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

    defy gravity! defy it with drones.

    April 21, 2024

    Hi Aska,

    This may seem out of bounds from the usual questions you receive but do you know every graduation hood colour for each faculty? I feel like there isn’t a website that has a comprehensive list, and if you do a Google search online, you can only guess a few if they explicitly write that this colour matches a certain faculty. I’m just curious to know if this is a thing…

    Thanks!

    hey there,

    uhhhh.

    a comprehensive list of every graduation hood color for every faculty at u of t?

    i don’t think there is one, but there is this tiktok video that shows all the hood colors at utm.

    Celebrating Happy Birthday GIF by Laff

    because as the people are saying, tiktok is the new google. (i can’t tell if i’m joking). but if you are on a tiktok cleanse like i am, here is a summary of what this video shows. keep in mind that the content is specific to utm!

    bachelors:

    • black/white – bachelor of science, bachelor of arts
    • orange/white – bachelor of business administration
    • black/orange/white – bachelor of commerce

    doctoral:

    • dark blue/scarlet – doctoral (medical)
    • scarlet/white – doctoral (graduate)

    masters:

    • black/cerise – master of arts
    • black/maroon – master of applied science
    • black/orange/grey – master in biotechnology
    • black/white/orange – master of forensic accounting
    • black/orange/white – master of management & professional accounting
    • black/white/royal blue/orange – master of management of innovation
    • black/grey/cerise – master of science
    • black/dark blue/dark grey – master of science of biomedical communication
    • black/grey/orange/biosphere blue – master of science in sustainability management
    • black/dark brown/ivory – master of urban innovation
    • black/blue/kelly-green/grey – master of science in occupational therapy
    • black/slate grey/corn yellow – master of science in planning

    learning that all these degrees exist was not on today’s bingo card but here we are, i guess. i think the biosphere blue color name goes hard, but who chose corn yellow?

    Reality TV gif. Kourtney Kardashian sits on a couch. She has a blank expression on her face as she sticks her tongue out and says, “Ugh.”

    anyways, a couple more tips if you want to start your detective career today. gaspard is the company that manages the rentals of grad gowns and they have a list of hoods online, but they don’t actually tell you the colors. so that’s a dead end. but, there’s a comprehensive list of all the faculties at u of t, which gets you a step closer.

    then all you’ll have to do is match that list up to colors! set up one of those crazy bulletin boards with the red string. make sure your hair is messy, there’s a close-up shot of you sweating while writing frantically, and there’s a pile of dirty coffee mugs in the corner. attend every single u of t graduation across all three campuses to see the hood colors for yourself. if you really wanna get crazy, set up secret cameras to attend them for you and watch them all on 30 different monitors set up on the wall. don’t let the world stop you, if you want a list, make it yourself! as u of t says, defy gravity! defy it with drones. secret spy drones.*

    Season 3 Episode 21 GIF by Martin

    but if you really wanted to find out for whatever reason, the office of convocation may have an internal list, but you would have to make an in-person appointment to ask.

    over and out,

    aska

    *for legal reasons this is a joke

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  • graduation,  hart house,  tcard

    phone calls are not so scary

    March 25, 2024

    How soon after the semester ends does your tcard stop granting you access to the Hart House fitness center? This is my final semester so I’m done classes and assignments by April 10, the summer semester doesn’t start until May, and I don’t graduate until June. Will I be able to access the Hart House fitness center, and use my tcard as normal until the end of April, May or June?

    hey there,

    congrats on almost being done your final semester!!

    so since i haven’t graduated yet, i wouldn’t actually know exactly when your tcard would stop working.

    Sarcastic Yeah Right GIF by MOODMAN

    but good thing i’m aska and have access to all my past reincarnations. therefore, i do have an answer for you!

    Avatar The Last Airbender History GIF

    but no, this morning i overcame my stereotypical gen z fear of making phone calls and i gave the hart house fitness centre a call. they were able to search up individual students to see when access would end for them. since i’m not graduating, i told them the name of the first person i thought of who i know is graduating this spring. looking at that, they said that from the incidental fees you pay, you would have access until may 21st. i’m assuming this would be the same date for everyone graduating this spring.

    however, i’m not sure if this is like a general tcard-ends-working date for all u of t services. i honestly doubt that it is.

    anyways, love the hart house gym. enjoy it while it lasts, and good luck on your home run stretch!

    over and out,

    aska

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  • GPA,  graduation,  probation

    the e in student stands for expensive and exhausting, change my mind.

    June 28, 2023

    Hello, I’ve been at UTM since 2013, been suspended twice, currently still on probation but hoping to be done with my credits by august 2024.

    Because of all my F’s on my transcript, it’s really hard to get my gpa up to a 1.5 in order to graduate on time. I have 5 credits left and that would mean getting almost an 80 in most of them by next summer so I can finally be done.
    I don’t want to spend any more time at UTM than is absolutely necessary – I’ve got bills to pay and a life to start so I will work my hardest to get the grades. BUT just in case it doesn’t work out like I am hoping so – has anyone ever heard of someone graduating if they had a gpa lower than 1.50? Through a petition or anything ?
    Thank you for any help anyone can give me

    hi there,

    geez, i’m sorry, that sounds really tough. i wish i could reach across the screen and shower you with good luck, kind professors in your future, and chocolate ice cream.

    after consulting a wise little bird, i can say that graduating with a GPA lower than 1.5  is not possible, and nobody has ever been able to do it. so i hope you’re successful in your plans! i can totally understand wanting to get this done as soon as possible, being a student is expensive and exhausting.

    just a little side note that i thought would be worth mentioning: anyone who graduates with a GPA between 1.5 and 1.84 would graduate without honours, so, for example, it wouldn’t be a “Honours Bachelor of Science” but a “Bachelor of Science”, and same with Arts.

    anyways, dear internet stranger, you can do this!! i believe in you! reference image below of how i look right now cheering you on:

    Anime gif. Bojji of Ranking of Kings pumps his fists in front of him and yells, “You can do it!”

    over and out,

    aska

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  • graduation

    master is almost going to give dobby a diploma! dobby is almost free!

    December 15, 2020

    Hi! I’m a fourth year student that’s a bit confused… Can we request to graduate while we are still completing courses? For example, my last semester (as a full time student/taking 3 courses) will be Fall 2021. I finish the courses in December while Fall convocation is usually in November…Would I need to wait until all my courses are completed and request for June 2022 or is it okay to request for Fall 2021 while grades are still pending?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    congrats on being so close! you’re almost to the end of your degree. very impressive.

    to my understanding, you can request to graduate while you’re still completing courses. this is basically just based off personal experience: i know a lot of people who graduate in june of their fourth year, even if the deadline to request a june graduation is usually in january.

    however, you can’t graduate while you’re still completing courses. so if your last semester at the school is fall 2021, your courses will be completed in december, which will block you from graduating in november of 2021. so you’ll likely need to request for a june 2022 graduation—which might not be so bad, right, because hopefully you’ll get an in-person convocation!

    that’s all based on what i know. if you’d like to confirm this or talk it over with someone, give your registrar’s office a call! they should be able to answer this question pretty easily.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • graduation

    “the final degree” hmm sounds like a climate change horror film haha #ecoanxiety

    September 2, 2020

    hey!! I was wondering if that when you double major in a BA/BSc, what does it say on your degree when you graduate? Do you get to pick whether you want the final degree to be a BA or Bsc? I’m currently enrolled as an honours BSc

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    i believe you do get to pick what your degree reads when you graduate! you can find that info on this webpage— you’ll see that it says whatever’s on ACORN will be your default degree, but you can get in touch with your registrar to change that to another degree you qualify for. so in your case, your default would be an HBSc but you could technically graduate with a HBA as well. i’ve also heard (though i can no longer find any evidence of this) that you can ask to have both an HBA and a HBSc on your diploma, so if that’s something you’re interested in, you could probably inquire about it as well?

    one more note on this topic: i’ve heard that if you’ve chosen a POSt that goes above and beyond your requirements to graduate (for example, a minor on top of a specialist, or on top of two majors) that POSt won’t be shown on your diploma unless you ask for it. if that’s relevant to you, it might be something to keep in mind as well.

    man. thinking about graduation makes me a little sad. i hope that when my time comes, i get to have a real ceremony.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • graduation

    will u of t ship me out?

    January 16, 2020

    Hello! I have applied to grad school. If I’m not accepted I plan to take a 5th year. Should I still confirm my intent to graduate? If I do confirm and I’m not accepted into grad school, will U of T ship me out?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    i don’t really know what the timeline is on your anticipated grad school admissions news, so it’s a little bit hard to say. from what i’m aware, you could technically confirm your intent to graduate and then cancel it later on. you wouldn’t be able to cancel it on your own– it would require a trip to your registrar. but it is doable, from what i’m aware. i just don’t know how long you have to cancel it. but if you successfully did, you’d be able to take that fifth year.

    bottom line is i think you should visit your registrar and check it over with them, before the deadline to request graduation (january 31). if there are any other avenues you could take, they’ll be able to advise you of those as well.

    hope this helped!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • fees,  graduation

    it’s the finaaaaal countdooooown

    December 20, 2019

    hi, I am currently facing a huge problem. I am a 4th year student that only have 3.5 FCE left to graduate this summer. I requested a per-course fee tuition in this fall, and unfortunately, I late withdrawal a fall course due to many reasons. And the course that I drop is mandatory for me to graduate. However, I cannot add the winter course on ACORN. Could you tell me that if I take this class in winter will my per-course fee be altered to program fee? And I will pay much more tuition to get this final 0.5 FCE done.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    sorry for the wait with this answer– i finished finals real recently and am super behind on my inboxes! like super super behind lol i don’t think i’ve ever let it get this bad, i am heckin’ sorry and promise i’m getting on top of it. i’ll split this post up to answer each of what (i think?) your questions are, to make sure everything gets covered:

    per-course and program fees

    this is, in general, how fee assessments work. whatever F and Y courses you were registered in on september 19, as well as any S courses you’re in on jan 19, will be added up and used to determine how you’ll be charged. or at least, this is true for domestic students in artsci. if that doesn’t apply to you, you can check other faculties as well as fees for international students here. once you hit a total of 4.0 credits, you’ll be paying program fees instead of course fees. which, like, we don’t love, but…

    you mentioned having a late withdrawal done, which means you were registered in that course past september 19. unfortunately, that means that course will be factored into your total. if you were registered in 3.5 FCEs total before deciding to drop it, then registering in another 0.5 FCE for winter will probably switch you over to program fees. you should definitely not quote me on this, because i don’t really know the specifics of your situation, but that’s generally how it works.

    how much more tuition will you pay to finish the final 0.5 FCE? 

    if my assumption is right and adding that 0.5 FCE will switch you from course to program fees, then you’ll pay the difference between program fees and what you’re currently paying. if i’m wrong and you’ll stay at course fees, then it’ll be however much it costs to take another course.

    without knowing your program and whether you’re domestic/international, i really can’t give you an accurate estimate– if you’d like me to, i’m happy to if you send in a follow-up question with your faculty, program, and student status??? otherwise, fees.utoronto.ca will be your best friend, but it can be a lil hard to decipher. lemme know.

    why can’t you register in the last 0.5 FCE you need?

    you might need to ask your registrar to switch you over to program fees, so that you can register for that last half-credit. that’s my theory, anyway, as to why ACORN is blocking you from that last 0.5 FCE. i can’t think of any other reason why it would be doing that if you’re in good academic standing.

    mostly, i bet you would benefit from giving your registrar a visit. i feel like they’d be way better equipped to help you out, especially if this is a situation that’s worrying you that much.

    go to your registrar.

    did i mention… checking out your friendly ol’ local registrar?

    you know what to do.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • GPA,  grad school,  grades,  graduation,  health

    this post has been brought to you by my last half brain cell

    December 11, 2019

    So basically I really really messed up last year I filed petition for not writing exam due to health issues.. I was diagnosed with spinal cancer and things were just really hard… and I read the petition form has to be
    signed within the day of the exam or the next day but because I was unwell it ended up getting it after a couple days and I got scared and changed the date by 3 days I did this for 1.5 credits …. I was super honest about my mistake and they said from May 2019-December 2019 I’ll be suspended and the 1.5 credits will be a 0..

    I don’t mind I was suspended at the time cuz I had to have emergency surgery to remove the tumor because the dr said if I don’t I’ll become paralyzed and wheelchair bound sooo in April 24 I did the surgery hoping I would be able to walk again and by May 15 I left rehab walking!!! And now this winter I’ll be doing some tests just to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned so things were crazy…

    But now I realize that I’m suspended cuz u tried going into my email or acorn and it isn’t working and I’m freaking out!! Cuz before I didn’t think I could even walk to school and would rather quit if that’s what happened, but thankfully I am fully recovered and now It is hitting me that I’m suspended and when I was in high school i was never the type and I’m just really sad and disappointed in myself…

    I’m worried I won’t be able to enroll for Jan-April 2020 did they kick me out of uni? How do I know I can start to log in and enroll just in time for classes in January? Should I go to uni to see in December or just wait till the start of January??

    And I’m actually a 4th year and barely completed any classes due to extreme fatigue and pain… but now I feel so much healthier and think I can graduate either as a 6th or 7th year… but if I were to apply for grad
    schools like masters for microbiology or immunology would they see that I stayed at school for too long and not want me??

    ——————————————

    I basically got enrolled!! so scratch that question… But since 1.5 credits are a zero i was wondering if i were to take a total of 29 credits.. would those extra 9 be added in the final gpa?? I feel if i were to do that many extra credits i would be happy with my gpa.. But is that allowed??

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    sorry for the wait in getting this question answered– glad you managed to get fully recovered and enrolled again! it sounds like the last few years have been a wild ride for you and it’s good that you’re doing better now. we love feeling healthy.

    even though you said you resolved the issues in the first question you sent in, i do kinda wanna address them. you should have been able to access your email and ACORN while suspended– the only thing you don’t have access to while on suspension is course enrolment. that section of your ACORN would probably have been blocked, but everything else should have been available for you. i’m not too sure what happened, but from what you said i guess you managed to resolve it. if you ever run into similarly confusing circumstances, i wouldn’t advise waiting– always contact your registrar if something seems to be wrong. if it’s too inconvenient for you to go in person, feel free to email them or give them a call. that’s what they’re there for, after all!

    as for your questions about grad school– yes, they would be able to see from your transcript how long you’ve been in school, but what you may not know is that grad school apps usually give you an opportunity to explain any academic anomalies you might have. you’d be able to let them know about your health issues (which are 100% valid) and they’d take that into account when considering you for admissions. hopefully that eases your mind a bit. you shouldn’t be expected to finish in four years if students not dealing with your level of health concerns have trouble finishing in four years, too.

    as for your question about GPA — technically, yes, you can boost your GPA by taking an extra 9 credits after you complete your 20. according to the rules and regulations, the courses you take beyond 20 credits don’t qualify for exception from your CGPA. i found out today that actually, you can even graduate and continue to take courses and have them count towards your CGPA. hope that helps you out– keep in mind that the more credits you take, the less each one affects your CGPA. so it can be kind of hard to go beyond 20 and pull your GPA up significantly. but hey, if it’s the loophole you need it’s the loophole you have.

    the more times i use this gif the funnier it gets. instead of one dude lifting the roof, you get several doing it in sync. here’s one more just because.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

     

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  • graduation

    another one who wants out

    October 2, 2019
    Hi, so I’m graduating this November and all my credits and such are complete. I just had one course that is a 0.5 credit course that’s a requirement for the degree and I’m not sure if I passed the exam so I don’t think I’ll be able to pass the course. Is there anything I can do to still graduate. Thanks!

    ——————————————

    hey friend,

    as far as i’m aware, if it’s a course you need for your degree, there’s like… not that much you can do?

    if this was for a summer course and you haven’t heard back yet, i’d suggest you go to your registrar and see what they know about your exam results. we’re now well into the fall sem, so those grades should be out and available. hopefully that’ll give you a better sense of your circumstances.

    you can also ask them if they’re aware of any exceptions that’ll allow you to graduate without the course. unfortunately i don’t know too much about graduating without your requirements, so i wanna make the safe assumption that it’s likely not possible. your registrar might know something i don’t, but at the same time don’t get your hopes up.

    good luck with this– i hope things work out for ya.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • graduation

    almost THERE the end is NEAR

    May 9, 2019

    Hi, I’m almost graduating in this June and already complete all the requirements of my major. But I’m afraid that one of the other course I take in other department will fail. Just wondering if I fail in this cr course, will it reflect on my graduation? Cause the completion will only be 19.5/20 credits but I already apply for graduate… And what could I do next?Thank?

    ——————————————

    hey,

    congrats on making it this far, that’s no small achievement! you’re so close to being outta here.

    unfortunately, unless you can get the full 20 credits under your belt, the university can’t consider you eligible for graduation because you don’t meet the degree requirements. so although you’ve already applied for grad, your application likely won’t be successful if you don’t manage to pass this one last course.

    if that happens, what you might want to try doing is taking a half credit course this summer, and applying a cr/ncr to it so all you have to do is pass. then, you can apply for november graduation to avoid waiting another full year to graduate. if you’d like, you can give your registrar a visit and see if they have any other recommendations for you– this is the only one i can think to pass on.

    hopefully, though, you manage to scrape a pass and don’t even have to worry about it. fingers crossed for you!

    over n out,

    aska

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  • graduation,  repeating course

    one more then we out

    April 27, 2019

    Hi there, I’m almost near graduating but I seemed to have messed up quite a bit. I was taking a course that would have counted towards my program requirement and because I was going through a lot at the time i chose to cr/ncr the course so my lack of focus on it wouldn’t hurt me too bad. however it seems that i need to retake this course to fulfill my program requirements. can i retake the course for it to count towards my program?

    ——————————————

    hello friend,

    retaking the course shouldn’t be a problem! the artsci rules and regulations allow you to retake a course you already have credit for in the following cases:

    • if you need it as a prereq for a course in your program
    • if you need it to get into POSt

    BUT if you need to take a course for any other reason, you can do so up to 1.0 FCE. they’ll mark that course as extra on your transcript. this loophole applies as long as you haven’t previously retaken that specific course, so assuming you’re not a chronic repeater you should be fine. you’ll want to get in touch with your registrar so they can approve your request to repeat, and just confirm that it’ll count towards your program (but as far as i know you’re fine).

    really hope this helped and best of luck meeting your grad requirements! you gots this.

    cheers,

    aska

     

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  • graduation

    so close to the end

    May 25, 2017

    Hi Aska,

    I am close to graduating and my goal has always been to graduate with ‘high distinction’. I am coming very close to a 3.50 and just about have 20.0 credits. However, I am wondering if I can take additional courses (more than the required 20.0 credits for graduation) in order to raise my CGPA and graduate with high distinction. Or do only my first 20.0 credits count towards getting that distinction? When and how is this determined?

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey!

    congrats on being almost done! any course that you take, even those beyond the required 20.0 FCE, count towards your CGPA. this means that if you choose to take more classes to boost your CGPA, they will count towards getting that high distinction.

    get that degree!!

    xoxo,

    aska

     

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  • arts & sciences,  degree requirements,  graduation

    yay career advancement!

    May 24, 2017

    Hi Aska!

    I have 2 questions for you:

    1. If I take a Y course in the summer, and only that 1.0 course, I’m eligible for work-study during the summer, right? The wording is a little confusing to me.

    2. I know you’re able to finish up your 20 FCE in three years and be eligible for November graduation, but if you finish a semester early, would you be considered “graduated”/will you receive your degree? I was thinking of graduating a semester early (can’t do it in 3 years) so I could possibly start working earlier but a lot of “real job” places insist on you having your degree before they employ you. So I’m trying to figure out if that plan is even possible!

    Thanks, Aska!

    ———————————————

    hello!

    1. yes! you’re eligible for work-study during the summer. according to the uoft website, you must be enrolled in at least 1.0FCE— which you are.
    2. sadly, you aren’t considered “graduated” until the actual ceremony. however, you can go to the artsci registrar and request a letter confirming your graduation.

    i hope that was helpful. good luck on your career journey!

    xoxo,

    aska

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