• admissions,  odds are that won't be asked again

    really, where would we be without grade 9’s?

    June 1, 2015

    I recently go suspended for three days for using axe aand some else lit it on fire. Im in grade 9 and this is the first time in my life I got suspended. I for wont do it again though. My dream is to enter uoft for engineering but will this suspension affect me in any way. Will I get asked of a suspension? If so, should I say no? Thanks in advance.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m so sorry, bud. i know this must be really hard for you.

    but this is so funny. it takes a lot to make a dried-up old internet veteran like myself experience joy anymore, but i think you just might’ve managed it.

    honestly, i’m trying to think of something witty to say or some way to sass you out, but i am just speechless. you literally. lit your axe. on fire. you can’t make this stuff up, ladies and gentlemen.

    thank you. thank you, for sharing your story with the world.

    anyway: no, this won’t affect your admissions chances in any way. the only thing the university looks at is your high school transcript. as long as your marks are good, that’s all that matters.

    try not to burn any more axe, though, eh? that stuff’s deadly. and, just a tip, as someone who’s known a lot of grade 9 boys in their life: lay off the axe. girls don’t like it. guys don’t like it. just trust aska and switch to something less abrasive – you’ll thank me some day.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • admissions,  engineering

    who appeals to engineering?

    May 28, 2015

    Hi 🙁 If i am refused admission to an engineering program, what are the chances of me being reconsidered after my final marks of the semester are out, if they are much higher? To whom may I write an appeal to? (I called the engineering office and they encouraged me to write an appeal) And what do you recommend I write?
    Also, on my rejection e-mail, it says that after June 4, OUAC will list the programs that have space remaining in UofT. How likely is it that engineering programs will be on this list?
    Thank you aska, i’ve asked u a lot of questions in the past and u always come through. Thank u <3 hopefully i can be at uoft starting next year and continue to pester u with questions lmao

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’ve never heard of any faculty at uoft considering an admissions appeal, so i’m surprised that anyone at engineering told you to write one. it’s not mentioned in engineering’s explanation of appeals and petitions, and appeals tend to be for current students.

    if they were to accept it, though, feel free to ask enrolment services who you can address it to, and how you should structure it. i don’t think i can give much advice on how to write it though, since i didn’t even think it was possible.

    i have no idea if engineering will be on that list. it’s possible you might get an alternative offer in engineering – track one instead electrical, for example. however, since i don’t know what your grades look like and i don’t know how engineering handles admissions, i can’t say how likely that is. you might get an alternate offer from the faculty of arts & science. you might not receive an alternate offer at all. i’m not sure.

    it’s possible that you’ll be reconsidered for admission when your final marks come out. decisions are being made on an ongoing basis, so you may still hear something; again, this is something that’s decided internally by admissions and i have no way of knowing when the last batch of decisions will be made.

    i realize that i pretty much just gave you three paragraphs saying ‘i don’t know’ in different words, and i’m sorry about that. i’m sorry i wasn’t able to come through with such great news this time; unfortunately, admissions is just one of those things that the university likes to keep under lock and key. and then put in a box. and then lock that box. and then throw the box in a river.

    the best thing you can do is keep in communication with enrolment services and the engineering undergraduate admissions office with any of these questions. they will do everything they can to answer your questions and help you out.

    best of luck, and i hope it works out,

    aska

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  • admissions,  Transferring

    apply, apply, good friends, apply

    May 22, 2015

    Hey,

    So I missed the January deadline to apply as an internal applicant tot ransfer from UTSC to St. George. Is there any point in applying now for September 2015 studies at St.George or do you think I need to wait until next year and hope that I can be approved to study downtown in second semester?

    Just wondering.

    Thanks a bunch!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    assuming you’re applying to the faculty of arts & science, you missed the deadline by quite a long shot there. i’m not sure if it would still be possible for you to apply the traditional way.

    however, you’ve got nothing to lose by contacting enrolment services, explaining your situation, and asking if there’a any way for you to apply at this point.

    i’m not saying thereis a way, but it’s always worth it to ask.

    if you do have to wait though, you’ll have to wait the full year. because a lot of downtown courses are full-year courses, full-time degree students can only be admitted to the faculty in the Fall term of any given year.

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • admissions,  rotman

    rotman but like not at rotman

    May 19, 2015

    Hi,

    I am currently a high school student in South Asia, studying under the British curriculum (O/A levels). I am looking forward to applying to Rotman Commerce (undergrad) for Fall 2016 and that is my first choice as well. I was wondering, what kind of AS level grades do I need so that I have a chance to get in? Also, about the supplementary application, is the essay question usually related to ECA’s? Any tips on how to nail the supplementary app?

    This part of the question might sound a little stupid (I apologize in advance) but if one doesn’t get admitted into Rotman, can they still study commerce at UofT St. George, merely under the faculty of arts and science instead of Rotman commerce?

    Any help would be appreciated!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    despite the fact that i have answered questions about the British-patterned system before, i’m still a little shaky on exactly what it all means. it’s like when you learn french in school and then you go to montreal or paris and all of a sudden you’re not entirely sure how this language actually works.

    so this is what the admissions website says: “At least five different IGCSE/GCSE/Ordinary Level academic subjects and four different Advanced Subsidiary academic subjects OR three different Advanced Level/International Advanced Level academic subjects.” meaning you need at least 4 AS courses or three A level courses, as far as i can tell.

    as for grades, you’ll need to achieve all ‘A’s’ at the A and O levels, and you’re required to take English and A/AS Maths. like i said, i don’t really know what that means, but i hope it means something to you.

    i have no idea what ECA’s are. if that’s a rotman thing, i’ve never heard of it. i’m going to take a wild guess and assume it’s shorthand for ‘extra-curricular activities,’ but if it means something else, i’m sorry.

    if you’re asking about extra-curriculars, rotman explicitly states that the supplemental application allows you to “tell [them] about your interests, accomplishments and goals in and outside of the classroom.” basically, you’ll want to focus on stuff that you would highlight in a cover letter. so yeah, extra-curriculars will probably come into it.

    i can’t give that many personal tips on applying because i’m not in rotman – i chose a far more useless program than that – but following the tips that rotman itself gives might not be a bad idea:

    1. the video response is timed (you have one hour) so it would be smart to have some notes prepared beforehand. make sure they’re easy for you to understand, and maybe try rehearsing points you want to highlight a couple of times.

    2. make sure you’re familiar with your video software of choice before beginning. you don’t want to have to do any technical troubleshooting in the middle of your application.

    3. prepare a comfortable environment in which to complete the application. have water nearby, sit in a bedroom or study that’s familiar to you, and aim for as quiet and calm a workspace as you can get. make sure that one hour is the most serene hour you’ve ever had.

    and finally, unfortunately, you can’t study commerce outside of Rotman. if you want to study commerce, it has to be through Rotman (on the downtown campus); no loopholes. that’s some smart thinking, though – you’ll be a great businessperson.

    best of luck with your application,

    aska

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  • admissions

    admissions traditions (see also: worrying, hair falling out, nail biting)

    May 4, 2015

    hiya aska, stupid me, I bombed one of my classes (chemistry) and I got a 47% as a final mark, and I’m retaking it in night school. I was going into a science specialty, but I thought about it some more & figured that science wasn’t for me (even though I applied to a biology program) and I figured out that I want to go into classical studies. Would I still be able to get into U of T with my marks (I have a midterm averagee of 75, which is the bio program requirement). Do I have any hope at all?:/

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it’s usually pretty hard for me to make any kind of claim about how likely people are to get into uoft, since I have exactly zero say or insight in admissions things. (i have zero say or insight on most things, including my own life. i’m kind of like rachel green in the first season of friends, but i don’t look nearly as good in aprons and miniskirts).

    however, i can say that if you hit the admissions average right on the nose, you still have a chance at getting in. the anticipated admissions average for fall 2015 in life science is low to mid 80s. you’re obviously under that, but not too far under. also, chem isn’t required for biology, which is lucky. and if you don’t get in this time, you can always apply again next year, after you’ve got that chem out of the way.

    it’s worth noting that if you applied to the life science stream, you’ll be assessed for admission to life science. you can totally switch to classics once you get here, but for admissions purposes, if you applied as life sci, you’re life sci., meaning that you’ll be competing against the averages of other kids who applied to life sci.

    best of luck with your application,

    aska

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  • admissions

    finally, someone catches a break

    April 16, 2015

    Hey Aska!

    i received my offer of admission from UTSG for Life Sciences recently and just received the official package through mail. I’m extremely excited and I am 99.9% sure I will be accepting this offer, barring any last minute epiphany, but I’m doubtful of that.

    Anyways, on the letter, detailing the terms and conditions of my admission, it states ‘You have been given a clear offer of admission with no additional conditions.’ However, I would expect that it’s safe to assume that UTSG would revoke my offer if my average drops significantly?

    My friends who also received offers of admission from UTSG for Life Sciences said that their packages have stated they are expected to retain at least a 75%. So should I look to retain at least a 75%? My admission average is right in between low 80s to mid 80s so I am a little suspicious as to why I was given a ‘clear offer of admission’ without given any specific grade conditions.

    I might be reading a little too much into this, but I’m not too confident about my exams and I don’t want to do anything that may jeopardize my admission to UTSG.

    Thanks for your help! You rock!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you’ve been given a clear offer of admission without any conditions, then that means that you have already completed the requirements that the university used to determine your admission. i’m not sure exactly what those requirements were, so i can’t say what you did to warrant a condition-free acceptance, but if that’s what the university is telling you in your offer of admission, then there’s no reason to question it.

    so technically, your offer isn’t conditional and can’t be revoked, BUT that’s no reason to slack off and not do the best you can on your exams.

    if you want any more information about your admission offer specifically, feel free to contact your college registrar’s office.

    see you around in september!

    aska

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  • admissions

    when you’re in, you’re in (almost always)

    April 13, 2015

    Can conditional offers become final offers before the end of the grade 12 year?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    as long as you maintain the conditions of your offer of admission, the offer will not be retracted.

    so i guess technically, no, because the offers are only final once you actually get your high school diploma, but if you got an offer and you maintain the conditions of your acceptance, you’re in!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions,  engineering

    i just love mac n cheese. better than engineering, definitely.

    March 26, 2015

    hey aska
    im extremely upset today because i just did very poorly on a very important test and midterm marks are due in about three weeks. basically im a grade 12 student. i know u guys hate admissions questions but please try to answer me truthfully so i can mentally prepare myself for failure if it’s to come. i was sure that i can get low 90s in physics and calculus but i think i’ll be getting high 80s (like around 88) in both of them (this is the most likely case, there is a chance of me getting a 90 on the dot). i had a low 80 in advanced functions so i was trying to make up for it with my calculus and physics marks but that’s not happening. i had a low 90 in chemistry and biology and have high 90s in english and my elective. what are my chances of getting into uoft engineering (chemical or civil)? my average should be around 89 at the lowest, 91 at the highest. i would say i did well on my video interview and i have very strong extracurriculars – i think i have a strong student profile form.

    please help me sorry i cant sound happier

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    aww man – we don’t actually hate admissions questions, y’all. it’s just a bit of teasing. if you guys stopped sending us questions, where would aska be at home in a big t-shirt and no pants, probably, eating mac n cheese and watching totally spies on netflix.

    which, yes, sounds pretty great, but it likely wouldn’t be good for my general well-being in the long run.

    firstly: i can’t guarantee that you’re going to get in. i can never guarantee that, especially for engineering, which just gets more and more competitive every year.

    however, there is really not that much difference between an 89% and a 91%. like, regardless of how good those marks are, 3% is not going to make or break your chances. secondly (and most importantly), that’s a very good average. that is a competitive average, no question about it.

    like i said, i can’t guarantee admission because i have literally zero influence on anything that actually happens at this university, BUT i do know that an 89% is nothing to panic about.

    “but aska,” i hear you saying, “you have no credibility. all your posts are in lowercase and you started your answer by talking about wearing no pants while eating mac n cheese. you’re constantly talking garbage and it rarely makes sense. why should i trust you?”

    well, you can take a look at the admission grade range for engineering students in 2012 for proof. the admission grade range then for chemical and civil engineering was low-80s. granted, that number may have gone up a little since 2012, but not by much. so you’re solidly above the grade range of students who are accepted. that doesn’t guarantee you will be accepted, but it bodes well.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions

    is uoft ever serious??? hmm

    March 19, 2015

    My conditional acceptance says to maintain a 75 average. Is uoft being serious or will they take it away if I drop from a 90 to a 75. Is there something cryptic in the conditional offer?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    they may revoke your admission if you drop below a 75, but if the wording is “maintain a 75% average,” then i’m guessing a 75 or above is ok.

    but yeah, no, there’s nothing really more cryptic than that. just do your best to meet the conditions of your offer, and everything will go smoothly. there’s nothing to overthink on this one. promise.

    if there’s anything else about your offer that’s unclear, feel free to call enrolment services for clarification. they’re the people who issue the offers, so they’re the ones who know best.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions

    oh my god y’all are gonna destroy your hearts

    March 12, 2015

    This may be out of your power but I need some good advice. I got into U of t last month (St George for humanities woot woot!) and things are a little rough right now second semester. I had a 95 average first semester but so far I got a 75 ona huge unit test which may lower my second semester marks. My end of year average may be from a high 90 to a low 80 which worries me. My terms and conditions said to meet a 75 avg. (I literally never have to show up for that to happen) but still HELLLP

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m not actually sure what the question is here. i think i know what you’re getting at, but all you finished with was “HELLLP,” which is pretty ambiguous. what do you need help with? were you typing out your question when suddenly you were ambushed by a bunch of dudes in ski masks?

    if so, here is an article about hostage negotiation techniques that you can use. just tell the bandits to give you a moment to connect to the wifi and read it on your phone, and then you’ll be all set to get yourself out of there.

    once you get out of that sticky situation, if you find yourself concerned about your grade 12 marks: don’t be. as long as you’re meeting the conditions of your acceptance, you’ve got nothing to worry about.

    so breathe deep, and don’t stress, because it’s bad for your heart and also you’ll get frown lines.

    xoxo and see you next year,

    aska

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  • admissions

    42. the answer is 42.

    March 5, 2015

    What marks do they look at for february acceptance at utsg ?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    there is no definite answer to this, my friend. much like life, this will continue to be a question as long as people continue to experience it, and will probably never resolve itself into an answer.

    what i’m saying is: admissions probably isn’t about to spill the beans about their inner workings anytime soon, so just sit on down and have an ice cream cone or something.

    spill the beans

     

    an image of what uoft admissions likely won’t be doing anytime soon.

    d’you want to know something even more frustrating? there is likely NO definite mark that they’ll be looking for. it all depends on how your marks compare to everyone else’s, and that varies from year to year. THERE IS NO ANSWER.

    answer/no answer dinosaur

    a thoughtful dinosaur asks a question even aska can’t answer.

    yeah, i know that makes you want to tear your hair out. it’s ok. punch your pillow if you need to. you ok? good.

    you can take a look at the anticipated grade ranges in fall 2015 for the stream you applied to, and that’ll give you a sense of what they’re looking for. but i can’t give you an exact number. no one can.

    hoping you have an appropriately melancholic existential day,

    aska

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  • admissions

    pending WHAT???

    March 3, 2015

    I got accepted to u of t st George campus and on join id it says admitted but when I click check status it still says pending review?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    my guess is that the university is still waiting on some final documents for your school to submit, but that they’ve offered you a conditional admission based on your in-progress marks.

    what does that mean in not-uoft-jargon? it means you’re in. so don’t worry.

    unless JOIN is saying you yourself need to submit something specific, i doubt there’s much for you to do but sit back, relax and wait. however, you can always contact enrolment services to make sure there’s absolutely nothing more you need to do.

    and hey – congrats on your acceptance! welcome to hell (a.k.a. the best time of your life. no, really).

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions

    how conditional is a conditional offer?

    March 2, 2015

    I have a general question here So I recently got accepted to UTSG (yay!!) and since I’m an anxious person i now worry my offer will be revoked. I have a 96 in english which is the prereq and I think my average going in was 95 however im scared if my average drops to 85 they will take it away?? I applied for humanities

    ———————————————

    I got into u of t downtown today and I’m relieved! However im now stressing that they will revoke my acceptance…

    ———————————————

    hey there person/persons,

    if you receive a conditional offer of admission, it usually takes a pretty severe dip in marks in order to have that revoked.

    typically, you need to have dropped significantly below your admissions average for your offer to be retracted. the university says that you’re admitted??”on condition that they complete their academic year successfully” – there is no mention of keeping your marks as high as they were in december.

    tl;dr: you probably don’t have to worry about a drop from a 95% to an 85%, or a 10% drop generally. now go out and go tobogganing or something.

    cheers,

    aska

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