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admissions, applying for U of T, campus, psychology

where.

July 14, 2024
Hello, I am interested in applying to the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. I would like to know which campus offers the best program for that. Additionally, I would like to inquire if it is possible to apply for admission immediately after completing Grade 11, with the potential for a conditional offer based on an average score above 95% in Grade 11 (through Tvo ILC), without having started Grade 12. And what will be the admission steps?

hey there,
1. which campus is best
first of all, great question. it can be really hard to choose which uni and campus to attend, because that’s where you’ll live your life for the next four+ years. when i was at that stage, i felt a lot like this:

i can tell you that psychology at U of T is going to be really good no matter which campus you choose. but if you wanted to know which one was best for that program, it really depends on what you’re looking for.

st. george is the biggest campus and it’s downtown. so that will mean it has more research opportunities in more areas, because of how connected the st. george campus is. like, there are a lot of U of T affiliated companies in different sectors that will take U of T undergrads looking for experience. the psychology has a great page where you can check out research opportunities here.

as for the other two campuses, i don’t know much about UTM, but UTSC in scarborough is known for being the co-op campus. so if you’re looking for co-op opportunities, that’s the place to be. for example, at UTSC you can take the co-op program in psychology, which is a work integrated program that combines your studies with paid work. this can also be great if you want to earn some money while being a student.

i’d say both co-op opportunities and research opportunities are really important for psychology because it’s difficult to get job experience as an undergrad when you’re a psychology student. so it just depends on what you prefer.

meanwhile, you should also choose the campus based on its environment and how it would work for you, as each campus has different pros and cons. like, do you want to live in the downtown core? do you want to live in a smaller campus? do you like nature? noise? etc.

if you’re curious, you can check out this page that goes over what makes each campus unique.

2. can you apply for admission now?

so unfortunately, it is not possible to apply for admission immediately after completing grade 11. this is because you need to be at least enrolled in grade 12 courses before you can be considered for admission.

according to the admission dates page, the early application date is november 7 while the deadline is january 15. so you’ll have to wait for the fall of your senior year to apply, around late september or october. you can apply for early admissions even if your grade 12 marks are not out yet, but you do need to be in grade 12. there’s not really a way around that.

finally, if you’re still undecided on which campus to choose, i’d encourage you to reach out to a recruitment officer, as they can probably tell you more psychology-specific things about each campus and help you make your decision.

anyways, hope this was helpful, good luck!!

over and out,

aska
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campus, choosing, competition, courses

day 47389 of asking you to be more specific

July 7, 2024
What courses do you think are the least to highest in competitiveness. And also what campus do you think are the least to highest in competitiveness.

hey there,

well, as you can see on the U of T course timetable, there are almost 8000 courses offered during the fall/winter school year across all its undergrad faculties.

you want to know which of these are the least to highest in competitiveness? have i got a list for you, ranked highest to lowest in competition:
wait maybe applied game theory should be number one, cause that’s crazy. do they apply? game theory? in class? against each other? for grades? who cares about deathly crimes (aka emotional warfare) when you’ve got grades on the line.

ok don’t take anything i just said seriously. i’ve just been emotionally scarred by some classmates.

jokes aside, realistically, there is no way of saying which of the 8000 courses are highest and lowest in competitiveness without taking all of them or having some sort of crazed opinion-based database. unfortunately, the closest U of T students have ever come to making one of those was the anti-calendar, which mysteriously died out sometime in 2011.

the only actual general knowledge on competitiveness at U of T is that the rotman business programs are definitely every-man-for-himself. i know several people in rotman, and not only is it super difficult to get good grades there, you have to be extensively involved in extra-curricular programming and clubs. the vibe is that there’s a lot of fake sucking-up and networking in those circles. i heard they do peer evaluations after some group projects, where they have to prepare an argument to present to their prof as to why they should get higher grades than their group members who “did less work”. brutal, i tell ya.

so as you’ll probably guess, competition also depends on the size of your program. i think with really popular programs that have limited enrolment, you would encounter more competition in class rather than in open enrolment programs. some of the smaller programs also have more tight-knit communities, where everyone is more welcoming and kind to each other. i’d say this is definitely the case with niche social science programs.

from past research, i’ve heard entry into the computer science program is really competitive, though i’m not sure how it is after you get in. and, i took some political science adjacent courses and those were pretty competitive compared to life sci courses i’ve taken. in poli sci/public policy/peace conflict and justice courses, i guess you’ve just got a concentration of people who want to be world leaders or politicians, so you get the vibe.

honestly, it would be a lot to give my opinion on every single one of the 700 programs U of T offers, so maybe give me a shortlist of ones that you’re curious about instead?

as for competition across the three U of T campuses, i can actually tell you about that because i can actually count the number on one hand :D!

based on what i’ve heard from people who have taken classes in all three campuses, UTM (mississauga) is the most competitive, UTSG (st. george) is in the middle, and UTSC (scarborough) is the least competitive. however, that’s not to say every single UTM course is competitive, i think it just depends what your specific program would be.

anyhoo, hope this somewhat answered your questions? if not, i hope you enjoyed my yap session.

and if you really want an answer, don’t hesitate to shoot another, more specific, question!

over and out,

aska
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choosing, commuters, friends, fun & places, gap year, housing, money

in this essay, i will-

July 6, 2024

hello! i got accepted into uoftsg and i’m split between whether or not i should do a gap year. i just graduated highschool, and my plan was to do my undergrad and graduate in 2028 with an english degree and a business certificate.

if i go into uni for this fall, the pros are:

i’ll keep my academic momentum going and i’ll be with some friends from this year who are also going to uoft. i’ll also be out the house more often and away from my family (i live in an emotionally draining environment, parents are uber-religious christians and big members of our church while i’m a closeted bisexual + athiest!) and uoft is far from our town (~1hr drive)

the cons are that i’ll have a lot of stress from commuting so much (~2hr commute to and from campus multiple times a week). there will be some financial strain, as i’m depending on OSAP and UTAPS. i don’t have an RESP or anything saved. commuting will also rack up additional costs over time, too. aside from going to the commuter’s orientation, i’ll have a lack of social integration @ school and i don’t want to feel alone outside of classes, or limited because i’ll have a train to catch ;(

if i try and defer my acceptance and take a gap year, i’ll be able to save up money working to purchase the things i need for school (laptop, school supplies, books, etc.). i could even afford residence (the dream) if i work multiple jobs. i’ll get more time to plan and develop the skills i’m embarrassed about not having like learning how to swim, getting my driver’s license, building a resume, and getting some official job experience.

the cons are that i’ll have to live with my family during that time and idk if that’s the best for my mental health. part of why i chose uoft wasn’t just because it was a strong choice for my desired program, but also because it’s far away from home with so much social opportunities in a big city that i’ve never been able to experience! like pride parades, concerts, etc. i’ll have to delay those plans for a year then bunk it with students a year younger than me if i can afford residence my first year, but that’s just a small petty con lol. i’m mostly worried about not doing what i planned then deciding i don’t want to go to post-secondary since i’m working and making money. i also don’t know if i’ll have less opportunities for scholarships since i won’t be direct-entry into post-secondary.

i’m unsure of what to do—it’s a big dilemma that’s been on my mind for a while. my friends say to give it time and do what feels / seems right. i’m unsure of who else to ask about this, and the deadline to defer is around august (?) i think. please let me know what you think and if there are any resources i can look into or areas (like registrar or advisors) that i can ask about this decision. thank you so much in advance, have a great day. ?

hey there,

omg i feel you, my friend. this sounds like a really tough decision, thanks for reaching out! as a U of T student and person who knows part of the situation in which you’re coming from, i might be able to pitch in. keep in mind, this is all kind of coming from my personal experience, so take from it what you will!

friends/dorm

first of all, yes. it’s nice to go into uni already knowing friends in your year. i will say though, that it doesn’t matter as much as it might seem to. knowing friends in your year is only a big pro if you’re in the same program as them and can take the same classes. otherwise, you’ll have to make time to see them outside of class/studying — and in that context, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the same year. in uni, you’re bound to make friends across different years, because the classes are very mixed and there’s much less of a divide between years like there is in high school.

for example, i went into U of T with like 10 people from my high school, and even if we were all in the same year, we were in different programs so i didn’t see them outside of class time unless we made an effort to. like, it’ll sort of be the same way if you were in first year and they were in second year, do you know what i mean? you won’t be in the same classes either way.

next, in terms of bunking with students a year younger than you. i can see how this might seem annoying, but again, once you get to uni, you’ll realize that people really don’t pay much notice to age differences less than 3 years. there are SO so many people who take gap years that it’s completely normal for first years to be between 18-20 years old. you’re at the same life stage, and that’s all that matters to people. half the roommates i’ve ever had were gap-year people, and it’s so normal.

some facts: depending on the residence that you’re in, you’ll also be living with people older than you, like second, third, or even fourth and fifth years. in classes, there are students of all ages — even people who are in their 40s sometimes (i had a 70 year old in my class once). if you’re below the age of 23, nobody cares. you can be a 20 year old in a first year course or an 18 year old in a third year course, and it’s all chill.

overall, yes, friends are very important during your time at U of T, but you will make strong friendships regardless of if you take a gap year or not! i hope that makes sense.

moving out/commuting

ok, this is a big one. considering the home situation that you’re in, moving out/being out of the house sounds like it would be really important for your mental, social, and emotional health. and i’m so sorry to hear that you have to deal with that, i know it can be tough.

if you were to go into school this year, a 2 hour commute to and from campus sounds like it would be extremely tiring. it also would take up a lot of your study time, to do that for 4 hours a day. i know some people who’ve had a similar commuting length, and they’ve said it can get really difficult, especially during exam season. like, some exams can be 7-10pm one night, and then 9am the next day. taking classes in the morning is also difficult. i know a guy who had to wake up at 5am every week to make it to our 8am class.

if you’re studying english, the exam part shouldn’t be a problem for you, since you’ll have final essays to do instead. but the business classes will definitely have final exams.

so overall, it’s pretty difficult to have a 2 hour commute, but it has been done.

my question is, would it be possible for you to get an affordable place near campus that isn’t a student residence? i know you’ve mentioned that financially, residence isn’t feasible for you this year. but there are a lot of more affordable alternatives out there.

although U of T dorms like to announce that they’re oh-so-affordable, they really are on the more expensive side of rent options on/near campus. (especially ones that require a meal plan, those are a literal rip-off, it’s insane). if you want a ball-park idea, check out this page that lists the rent prices for residences last year. while you look at this, keep in mind that the yearly rent goes up by like, at least 1000$ every year, so it’ll be higher this year. these prices make me want to cry lol.

however, i’d say if you want social integration, dorm is definitely the place to find it.

affordable housing

here’s what i’ve found during my hunt for affordable housing this past year. the most affordable option is something called “co-op” housing. i know some people who love living there. co-op housing includes rows of old victorian houses right on the west border of campus with around 8-10 people per house (each in their own single room, i think). according to a recent Varsity article, they charge about $650 to $800 for a single room per month, which is quite literally the cheapest option you can find downtown. i heard some houses also have veggie gardens!

another option you might want on your radar is tartu student residence. it has a more expensive range than co-op housing, but is still much lower than college residences on campus. tartu’s cheapest room is a double-shared room for $712/person per month, and it is right on the north edge of campus, on bloor street. this is a great place, as i’ve heard from my many friends who live there. if you wanna know more about this, let me know.

those are just the most affordable places i know that are on campus. however, it is also possible to find affordable places within a 15 minute walk to campus, or even a 30-min transit. if you’re interested in renting off-campus, i’d encourage you to check out this crash course post i have about navigating the toronto housing market.

fun and finances

anyways, yea. i honestly chose U of T for the same reasons. it being far from home and with social opportunities in the big city is a huge pro. i can tell you that it’s everything i hoped it would be and more, in that area. but all of that fun will still be there in one year.

and as you said, keeping your academic momentum going is important. it will be difficult to get back in the swing of things, especially considering how academically rigorous things are at U of T (particularly in those business classes). however, it’s not a make-or-break factor. if you have the commitment and work-ethic in you, you will be fine returning after a year.

i think the real make-or-break factor in this whole situation is financial feasibility. i think your plan of taking a gap year to work and save up money is really smart, if you need to do that. just keep in mind, there are several strategies and programs in place to help with the financial strain of studenting.

you mention getting a laptop — and yeah, i would say that’s pretty important to have in uni. that’s pretty much the only “school supplies” thing you’ll need. however, there are free computers to use at the libraries. as for books, you can get them second-hand, or find them for free online, which is what i do. (i once spent 7 hours searching for a free version of a textbook that i needed. and you better bet i found it :D).

another option i’ll throw out there is getting a part-time work-study job during the school year, like working front desk at one of the dorms or something. there are chill, flexible student jobs that exist on campus which might be a possible source of income during the school year!

in terms of scholarships, i’m personally not aware of scholarships that require you to be direct-entry into post-secondary. you can read up on scholarships here. there are so many avenues of getting scholarships. there are college-specific awards, application-based admission awards, and also numerous english degree-specific awards. you can search for those using the award explorer, just make sure to filter your search since there are thousands on there.

resources

finally, resources. before you make a decision, i highly recommend that you reach out to your college registrar for some professional advice. there, you can speak to academic advisors and financial advisors who can help you navigate this. they are really kind and genuinely helpful, so don’t hesitate to make an appointment with them!

anyways.

i hope this all made sense. this is a tough decision, but i trust that you’ll make the right choice for yourself. from the sound of it, you’ve thought this out a lot and you’re considering a lot of important factors. i really tried to condense this down lmao, so feel free to reach out again if you have any further questions about what i’ve said here.

good luck, you’ve got this! so much love for ya.

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, polisci

good plan, my man

July 2, 2024

If My grade is 50% in Grade 11 but I have to retake it and I get an 80% can I still apply for an early admission to University of Toronto to study Political Science.

Just to let you know regarding my last question I am an out of province student.

hey there,

first of all, that’s a good plan to retake it. definitely do that.

but when you say your grade is 50%, are you referring to a single course or your overall GPA? those are two very different things. if it’s just a single course, and you’re doing fine in your other ones, you might be fine. for political science, which is under the social science admission stream, the one high school course that really matters is ENG4U. other than that, you have some leeway room because they’ll look at a group of your top grades.

can you apply for early admission to U of T?

well, yes anyone can apply for that, it’s just a matter of getting admitted. if you retake a course during the summer before grade 12, then your grades will definitely come out in time. but if you retake that course during grade 12, your new mark might not be released by the time admissions looks at your transcript. so ultimately, yeah you can apply, but having the “early” part matter depends on if your marks are also released early.

all in all, just do your best! i’m sure you will get a higher mark your second time around, you’ve got this! i hope this was helpful, good luck.

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T

my apologies, you’re not as slick as u think

June 29, 2024

Is there anything special I need to prepare for in the UofT application?

hey there,

well, it depends what you mean by special, and also on what program you’re applying to.

on this future U of T site, under the subsection “deadlines to submit supporting documentation”, you’ll see a list of all the programs that require a supplemental application.

these programs are: engineering, architecture, computer science, rotman commerce, kinesiology, and music. if your program isn’t listed here, then no, you won’t have to prepare anything other than just your transcript and the application fee.

however, if you are a canadian student and you want to be considered for scholarships, you should fill out your awards profile. this allows you to be considered for admission awards based on financial need and your extracurricular involvement.

and yeah, that’s pretty much it. other than that, have good grades on your transcript!

over and out,

aska

ps. i don’t have a problem with it, and i’m gonna hold your hand in the gentlest way while i say this but.

bro thinks he’s slick but i can see one email address asking multiple questions in the FAQ comments under 4 different names. like. it’s ok, you don’t have to be sneaky about it. just ask your questions

but sorry if i blew ur cover and you’re actually just socially anxious. if that’s the case, carry on. in any case, i’m happy to help you out, keep asking away.

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admissions, applying for U of T, social sciences

i know things i swear

June 29, 2024

hi! so i’m a grade 11 student and rn i’m taking college, uni and mixed courses. what i’m wondering is that would this affect my chances of getting into uoft (specifically the social science stream) since i took college level grade 11 courses? also for next year, in grade 12, all my courses that i’ll be taking are 6 u/m so would that help or?

hey there,

hmmm ok. i’m honestly not from ontario so this whole ontario high school course code system bewilders me. normalize being out of the loop because what is even.. going on.

*you remind me that i’m literally supposed to know this stuff.*

ahah but i do know the U of T system, so i’ll try my best to answer this.

for admission requirements, U of T requires that you’ve taken at least 6 grade 12 university (U) or university/college (M) courses. for the social sciences stream, one of those courses must be english (ENG4U). so yes, it’s good that you’re taking all U/M courses in grade 12!

U of T will look at your grades in ENG4U, plus five other of your top grade 12 marks in academic courses. based off this, i think would give you a better chance if you took a lot of U/M courses, because then you’ll have other marks to send in if you do badly in some, right?

meanwhile, based on the way that U of T describes how they consider applications, they don’t consider the difficulty of the courses you took in high school. i know that some other universities say they do, like UBC, who says they look at the range of your courses and how challenging they were. but i haven’t seen anything that implies U of T looks at this. the general vibe is that U of T mainly looks at your grades.

so overall, yeah. take U/M courses, that’s good. based on vibes again, i think taking college courses in grade 11 is also good, compared to taking workplace or open courses.

if you really want to know, like, specifics about admissions, something not a lot of people know is that you can literally ask a recruitment officer how to make your application really good. the name “recruitment officer” makes them sound so, institutional? but like they’re just people who have the actual inside scoop on this, so don’t be afraid to reach out!

hope this was helpful and good luck, i hope you have allllll the success!

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, grades

me when my permanent record is permanent

June 28, 2024

Hello,

If My grade 11 average is not good and I do extremely well in Grade 12 is it possible to submit my Grade 12 grades to UofT without them looking at my Grade 11 grades.

hey there,

unfortunately, no, this is not possible. that really sucks though.

when you apply to U of T, you pretty much just submit the grades on your transcript, and there’s no way to erase your grade 11 marks from your transcript. U of T considers you based on both your grade 11 and 12 marks, especially since your final grade 12 marks won’t be out yet when you apply.

for more details on how your high school marks are considered in your application, i recommend you check out what i wrote in my previous answer here.

the short answer is, your grade 11 marks do need to be looked at, but they aren’t the make-or-break factor. if you aren’t shooting for an early acceptance, your grade 12 marks are more important. the best thing you can do for now is just do your best in grade 12! in the case that you do apply early and your grade 11 marks are too low, you have a chance to be reconsidered when you grade 12 marks are released — as long as there is still space in your program.

sorry for the bummer. wishing you the best! you’ve got this.

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, grades, repeating course

am i helpful or am i delusional

June 28, 2024
Hello, I am planning on going into life science (or biochemistry, health sciences) and I am currently stressing about my grade 11 grades, I am going to end up with a low 80 in chemistry and advance functions. I have decided to redo these courses over the summer (aiming to get 90s). Will universities care about me redoing 2 grade 11 courses? Will my chances of getting into the program be better vs me not redoing it at all?

hey there,

that sounds like a stressful situation! when i was in high school, i remember being confused about how much my grade 11 marks mattered for university admissions too.

but now, i know all the secrets about admissions. jk not really, but in the process of answering questions, i’ve spent hours perusing U of T websites and have cross-referenced everything they officially release. weird flex sure, but it means i can help you.

so tune in while i take some really confusing information and present it to you in a slightly less confusing way. (i hope? y’all would tell me if i wasn’t making sense right)
1. how your high school marks matter in admissions
at U of T, all applicants are considered based on their top six academic grade 12 courses. the marks of these courses are used to calculate your admission average.

meanwhile, when you apply to U of T, you’ll apply to one of six admission categories. these are basically just a way that the university sorts all applicants, because, well, when you’ve got 340 something programs, it can get complicated. instead, there are just general admission requirements in six different categories. to get into the life science admission category, you have to take two pre-requisite courses: english 12 and calculus 12. as pre-requisite courses, those are going to have to be included in the six grade 12 courses that determine your average.

so what does that mean for you? well, that means your grade 11 marks shouldn’t be the make-or-break factor, and they’re generally considered alongside your grade 12 marks. eg. if your grade 11 courses are low, you can have your application re-considered using your grade 12 marks when they come out. according to the general admission requirements website, grade 11 marks are mostly considered in pre-requisite courses for early or conditional offers of admission. (note that chemistry is not included in your pre-req list!)

the way i understand it is that the balance of your grade 11 and grade 12 marks really just depends on the space the program has, and how soon your grade 12 marks in pre-requisite courses come out.

i hope that all makes sense, it’s a bit of a complicated process to understand and nothing is clear-cut. but it really helps to know all this when making your decision.

2. repeated courses

meanwhile, does UofT care about repeated courses? officially, the site on admission decisions says that “while we recognize that there may be valid reasons for repeating a course, we urge you to do as well as possible on your first attempt. in some instances, repeated courses will not be accepted for competitive admission categories”.

wow, that was sO clarifying of them.

but yeah, this doesn’t really tell you that much. i believe life sciences lands kind of in the middle of the spectrum for competitiveness — it’s harder to get into than social sciences and humanities, though it’s not as bad as computer science or rotman. personally, i think it might be fine to repeat courses if they’re grade 11 courses, since grade 12 courses seem to matter more. but if you do repeat them, just make sure that you disclose the repeated courses in your application.

anyway. that’s it from me. i hope this helped, convoluted as it was. good luck with everything, i’m rooting for you!

over and out,

aska
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admissions, applying for U of T, polisci

first steps first

June 26, 2024

What subjects do I need to take in Grade 12 to study Political Science

hey there,

oooh political science you say? very nice, U of T has a great poli-sci program, i fully support you in that.

here’s what you need to know:

at U of T, all programs are sorted into general admission categories for incoming students to apply to. if you want to study political science, you’ll apply to the social sciences admission category when you send in your application through OUAC. later on, after taking the first-year poli-sci courses, you’ll be able to enter the actual poli-sci major or specialist.

but, first steps, first.

according to the general admission requirements, you’ll have to take six 4U/M courses in high school. among these, the only required course you’ll have to take is english 12 (ENG4U). so it looks pretty simple for you! other programs require calculus, but you won’t have to worry about that.

just keep in mind, the recommended admission range is mid to high 80s and U of T will consider your average based on your top 6 academic grade 12 courses.

anyways. good luck with everything, reach out if you have any more questions!

over and out,

aska

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admissions, engineering

once again, may i present… your registrar!

June 21, 2024

Hello,

I applied as an early consideration for EngSci program at UofT. However, I have received an email in mid April that I have been placed on the waitlist.

Till now I have not received any updates and my engineering portal account gives the same message that I’m still under consideration.

Someone asked here about the latest response date which turns out to be June 7th, but I haven’t received either an acceptance or rejection till now (June 18th)

What does that mean? :’))

hey there,

man, that is a bit confusing to have not heard back for so long. first, props to you for checking my previous answers before asking!

buut, it’s good thing you asked because i’m not sure that answer would be applicable to your exact situation.

that question i answered last month was asked by a first year student enrolling in their program of study for second year. the latest response date of june 7th was pulled from the arts & sciences “important dates” timeline. but this date wouldn’t be relevant to you since you’re in a different faculty, the faculty of applied science and engineering. these faculties operate under different timelines and have different academic dates!

anyways, based on what you’ve said, i’m assuming you’re applying to your engsci major as you go into third year. here’s the thing with that — i can’t seem to find an exact date or timeline for engsci major acceptances like there is for artsci programs. and even if i got your situation wrong and you’re in the other engineering track (core 8), i also can’t find a program acceptance timeline for that.

the world wide web has failed me today i guess. but it’s fine, i’m fine.

fear nOT, though. while i am not an engineering student, i know there is someone out there who actually knows the dates when you should get a definite answer. the most reliable source i can guide you to is the… can you guess what i’m gonna say? the… engineering registrar!

literally just shoot them a quick email at registrar@engineering.utoronto.ca . ask them something along the lines of, “is there an estimated timeline for acceptances to roll out?” they’ll be helpful, you can do it!

in the meantime, june 7 is an irrelevant date for you, and your engineering portal says you’re still under consideration. so i would say, consider yourself under consideration and not rejected for now. but, the best thing you can do is really just to reach out to your registrar.

anyhoo, good luck with everything, i hope this somewhat helped!

over and out,

aska

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aska 2 Comments
admissions, other schools (boo!), stats

live laugh love? in these conditions?

June 5, 2024

hi aksa!! i have had pretty terrible grades in 11th and somewhat better in 12th, do u think there is hope for me to get into a good uni for statistics ??

hey there,

aw, i’m sorry to hear that! good on you for improving, though! that takes commitment.

ok, so you want to get into a good uni for statistics. i can’t really look into every single good uni out there cause i’m pretty sure they all work pretty differently. so for now, let’s look at a couple example to compare our options with: U of T, UBC, and mcgill. these are the top three statistics programs in canada, apparently.

first, let’s cover U of T.

1. getting into U of T statistics

when applying to U of T, your admission is based on an average grade calculated using your top six grade 12 U/M courses. if you wanted to get into the statistics program, you would apply under the admission category “physical and mathematical sciences“. (this is because at U of T, you don’t enter your specific program of study until after first year).

as you can see in general admission requirements, two pre-requisite courses are required for physical and mathematical sciences: english (ENG4U), and calculus (MCV4U). so these are the two courses that will have to be included in your top six. therefore, your admission will be based on your english grade, your calculus grade, plus your four top grades in academic grade 12 courses. that’s it.

if you apply for early admissions, or if your final grade 12 marks aren’t out yet, U of T may also look at your corresponding grade 11 marks to give you a conditional offer. but if your grade 11 marks are low, they’ll wait to see your grade 12 marks. so really, don’t worry too much about your grade 11 marks. it’s your grade 12 marks that are the make or break factor.

2. UBC

according to this website, UBC looks at your grade 11 and grade 12 marks, paying extra attention to the courses that relate to the degree you’re applying to. this includes english 12 and pre-calc 12. overall though, UBC looks at a whole lot of things other than just the numbers on your transcript. they say they look at the range of courses you took and how challenging they were. infamously, they look at a whOle lot through your personal profile, where you have to write a lot about leadership skills, extracurriculars, and experiences. (maybe i’m just dramatic, but writing this sucked the life outta me.)

so if your grades have been bad but you have a lot of leadership experience and you’re involved in your community, you might have a chance at UBC! but if you have zero experience in that area, and you are throwing all your cards into the numbers on your transcript, U of T is the one to bet on.

3. mcgill

meanwhile, mcgill will look at your grades over the past three years — so grade 10, 11, and 12. and, um, the admission averages are INSANE for computational sciences? 97-98% is crazy high.

but like U of T, they compute your top 6 grade 12 courses, so there is a little room for grace.

ultimately, this just shows that it really depends on where your strengths lie. each university considers its applicants differently, so you’ll have a better chance in some places compared to others. whichever university you apply to, it’s great that you’re doing better in grade 12! i heard somewhere that universities like to see improvement. just do some research on how different place consider their applicants.

so yeah. i think you do have hope to get into a good uni. reach out if you’ve got any other questions, wishing you the besttttt luck!

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, social sciences

no, no, and no

June 5, 2024

hello,
i am currently a grade 11 student. last sem i failed the functions u level course with a 40%, so i’ll be retaking it this summer. i’m worried that i won’t be accepted to the social science program because of this. also, i think my current average right now is around 74%.
so my questions are that would failing functions affect my change of acceptance?
i am aiming to get better grades in grade 12 so will uoft look at my grade 11 marks or my grade 12 marks?
my last question is regarding supplementary applications, i am planning to choose the political science stream so would i need to submit my extracurriculars, volunteer hours, etc? because currently i only have around 45 hours of volunteering and no extracurriculars, would this also affect my acceptance?

thank you,
hope this makes sense.

hey there,

i like you. finally, questions that are within my realm of expertise.

1. will failing functions affect your acceptance?

no, it shouldn’t. as you can see here, U of T only looks at your top 6 academic grade 12 courses, which they use to compute your admission average. among those courses, one must be english 12. depending on the admission category you apply to, there may be other pre-requisites included — such as functions if you were applying to, say, computer science.

however, you are applying to the social sciences admission category, which only requires english 12. this means that U of T will only look at your english course + five other of your top grade 12 marks. so if you’ve failed functions, it won’t be included in your top marks and U of T won’t look at it! so like, moving forward, um wdym, you didn’t fail! that tOTally did not happen!

2. will U of T look at your grade 11 or grade 12 marks?

so again, U of T will only look at your top 6 grade 12 marks. however, if those marks haven’t been released yet, they will look at the corresponding grade 11 marks to make conditional early offers.

check out this answer i posted recently where i talk more about the weight of your grade 11/12 marks. the tldr is that if your grade 11 marks don’t make the cut, U of T will consider you again when your grade 12 marks are released.

3. will you need to submit extracurriculars for political science?

you will not need to submit extracurriculars to get into your program of study, thank GOD. as you can see on the arts & sciences calendar, admission into the political science program only concerns pre-requisite classes and your grades. i’ve never heard of a U of T undergrad arts & science program that required extracurriculars, or volunteer hours. so you’re good to go!

4. will U of T look at your extracurriculars/volunteer hours for admissions?

finally, U of T also does not look at your extracurriculars or volunteering hours for first year admissions. when you apply on OUAC, there isn’t even an option to put these in! if i remember right, you pretty much just upload your transcript lol.

anyways, university applications can be super hectic and so confusing. so i hope this was helpful and that it took a bit of stress off your back! good luck with everything, you’ve got this!

over and out,

aska

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admissions, campus, hard

we love utsg

June 3, 2024

Is there a difference between applying to different campuses at UOFT? (Like applying to St. George is harder to get in or Mississauga is easier) truth be told, I’m only interested in St. George campus

hey there,

good question.

yes, i think there is a difference between applying to different U of T campuses. there is no official info on this, but from what i’ve heard, the st. george campus is harder to get into compared to the mississauga and scarborough campuses. i say this because i know some people who were admitted to UTM or UTSC but were rejected from UTSG.

i would try to compare the admission averages among the three campuses, but i can only find the utm admission average, which is 75%. so take from that what you will.

ultimately though, it depends on what program you’re applying to. maybe the st. george campus is harder to get into because it has programs that have a higher volume of applicants? as in — most people are like you and only interested in the UTSG campus. also, some programs are only offered at the st. george campus, which might play into it.

but don’t be discouraged from applying to UTSG. i think the st. george campus is so beautiful and a great place to spend your undergrad years at. (if you’re interested, find out what makes each campus unique here). it may be a bit harder to get into, but this is just a word-of-mouth thing and again, i don’t have any statistics to back up my facts with.

however, i can back you up. you’ve got this! WOOO! yeahhh!

anyways, good luck with your application, hope to see you here.

over and out,

aska

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