• deferral,  UTSC

    i g2g be with the macaques now

    February 11, 2014

    I have been accepted at the University of Toronto , Scarborough for the winter session 2012. But , due to some financial issues I wanted to defer my admission till the January 2013 session. Please guide me on the process and I am an international candidate and would need atleast 3 months for the Visa process. Thank you .

    ———————————————

    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,

    it may please you to know that i am almost finished answering the old questions that got dropped between aska switches, were pushed to the back of triage, or were otherwise forgotten (through no fault of my own, naturally). i’m almost done sweeping all the bureaucratic mistakes out from under the rug and holding aska up to account for its mistakes, urging it on to future righteousness, like a modern-day Karl Marx (dat hair). now, together, reader, you and i can proceed into a glorious, egalitarian future that will ultimately crumble due to corruption and the irrepressible greed of humanity.

    i feel like i lost control of that metaphor a little bit.

    anyway, this is always a very relevant question, and even though this person has long since deferred their acceptance and returned, it’s always good to know about in case YOU, yes YOU, my dear reader, ever find yourself in need of deferral information. who knows, you might one day decide you need to spend a year on Honshu island to bond with Japanese macaques before coming back to school to do your master’s. Then you’ll be glad you know how to defer an offer of admission.

    the process is very simple. you just have to fill out a Deferral Request Application, which becomes available in may of every year (which is why i can’t link to it right now). then you gotta send that and a final transcript/report card from your last academic year to uoft, before september 1st. that’s all! aren’t you glad? now you can go and be with the macaques.

    so long for now, comrades,

    aska

    P.S. I couldn’t find any UTSC-specific link that talks about deferrals, so while UTSC PROBABLY has the same deferral procedure as UTSG, i’d reccomend talking to the UTSG registrar to make sure.

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  • subject POST,  UTSC

    shootin’ for the stars

    January 17, 2014

    Hi, can you get a major in astronomy & astrophysics at UTSC? I checked the subject post codes for UTSC, and it was only available as a minor. Are the spaces unavailable right now or can you only do minors at utsc? I’m currently doing a major in health studies at utsc but I might change it to astronomy. Thanks for your help!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    there doesn’t seem to be a major strictly called astronomy, but there is a major program in astrophysics and physics, and that, along with the specialist programs and minor program, are all under the heading of ‘astronomy.’ so it looks like you can do a major in astrophysics? i don’t know if there’s some subtle difference between astronomy and astrophysics that i’m unaware of because i am a LOWLY HUMANITIES PEASANT, but it seems to me like an issue of semantics more than anything else. either way, it’s not an issue of space*: all subject POSts are listed on the calendar, whether enrolment is limited or not.

    cheers,

    aska

    * lol, geddit? space? because astronomy happens in space? but also space as in like, space for enrolment? it’s a pun? please laugh at my jokes i’m so lonely.

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  • admissions,  UTSC

    calculus grievances

    January 17, 2014

    Hey!

    I’ve applied to the mental health studies program at UTSC and their admission requirement is only English. Now since it’s related to psychology and the other UofT campuses require Calculus as a prerequisite for psychology, I’m worried that I’m gonna have to take Calculus in university. I haven’t taken Calculus in high school yet (I’m in grade 12) and I am not good in math. I can handle statistics but I don’t know about Calculus. So I need your help! Please let me know if UTSC mental health requires Calculus at alllllllll (even in second, third and fourth year), and also Biology for that matter.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you can take a look at alllll the classes you’ll need to take for the mental health studies specialist here (just ctrl+f mental health studies). it looks like, apart from a couple of data analysis courses, you won’t have anything too rigorous to take in the way of math. so if you haven’t taken calculus, i wouldn’t sweat it! obviously data analysis will be tough, and calculus would help with that, but don’t scramble to take it now if you’re absolutely certain that this is the program you want to do. if the program doesn’t require it, then you should be able to cope without it. same goes for biology; if it’s not required, then you don’t need it (though obviously you can take a look at how much biology is in your future by looking at the courses required throughout the course of your program). otherwise, the university would be LYING to us and that would be ANARCHY, just ANARCHY.

    best,

    aska

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  • Transferring,  UTSC

    Jumping ship to UTSG

    November 4, 2013

    Hi askastudent,

    I currently go to UTSC, I wasn’t accepted to UTSG so they gave me an acceptance to UTSC. I’m in my first year and im not enjoying UTSC for various reasons. If I want to transfer to the downtown campus how good do my grades have to be? Like do they focus on that as much since i already go to University of Toronto, or will the fact that i wasn’t accepted to my preferred campus hinder me?

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    Your previous application shouldn’t hinder this one at all. When you apply, the only thing you’re sending over is your transcript from first year, so that’s the only thing they’ll be considering.

    That’s pretty good news, but here’s even more: generally speaking, your high school grades have to be higher in order to be accepted than your university grades have to be in order to transfer. The reasoning for this is really simple and something you probably know already: university is harder than high school. An 80% in a university class might have equalled to above a 90% in high school, so your grades don’t have to be super competitive if you’re just applying to transfer.

    It might also be good to know that when you transfer from one uoft campus to another, your grades are kept on your transcript. When you transfer in from another university, your grades aren’t incorporated into your uoft cGPA, but coming from UTSC, your grades will be retained. Which can be good or bad I guess, depending on how you did in first year. But I just thought I’d letcha know, ’cause I’m a good friend like that.

    aska

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  • suspension,  UTSC

    how to cope with septembers without school

    September 13, 2013

    Hello,

    I’ve just been recently suspended for a period of 12 months from UTSC. There are obviously many reasons that led to this and I have documented health issues to prove that. I am not going to make excuses, not everything can be blamed on my health issues, I did have a lot of my own issues and although I made a of changes, I realize that it was not enough, seeing as I am once again suspended. This is my second suspension. I am planning to leave UofT completely. I wanted to do so earlier but I was told that I cannot transfer because I have a very low GPA. I was wondering if you knew if its possible to start anew, with a clean slate at a college? or will my transcript follow me there too? is there any way to start with a clean slate?

    The thing is, I want to go to grad school and at this rate, with the suspension, its like being hold hostage. I just want to move on with my life.

    Do you know whether there any colleges with Bachelor programs that will accept me at this point, even with my transcript following me?

    Also, is it possible to petition this suspension?

    Thank You in Advance

    ———————————————

    Hey hey

    Unfortunately, your academic record is something that will always follow you into other academic institutions.

    Whenever you apply, they WILL ask you if you’ve ever attended another post-secondary institution and you will technically be obligated to tell the truth. I’m not sure what happens when you lie… but there’s something about mixing “lying” and “starting with a clean slate” that seems contradictory in my head.

    So what now.

    Well, I guess apply to other schools. I know nothing about other schools but I’m sure there’s a university somewhere that will take you. Just apply. And if possible, somehow include a letter or something explaining why the grades you got before are they grades that you got.

    As for the suspension… yes it is possible to appeal it.

    I suppose you have good grounds if you have some form of medical documentation, but don’t get your hopes up too high. Appealing a suspension rarely happens. But to be blunt… well, are you sure you even want to bother? You’ll just end up in the same school with its same grading system that didn’t work well for you the first time around. It’s certainly possible that UTSC just isn’t meant for you.

    Soooo yeah.

    Look at other schools. Look at what they ask of you and then go forth and do something.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • UTSC,  wait list

    but why must we waitlist

    September 9, 2013

    Hey aska!

    I’m currently a freshman at UTSC and wanted to ask if there was a due date to get into courses that you’re waitlisted in. If I happen to get in to my course over the next few weeks (Intro to Linguistics), how exactly do you drop other courses? Will I have to pay the fee for both? Thanks for taking the time to read these really freshie questions! 🙂

    Sincerely,
    Confuzzled

    ———————————————

    Confuzzled,

    Basically the last day to add any F or Y courses is September 16, which I suppose makes it the “due date” for getting in. However, all the waitlists for F and Y courses seem to end on September 9.

    What this means is that you get a week-long melee in which you get to repeatedly check ROSI for anyone who might have dropped the course. But a lot of people are going to be doing this too so this means you’ll have to check a lot.

    Like a lot a lot.

    Now dropping courses is totally simple. You little go to your courses on ROSI and just… well, drop them. 😉

    But since UTSC charges you per course, you’ll notice a rise in your balance when you get off the waitlist for Intro to Linguistics, which, naturally, you’ll be expected to pay.

    However, since you plan on dropping another course in favour of that one, it sounds reasonable that the money for the course you’re dropping will simply count towards linguistics instead. Get it?

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • Transferring,  UTSC

    last second switching

    August 15, 2013

    Hi,

    I am entering UTSG as a first year student in the fall. However, I wish to transfer to UTSC before the school year begins. On OUAC, I applied to both UTSG and UTSC and was accepted to both campuses. Is it possible for me to transfer now?

    Thanks in advance,
    Jay

    ———————————————

    Hey Jay,

    At this point, transferring is a bit of a long shot, so all you can really do is contact Enrolment Services (and maybe even UTSC) and hope they can do something for you.

    If all else fails, however, you can always just complete a year at St. George and then do an internal transfer. If your grades are decent enough, UTSC will take you for the following year.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • UTM,  UTSC

    in the words of cady heron…

    July 4, 2013

    Is there a max. limit to the number of courses you can take at UTM or UTSC to meet degree requirements?

    ———————————————

    Okay so

    After checking the calendar and finding it to be seemingly correct (as it should be) but also somewhat suspicious, I had to delve in further and go about asking many people, being referred to other people, and then getting to the head honcho.

    But I found your answer:

    (I love that movie.)

    As it would seem, UTM and UTSC have their own limitations in terms of their students taking courses at St. George, but apparently, if a St. Georger wants to go elsewhere, they can go elsewhere. AND they can take as many courses as they want!

    BUT—

    You’re just going to have to do a lot of talking to the registrar’s office to make sure you’re properly fulfilling your degree requirements. Those are all set up in the calendar and on Degree Explorer to accommodate St. George courses, so just make sure whatever you take will suffice.

    For example, if you take BIOA01H3 which is the exclusion of BIO120H1, clarify with your registrar that it can still count towards fulfilling group 4. I’m sure they’ll let it slide, but be sure to double check everything. 🙂

    I highly doubt you’ll have any trouble though if you’re just concerned with degree requirements.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • UTSC

    starting off in social sciences leads you where?

    June 5, 2013

    Hello!

    So I have a question for you. If i got into UofT for Social Sciences (Health Studies Non Co-op) can i also choose to do other programs under Social Sciences as well? Such as Anthropology and International studies?

    Please and Thank you!

    ———————————————

    Hey hey

    You certainly can! Really, things like “social sciences” or “life sciences” are streams students enter in.

    From there, after you finish 4.0 credits (so at the end of first year), you can move into a variety of random little programs of study like anthropology, sociology, international studies, and so on.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • UTSC

    can i be admitted three days before the last day to accept?

    May 30, 2013

    I applied to the University of Toronto Scarborough Life Sciences Co-op program. Two questions:

    1. When is the deadline for receiving an offer?

    2. I want to go to the St George campus instead. Is this possible? How can I set about doing this?

    ———————————————

    Not even a hello? Ruuuude.

    But anyway, did you know UTSC has their own aska-esque thing? I just discovered it a few days ago in my daily journeys across the interwebz. Or I might have googled myself. Yeah that. Anyhow, after getting over the inital “HOW DARE THEY?!” I noticed that it was really just aimed towards incoming students like yourself.

    So deciding to try it, I searched for Question 1.

    Greetingless Questioner: “When is the deadline for receiving an offer?”

    UTSC’s Not as Awesome as askastudent Ask a Student: “Current Ontario high school students will receive a decision by early June. For all other applicants, admission decisions are made on an ongoing basis.”

    So early June — although that seems weird to me because last I heard, Ontario high school students have to accept their offers by June 3.

    Next:

    Greetingless Questioner: “I want to go to the St George campus instead. Is this possible? How can I set about doing this?”

    If you start off at UTSC, you’re going to have to do an internal transfer to go to St. George instead. You can take courses at St. George as a UTSC student, but to be a St. George-r, you need transfer. OR you can just do the thing where you take a year off (a.k.a. don’t go to UTSC) to ponder your past life choices and the future ones and then reapply to university, this time applying to specifically St. George.

    Basically, although UTSC (and UTM, at that) go by the name of “University of Toronto,” they’re kind of these separate universities if you will. You can take a feeeew courses at campuses that are not your own, but for the most part, you’re encouraged to stay close to home.

    But yeah.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • UTM,  UTSC

    st. george isn’t even an option

    May 22, 2013

    Hi!

    So basically, I’ve recieved an alternate offer from UTM for psychology instead of Life Sciences, which is what I originally applied for, but I also got into UTSC Life Sciences, but the thing is that I really want to go to UTM, so would it be possible to switch campuses after I accept my offer from UTSC? Or maybe I can go to UTM and switch into Life Sciences second year? Nonetheless, UTM is where I want to go, so in your opinion what should I do?

    ———————————————

    Hey hey~

    If UTM is where you want to go, then just ignore UTSC and that’s that. 😀

    But if you DO end up choosing UTSC and then decide you want to be at UTM instead, you’re going to have to do an internal transfer, which is a bit of a process so it might be best to choose what you reaaaaally want now.

    Basically I say go to UTM, take the courses you can fit into your schedule during first year (as in you can still take, say, the basic first year bio — life sci staple that it is — assuming you have the prerequisites), and then see where the Subject POSts take you at the end of that year.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • courses,  UTSC

    whose requirement is it anyway?

    May 10, 2013

    Hi there, I had a question regarding course calendar changes at UTSC. I enrolled into a specialist programmed in 2011, and would just like to know if I would be able to take courses in future calendars that aren’t in my calendar’s course list. Thanks for reading 🙂

    Regards,
    James

    ———————————————

    Hey James,

    The rule of the thumb is that students are supposed to follow the calendar of the year they entered their program.

    So if I entered my English major in 2010, I follow those requirements, but if I play the fickle card and decide I want to do a Specialist and switch over in 2011, I now use the 2011 calendar’s requirements.

    But if your situation is something along the lines of “oh, they added some courses that sound totally rad” and said courses aren’t on your year’s calendar requirements but work for another, go have a chat with your program’s undergraduate adviser person thing! I’m sure they’ll be accommodating. 🙂

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • suspension,  UTSC

    if at first you don’t succeed…

    April 29, 2013

    hey, I’m a second year student at utsc – i was put on probation and suspended for the first semester of my second year – and sad thing is .. i thought i was gonna do pretty well this semester but i ended up failing 1/4 of my courses – i know this mean ill be suspended once again but for 3 sessions straight .. but I was just wondering if i was able to take summer school to maybe get myself out of being suspended .

    ———————————————

    Hey hey,

    So if you’re suspended for a second time, you’ll be how it works for twelve months/three sessions. Seeing as summer school = an academic session/part of those twelve months of suspension, then no, you cannot enroll and try to get yourself out of suspension.

    But there are plenty of things you can do instead!

    Get a job and save up, do some volunteer work, travel the world, watch every episode of Game of Thrones, contemplate your life choices, and so on. I do stress contemplation though. Is there a reason you’ve been suspended twice? Is university actually where you want to be?

    xoxo,

    aska

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