    You’re definitely not the only one in this situation. And you said you met people in your class which is a great way to meet people as you obviously have some of the same interests. Sitting beside each other in class leads to study groups which lead to crazy drunk celebrations after acing your exams together.

    I know it can seem scary to start a conversation with people, but the odds are they are chill and all you have to say is ‘hey, whaddup’

    You’ve got this dude, within a year you’ll own this school

    Love,
    Aska

  • grad school

    Sleepless in Toronto

    Hello,

    I have been having sleepless nights about this as well as some depression, but I need to know how bad bleak my future is right now. By the time I graduate I will have redone close to 1 academic year repeat (i.e. I repeated about 8 courses over my time at university, in yorku a full course load is 10 courses for a school year). 2 out of 3 of my repeats were originally F’s on the first attempt and D’s on the 2nd attempt. Even though my grades are awful I still average a C+ close to a B average. My question is with these repeats and multiple failures will my chances of getting into grad school be absolutely closed for myself??

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

    Yo yo sleepless in Toronto,

    Honestly man, your life is not over. Although you may have cut off some opportunities, your life’s not over. It really depends on what Grad school and program you’re looking to get into. If your CGPA is high enough to beat out everyone else they might not look at your repeated courses.

    BUT … this is a pretty decent BUT, some programs will look at this negatively and if you’re tied with another student for a spot, they will most likely choose the one who did the courses well the first time.

    I’m not entirely sure what your situation is and if your done school … or if you currently attend York U (if so, way to come over to the dark side/u of t)… but this is what i’m going to suggest for you to do.
    First off, if your still in school, get your shit together and kill whatever courses you have left. That way you have an awesome CGPA (which is always a good thing).
    Secondly, make an appointment with your registrar as they can look at grad school business with you and see what options are still open despite your repeated course.

    And finally, you might as well make an appointment here. They can talk with you and help you find ways to deal with your sleeplessness and depression, sometimes just getting to talk about things helps relive some of that stinkin’ University stress.

    Love Eternally,
    Aska

  • internet

    My Utor is being attack

    Hi Aska,
    I got this e-mail and was sketched out. I tried to Google what it was before clicking it, with no success. So I clicked it and got a sketchy website.
    What is it? A scam? It was sent to my uoft email!

    <insert a forwarded email here>

    ———————————————

    spam?

  • graduation

    HARRY POTTER (aka degree requirements)

    Hi Aska,
    Im a 3rd year student at UTSG with a double major in Economics and Stats. I met the entry requirement for Eco major and enrolled in it, which is 67% in eco100 and 2.0 gpa. Do I need to maintain that GPA in order to graduate? Can I still graduate with a CGPA of under 2.0? Thanks for your time.

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

    Whaddup,

    Nah man you’re good to go. Once your enrolled in the Major, you don’t need to maintain the required entry CGPA, unless it is stated (which it’s not for the Eco Major)

    Technically you can graduate with a CGPA under 2.0, but you would definitely be pushing it. Here’s what the Holy Book (ie Course Calendar) says:

    ” Obtain a Cumulative GPA of 1.85 or more by the time of graduation. Students who meet all the requirements for the Hon.B.A./Hon.B.Sc. except for the GPA requirement may elect to graduate with a B.A./B.Sc. degree provided they are In Good Standing (i.e., CGPA is 1.50 or more) ”

    Personally I would aim to go above the 1.85, spending 4 grueling years at this school deserves an honours degree.

    Yours forever and always,
    Aska

  • dropping courses,  OSAP

    Mom, Is OSAP going to be mad at me?

    Hi
    I am a first year student at UTSC and I find the program I am doing very difficult and I have lost my interest in continuing. I have switched programs and next semester I am starting a new program that I am more interested in. I started this semester with 4 credits and dropped calculus in October. I am also do very poorly in another one of my courses and I am also certain I am going to fail since I was clueless for both midterms. My question is should I stick through it knowing I’m going to fail or should I just drop it? I have heard OSAP will not be happy about me doing only 2 courses. What would be my best option? What would be the penalty of me passing 2 courses, failing 1 and having dropped one.? What if I pass 2 courses and drop 2? Which would be my best option and how will the school and osap handle this. I been stressing a lot and any advice would be a appreciated.

    Thanks.
    V

    ———————————————

    V (are you the newest gossip girl … how are S and B doing?)

    I need you to do a huge favour for me and breathe … your life is not over and everyone has tough times when it comes to school.

    First off I just wanted to tell you that it is past the date to drop F courses, so your looking at Late Withdrawals, which will appear on your transcript (but will be better than a failed course as it does not contribute to your CGPA)

    OSAP will be possibly be mad at you. Sorry, they’re generally a grump (as I would be too if I was continuously giving strangers money).

    Generally speaking OSAP would like you to remain at a 60% course load or higher. If you drop below the 3 courses, they will most likely reassess your funds. In which case, they might ask you to pay back some from this semester, or you may not receive any in January. The odds are they won’t cut you off from OSAP for next year if this is your first offense.
    Saying that, I would really, really suggest that you go see a financial/academic adviser. They will be able to look at your specific situation and tell you what specific repercussions will be. If they agree that the best thing for you to do, is to drop your courses, they might be able to hook you up with some financial aid (depending on your situation).

    Don’t be intimidated to meet with advisers, they are understanding of your situation (the odds are a thousand students have been there before or worse off). They have seen it all. They actually want to help and they don’t mind if you start crying.

    You’ve got this dude. You’re in a sticky situation but it’s not the end.

    Love Always,
    Aska

  • first year

    I hear U of T eats first years alive

    Dear askastudent,
    I’m in grade 12, and live in the GTA. I’m conflicted as to whether or not I should apply (and eventually attend) UofT. Why, you ask, would I not automatically consider the university ranked as the best in Canada when it is 2 hours away from home? Well, lets just say that the only word on the street about UofT is somewhat… frightening. Could you help me dispel some rumours?
    Apparently, UofT has little community atmosphere, and the classes are so large that the profs simply don’t care, and you just feel like a number.Apparently, the grades are curved in such a way that the fierce competition makes it nearly impossible to get As compared to other universities in Canada.Apparently, a very large number of first year students drop out or transfer.
    Is UofT really a lacklustre undergraduate experience?
    Do the rankings only reflect the research, not the teaching?
    Thanks for your help,
    -Dazed & Confused

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

    Yo yo D&C

    I’m going to be straight with you. It depends on your field but the odds are in first year, you’re going to be in massive classes (ie the glorious Con Hall). These massive classes are awesome for the morning after fatigue because you probably won’t get called on to answer a question. BUT the school does realize that classes with a couple hundred students can be lame-o for incoming students.
    So here’s what they did
    1) Prof office hours (great way to kiss ass)

    2) Multiple TA’s that are assigned in relation to the number of students (Can answer any and all your questions – if relationship based, it would probably be better to ask here wink. wink.)

    3) First Year Seminars – If i could preach these I WOULD. You know what …I’m going to. These are small courses designed so students could interact with their profs one on one. Awesome? topics – who doesn’t want to take a course on Vampires or Lord of the Rings. And generally you get killer grades in these. Only first years are allowed to take these babies

    As for that lovely bell curve, the odds are that you’re going to encounter at least one. But they are used when the class as a whole is suffering, not just a couple people. So the odds are you will be suffering with them (sorry to burst your bubble). In any case, curves are calculated the same at all schools and they will only happen if a class desperately needs it (I personally have only ever had one, and it was only for 1 test)

    Honestly man, all of the concerns you have are going to occur at all schools, not just U of T. People drop out and transfer at all schools, for different reasons. And first- year experiences differ based on the person. I’ve known people who have partied too hard and failed (that’s their fault, not the school), and people who have partied like a monster and studied like a monster too and are going to be graduating this year. People drop out and travel, or go to college.

    Cheese ball line: Your experience is what you make of it. The school is there for you, with endless help resources and if you make an effort to be noticed and get good grades, you will (I promise).

    Peace and Love Baby,

    Aska

  • askastudent announcement

    Be our friend and you will be rewarded

    We’re sad and lonely. We sit watching reruns of cheesy comedies, eating entire tubs of Ben and Jerry’s half baked ice cream.

    Be our friend … or let us tweet you

    Maybe we’ll tell you about the greatest party on campus, or how to seduce that babe/stud from your ENG304 course.
    Or potentially necessary things like not forgetting to wear pants to your exams.

    In any case ADD US!!
    and you will be rewarded (insert winky face)

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    Peace!