• admissions

    if I had a million calculus marks, I’d buy you a….

    April 23, 2010

    Hello,
    Can I get accepted into UTM life sciences with an average of 80%? or even 78-79%? Also, if you repeated advanced functions in night school, which mark will UTM look at?? Thanks in advance.

    ———————————————————

    For the 1000th time, aska cannot answer questions of the ?will I be admitted with a blah% average? nature. Aska doesn?t work at the admissions office, so he has no idea who?s on their nice list and who?s on naughty list. As for UTM, I tried calling around 6 admissions people for you, but no one picked up. So unfortunately, you seem to be out of luck today. At the St. George campus though, we don?t explicitly penalize students who repeat a course or take a course in summer/night school, and we only use the best mark (unless you’re applying to Commerce). I think UTM would probably have the same (or a similar) policy. You should definitely call them to make sure though. Still, if you need to take calculus a million times to get an 80 in it, you?d probably have a lot of trouble with your first year math courses. Just saying.

    Read More
  • admissions,  transfer credits

    enough with the “will I be admitted” questions

    February 25, 2010
    Hello,
    I am a student of University of Alberta. I applied for a transfer to?University of Toronto St. George campus. However, my last term GPA was 1.7?and this term I am planning to raise my cumulative GPA to at least a 2.3.?Would I granted admission?    Thank you.

    ————————————
    Hi. For the infinitith time, I don’t work at admissions and awards, so I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.
    Go check the site out yourself, or go phone them and ask. If you click around, though, you’ll find that they say “Competitive applicants to the Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto St. George. usually have a solid B average.” Still, nothing is guaranteed, so who knows – maybe you’ll get a lucky break.
    Read More
  • admissions,  friends

    yes, aska does have friends!

    January 26, 2010

    Hi,

    I have applied to U of T St.George for Life sciences program, and I will be
    finishing grd 12 Adv. Func, Eng, Calculus in this semester. My best friend
    who applied for the same program took Eng and Calculus in private school,
    and he is so worrying about if there is any preference given to those taking
    courses in home schools. Also, will he, with high marks in prerequisite
    courses taken in private, get the offer earlier than me?

    Thanks a lot!

    ———————————————-

    *sits on a hamburger*

    Geez. Couldn?t you have asked your school?s guidance counselors instead? Admittedly, my old school?s guidance counselors weren?t very helpful, but I had to suffer throughout my teen years, so why should you get it easy, hmm? Why should I just give you the answers without you having to work for them?

    Okay, I just asked someone for you (*grumble*), and no. There is no preference given at all to those taking courses in home schools. As for whether he?ll get an earlier offer than you, it depends on HOW much higher his marks are. If it?s just one or two marks per course, it probably wouldn?t make a difference. If he got 95 in English and you got a 75 though, that might warrant the University giving him an earlier admission than you. Aww, don?t be sad. If he?s your best friend, I?m sure he?ll still love you, even if you get a few bad marks under your sleeve.

    And you’re making me extremely sad. Aska and aska’s best friend were once in the same program, but then we both switched to different programs. Now he’s devoted his life to flip-flops and he doesn’t understand my non-nerdy jokes anymore. I’m jealous. I still love him though. Here?s to friendship!

    Okay, now stop giving me that questioning look. Yes, I do have emotions, thank you very much, and yes I do have real friends that I haven’t brainwashed!… …… …… … …… …… … …… ……… ………… ………… … … …… …… …… …… …… …… … …… … … … …… … …… … … …… … …… … …… … … …… … …… …… … …… … …… …… …… …yet!

    Oh cheeses. Did I just tell you that? You know too much. *leads you into the brain harvesting room*

    Read More
  • admissions,  engineering,  transfer credits

    did you read the sign over there that says “artscis only”

    January 22, 2010

    Hello,
    I came upon your site while googling “transfers to UofT”. My question is am i able to transfer to UofT’s faculty of applied science and engineering? I am currently in my 1B (second) term at the University of Waterloo, and I am enrolled in the honors civil engineering co-op program. I applied and was accepted to UofT’s track one and civil engineering programs last year when i was still in highschool, and i feel that i should of accepted UofT’s offer instead. My 1A term average is 64%, and I am wondering if I will be able to transfer to an engineering program (electrical engineering) at UofT, and if any transfer credits will be accepted, and if i will have to repeat first year at UofT?

    Thank you for answering my numerous questions

    ————————————

    You know that aska is part of the Faculty of Arts and Science and so is not affiliated with engineering in any way, right? Okay, just wanted to make that clear. It’s too bad engineers don’t have their own askastudent – I guess it’s because they’re “so smart” that they’ve forgotten how to write properly.

    Just a heads up: there is no guarantee that, just because you were accepted into a UofT program last year, you?ll be accepted again this year. Spaces for transfer students are a lot more competitive than spaces for incoming high school students, especially in engineering. With a 64% average, that might be even harder. The bottom line is, UofT is interested in how its prospective transfer students are doing at the University level. If you had any extenuating circumstances, then perhaps you could write a letter to UofT explaining how your high school marks are more indicative of your performance, but it still feels like a long shot to me. The admissions office at the Faculty of Applied Science might be able to give you more information on your chances of getting into their faculty.

    The best you can do is 1) try to achieve higher marks for second semester, and 2) apply for transfer before the deadline. Note that the deadline to apply on OUAC is February 1st for transfer students, so you better apply right away.

    As for transfer credits, you can worry about that after you apply. If you apply and get in, the Faculty of Engineering will then follow-up with you on the issue of transfer credits. You?ll probably receive some transfer credits, but you also might have to make up some credits. They?ll also let you know, after they?ve accessed you transfer credits, if you?d have to take an extra semester or extra year. Again, though, you won?t find out whether you?d have to do an extra year or not until after you apply, so if you really want to come to UofT, just apply now.

    If you don?t end up getting in, unfortunately you?d have to either stay at Waterloo or go somewhere else. In that case, you might try transferring to electrical engineering at Waterloo. It?d be a lot less paperwork, and UofT might not be what you?re imagining it to be, anyway. On the other hand, if the learning environment at Waterloo is seriously putting you off, maybe you could apply to some other schools in addition to UofT. A lot of people change programs or schools after first year (aska did), so do yourself a favour and figure out where you really want to be.

    By the way, to any prospective engineers reading this post, the title’s just a joke. Send in your questions. I’m happy to answer them… I mean, I get paid to do it.

    Read More
  • admissions

    *cough* Ivy Leagues *cough*

    January 18, 2010

    Hello,

    I am currently thinking about taking Grade 12 English in Summer School instead of in day school, next year, when I reach Grade 12 (I’m currently in Grade 11).? This way I can reduce the workload in Grade 12 which would allow me to achieve higher marks. Would U of T “Look down on me” for doing this?? Should I take it in day school instead? I eagerly await an answer.

    Thanks

    ————–

    It really depends on which summer you?re talking about. If you?re talking about the summer after your Grade 11 year, it probably doesn?t matter very much. A bunch of my friends did it and they still got accepted into UofT, Waterloo, Queen?s, Ryerson, York, McMaster? you name it! I actually planned to take it in the summer too, except I dropped the course after a few days because I just felt too unmotivated and took it in day school instead. It worked out for me in the end, because I probably would?ve felt so unmotivated in the summer that I would?ve gotten a lower mark. But hey, whatever works for you.

    UofT won?t ?look down on you?? we?re not ?elitist? and ?exclusive? like certain US Universities which I will refuse to name here. In fact, UofT has *gasp* summer courses itself. Looking down on high school students with summer courses would be hypocritical, wouldn?t it?

    If you?re talking about taking courses the summer after your Grade 12 year, then yes, that would not be a great idea, because University acceptances happen in May or earlier — and if you take English in summer school, they would receive the mark at the end of July or so, which would be too late. And most (if not all) Universities require Grade 12 English, so you’re better off taking it earlier so that the mark will appear on your application to the University. But I?ll assume you?re smarter than to waste your last summer before University on summer school anyway. I mean, you could be getting a tan or something.

    Read More
  • admissions,  Toronto

    the CN tower. It’s… uh… tall… and… definitely not boring, nope.

    January 3, 2010

    Hello aska,

    I’ve been worrying about colleges for a while now. The University of Toronto is my first choice. I really want to go there. It’s a dream for me. But I’m worried that I might not be accepted. My GPA is a 3.3 or 88.04. After this semester, it may go up, though. I’m working hard on that. I scored a 27 on my ACT and I did two SAT Subject tests in Literature and Math Level I. I got a 580 on the Literature test and I’m waiting for my score for the Math Level I exam. I know my SAT II score for Literature is low and I’m trying to see if I can change that. I have also been in the National Honor Society for the past two years and I have been on my school’s newspaper for three years. I am now an editor for the paper. I have volunteered in a hospital during the summers of my sophomore and junior year and I volunteered at my middle school during the summer of my freshman year. I have taken a college course and received credit for it. Now, my questions are:

    1) Does the University of Toronto look at SAT II scores as much as they look at everything else?
    2) Do they look at the extracurricular activities you have done throughout your high school career?
    3) Do I have a good chance at getting in?

    If this helps, I am interested in taking psychology. So, I guess that would be the life sciences program.

    I also have questions about the University of Toronto in general. They are:’

    1) Can I take a double minor?
    2) Is the University of Toronto a fast-paced school or no? I want to go to a school that challenges me but I do not want to go to a school that teaches you a topic one day and then that is it.
    3) Are the people there generally nice? =)
    4) Is Toronto as fun as people say? I heard it’s a fun city and I want to learn but have fun at the same time.

    Thank you for your help! =)

    ———————————————

    First batch of questions:

    1) I’m sorry. I don’t know. I just know they do look at SAT II scores.

    2) No. The Faculty of Arts and Science does not look extra-curricular activities at al (unless you are applying to commerce). However, you seem to have some spectacular extra-curricular activities. One possible idea is to write a letter to admissions and awards highlighting your non-academic strengths and mail it in with your application. Who knows? It could be the deciding factor in the application.

    3) I would say so, especially if you manage to pull up your lit score and get a good score for the math one, but the last time I checked, I’m not an admissions officer. *checks wallet* yup, I’m still broke, so that means I’m still a student. Sorry, I’m not going to be of much help with your first batch of questions – hopefully I can help you more in the second part.

    Second batch:

    1) Yes, you can definitely take a double minor. You can take up to 3 programs at the UofT, with no more than 2 of them being specialists or majors. That means you could have 1 major and 2 minors, or 1 specialist program with 2 minors.

    2) That’s hard to say. I think the pace of each course depends on the material of the course itself. I’ve taken some courses where the profs actually cram as much as they can in one lecture, and I’ve taken courses that just seem to drift along at a leisurely pace. UofT isn’t a pressure-cooker like the pretentious Oxbridge, but ultimately, it will challenge you. The Faculty of Arts and Science here is so flexible that you can really choose courses to be at just the right level of difficulty. For instance, if you feel that taking 5 courses is too easy, go ahead and take a 6th. If you feel that taking 5 courses too hard, add a bird course. If you feel that your psych degree is too easy, go ahead and combine it with another major in, say, cell biology or history or economics or chemistry or equity studies. (Here’s a list of all the programs available at UofT.) Or challenge yourself by joining some extra-curricular activities that require a lot of commitment and involvement.

    3) Well, I think so. There are jerks everywhere, but people here are generally nice people. Some people say that the big campus causes people to feel isolated, but you could mitigate this by, say, joining some extra-curricular activities. (I’m getting deja vu. Didn’t I just say this?)

    4) Toronto is no Paris, but overall it’s a vibrant city with a decent amount of places to explore (though there are no must-see landmarks if you know what I mean, except for maybe Niagra Falls). Being a city that prides itself on its diversity we also have a lot of good, non-American-style restaurants. I’d advise you to visit Toronto first though, if you don’t live too far.

    Hope this helps.

    Read More
  • admissions,  trinity college

    I am a: bot. Looking for: another bot. Search returned no matches.

    December 10, 2009

    Hey,
    I’m an eleventh grade girl at a Toronto school.
    I have a
    brother in second year at U of T Trin, and after visiting last weekend
    I realized that I love it, and that I really want to go there.
    Do you have any advice as to how I can impress admissions?
    My grades are low 90s, but I’ve heard that’s only average in terms of Trinity acceptance grades.
    And after being accepted into Trinity, how much more difficult is it to be accepted into Trinity One?
    Also if I like Trinity what other colleges should I be looking at that might be similar?
    You’re at Innis, how do you like it?
    Thank you soo much and it would mean so much if you replied!

    —————————————————

    Any idea how to impress admissions? Of course! Actually, I snuck myself into University. Of course, I had to give them a lot of money under the table (*hint hint nudge nudge wink wink*) and kiss their smelly feet, but it worked. Not everyone can pull off something like that though. A good, innocent student like you shouldn’t resort to such measures. In your case, good grades would certainly be a plus; perhaps you could mix that in with some extra-curricular activities. Of course, also remember to do your best on your Trin student profile. Try to portray yourself in a genuine way. I think that kind of attitude really comes across to admissions officers.

    As for how difficult it is to be admitted into Trin one, I have no idea. ?Seriously. Trin (as of all of UofT) kind of keeps their admissions info under wraps. I know I?m an amazingly talented person, but even something as awesome as I am doesn?t know everything. If you really want to get in, just apply?there?s no harm in trying. If any Trin reader has any advice or relevant experiences to share though, please feel free to speak up.

    I’m guessing that the average for entrance in the Trin One program is around low 90s though. But you can ask them if you want more info.

    If you really want Trinity, you MUST MUST MUST MUST rank them first on your application to UofT, or else they will not accept you. So if you like Trinity, you probably shouldn?t be looking at ?other colleges that might be similar?.

    But I guess you just want me to shut up and give you a straight answer. Okay, fine. But what do you like about Trin? Vic is similar to Trin in that both of them require student profiles to get in, and it has a Vic One program. If you like Trin architecture-wise, UC has similar-looking buildings… kinda. Population-wise, it?s similar to Innis, since both are small colleges.

    You have to decide what you really like about Trinity.

    Innis? I like Innis, but you might not have the same opinion as me?unless you?re a bot who sits at your computer answering up questions 24/7? then we?d just be made for each other.

    If not, then uhhh, you should definitely go visit some of the other colleges before you make a decision. Good luck and let me know how it goes!


    Hey,
    I’m an eleventh grade girl at a Toronto school.
    I have a
    brother in second year at U of T Trin, and after visiting last weekend
    I realized that I love it, and that I really want to go there.
    Do you have any advice as to how I can impress admissions?
    My grades are low 90s, but I’ve heard that’s only average in terms of Trinity acceptance grades.
    And after being accepted into Trinity, how much more difficult is it to be accepted into Trinity One?
    Also if I like Trinity what other colleges should I be looking at that might be similar?
    You’re at Innis, how do you like it?
    Thank you soo much and it would mean so much if you replied!


    Any idea how to impress admissions? Of course! You have no idea, but actually I snuck myself into University. Of course I had to give them a lot of money under the table (*hint hint nudge nudge wink wink*) and kiss their smelly feet, but it worked. That method?s not for everyone though, especially not a good, innocent student like you. In your case, good grades would certainly be a plus; perhaps you could mix that in with some extra-curricular activities and things that are personally meaningful to you. Of course, also remember to do your best on your Trin student profile.

    As for how difficult it is to be admitted into Trin one, I have no idea. ?Seriously. Trin (as of all of UofT) kind of keeps their admissions info under wraps. I know I?m an amazingly talented person, but even something as awesome as I am doesn?t know everything. If you really want to get in, just apply?there?s no harm in trying. Anyway, you?re gonna have to deal with a little uncertainty. I know it sucks, but that?s the way it?s going to be. If any Trin reader has any advice or relevant experiences to share though, please feel free to speak up.

    If you really want Trinity, you should probably rank them first on your application to UofT, or else they might not accept you. So if you like Trinity, you probably shouldn?t be looking at ?other colleges that might be similar?. But I guess you just want me to shut the hell up and give you a straight answer. Okay, fine. But what do you like about Trin? Vic is similar to Trin in that both of them require student profiles to get in, and it has a Vic One program. If you like Trin architecture-wise, I guess UC has similar-looking buildings? I don?t know, ma?am. Population-wise, I guess it?s similar to Innis, since both are small colleges. Anyway, you have to decide what you really like about Trinity.

    Innis? I like Innis, but you might not have the same opinion as me?unless you?re a bot who sits at your computer answering up questions 24/7? then we?d just be made for each other. If you are, don?t hesitate to give me a call and maybe we can go out for dinner sometime ;).

    If not, then uhhh, go visit some of the other colleges before you make a decision. Good luck.

    Read More
  • admissions

    to be read in a robotic voice

    December 7, 2009

    Hi there,

    I understand you may not have the time for a lowly high school student, but I am applying
    to uoft in the fall and I need a clear answer. I have asked a number of counsellors and
    online forums and I couldn’t get an answer on the website, but DOES u ofT LOOK at GRADE
    11 marks??

    ————————————————-

    Greetings? earthling. Please? identify? yourself? using? the? following? survey.

    a) Are? you? a? student? from? Ontario? Canada?

    b) Do? you? have? high? Grade? 11? marks??

    If? you? satisfy? both? a) ? and? b), then? your? Grade? 11? marks? may? be? taken? into? consideration? for? the? first? (earliest?) round? of? offers? to? UofT? (this applies to humans applying to the Faculty of Arts and Science only).

    Otherwise, please? watch? this? video? and? listen? for? the? answer? in? the? chorus? of? the? song (hint: it begins with N and is repeated three times).

    Now? proceed? to? human? brain? harvesting? centre? on? your? left? ha? ha? ha.

    (by the way, I’m relaying the information provided to me by the Innis registrar)

    Read More
  • admissions,  international students,  psychology

    Munch munch

    November 10, 2009

    Hey, so I have a few questions about admission.

    Right now I’m a Canadian citizen living in Minneapolis. I’m not sure how Minneapolis is relevant to my question, but I’m just throwing it out there.

    Anyway, I really REALLY want to be accepted into UofT. It seems pretty sweet and my cousin went to Innis and reccommends it to me. Last year I had a GPA of about 3.3 (not sure though. I never paid enough attention). Right now I have no idea what my GPA is but I bet it’s bad. My current grades are C- (AP Literature), B (Advanced Pottery), A (Human Geography) and a C- in French 4.

    I know you probably don’t want to calculate that GPA but yeah. I’m in the fall semester of my grade 12 year, and I plan on improving my grades a ton, but I think I’m sending my transcripts in a few months to the school. I took the SAT and did well on that though, and two SAT subject tests, which I haven’t gotten the scores back for yet. My

    Ermm, uhh. Hey again . I just realized that it might help you to know that I’m planning on a psych major? Yeah. Life sciences I guess would be the program I’m trying for.

    …also looking back at my original message, I cut off after my. Sorry about that.

    I’ll continue it here.

    ..My ACT score was a 30, and I also took the AP Psychology and AP Composition tests, getting a 5 on both of them. I think a 5 is a perfect score too right? I’m somewhat hoping that my ACT and AP test scores will redeem me for having terrible grades this fall..also, my term ends on Nov 12 (there’s 2 terms in a semester.) and I’m planning on sending my grades and teacher recommendation letters sometime before December.

    So yeah. I was just wondering if I completely screwed myself by not caring about my classes this fall, or if there’s still a chance that I could be admitted into the University of Toronto?

    ———————————————

    Heads up. In University, you’ll have to teach yourself how to research effectively in order to expect to do well. Guess they don’t teach you that in Pottery class. But since you haven’t been disenchanted by the harsh reality of University yet (ah, I remember the days when ‘doing homework’ meant going on MSN), I’ll begrudgingly do the research for you and direct you to the admissions site.

    If you click around a bit, the site will tell you that you need a high GPA and SAT Reasoning exams and three SAT Subject Tests. Now, I’ll admit that this does sound a little ambiguous. Blame the admissions people. But just to give you a comparison, students from Ontario need low to mid 80s to be admitted into the Life Sciences stream. That’s an A-. The marks that you have now seem a bit low by comparison. But there’s definitely a possibility that your SAT and ACT scores will help your case. The admissions people said, “Successful applicants have presented scores of at least 600 in each SAT component and 26 in the ACT,” and your ACT score is obviously higher than that. As for whether or not you’d actually be accepted, no one knows except the admissions people, but there’s really no harm in just applying. Just remember to keep your options open, just in case.

    I’m guessing a large part of the decision is probably based on the SAT though.

    One thing. If you’re seriously planning on coming here, you really oughta change your attitude. U of T is not for the people who don’t care about their classes. As friend of aska puts it, if you’re one of those people, UofT will eat you alive.

    Read More
  • admissions,  grades,  new kids

    …when we’re cruisin’ to geth er.

    June 29, 2009


    Hi there! I have accepted my offer from University of Toronto – St. George Campus (Innis College) for life science. The letters I have received states that I must maintain a good academic standing, in order to keep my acceptance. Other universities have provided a specific average that I must maintain (for example, Waterloo mentions that I must keep an average of 75% or above). I was wondering what final average would I need to maintain; also, if my final average goes below a certain range, will I be rejected?

    Waiting your earliest reply:)

     

     

    I’ll give you the bad news first.

    YES, it is possible that your offer to U of T will be withdrawn should your final transcripts not be up to snuff.??? (who/what/where?IS snuff??)

    It is also possible that your offer will stand, but you would?be admitted on academic probation (i.e. must achieve C- average in first year).

    The good news is that?the ominous statement in?your offer?letter?is pretty much intended to prevent grade 12’s from accepting their offer of admission and then throwing in the towel for the rest of the school year. Much to your chagrin, there is no hard-and-fast rule as to what the conditional high school average is. Rather, it is relative to what your transcript said when you applied. So, the evil marks police are really looking for a drastic drop in your average.

     

    There are also some individual subjects that are scrutinized more heavily than the others. For all new admits to Arts & Science, your English marks should not take a drastic fall. For Life Science students (like you) your high school Maths, Chem, Bio (and sometimes Physics) marks should stay relatively similar as well.

     

    Your Parenting class mark matters less. That is, unless you actually killed the creepy robot baby, in which case you’re out.

     

    Is “drastic”?fall too ambiguous for you?

    How about a “dramatic” fall?

    Not good enough?

    An “embarrassing” fall?

     

    Now I know your type. So I know that you won’t be able to sleep until I tell you an actual number between 50 and 100. Right? Alright… twist my arm… I’ll tell you. It’s 78%.

     

    That was a lie. I just made that up based on being better than Waterloo.

     

    But what if U of T DID give a definitive minimum average, like 75%? Wouldn’t that just enable students to calculate the bare minimum effort they needed to get by? What kind of academic mentality is that?

    (Engineering students’ ears are ringing everywhere right now).

     

    I’m gonna go on a limb and guess that you are a keen life sci kid, who wouldn’t just call it a day after getting your offer from U of T anyway. So, don’t worry.

     

    But if you are still worried, you can try contacting your College Registrar’s Office and annoying them directly with your question. They will be able to check out the situation, contact Admissions & Awards, and then get back to you on your prospects. But seriously people, only do this if your grade 12 marks really took it in the teeth.

    Should your original offer be withdrawn (and you will find out sometime in the latter half of the summer), then you can submit a statement to Admissions & Awards explaining why that happened, which ‘may’ save your –––.?If, after reading this, you’re lower back is?perspirating profusely, perhaps you?will pro-actively issue a letter to Admissions;?just?a little something extra for?your file.

     

    After all that, I guess I didn’t really answer your question. It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that I can’t.

     

    Good luck!

     

    Aska

     

     

    P.s. I will congratulate you on choosing U of T over Waterloo. Was it the stale smell of pickled cabbage that turned you off? Or are you just a chorizo (over bratwurst) kinda girl/guy??

     

    P.p.s. That chorizo joke was kinda deep. Check out the disproportionate number of Portuguese speakers around the St. George campus: http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/pdf2/cpa79.pdf. Love ?em!!

    Read More
  • admissions,  money,  notes

    faust revisited

    April 17, 2009

    I got in. But missed the deadline for scholarships (Feb 27!), probably cannot afford to actually go unless I sell my soul to a bank, or anyone who would want to buy it in exchange for an education. Anyone?
    How bad is it to borrow from the bank? Im working full time…and I have no financial help from my parents. What can I do? I would love some help in terms of resources, if there are scholarships left…Im looking but there is not much. I applied to UTAPS already. Anything else? Thank you very much.

     

    Read More