• life science

    a stream-of-consciousness question

    February 5, 2014

    Hi there! 🙂
    So I’m currently a first year Life Sciences student at St. George Campus and I’m still not sure what I want to do with my life at this point. I did research and explore careers and I feel that nothing really catches my interest. I don’t know what I want to major or minor or specialize in Life Sciences. The reason I went into Life Sciences is because I felt there were more careers offered in this program but I’m still indecisive and sometimes, I feel I don’t know if its worth it to stay in the program. I did try thinking more of a career that reflects my personality and values, I really do like to communicate with people (especially children) and I wish to work in a field that I can provide care for people so I did gain more of an interest in nursing (hopefully in Sickkids) and I prefer working in a hospital than working in a lab or research. The thing is, I don’t want to study that long and I’m not that bright lol so a Ph D is out of the picture, 2 years of masters is fine though. The thing about nursing is that I think I have to transfer out of UofT and attend Ryersons nursing or York because my friend in 4th year life sci, (pursuing nursing at UofT next year) said they require you to finish a degree and then apply for the 2 year problem and they only accept B+ – A+ averages (I don’t think I can maintain a high GPA) whereas for Ryerson, I can directly apply and it’ll be a shorter time and they also offer placements. The problem is, I don’t want to transfer out of UofT, I really love the campus, I just checked out Ryersons campus and I realized how beautiful UofT campus is and how opened it is. I love the libraries here and I made a few good close friends here and the profs are great. I don’t know whether I should stay at UofT or transfer. It’ll be such an adjustment if I do transfer. The good part about Ryerson is the classes will be smaller, easier to interact with others and make?friends and easier to have a social life too. If I stay here at UofT, I don’t know what career I wish to pursue, I do love psychology though! What’s holding me back from majoring in Psychology is that people are always saying that it is so hard to get a job in psychology unless you have a Ph D. Sigh. Should I stay here at UofT? Or, is there any other careers you suggest?
    Sorry for the long message btw and thanks for the help! 🙂
    Oh yeah, do you reply back on the site or by mail?

    ———————————————

    hello. this is an old question. if you’d like to see why i am answering these BLASTS FROM THE PAST, please go?here! thanks!

    aska

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    wow…i feel like i just read a transcript of the entirety of one person’s thoughts for a whole month. first of all, sorry this wasn’t answered earlier (please refer to my explanation and a more elaborate apology here), but i hope you don’t mind my (attempting) to answer your (very long) questions (seriously i’m in awe of how long this is) for any first-years who might be feeling the same as you were about a year ago (like i don’t think i’ve ever written one thing this long without being forced to by a prof).

    now, there are a lot of questions implicit in that novella you’ve written, but i think i’ve boiled it down to just a few: 1) is it worth it to transfer? 2) should you do nursing or psychology? and 3) are there any more careers in health/medicine i can suggest?

    first, you can’t make transfer decisions based on how pretty campus is. if that happened, then paris or kingston, jamaica would be the most academically dense cities in the world. if ryerson’s campus isn’t as fancy and old-looking as uoft’s, then just come back and visit trin on wekeends or something. if you like the idea of a nursing degree that’s shorter and lets you do work placements, then that’s the degree you should get: end of story. a social life and pretty buildings are secondary.

    as for just getting a B.Sc. in psych without any kind of graduate or professional degree afterwards, you’re right, it’s probably not the most lucrative idea. but if you really want to do it, then that shouldn’t stop you, is what i say. still, you seem pretty lukewarm about it, and it looks like you’re thinking more seriously about nursing, so i’m just gonna discourage you from the whole psychology path.

    are there any careers i can suggest? no, not really. especially if you’re interested in working with children, becoming a nurse might be one of the best ideas. if you really want to go down that route, i’d suggest taking a look at this to learn a bit more about what you can expect (also i always advise students to do their own research because you never know what kind of helpful career info/advice you can dig up).

    i hope that helps, my friend.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions,  life science,  UTM

    life sigh

    February 4, 2014

    Hi Aska,

    I just wanted to ask how many round of acceptances are there for utm life sci since our school distributed our second semester midterm in late april. Also i know the cutoffs for this program are about mid 80’s, but what if my average is exactly an 85%, will i still get in? Is utm only concerned with the overall average when accepting people into the program or they also look at individual grades for the top 6 courses?

    If you can help me out, that would be great

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i don’t know specifically how many “rounds” there are since, though it pains me to say it, i am not the ENTIRE ADMISSIONS committee at this or any uoft campus. i guess uoft just hasn’t realized yet that i’d do a fantastic job of deciding the next generation’s world leaders. it’s ok.

    anyway, i know that GENERALLY SPEAKING, there’s like three or so times that the university sends out offers – there’s early acceptance in december-ish, then late february/early march, and late may/early june. most people hear back in late february/early march, but it’s a really general timeline. you can get an idea of that here.

    they will use the average of your top 6 courses, including prerequisites, to consider you. and if that average is an 85%, then (disclaimer of me not being affiliated with admissions because i am just a hobo at a computer blah blah blah) yeah, you’ll get in.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions,  life science

    panic! at the high schools

    January 31, 2014

    Hey, i don’t know if you remember me, but i had asked u a question earlier and your answer had made my day, when i was having a bad day. i just wanted to say: thanks so much! I am back with more questions as a result haha, please don’t be afraid to bash me and be as honest as possible. thank you in advance!

    Alright so I REALLY want to get early acceptance (into u of t life science). Can you please tell me the requirements for getting early acceptance to this program, and how uoft will decide whether to offer you an early acceptance or not? OH, and please also tell me the acceptance criteria overall, early or not, for getting into uoft life sci. How do the officials decide whether you’re in or not; what is the whole procedure? oh btw, i’ve just completed the first semester of gr 11, going onto gr 11 sem 2.

    Last question, sorry to bother you 🙁 uhm so my grade 11 first sem marks… yeah they dropped a LOT. so right now, i’m looking at the following final marks: 81 in u level math, 84 in u level bio, 95 in leadership and 93 in world religions. these are my first semester finals. next semester i definitely plan on getting 90+, especially in english, chem and physics, all of which i have next semester. do i still have a chance at early acceptance? please be honest 🙁

    thank you for doing this, you’re really a great help to us!

    EDIT: i just sent u a question and i forgot to add the following information: i want to get accepted into the st.george campus atu of t! sorry for the inconvenience! i’m the grade 11 student asking about acceptance procedure and early acceptance.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m glad i could brighten your day! i mean, it’s kinda my job, but i also just love doin’ it, so that’s handy. also don’t worry, i’ve been given complete license by the POWERS THAT BE to bash y’all just as much as i want.

    man, i’m kinda loathe to talk about early acceptance. if you absolutely need something to cling to, i can tell you that if you apply early and have a like 95%+ average in grade 11/first semester grade 12, then you’ll probably be accepted early.

    BUTTT honestly (and i wanna stress this), it doesn’t really MATTER when you get accepted. like, i don’t know what your specific situation is, but it shouldn’t make a difference if you get accepted in february or december or march; you have until june to make a decision in canadian unis anyway. d’you need to brag about it at Christmas to your grandparents? ’cause you know you can just lie to them. i doubt they’ll ask for proof.

    as for the WHOLE PROCEDURE of acceptance, it goes like this:

    1. first, the admissions people all gather around a round, oaken table, hewn by the god Spadina himself in the early days of Toronto, and preform a traditional Gregorian chant extolling the virtues of Margaret Atwood the All-Mother, and the subway system.

    2. they pray that those who don’t get accepted be sufficiently punished through holy fire in purgatory, and, if they continue to sin after that, eternal fire in HELL.

    3. they accept everyone with over an 85% average and all the necessary prerequisites. like seriously, your marks are great as they are you have nothing to worry about. just let go of allll your stress. you’ll hear from them by the end of march for sure.

    best of luck and try not to worry too much my friend,

    aska

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  • life science,  subject POST

    Switching from major to specialist (Question #1 from THE PAST WHOA)

    November 8, 2013

    hey there!

    aska here. whaddup.

    basically, i have achieved the impossible and CAUGHT UP with all the questions in my inbox, so i’ve decided to delve into the unanswered questions from the past that have accumulated in the dusty, forgotten corners of this website. you can think of it as FALL CLEAN-UP. i’ve picked the most interesting questions and decided to answer them retroactively even though the person’s problem was resolved a long time ago whoops. oh well. anyway, i’m hoping the answers will be useful to someone.

    here we go, on our first look into THE PAST OOOOH…

    ———————————————

    Hi,
    I just finished my first year life science at UTSG. I applied to some specialist programs but didn’t get accepted. Let’s say if I enrol in the major programs instead, can I upgrade to specialist after finishing required second-year courses with a good GPA? Some programs I’m interested in are Immunology, Pathobiology, Pharmacology.

    Thank you so much,
    HD

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, this is awkward.

    basically, if a subject post ever considers students for admission beyond first year, it’ll indicate it on the course calendar. I’ve taken a look at the course calendar for immunology, pathobiology and pharmacology and it looks like only the pharmacology specialist will take in upper year students? All three programs are really competitive and so it makes sense that they’d be strict, but hey! 1 out of 3 is better than nothing!

    so, if you want to transfer from the major to the specialist, you have to do three things:

    1. complete PCL201H1

    2. complete the prerequisites for any required upper-year courses

    3. NOT take PCL472Y1 (which is ‘project in pharmacology’, so that shouldn’t be hard – just don’t be a super keener who goes for a ‘research experience’ course sheesh)

    keep in mind it is really competitive (only 40 students in the program jeez louise), so the odds are stacked against you, but i say go for it. carpe diem and all that jazz.

    Best of luck!

    aska

    P.S. The course calendar/websites are only so helpful about these things, so I’d always advise actually going to the department and asking them specifically what your chances are with getting into the specialist. this might also be helpful because they might give you a bit of info about the real differences between major and specialist, and whether switching is really the best idea!

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  • hard,  life science

    i’ve got 99 problems and university is all of them

    July 15, 2013

    Hello again,

    I was talking to a girl on the weekend who just graduated from UofT, but she kind of scared me, basically saying that all the rumors I’ve heard are true, and Life Sciences at UofT is brutal. She told me that Life Sciences is not a good path for me to take at a school that is so big and then she just wished me luck.

    She that the readings they assign are really long and the work is really difficult and she had a hard time keeping up.

    She said that it was so competitive that people would purposely mess up labs just so that you wouldn’t do well. Or they wouldn’t help you out if you needed notes or needed help understanding something.

    Is UofT so competitive and huge that I will not be able to do well? I did pretty good in high school, but everyone going to UofT did – that’s why they’re there.

    Also, I know being in university will not be a walk in the park, but is it really as difficult as they say?

    And on another kind of related topic, if I schedule lectures back to back, I’ll be able to get from one to the other, right? Even if one is Central and the other is West? I’m just worried that there will be so many people in my first year classes that I won’t be able to get through the crowds to get to my next class in 10 minutes.

    Thanks in advance for your answer, your website is perfect for a person like me who’s always worrying.

    Madeline

    ———————————————

    Madeline,

    For your sanity’s sake, I’m going to be very blunt with you.

    Stop talking to upper years.

    We enjoy making newbies squirm.

    Just sit back, have a margarita and some nachos, and enjoy the rest of your summer. Stop thinking so much about university because I swear you’re on the verge of an ulcer right now and you’re not even enrolled in courses yet!

    Yes, university is competitive — but that shouldn’t be something you just allow to affect how “well” you do.

    And, naturally, its “difficulty” is all up to you.

    If you decide that hanging out with your friends the night before a midterm is a good idea, well of course it’s going to be pretty difficult. But even if you don’t spend your entire life in the library, as long as you at least do the readings and pace through things, you should be able to get by.

    But for now, you need to stop dwelling on a level of difficulty you won’t even be able to test for another three months because you’re probably just going to make yourself sick.

    As for crossing from west to central…

    Eh, well, as much as possible, try not to make things back to back. It’s kind of a huge pain the ass, even if you have two courses that are considered “west,” the whole north and south parts of it aren’t considered.

    Again, Madeline, calm down and enjoy your summer.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • life science,  UTM

    no leniency for life science

    July 3, 2013

    Hello,

    I got admitted into UTM in about April or May, I have taken Pre-Calc and Calc 12; Chem 12; Bio 12, and English 12.

    I have recently logged into my ROSI account, and I looked at my time table there, there are already some courses on there (are those mandatory courses?). Also, do I have to take English? Is English a Mandatory first year course for life science?

    Thank you very much,
    Jean

    ———————————————

    Jean,

    UTM makes your timetables for you?

    I did not know that. I am enlightened. Thank you.

    Granted, their website DOES say that all first-year students take first-year bio, chem, and math with wording that makes it seem like you don’t have a choice, so I guess those are mandatory.

    And no, you don’t have to take English. Don’t worry, you’re not in high school anymore. 😉

    What you do have to take/should take is all based on the program you’re aiming to get into, so take a look at the calendar to decide.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • admissions,  life science

    let me in, life sci

    December 19, 2012

    Hey Aska,

    I am a grade 12 student about to apply to three programs in UofT, 1 in St. George for Life Sciences, and 2 in Scarborough. I really want to get accepted to St. George, but I am afraid that my grades and the number of other applications will be the ruin of my wishes! My mid-term average currently is a 85%, but who knows how many other students are applying with the same or better marks and extracurricular activities! Be brutally honest, and let me know if I have a chance of making it into Life Science at St.George, I can take it…

    Thanks a bunch!

    ?????????

    Hey hey,

    Okay so word on the street is that to get into the Life Sci program here at St. George you need an average around low to mid 80s. Now if you can maintain that 85, then good for you! But just be careful because it is a very competitive program, meaning that making the desired average might not be enough.

    But honestly, I have faith in you getting in. Best of luck!

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • life science

    switching science for science

    October 24, 2012

    Hi Askastudent,

    I’ve realized that I need to switched to the Life Sciences program? at the end of this year so that during second year of university I will be taking Life Sciences instead of Chemical and Physical Sciences. The? reason I am doing this is because I need to take at least 2 years of Life Sciences to apply to dental school.The courses I have from Life Sciences are, Calculus ( not calculus for life sciences), and chemistry. This means that I am in fact missing Biology. The problem is that Biology is now full and it would be unlikely to get into Biology this year. In addition, UTM is not offering biology at summer school. What can I do at this point? I don’t want to be behind a year because of one course, so what are your suggestions? Furthermore, would i still be able to transfer to life sciences next year? I would love to here what you suggest

    ?????????

    Hey there!

    So essentially you need to take BIO152 as soon as possible, right?

    Unfortunately, if you can?t get in, then you can?t get in. All you can really do is wait until the course is offered again, which can potentially mean waiting a full year.

    But if that doesn?t sound particularly enjoyable to you, you can try talking to the undergraduate advisor of Biology (or whatever Life Science program you were aiming for). If they allow for it, perhaps you can take a 100-level BIO course at UTSC or the St. George campus instead as your entry credit to the Life Sci program you want to be in.

    Best of luck!

    aska

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  • admissions,  grades,  life science

    marks are marks, whenever they’re made

    September 19, 2012

    Hi!

    So… I’m a student in grade 11 and I’m pursuing Life sciences.?I got my timetable today, but I didn’t everything i wanted. I got my grade 11 sciences (bio, chem, and physics) but i don’t have advanced functions. So worried! If i take advanced functions during the summer, will u of t consider it? Or if they do, will they consider it as a ‘lower’ course?

    And if i take calculus and advanced functions next year and submit it during admission time, will the university not accept me because i didn’t submit both my calculus marks and advanced functions marks???? (cuz i obviously take calculus after i take advanced functions which is second semester AFTER i apply to u of t.)

    Please answer it ASAP!
    Thank you.

     

    Whoa! Deep breaths, girlfriend. I know college admissions can be stressful, but I promise you that you will be just fine, whatever happens. All of the required courses for admission to the many life sciences courses are listed on apges 50-51 of the admissions viewbook.

    As you obviously know, calculus is one of the courses required across the board, but it doesn’t mean you can’t apply before you’ve finished taking it. U of T accepts applications all the way up until March, and they will also check in on your final high school transcript to make sure you stayed on track, even after admission to the University. What that means is that when you first apply, they will see on your schedule that you’re taking calculus in the spring, and will consider your application despite not having that mark yet. Once you’ve finished Grade 12, they`ll come back and make sure you did well, so that means no senioritis for you. ?But it also means that you don’t have to worry too much about taking calc a bit later than you’d like.

    As for taking advanced functions next summer, I’m not sure what you mean by “lower” course, but as an institution which itself offers summer courses, the University recognizes that they are as valid as those which occur during the year ?In fact, according to the Liberal government’s recent white paper on education in Ontario, the future of Universities and even high schools in Ontario could include a bigger role for year-round learning). In other words, summer courses are as good as any other. So if you’re worried about being late with calc, takin functions in the summer is probably your best bet, if only to assuage your own paranoia . 🙂

    Best of luck, and make sure you stop and smell the roses between furious study sessions, ok?

    Stay cool,

    aska

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  • life science,  repeating course

    fail once, fail better

    May 24, 2011

    Hi,

    I’m a first year life science student. I went on ROSI this weekend to see my marks and found out that I only got a 52 in organic chemistry! I’ve already applied to all the type 3 subject post but they all require me to have all course a minimum of 60 and at least a gpa of 3.0!
    This is the only course that I got that low, and because of this bad mark, not only does it not meet the requirement of having all courses above 60, my gpa is not above 3.0 anymore either!
    Is there something I can do to get into any of the programs or am I just done and have to transfer from life science to some other program like commerce.

    -Christine

    ———————————————

    Hi Christine,

    Please don’t despair. Since you are in first year, please keep in mind that you can continue to apply for the subject PoST of your choosing all the way until your final year of study. The main thing is being able to apply for some classes you need to take next year, right?

    For the time being, you can enter a Type 1 Subject PoSt at any time in order to be able to select specific classes in upper years (remember that you have to be registered in a Specialist, Double Major or a Major and Two Minors). Your marks and criteria might also meet some Type 2 and 3 PoSts. You can also retake Organic Chemistry to boost your mark next year.

    Perhaps a sitdown with an academic counsellor might make you feel more at ease about course selection for next year? Sinceyou have at least passed all your classes (silver lining!), you can register as a second year student to have an easier chance at nabbing some prime classes, working towards your Life Sciences Subject PoSt requirements. For now, peruse the program requirements, take the classes you can without being registered in the Subject PoSt (after a select date, the priority restrictions fall away and anyone can register!), and work towards your degree. Work hard, and when you reapply next year, it’ll be all good.

    xoxo, Askastudent
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  • admissions,  life science

    u of t is a heartbreaker

    May 24, 2011
    So if I do not get into the program I want, which is Life Science, will I get an alternate offer for another science course at St. George, being the campus I initial applied to?

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

    Ooh, a follow up question! Aska loves those.

    Basically if you are not accepted into Life Sciences at St. George, you will not be accepted into U of T. It’s possible that you might get an offer to UTM or UTSC instead (though I don’t think that usually happens). You can always apply to transfer in another year, or re apply for the following year if you do not get in.

    Sorry if that’s a little heartbreaking.

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • admissions,  life science

    am i in yet, or what?

    May 19, 2011

    What is the cut off percentage for the program
    Life Sciences (including Psychology) [HUMAN BIOLOGY-HEALTH/DISEASE]
    at the University of Toronto St. George campus? Right now I have a 79% overall, do I stand a chance of getting accepted??

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

    Contrary to popular belief, Askastudent is not like that creepy genie in Big that determines and grants your every wish and command. (We do accept quarters though.) So while I can’t say for sure whether or not you’ll get in, it doesn’t look good. Usually for life sciences, the cut-offs or lowest averages accepted are in the mid-80s – it’s a competitive program. Also this being mid May and you haven’t heard anything yet leads me to the unfortunate belief that you probably have not been accepted. Sorry my friend. Let me know how it works out.

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • life science

    papa don’t preach – i want to be in life sci

    March 2, 2011

    Hi there, I’m having a very tough time, as I’m not sure what to do with my life. I applied for engineering and got excepted (mac, queens, ufot, ryerson), but this was only due to heavy influence from my dad. After I looked further into it, I am getting the feeling that I’m not prepared for the intense workload that I keep hearing about. Thus, I’m considering Life Sciences or Health Sciences (with apparently a less work/course load), but I want to know if there are good earning jobs that I can get under 6 years (rather than trying for doctor with more than 8 years of studying). Please if you may give me some insight and tell me if I am naive for (as my dad says I am) for wanting a social life and athletic life on top of studies.

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

    Hey there,

    Life science and engineering are probably the top smarty pants courses that you can take at U of T (and probably anywhere). Saying that, your course load will be heavy in Life Sci but there is more flexability in schedualing. So if you know you will go out on Thursday nights, take Friday mornings on so school won’t be affected.

    There is a large variety of jobs that you can get out of the Life Sciences/Health Sciences, it depends on the stream you are interested in.

    This is your time … do what you want. Its not you dad who is going to rip?his hair out from over studying and under partying. University is a place of learning – learning some serious engineering/sciences, your alcohol tolerance, how to hail a cab, roll a sandwich (hint how i met your mother), and which homeless people are nice to talk to.?University is?way more than just the learning you experience in class.?

    love always,

    aska

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