• admissions,  extracurricular

    high school peeps working themselves up a storm

    January 9, 2014

    hey!
    i have a couple of questions. i am a grade 11 student right now. i am very interested in applying to the life sciencesprogram in u of t. with that said, so far my grade 11 marks are [information redacted for personal privacy]. does u of t look at your grade 11 marks? if so, what holds more importance,your grade 11 marks or your grade 12 marks? i am unhappy with my grade 11 marks and i definitely will do much better next year, looking at an avg of 94+ hopefully. do i have a chance? ALSO what else does u of t look at besides grades? i mean as in extracurricular activities and volunteer hours. what are the minimums for those things, and how important are they?
    thanks for answering!!!!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    oh, to be young and be unhappy with marks like yours. i’ma let you in on a little secret, friend: you’ll get in. in fact, i’m willing to bet you get in everywhere you apply. if not, i’ll owe you an apology for getting your hopes up, because i am certain you’ll get in. in fact if you don’t get in, you can write back to me and i’ll post a public apology to you on THIS VERY BLOG.

    ’cause hey, i’m not the institution – i don’t have any power over student admission – but i do have perspective that you don’t, and that’s a perspective that includes all the INCREDIBLY DUMB students who also get into university every year. i know it’s hard to see right now because uni looks huge and scary, but trust me, getting in is a piece of cake.

    as for extracurriculars, it’s really helpful that you’ve done them – both for your own personal experience and for any scholarships you may want to apply to – but the university application doesn’t take them into consideration. they’ll only be looking at your marks.

    that said, some programs, like mcmaster’s health science program for example, require additional applications that might allow you to talk about extracurriculars, but those are the exception, not the rule. the first general application that you’ll make on OUAC will just submit your transcript, and nothing else. most programs won’t ask for anything beyond that first application. i’m pretty sure most (if not all) of the life sci programs at uoft don’t require any additional applications.

    so don’t worry about it! i mean i’d still recommend continuing extracurriculars/volunteering through high school and even in university because they make you a better person and you get to have cool experiences and stuff (also *cough* scholarships *cough*), but they probably won’t be part of your undergrad applications.

    finally, universities reserve the right to look at your grade 11 marks, but i’d say almost all of the attention is focused on grade 12. so if you’re not meeting your (already very high and admirable) goals for yourself this year, don’t worry – you’ve still got all of next year.

    best of luck friend, and try not to worry yourself. you’re well on your way 🙂

    aska

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  • admissions,  med school

    what’s up, doc? (should i go to med school, that’s what)

    January 8, 2014

    I’m a gr.10 student in Toronto struggling to pick a career. I am good at English and language courses. I am not very good at math, and around average in science.

    However, after visiting a relative in the hospital, I fell in love with the idea of going to work and saving people every day. Since then, it has been my dream to be a doctor. I also know that I want a prestigious job, and a doctor would fit that requirement.

    So that’s my problem. Should I work a lot harder and see if I can get into med school, or should I forget that and pick courses that I am good at?

    -Confused

    ?????????

    hey there,

    i’m gonna start with a disclaimer here. basically the two kinds of questions that are answered on this blog are 1) i’d like to find this specific information and i couldn’t find it on the #@!&* uoft website and 2) i’d like YOUR ADVICE on my PERSONAL LIFE. your question falls into category number 2, meaning i’m just going to answer with my opinion based on my experiences. ultimately though, i am not you, and it’s up to you to make the decision you think is best. so. hashtag don’t sue me.

    this is the thing. being good at math and science are really important for the many,?many years you’re going to have to go to school before becoming a doctor. and being good/bad/average at math and science in high school is very different from at university. what i would do is take your average right now in your math/science courses, subtract 10% from them, and see if that meets the requirements for proceeding in a science-centric program in university, as well as the requirements for medical school.

    at uoft, a GPA of 3.6 (that’s around an 83%) is required to be considered for admission, not to mention MCAT scores and extra-curriculars. consider if you could keep that average throughout school without making yourself completely miserable. more importantly, consider if you would ENJOY doing math and science for 7+ years. if you’re not having fun, it’s not worth it.?i’m sure you already know all this, but i just want to stress that this stuff is really only doable if you actually want to do it. otherwise, you start to resent the work, resulting in you not doing it, resulting in you ultimately not meeting the requirements for admission to med school.

    that being said, if you love the idea of working in a hospital and helping people, being a doctor is not the only option. you could become a bioethicist, a nurse, a paramedic, a psychologist?(at uoft that program has a calculus prerequisite, but at lots of other schools it’s an arts program!) and a whole bunch of other jobs which haven’t crossed my mind because i am not a good person and have never worked at a hospital. there’s no reason to sacrifice things you like for things you’re good at.

    what i’m getting at is that you have a lot of options. countless people in lots of different professions save lives. if the only reasons you want to become a doctor are to save lives and because it’s prestigious, i’d say you’re going in for the wrong reasons. there are lots of prestigious jobs out there, enough that there’s guaranteed to be one you’d love doing. it may just take a bit more time to find them.

    i hope that helps. and if it didn’t, don’t worry, because you’ve still got two years to figure it out. that’s plenty of time, so don’t feel like you have to rush a decision. just take it step by step, and you’ll figure it out.

    g’luck,

    aska

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  • admissions,  concurrent ed

    VIC CTEP a.k.a. an acronym i never knew existed

    January 8, 2014

    hey aska,

    Allow me to start off by saying thanks to the aska team for the time and effort they put into answering all of these questions, and adding some great humour and jokes to the responses!

    So, I’m a first-year student in University College and I was interested in applying for Vic’s Concurrent Education program for 2nd year entry. I’m already enrolled in PSY100, SOC103, and I’ll finish first-year w/ a 5FCE, so I have all the course requirements. What I really wanna know is how can I increase my chances of getting into the program? I know that a cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 is required, but what is considered a good/competitive GPA for the program? I also know I have to complete an applicant profile. I’m worried b/c in grade 12, I applied for York’s first year Con-Ed program and I got rejected, and I don’t know if it was b/c of my profile or b/c my average was 82%. I have experience from working on school committees, tutoring elementary students, and I volunteer a lot. But all that experience is either from grade 12 or earlier. If I got rejected from York, does that mean I’m most likely to be rejected from UofT’s program? I also read somewhere that they only admit 15 students to the VIC program!!! If I DO get accepted (praying), will my college change from UC to VIC? OH and if I complete a minor from the education program, can I still do 2 majors for my degree?

    Thanks so so so much for the help!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you guys are just messing with me now, right calling me a ‘team’ and stuff’ pretending like there’s a WHOLE INSTITUTION behind this blog? hehe, oh, you guys…(no but seriously thanks for the props man, that’s super cool of you).

    onto your question. you’ve got a lot of them, so i’m just gonna go in order:

    1. what is a good/competitive GPA?

    i’ve looked around, and there don’t seem to be any official/unofficial opinions about this, but if you’re well above 2.7 (like at least a 3.3), i’d say you’re competitive.

    2. how far back does your volunteer/extra-curricular experience go?

    CTEP doesn’t require a specific resume, so you don’t have to date everything you’ve done. according to this (no longer available) guide to fulfilling the applicant profile, the questions are pretty general, so i think you could definitely use high school experiences as part of those answers. also, you’ve only had one year of university – the school can’t expect you to have enough experiences from just that to fill a whole application, so don’t worry about it.

    3. what are your chances of getting in?

    according to this (which, admittedly, is from 2007, but these stats don’t tend to change by more than a few percentages every year), the admission rate for concurrent ed was 16%. that’s almost 1/5th of people! so don’t panic too much. it’s definitely not easy, but it’s not impossible if you work hard. there’s no way to tell whether you’ll get in based on being rejected from york, and honestly, i wouldn’t focus on that. just make your first year as awesome as possible to increase your chances, and that’s all you can do! just keep trying your best, man, that’s my motto.

    4. will your college change?

    nope!

    5. can you do two majors along with the Education & Society minor?

    maybe. consider it carefully before you go ahead with it, though. first year is a great litmus test for figuring out how much you can handle, and you should use it to make sure you don’t go overboard in your subsequent years. i’d say it’s doable if you really want to, but if you’re making a compromise between programs you feel like you have to do and ones you feel you want to do, then don’t do it. also, consider the fact that your other program(s) will be complementing your B.Ed. so the things you study should, ideally, be the things you also want to teach.

    best of luck! your bud,

    aska

    P.S. some of these questions are subjective so if you’re a current CTEP student and have something to add, please leave a comment!

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  • admissions,  late withdrawal,  pharmacy

    LWDs are annoying as butt, aren’t they?

    December 5, 2013

    Hi,
    I am a first year student at UofT and I am troubled by the the LWD on my transcript. I did terrible on my midterm for chemistry(failed) and I decided to use drop the course with a LWD shown on my transcript. I am planning on taking the chem course again in the second semester. What I am worried about is if the LWD will affect my chances of applying to pharmacy school because it is one of their prerequisites? I know this question has been mentioned a lot but I am on edge of breaking down. I know I am only in first year but having one LWD on my transcript can break my chance of entering a professional school, especially pharmacy. I really do feel like I have ruined myself! Please tell me what I should do!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    ok, so i’m just gonna get the bad news right out of the way first, like ripping off a bandaid: the LWD may have some impact on your admission to pharmacy. this website is the only one i’ve found that makes any mention of them, and this is what it has to say: “Any failed/repeated subjects, grades below class averages, history of withdrawal, ‘Credit’ designation, etc., may influence the final decision on the application.”

    now i know that seems bad on first glance, but let’s do some close-reading, shall we? So obviously any credit/no-credits, failed classes or bad marks will influence their decision, as they say, but one LWD doesn’t seem to be that significant. A “history of withdrawal” means that you’ve gotten multiple LWD’s, not just one. On top of that, they say “may influence the final decision,” “may” being the operative word.

    all in all, it seems like a pretty lukewarm statement to me: “if you’ve racked up a whole bunch of LWD’s, then we might have to start taking that into consideration” is not the same as “one late withdrawal and you’re no longer eligible.” so i wouldn’t worry. also, an LWD is oodles better than a failing mark, so you made the right choice.

    that said, the LWD won’t exactly work in your favour, so don’t just think you’re in the clear and keep going as you have before. now is the time to work twice as hard as you have been, get the best marks you can in the rest of your classes (and chem when you repeat it), and make sure not to get any more LWDs.

    so yeah, it’s not great, but you can totally recover from this. i have faith in you.

    good luck,

    aska

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  • admissions,  architecture,  english,  extracurricular,  UTM

    wherein i solve all of youth’s problems.

    December 2, 2013

    Hello there,
    I’m currently in Grade 12, and am thinking of applying to U of T’s Architecture Studies program, and also to the English program (for teachers’ college) in U of T Mississauga. I understand that they’re discontinuing (or working out the kinks at least) the Concurrent Teacher’s Education Program for the 2014-2015 school year. OK. Hereee goess…1. Realistically, what is the likelihood of me getting into the Architecture program with [information redacted] and probably a low to mid 80 average overall? 2. I do a lot of leadership stuff in my extracurricular activities in and outside of school. I am currently in 5-8 clubs and is a leader in at least half of them. Is there any way I can show them the blood, sweat, and tears I’ve put into managing all this in my student life? Does it even matter? 3. What would I need (grade wise) in order to get into the English program at UTM? 4. From my understanding, you can apply to the CTEP in your second year. Is that true? If so, is there a glimmer of hope that I may be able to be in the CTEP in my second year? 5. Realistically, if I get accepted into both programs, would I be able to attend to both UTM and U of T? I have transportation to both.
    Thanks so much

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you people who number your questions are my favourite people. i bet you’re also the people who colour-code your notes and have daily to-do lists, aren’t you? it’s ok, don’t worry. this is an accepting environment. you can be honest with me.

    anyway, i’m just gonna go ahead and follow your numbering system along, since you’ve gone to the trouble of making it:

    1. yo, guys. i’m not an admissions committee. i don’t KNOW if your precise averages will be enough to get you in. and neither does the school – it all depends on the competition of everyone else applying with you. what you can do to ease your mind is take a look at last year’s incoming averages for a rough idea. that table says that incoming students had an average mark in the mid-80s for architecture, so make of that what you will.

    2. now, this is the one that stings. they tell you for four years that extra-curriculars are really helpful for getting into university – they drill it into you. well, guess what? they LIED. the university only looks at marks, and that’s just the unfortunate truth of the matter. HOWEVER some colleges (*cough* vic *cough*) do require a supplemental form in which you can brag about all your extracurricular achievements, and obviously scholarships and grants (which I would highly recommend applying to) are heavily based on extracurricular achievement, so hopefully it didn’t ALL go to waste.

    3. if we once more look at this glorious page and scroll down to utm – humanities, we’ll see that previous incoming averages came out to the mid-70s.

    4. you absolutely can apply to CTEP in second year! not only can you do it, but it seems like that’s when the majority of people apply, so i think that if you meet their admission requirements, you should be fine. they’re very reasonable requirements too – gpa of at least 2.5, full course-load, enrolled at utm, and complete certain first-year courses. if you stay focused and complete those, i’d say you have a good chance of getting in.

    5. utm and uoft are separate universities. it is possible to take some classes downtown if you’re from utm, but you can’t be enrolled in both institutions, even if you can drive back and forth between them five times in a day. soz.

    hoping you have a smashin’ first year,

    aska

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  • admissions,  colleges,  international students,  university-college,  victoria

    the british-patterned education system hurts my head.

    November 28, 2013

    HI, I recently applied to UofT for Maths/physics specialist degree. I just have a few questions…I did my A-levels in maths, physics and chemistry and achieved A, B and C respectively. Since my school did not offer Further Mathematics, I retook the last year and finished Further maths A-level (B) and retook some physics modules as well. So basically I completed my A-level in 3 years…sigh..but thats not all…i am on my gap year now and have applied for September 2014 intake.. soo long story short:1. Are my grade enough for the Maths/physics degree? A,B,B,C2. will the retake and the gap year affect my chances greatly? 3. How should i send my documents to the uni? i emailed them about it but didnt get the answer i was looking for. Should i just photocopy my originals and enclose a letter from my head teacher for the validity of my certificates?Thank you soo much 🙂 Also please refer me to the colleges posts…i have chosen Vic and University college…any views? Social scene, people, late night parties 😛 but above all the FOOD 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i hope you international folk know that when you babble on about sixth form and A-levels and GCSEs and whatnot, most of us north americans have no idea what you’re talking about. fortunately i consider myself kind of a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to international education systems, so i’ll give this my best shot (and fail completely probably lol but i do my best).

    for the program you’re considering, the cutoffs haven’t been published anywhere. the admissions site for uoft says you need three different a-levels. it doesn’t specifically cite any marks, but generally, A’s and B’s are what’s deemed acceptable from the british-patterned system. however, international students are really looked at on a case-by-case basis, so i’d say you should still go right ahead and apply. i’d also advise you to mail a letter to enrolment services explaining about the C, if there’s any particular reason or extenuating circumstance behind it. there should be an opportunity to do that when you apply.

    speaking of applying (the MOST fun and exciting process -.-) you should follow the ouac 105f form in order to apply. it’ll get all your personal information and academic history and will probably prompt you to send your transcript physically to the university. as for whether you need a letter from your head teacher or any additional documentation, just keep e-mailing enrolment services until they give you an answer – only they know what specific documents they need.

    the gap year shouldn’t impact the admission decision at all.

    finally – the age-old college question rears its ugly head once more! you should know that if you’re choosing between vic and uc, vic will only consider you if you rank it first, whereas uc doesn’t care, so i’d recommend ranking vic as number one and uc number two. as for my views, they’re both lovely places. i have a class in uc this semester and i never fail to be amazed at how old and grandiose (and friCKIN HUGE) it is. if you don’t mind walking a lot and occasionally getting lost for a million years, uc’s great (think hogwarts’ shifting staircases).

    on the other hand, vic has some pretty old, fancy buildings too. it has a really modern library, which is cool. if you really want to know about the colleges’ personalities, i would recommend reading their student papers – here’s university college’s and here’s vic’s.

    as to parties and food, all colleges have that. you can’t put this many twenty-somethings in one place without those things, or they’d wither and die. seriously.

    finally, here are some useful tags for stalking: college, uc, vic

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • admissions,  colleges,  computer science,  international students,  meal plans,  residence,  scholarships/bursaries,  woodsworth

    the longest question ever submitted to askastudent

    November 25, 2013

    Hi there!
    I’m just currently trying to get my stuff together for applying to different universities and I just had some questions and things I need to confirm. I’m currently in Grade 12 in Edmonton, Alberta and I want to get into Computer Science at Saint George.
    Firstly, I would like to eventually end up in the Software Engineering stream and I just wanted to make sure that this stream is under Computer Science and not engineering or its own department (different universities does this differently and I just need to make sure I’m applying for the right thing).
    Secondly, With the application process, if I were to apply right now, but my marks increase in the future could I update the marks?
    Thirdly, With Computer Science, do I need to submit my Math 30 mark or can I just submit my Calculus mark and skip over math?
    Fourthly, how do I go about getting my official transcripts to you? Is this an automatic process or would I have to talk to my school administrators?
    Fifthly, speaking of marks and transcripts, I know some Universities will look at your grade 11 mark if you are currently not finished a prerequisite, is this true at U of T? Also, is the application average calculated by taking the required courses then taking the highest courses on the transcript or is it based on submitted courses?
    Sixly, Okay I know you guys are probably sick of these questions about Colleges so I apologize beforehand. Anyways I just wanted to know how much being affiliated with a college really matter? Such as, would belonging to University College or Saint Mike’s over New College have an affect on future job prospects or grad school applications? (Basically how much does the prestige of a college matter).
    Sevenly (okay this numbering system is starting to sound ridiculous), what is the cutoff for Trinity College? I am afraid of putting Trinity as my first choice because I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of getting into Victoria, Innis or Woodsworth. Speaking of Woodsworth, as Woodsworth doesn’t come with a meal plan so what alternatives are there? Also I heard somewhere that Woodsworth won’t consider you if you don’t put them down as your first choice, is this true?
    8ly, Would getting a single room hinder on my social life, I’m worried that if I get a single room then I won’t be able to connect with as many people.
    9*10^0-ly, how much support is there for first years, I know this probably varies from college to college but just generally speaking are there a lot of support options? I have never been in Toronto so I would imagine I would be pretty lost without it.
    My highest marks as they currently stand: [information redacted for privacy purposes]
    Finally with this information what do you think my chances of getting into Computer Science and into Trinity are?
    And as a little side request, do you happen to know where I might find like a side by side comparison of the colleges? As well as where I might find scholarship information?
    Anyways thank you very much for taking the time to read this. This would definitely clear up somethings for me. I look forward to hearing from you!
    Best Regards.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    congratulations man, you win the award for longest question ever received on askastudent. i’m impressed that you wrote all this out, seriously. meanwhile, i’m sitting here trying not to dribble egg salad on myself. it’s a wonderful thing uoft does to you.

    i’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m gonna answer all of your questions briefly here, and i’m gonna refer you to our (NEW AND EXPANDED WOW) FAQ to answer some of the more general questions about colleges, living in residence, etc more extensively. sound good? good.

    let’s get to these questions.

    ———————————————

    Hi there!
    I’m just currently trying to get my stuff together for applying to different universities and I just had some questions and things I need to confirm. I’m currently in Grade 12 in Edmonton, Alberta and I want to get into Computer Science at Saint George.

    Firstly, I would like to eventually end up in the Software Engineering stream and I just wanted to make sure that this stream is under Computer Science and not engineering or its own department (different universities does this differently and I just need to make sure I’m applying for the right thing).

    –> Software engineering does not exist as a separate stream at the downtown campus. UTSC’s computer science program offers a software engineering stream.

    Secondly, With the application process, if I were to apply right now, but my marks increase in the future could I update the marks?

    –> The final marks that the university looks at are your mid-May marks. Your school should be able to update these, and if not, you should be able to do so through OUAC. (If you have any trouble with this, contact OUAC directly.)

    Thirdly, With Computer Science, do I need to submit my Math 30 mark or can I just submit my Calculus mark and skip over math?

    –> Calculus and Vectors and Advanced Functions are both required

    Fourthly, how do I go about getting my official transcripts to you? Is this an automatic process or would I have to talk to my school administrators?

    –> Talk to your school about it! They should be able to help you out. Otherwise, see if you can apply through the OUAC 105 form, which is for out-of-Ontario students.

    Fifthly, speaking of marks and transcripts, I know some Universities will look at your grade 11 mark if you are currently not finished a prerequisite, is this true at U of T? Also, is the application average calculated by taking the required courses then taking the highest courses on the transcript or is it based on submitted courses?

    –> No. The application average is from your six highest courses including prerequisites. That stuff they tell you about universities sometimes looking at grade 11 marks is most likely a lie. obviously i’m not on any application committees, but if you’ve done well in grade 12, i’d say that’s more than enough.

    Sixthly, Okay I know you guys are probably sick of these questions about Colleges so I apologize beforehand. Anyways I just wanted to know how much being affiliated with a college really matter? Such as, would belonging to University College or Saint Mike’s over New College have an affect on future job prospects or grad school applications? (Basically how much does the prestige of a college matter).

    –> It really really doesn’t matter.

    Seventhly (okay this numbering system is starting to sound ridiculous), what is the cutoff for Trinity College? I am afraid of putting Trinity as my first choice because I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of getting into Victoria, Innis or Woodsworth.

    –> There is literally no cutoff. Admission also depends on the trinity college profile. Innis and Vic will not consider you if you don’t put them as #1. Woodsworth will.

    Speaking of Woodsworth, as Woodsworth doesn’t come with a meal plan so what alternatives are there?

    –> Here are some dining options available to all students.

    8ly, Would getting a single room hinder on my social life, I’m worried that if I get a single room then I won’t be able to connect with as many people.

    –> Not at all. You’ll be leaving with these people, using the same washrooms, eating with them on a regular basis…if you’re friendly and willing, you won’t have a problem meeting people.

    9*10^0-ly, how much support is there for first years, I know this probably varies from college to college but just generally speaking are there a lot of support options? I have never been in Toronto so I would imagine I would be pretty lost without it.

    –> I’m not quite sure what you mean by support. There’s plenty of academic support offered by each college and also by the university – all you have to do is look around!

    My highest marks as they currently stand: [Information redacted]. Finally with this information what do you think my chances of getting into Computer Science and into Trinity are?

    –> I ca’t be the one to tell you that. All I’ll say is, just apply, and don’t worry about it before you hear back from the university. Life is too short to stress out about a dumb little thing like this. Do the best you can, apply, and that’s really all you can do.

    And as a little side request, do you happen to know where I might find like a side by side comparison of the colleges? As well as where I might find scholarship information?

    –> That doesn’t exist. Scholarship information can be found here.

    best of luck,

    aska

    ———————————————

    and there we have it! like i said, some of these questions will be going into my new FAQ, so keep an eye out for that for an EXPANDED ANSWER to a lot of these questions, with more INFORMATION and GIGGLES than you could possibly imagine. thanks for the typing workout, and remember to stay cool *sunglasses emoji*.

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  • admissions,  scholarships/bursaries

    grade 12 application woes

    November 25, 2013

    Hi!I was wondering about admission scholarships… which marks do they look at? You see, I took some Grade 12 courses in Grade 11, and I did not do that well in some of them (mid 80s) .. so I was hoping that the top 6 marks including second semester midterm is what they look at for admission scholarships.It says on the website that they look at the marks of admission and do not look at final marks.Does that mean that they look at only first semester marks, or also second semester midterm marks? Thanks! 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    admission scholarship info is here and all the info you could ever want about all the application and non-application and faculty-specific and college-specific scholarships is here. the gist of it is that you get $2000 if you have over a 92% automatically. If you’re under that, you may or may not get any amount under that – and there are many other scholarships you can apply to, both before and once you’re attending the university.

    basically, scholarship decisions are made based on the marks they use to consider you for admission, which is your six best Grade 12 U/M courses (that’s university-level and mixed, if you’re a non-Ontarian), including required courses. If you completed a grade 12 course in grade 11, they’ll still be looking at those, but yeah, they’ll only be looking at the top six grade 12-level courses, so don’t worry.

    about the final marks they look it, basically, the final offer is made in mid-may – so if you completely fail all your courses after may, yeah, they might take issue with that, but may is basically the last time they’ll be looking at your transcript and making a final decision.

    all in all, it’s mostly a non-stressful, pain-free process and as long as you keep working as hard as you have been (i know how hard it is okay trust me June exams are Satan’s gift to teenagers), you should be at university with probably some amount of financial aid by september!

    hope that helps,

    aska

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  • admissions,  international students,  stress

    everyone is panicking about admissions oh god.

    October 31, 2013

    I study in year 10 and in an cbse school. I want to take up science but I am very weak in it. I am good in biology and I know that because of my grades and understanding. I really want to be a gynaecologist but I cant because of my grades. I doubt I can take up science also. I am in desperate need of help. Please tell me what to do.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    I understand where you’re coming from. Students all over the world right now are experiencing exactly the same thing you’re experiencing – they’re afraid they’re not good enough, and they are generally convinced that they are going to fail. Man, I can’t blame you. Going to university is incredibly scary, especially if you’re planning to go to school in a different country.

    I’m guessing you go to school in India, meaning this is the year you’re doing/have already done your AISSCE examinations, and that has got to be really stressful. Just know that even if you don’t do as well as you hoped you would, you have two whole years to improve.

    That said, if you’re thinking of coming to UofT and you eventually want to go to medical school, you’ll probably want to enrol in the BSc. Life Science program. If you like Biology, there’s a Biology major available, where you get to focus on Biology, which is what you seem to feel most comfortable with. The requirements for that program are here. Like I said, you’ve still got some time to figure all this out, but if you want to feel a little less worried, take a look at the requirements and see if you think you could handle them.

    If it turns out that in two years you don’t meet the requirements, then maybe you can take some time to think about what it is you would be most comfortable doing. However, you’re only in year 10 now and there’s plenty of time to figure all this out and get your grades up if you have to – so don’t worry! If you are careful about researching the best possible option for you, you won’t go wrong.

    aska

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  • admissions,  engineering,  grad school

    Engineering admissions woes

    October 28, 2013

    Hi! 🙂

    I am an international student and I really really want to attend Uoft engineering ece grad school. I am currently in my last semester and my cgpa will be 3.5-3.6 ish.

    Its a big dream of mine to get into uoft (follow in my dad’s footsteps) but i hear uoft is very competitive and they won’t even?look at anything less that 3.8. Should I just give up and not apply at all? I mean do I really have a shot at getting in?

    Thanks a lot :))

    -Worried Undergrad

    ———————————————

    Hey there,

    So basically, the cut-off for a master’s in engineering is a mid-B – that works out to a 3.0 in your final year. You’ve decided to go for one of the more competitive engineering streams, meaning you should have as high above that average as possible, but fortunately, I’d say a 3.5-3.6 qualifies as well above the 3.0 minimum, enough to give you a shot.

    Also keep in mind that for ECE, GPA is not the only consideration. They also look at references, so the better your references, the more likely your chances of getting in even if you don’t have a 3.8 GPA or higher.

    If you’re concerned about how your school matches up with uoft’s, or if your degree is an appropriate preparation for uoft’s grad program, you can also take a look here.

    Finally, I’m gonna go ahead and say what I always say: don’t pay attention to what you hear from other people. If you have the time and money, go ahead and apply – it’s always worth a shot if you really want it. Also, I get that you want to come here because your father did and it has sentimental value, but I’d also encourage you to apply to other places as well; uoft’s great, but it’s not the only option!

    Best of luck, and try not to worry TOO much 🙂 I know it’s tough.

    aska

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  • admissions,  law,  law school

    aska tells you the rule of law

    October 25, 2013

    Are there any course prerequisites for law school, or just a BA in
    anything (besides an LSAT and high averages)?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    So basically I’m just gonna give you the full run-down of uoft law, because it’s a bit different from the way other canadian law schools do things and I couldn’t bear to leave you all confuzzled.

    Most law schools in ontario (osgoode, western, what have you) consider your lsat score and gpa for admission, and nothing else. Uoft requires those as well. If you want an idea of the competitiveness you’re looking at, the average GPA of incoming students last year was 88%, and the average LSAT score was 167. Take note that these aren’t cut-offs or minimum requirements; they’re averages of the people who got in. You can have an average/LSAT score that’s lower than that and still get in.

    So the GPA and LSAT scores together make up 2/3rds of your application. The other 1/3 is a personal essay, which is unique to UofT. Basically, it’s no big deal, just a little essay describing who you are, what’s cool about you, and why you want to be a lawyer. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about what you know about law; it’s more an opportunity to highlight what’s different or special about you.

    hope that helps man,

    aska

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  • admissions,  grad school,  masters

    living in a material world, and i am a materials (science) girl

    October 18, 2013

    Hey!!

    I am an international student and want to do my masters in material science in univ of Toronto. I have a decent CGPA and I think I would meet the requirements. I however have heard that Toronto is like the MIT of Canada. So it is very difficult to get into a grad programme. What will you suggest me to increase my chances of getting into the grad school.

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    Between you and me, friend, I’ve heard absolutely everything about uoft – depending on who you ask, it’s the Harvard, the MIT or the Brown of Canada. I choose not to listen to any of these people, and I recommend you do the same.

    The only thing you can do is follow the application instructions as closely as possible and hope for the best. With that said, let’s take a look at requirements.

    So, three main points: 1. You’re going to need a mark that’s at least a 78% (B+) in your LAST TWO YEARS of undergrad 2. You don’t need to do the GRE and 3. If your university didn’t teach in English, you’re gonna need a certain score in TOEFL or another English language test. Finally, they recommend that you contact professors who might be suitable supervisors for you before applying.

    It seems like they’re really only considering your GPA and the relevance of your program to the MASc., so just try to get as high an average as possible. Make marks your priority, since it’s basically all they’re looking at. Above that, there’s nothing else you can really do.

    However, if you’re really kinda nervous about where your school’s reputation stands in relation to uoft, Toronto has provided a complete list of minimum admission requirements for every country. Take a browse, but don’t worry that you’ve got no chance because you’re coming from a different school. I’d also encourage you to apply to a couple different places, just in case you don’t get in or even because you might get a better offer somewhere else. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket!

    I hope that’s made you feel a bit better:) Good luck!

    aska

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  • admissions

    be the best belle at the ball for BSc.

    October 17, 2013

    Hi there, I was wondering if you could tell me what a good high school average would be to get into the BSc psych program at UofT? I’m currently at an 82%.

    thanks!

    ?????????

    hey there friend.

    Let me explain you a thing about the university of Toronto. When you are admitted into the university, you are part of a general program – for you, that would be the Life Sciences BSc. The admission requirements for this program are six 4U/M courses including university English, Chemistry, Calculus and (recommended) Biology. If you have an average in these six courses that is in the low to mid eighties, you are eligible for admission. That means that you, my lil’ friend, just make it into the range of eligible averages. Something a bit higher would give you a better edge though, so keep trying as the year continues.

    Once you’re at the university, you have a year to take all kinds of different courses. Explore different classes. Take up a weird hobby. Then, in April, you’ll get a chance to settle down into a major. You declare your subject POSt (program of study) at the end of first year, and this is when you either do or don’t get admitted into psychology. When you say psych, I assume you mean psychology major. The requirements for admission into this major are a 75% in PSY100H1 (so make sure you squeeze that course into all your explorations), a high school Calculus course, and any other 4.0 credits. The average of these courses will be used to determine whether or not you get in.

    There’s no explicit average you need to get – but use your common sense. An average of 75% in PSY100H1 is the absolute MINIMUM, so the higher above that you can get, the better. This is a limited enrolment program, so if you’re gonna do this, do it properly. Go hard or go home.

    And that’s just about everything you need to know! Hope to see your groovy face at uoft next year.

    aska

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