• admissions,  computer science,  UTM

    MY reputation is that i’m a fabulously wise guru

    May 21, 2014

    Aska, I heard you like questions so I got a few fo’ you:
    1) Alternative offers. If I get an alternative offer, does that mean that my original offer is rejected, or will UofT outright tell me that I’ve been rejected?
    2) Campus differences. Lets say a friend of a friend of a close relative of a friend got an alternative offer to UTM when they applied to UTSG and is feeling kinda bummed out. Would there be a big difference in programs? To be specific, Computer Science??
    3) Not that I really care about this at all, but would your degree specify what campus you got it from?
    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you got that right. i love me some questions. questions for breakfast, lunch and dinner. i’m not a physical being, so i don’t eat real food. i feed off of people’s questions, like that oracle from aladdin 2. so let’s begin the meal, shall we?

    1) if you’ve received an alternate offer, that means that they are not making the original offer, and are instead making another one. so yes, whichever program you originally applied to, you weren’t accepted – instead you’ve been given an offer for an alternate program.

    2) to your “friend of a close relative of a friend,” i would say that the differences are very minute. you can compare the mechanical differences relating to the required courses at each school by comparing the two calendars, but they’re not astronomical. for example, at the end of your first year at UTM, you need to have completed a math (with at least a 60%) and computer science (with at least a 65%) course, and 4 credits total. an equivalent student at UTSG would need to complete two comp. sci courses with at least a 60% in each and an average of 67% in both, and 4 credits total. there are some minor differences, but they’re not huge, right?

    your degree is what you make of it. if you do really well at UTM, and supplement your academic career with relevant extra- and co-curricular activities, you will be successful. there are successful people from every school, and unsuccessful people. the “reputation” of the place can only take you so far. and i hope the people who brag about their school left right and centre feel VERY SILLY about that.

    3) kind of. from the UTM convocation website: “[t]he diploma parchment will say ‘University of Toronto’ and NOT ‘University of Toronto Mississauga.’ The only place on the parchment where ‘University of Toronto Mississauga’ appears is below the Principal’s signature.” so it will say “University of Toronto Mississauga” in small letters under the principal’s signature, but it won’t be very visible on the page.

    but it’s smart of you not to care too much about this. like i said, if you are accomplished in your school career, if you make connections while you’re at school, that’ll help more than a piece of paper from the downtown campus ever could.

    good luck in first year, dude,

    aska

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  • admissions

    everyone look disapprovingly at this person

    May 16, 2014

    Where can I find information about the conditions on my offer of admission other then the letter they sent? (Which I lost)

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

    hey there,

    you lost your offer of admission?? you mean you didn’t frame it and hang it on your wall to commemorate this momentous milestone? for shame. for SHAME.

    but yeah, you can just call your college registrar’s office and they should be able to get?that information for you.

    hoping you keep a better eye on your things, you absolute ingrate,

    aska

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  • admissions,  grad school

    no cookie cutters in grad school

    May 8, 2014

    Hi aska,

    For admission into graduate school to get a Masters of science or a Ph. D, do you need to do a specialist program in your undergrad?? Would you be able to complete a Masters or Ph.D if you do a double major?

    Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, every graduate school and program is different. i don’t know exactly which Masters/Ph.D programs you’re interested in, but generally speaking, no. not every canadian university (or international university, for that matter), is organized the way uoft is. that means that lots of universities don’t have specialists or majors or minors, so it would be pretty irrational for a Masters or Ph.D program to demand that you have any one of those.

    usually, grad schools ask that you have a degree in a certain subject, or a related area. a double major may or may not satisfy the requirements for admission to certain programs, but it doesn’t completely exclude you from getting a graduate degree at all, by any means.

    if you’d like to, you can browse through uoft’s graduate degrees and take a look at their admission requirements to learn more about your options. whoo! isn’t higher learning exciting?

    for some reason, i always find it way more fun to browse programs and courses than to actually do them. i guess the illusion of productivity and academic excellence is so much more fun than the real deal. whoops.

    anyways, happy exploring!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions

    donut panic

    May 5, 2014

    AHHHHHHH. So I’m applying to St. George? Humanities next year and I just got my second semester mid term. My averages are 80-85 and up except for biology which is a 78. Will this significantly affect my entrance?

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

    hey there,

    AHHHHH. sorry, it’s a monday; just gotta do a little shouting into the void, ygm?

    my friend, there are a lot of factors that affect admission, and i can’t comment on how certain things may or may not influence your application. you are a special snowflake and everyone’s case is different from one another’s. however, you can take a look at the anticipated grade ranges of those accepted to uoft in 2014 for each program, and gauge your chances by comparing your (current and next year’s anticipated) average to those numbers.

    note that the numbers for 2014 may not be exactly the same as 2015, so don’t take them as gospel, but just as a rough guide giving you a bit of context about where you may stand next year.

    you’ll probably still end up a nervous wreck in grade 12, checking OUAC every five minutes like an old guy checking the lottery numbers, but?i hope you’ll be at least slightly less of a mess after this post.*

    and please, try not to worry so much. make sure you work as hard as you can and complete the prerequisites for your intended program, and then try to take comfort?in the fact that you’ve done everything you can. after you’ve worked hard and done your part, it’s in the university’s hands to make a decision. obsessing about it won’t help any.?go?out for an ice-cream or something instead. trust me, your hair’ll start greying much later that way.

    cheers,

    aska

    *askastudent: making people slightly less of a mess than they were before, since 17 A.D.

     

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  • admissions,  architecture,  masters

    do not fret, my architecture pet

    April 22, 2014

    Hey so i’m finishing third year and i’ve had a terrible one and i will be applying for master of architecture next year when i complete my fourth year. They require a minimum of 3.0 in last 5FCE so my CGPA is 2.86 right now and would i be fine if i rock next year In terms of gpa?
    Also since its considering the last 5FCE my Cgpa wouldn’t be that important right? considering all the other aspects of the application like the portfolio and the letters of recommendation
    Please get back to me whenever you can
    Thank you

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    right, so the GPA is calculated based on “the student[‘s] grades in academic courses in the last five FCEs completed at the senior level,” meaning that those are the courses that will be considered for your application, and that you’ll need to focus on. like you said, you just have to rock your last five courses (i.e. meet/exceed the GPA cut-off), present a strong application in all the other components, and, based on what’s on the daniels website, your application will have met the requirements for consideration.

    note that there are no specific mark requirements, but there are some prerequisite courses you do need to have completed in order to apply.

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions,  stress

    destress in ten simple steps for only $29.99

    April 17, 2014

    How in the heck do I not stress about getting accepted to uni I’m in gr 11!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, in the interest of not letting myself get too preachy in long, tedious paragraphs, and also in breaking up the way text looks on this website a little bit, i’m going to present some of my ideas in a list. so here we go!

    Aska’s List of Ideas about how Not to Freak Out about University (Yay!)

    1. take a bubble bath and watch as all your troubles melt away.

    2. eat a piece of cake.

    3. start off every day by stretching in bed.

    4. hug more people, more often. (not like strangers, though; only hug people you know. and ask first, ’cause some people have a thing about not liking hugs which you should totally respect, and also, people are better huggers if they enjoy hugging, so…anyway. next point.)

    5. do well in school! almost forgot about that one. because doing well in school is the only sure-fire way of getting into university. no amount of worrying and anxiety can do more than that. buckle down and work, and try to channel that nervous energy into productivity, if you can. (i know how hard it is, but it’s worth it.)

    6. let yourself daydream a little. worrying about university can often be mitigated by a healthy amount of excitement for university; visit campuses, peruse the course calendar to try and find the coolest-sounding courses just for fun, make grand plans without worrying about whether they’ll actually happen. if you’re not enjoying yourself at least a little, then the whole thing isn’t worth it.

    7. understand that while you’re probably not the smartest person applying to university, you’re also probably not the dumbest. if you keep working hard, you will almost certainly be accepted somewhere. also, if you’re not accepted, that’s probably for a reason. like, i would probably not be accepted into the navy, but, you know, i would be miserable if i were in the navy, so i’m glad they wouldn’t take me.

    8. focus on building memorable experiences, now. school is important, and planning ahead will always make things smoother for you down the line, but that’s not everything. go to concerts. learn a new hobby. take a class at your local community centre. take a trip. read more books. start a new TV show. your life will not be made or broken based on whether you attend uoft.

    9. don’t read this blog too much; all this talk about OSAP and subject POSts and stuff is bound to be unnerving for someone not part of that world yet. and if you do read it, know that it’s alright if you don’t understand half of what’s being talked about. heck, i barely understand it sometimes.

    10. breathe!

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions,  americans

    kindling a love for kin

    April 17, 2014

    helloooo

    i’m an american born canadian student aka i was born in vancouver so i have a canadian citizenship but moved to america when i was little. because canadian tuition is cheaper and canada is just so cool i am considering going to university in canada. i’m looking into ubc, mcgill, and u of t. problem is i literally know nothing about canada or their system idk. i was?just wondering if you could help shed a little light on all of this.

    ive heard that u of t is more of a liberal arts school and that undergrad?is hella hard there. i want to study kinesiology to become a phyiscal therapist. but i heard that its hard for science majors at uoft to get the classes they need to get into grad school (ex bio physics and chem). is that true? ive heard that many people, bc they didn’t get the required classes, have trouble getting into grad school. i plan on returning to the US for grad school and i would hate for something like that to happen.

    can you just talk a little bit about kinesiology at uoft as well? thank you
    so much!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    this is the second time i’m hearing this thing about kinesiology students not getting the courses they need, and i’m starting to think i’ve missed something, so if any kin students are reading this, please correct me if you know something about the program that i don’t. however, as far as i know, kinesiology is an entirely different faculty from the faculty of arts & science at uoft, so there’s no way that you wouldn’t get into the classes you need for your degree. also, you wouldn’t be a science major – you would be a kin student, and you would graduate with a B.KIN, not a B.Sc.

    as for uoft being hella hard, there’s something to that, but…i dunno. it’s not impossible. as long as you’re prepared to work hard, you should be able to pull through. university is made for regular people with good a work ethic, not genuises. i don’t think coming here would ruin your chances at grad school, either in canada or abroad (and like i said, getting your required courses/prereqs for grad school shouldn’t be an issue).

    finally, while i usually try to answer everyone’s questions individually, because even similar questions often have different nuances, i answered a question that is literally exactly like yours right here?not too long ago. read that through as well and e-mail me if you have more questions, but i think that post answers everything you’re asking in depth.

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions,  Transferring

    WILL I GET IN?!?!

    April 15, 2014

    WILL THEY ACCEPT ME AT ST. GEORGE (FROM UTM) IF I HAVE A 3.1-3.2 GPA? TELL ME PLz. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE ACTUAL NUMBERS ARE?

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

    hey there,

    ARE YOU HAVING A STROKE? DO YOU NEED EMERGENCY CARE BECAUSE I CAN SEE YOU ARE SHOUTING QUITE URGENTLY.

    dude, if you’re gonna type in all caps, i’m pretty much obliged to make fun of you. just a little bit. just ’cause it sounds like you’re shouting to a stranger over the internet, and you don’t need to be doing that, you know? so i gotta poke fun. but don’t you worry, i answer everyone’s questions; you don’t need to shout to be heard.

    alright, your question. are you talking about transferring? ’cause that’ll depend on the program/stream you applied to. whatever it is, whether you’re accepted will depend on whether you completed the?program requirements and your previous averages. you can take a look at the anticipated grade range of accepted students for fall 2014 and the average averages of students accepted in 2010 to gauge where you stand. your application to transfer will basically be treated like an application from grade 12 to uoft, so those numbers still apply to you.

    also, if you need to convert your GPA to a percentage, you can use this. i don’t have any more specific knowledge than that, unfortunately. i wish i did.

    i hope that’ll help you stop yelling so much. it’s bad for your larynx, y’know.

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions

    a funny joke that’s worth reading

    April 10, 2014

    Here’s the sitch I’m in grade 11 and getting high 80’s and 90’s in everything except biology (high 70) Will this affect my entrance next year? I want to apply to st george

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

    hey there,

    i doubt it, dude. your grade 12 marks are generally more important than your grade 11 marks (and by generally, i mean in every case except early admission, which is when the university sends out a handful of admission offers in december to people who applied in october/november; but don’t worry about that). you should just go by what they say here; since they’re only talking about grade 12 marks there, that’s what you should focus on.

    also, i guess it’s around the time of year when i’m going to be getting a lot of questions like this, so YO, GRADE 12’S, LISTEN UP: i don’t have much to tell you about admissions that isn’t on the admissions website already. like, i can probably share a personal anecdote or say something funny about your question, but usually, the admissions website and this document?are basically what i’ll be referring to to answer the bulk of your questions.

    now for something funny, as advertised.

    are you ready for this though. i don’t think you are.

    what do you call a really fast zombie?

    …

    ….

    a ZOOMBIE! ha!

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions,  rotman

    some conjecture about rotman. b/c that’s the best i can do

    March 31, 2014

    Hey, i have a question regarding Rotman Commerce Acceptances. My top six marks right now (with the pre req Eng4u and Calc) are:

    English: 86
    Law:90
    Physics: 92
    Accounting: 93
    Philosophy: 93
    Calculus: 70

    i know that Rotman commerce says calc has to be at least an 80, but my midterms haven’t gone through yet for this semester, and I am taking calc this semester. If I raise my Calc mark by the end of the semester to around 85, can I still get acceptance from Rotman commerce, even though my calc mark on my midterm on OUAC will be around 70?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    aww man, you’re probably not gonna like this – not ’cause i’m about to give you bad news, just ’cause you seem like a real go-getter, someone who likes to hang their hopes on solid facts. and i don’t really have any solid facts for you, because (despite my frequent letters to their office) i have not yet become rotman commerce. i can’t imagine why; i would be great at making admissions decisions.

    here’s the thing: the only solid factual thing rotman has said about the timing of admissions offers and stuff is this:

    “Most offers of admission are made in late-May. By this time, Rotman Commerce and the University of Toronto will have received comprehensive information regarding your academic record, extra-curricular involvement and supplemental application. This timeline ensures that we have sufficient information on which to base our admissions decision and that applicants are evaluated concurrently.”

    you can find the source of that quote here. now, i don’t know what the most updated information is that they will have by late-May. if you go here, they say that “[a]dmissions decisions are based on mid-terms marks and then final marks are used to satisfy offer conditions,” but i don’t know which semester they’re talking about when they say “mid-term marks.” i also don’t know how many offers are made later than late-May – like, what does “most” mean – 60%? 90%? i’m not sure.

    as you can see, it’s all kind of imprecise.

    so there’s some information that points to the fact that they might base “most” of their admissions decisions on second semester marks; i’d understand if that’s not precise enough for you. if you want some more exact information, i’d suggest you call rotman directly.

    sorry for the mediocre assistance.

    best of luck!

    aska

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  • admissions,  psychology

    one more time (we’re gonna celebrate)

    March 27, 2014

    Hello,

    I am currently a second year student studying psychology. But the the thing is I’m not officially studying psychology because I am not in the subject post. I took PSY100 during the summer and got a mark of 81. I applied to the second round of enrollment and got rejected for both specialist and major. I really want to do a specialist in psychology. I took 1 credit of 200-level psychology and got an average of 77 for both. All I need to do now is take PSY201 and PSY202. Assuming I get a 75 average for both, what are my chances of getting in? I know you can’t give me a proper percentage or odds but do you happen to have some anecdotal references like a friend per se that got in to the specialist with similar marks or maybe even a different type 2 subject post? I also took a 300-level psych course and I’m planning to end the course with around a low 80, do you think this would be taken into consideration? My whole situation is really killing me right now because I’m planning to go to summer school to take both statistics but if my chances of getting into the specialist isn’t great then I probably wouldn’t go on with summer school because I would rather just transfer schools. But I really don’t want to transfer schools because I am really beginning to like U of T. I don’t mean to be pushy but realistically am I in a good position?

    Thank you

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    this is a super respectful question, which i really appreciate. unfortunately, i don’t have much anecdotal info to help you out. since i’m part of the HUMANITIES SCUM, all my informal/non-registrarial knowledge is related to humanities, and specifically language and classics, programs. however, i’ll try to just reason it out and give my own opinion, though, like i say, i’m not admissions, and this is really just my opinion based on what you’ve told me.

    just to get everything in order for myself, this is how your marks stand:

    PSY100: 81%

    PSY2**Y: 77%

    PSY201/202: 75% (projected)

    alright, so given admission requirements after second year, i’d say that, even if your chances aren’t great, i think they’re better than when you applied in first year. firstly, i’m sure waaaay fewer people are applying after second year. by this point, most people have either realized they’re not actually interested in psych, or they’ve just given up. the fact that first year applicants have to have finished PSY100 with an 80%, and second-year applicants just have to have passed it, makes that crystal clear for me.

    secondly, there are probably fewer people in second year who have completed the requirements and still qualify to apply. the number of people who take PSY100 and have a shot at getting into the POSt is staggering; by second year, that number is much smaller.

    as to the 300-level course, i really don’t know. i mean, they say they don’t consider that. would it give you an advantage? maybe, but it’s hard to say for sure without any hints from the department.

    so, realistically, I’d say your acceptance is not certain – psych’s still a really popular subject POSt – but i think you’ve got a good shot. besides, transferring to another school after second year is rough. take it from a transfer veteran: even if you don’t get in, you’ve got a better chance carving a new path for yourself here in third year than trying to adjust to a completely new environment and system of classes.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • admissions,  humanities,  psychology

    apparently hard work pays off in this life

    March 25, 2014

    I just got accepted into University of Toronto for Humanities and I’m super duper excited! :DIt’s amazing to know that my hard work pays off in the end. However, I do have a question that I didn’t think of before I applied…I got accepted into the Humanities program and I don’t really know what that means for me.I am going to major in English/History/Linguistics.. but I may want to major in Psychology.Am I able to do that even though I was only accepted in Humanities? Am I able to take the Intro to Psychology course? Thanks so much for helping me out and making my experience at UofT a lot easier 🙂 you deserve a gold star- Excited Accepted Student

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    yeah…hard work totally, uh, pays off in the end…*coughs* *laughs nonchalantly* *trips over a mountain of lies*

    but good job on getting in. no, really, that…yeah. that’s great. i’m glad you’re excited. try and maintain that as long as possible.

    as for PSY100, you can take it regardless of your stream, but if you want to actually major in psych, you need to have taken, along with intro to psych, grade 12 calculus. that’s pretty much non-negotiable, but they will accept people who have taken uoft’s PUMP program instead, which is basically a grade 12 catch-up calculus course in university. so look into how hot you are about doing that (slash night school slash summer school slash whatever other acceptable alternative you can dream up) before you set your heart on a major in psych.

    also, i hope that when you say that you want to major in english/history/linguistics, you mean like, you want to major in one of them in addition to psych but you haven’t picked one yet, because four majors is just CRAZY TALK! tbh, any combination of those three POSts might make a great double-major combo; english/history is a particular favourite of a lot of my english major friends. i personally am an english specialist because i’m HARDCORE, but that’s just me.

    however, if you really are set on psych, like i said, you’ve got options.

    and by the by, i ALWAYS have a gold star. always.

    best, my blissfully excited froshie bestie,

    aska

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  • admissions,  subject POST

    helpin’ a wee one through the labyrinth of subject POSts

    March 7, 2014

    Hi Aska,

    I’m having a bit of issue here and I was hoping u could help?

    I recently got accepted to life scienece program in UT, as well as commerce?in UTM. (Since I can’t decide between psych. and marketing so I thought I?apply for both)

    Anyway, I was told that you have to do bio, chem and all that as a life?science student, but I didn’t do any of those in yr 11/12, and I’m much more?interested in social science. I applied for? L.S just for psychology and?now I’m worried that it might leads to a dead end.? Since there’s no way I?can handel bio/chem at university level.

    So my question is, as a life science student,? will I be able to choose any?art&science course I want in UT, and after 1st yr? apply for any major?
    (What about rotman?)?Or am I stuck with life science if I choose st george campus? (In which?case I will have to choose UTM)

    I hope you get what I’m saying. lol. and many thanks.

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

    hey there,

    alrighty, there seem to be a lot of questions here, so fair warning: this question might run a bit long. i’m SORRY. i can’t help how USEFUL and KNOWLEDGEABLE i am.

    first thing: let’s examine how much chem and bio you actually have to do for uoft psych, ’cause there’s a reason it’s called “Life Sciences & Psychology,” and that is that the program is a little different from the rest of life science. so, i’m going to be looking at the courses you have to take for the psychology specialist – all that ‘specialist’ means is that you don’t have to take on another program. if you were to do the psychology major, for example, you’d have to take on another major or two minors on top of that according to uoft’s rules?(go to (b) under ‘General Degree Requirements’).

    so, for the specialist, all the requirements are ‘PSY’ courses. i don’t see any bio or chem courses. one thing you should take note of though is that the psychology programs at uoft do involve a fair bit of math. in order to get into the program, you have to have completed grade 12 calculus. once you’re in the program, you’ll also have to do a little bit of math in the form of PSY201H1 and PSY201H2, or Statistics I and Statistics II.

    now, just because you’re not compelled to take any courses that start with ‘BIO’ or ‘CHM,’ doesn’t mean that there won’t be some biology involved in your study of psychology. some courses will touch on anatomical and biological aspects of the brain, like this one, for example. but by and large, this program seems to focus on a social science approach to psychology.

    my advice would be to take a look at the PSY courses offered in 2nd, 3rd and 4th years and see how interested you are in them. also, you’ll have to take PSY100H1 in first year in order to apply to the psychology specialist, major or minor, so use that course to gauge how interested you are in the subject. if, by the end of first year, it turns out you don’t like psych as much as you thought, you can always apply for a different subject POSt (that is, program of study, i.e. a combination of specialist/majors/minors).

    the fact that you’re a life science student in first year doesn’t really mean anything – you can apply for any subject POSt in the faculty of arts & science, provided you’ve completed the prerequisites, at the end of first year, in april. that’s why i’d advise you take a look at some other programs you might be interested in now, ?so that in first year, you can complete prerequisites (if there are any) for some other programs you might be interested in applying for. first year is a time for exploration, especially at uoft, so take advantage of it!

    as for rotman, you can apply after first year, but it’s very competitive – most people in rotman apply from high school and enter the program in first year. if you want to try to apply to rotman after first year, you’ll need to have completed RSM100Y1, ECO100Y1 and MAT133Y1 in first year.

    if you’re considering commerce at utm, i’d advise you also take a look at some of the courses you’ll be taking?throughout your four years of the program, so you can be more informed when you make your decision.

    alright, so i think i’ve covered all your questions – i told you it’d be long – but if you’re unsure about anything else, just e-mail me right on back. cool? have a swagtacular day.

    cheers,

    aska

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