• 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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  • UTSC

    an entire year without utsc

    April 15, 2013

    Hello askastudent,

    I’m in my 3rd year and I go to UTSC where you have to get more than 1.6 to get out of probation. I am in a terrible mess. I was placed on probation end of April 2012 and in Fall 2012 my sessional gpa was 1.57. My winter semester looked okay until now, I tried calculating my gpa and it doesnt work out to 1.6. And just to make things worse, I have an unpaid tuition fee remaining of like 3,700 – which I only have about 2 weeks to pay off or else I will be denied? further registration for the entire year. Now I’m at risk of being suspended and denied further registration due to financial reasons. What should I do? Should I just take this year off? I don’t think I have much else I can do…

    Signed,
    Very worried UTSC student

    ———————————————

    Very Worried UTSC Student,

    Why do you say you’ll be denied registration for the entire year (2013-14)? From what I’m reading, you’re only really denied registration until you pay off the debt of the first year. So say you pay off your $3700 in June — theoretically, ROSI should allow you back in since you’re done with those payments… right?

    Waaaaah UTSC policies confuse me.

    But yeah, at the same time, your pending suspension is another deciding factor.

    So should you take a year off? Maybe. That’s entirely up to you, but if you keep falling into this situation where a) you can’t keep up the grades that b) you are PAYING for, then there isn’t really a point in you being there right? Sorry. That might have been a little mean.

    What I’m trying to say is that a year off can’t hurt. It’ll give you time to consider if university is actually for you. Likewise, it’ll give you time to make some moniez and be prepared for the next year so that you won’t be in the same unfortunate situation.

    But keep your chin up! You never know how you’ll do this year in terms of whether or not suspension actually happens. 🙂

    drowning in student loans,
    aska

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  • summer,  UTSC

    but why ARE uoft websites so confusing…

    April 4, 2013

    Hi askastudent,

    I have a question and I’m hoping you have the answer (because nobody seems to know). My college registrar doesn’t know. The Faculty of Arts and Science registrar doesn’t know. Even the registrar’s office at UTSC doesn’t know. My hope is that you do.

    I’m a Faculty of Arts and Science student at the St.George campus and I want to enroll in a summer course at the Scarborough campus.

    What time can I begin enrolling?

    Yep, that’s it. That’s my question. You’d think either of the following two links would help…

    http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/course/timetable/20135/step2

    http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~registrar/current_students/courses

    …but they don’t.

    You’re the “answerer” of last resort, do you think you can help?

    Thanks a bunch.

    ———————————————

    Heyo~

    I feel very much under pressure knowing that you’ve spoken to two big names and no one has an answer for you.

    I also feel very confused by the fact that you’ve spoken to two big names and no one has an answer for you.

    The UTSC website basically did a whole lot of nothing for me, as did the Arts and Science one, but according to a little birdie with the research skills of a professional stalker, along with the power of logic the gods blessed me with, I shall tell you that your start time will be 6:00 AM on April 18, which is essentially when ROSI turns into the Hunger Games cornucopia.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • UTSC

    bring me the bio minor!

    March 19, 2013

    Hey there,

    I’m a second year student at UTSC. My biggest problem right now is that I’m not sure what my other minor should be… I’m leaning towards Bio since I’m really interested in it and I’ve already got the intro courses done (transfer credits from high school). But the problem with that is that one of the courses which will pretty much unlock the ones I’d like to do (BIOB10Y) has a prerequisite that I failed (CHMA11 due to stress from a then unknown medical condition). While CHMA11 isn’t required to minor in Bio, do you think I could get by if I just register and get into BIOB10? Or do you think that would create any problems? Thanks so much.

    ———————————————

    Yo!

    So yeah BIOB10Y seems to be a necessity for this minor. However, without the prerequisite, you’ll have to either 1) well, get the prerequisite, or 2) beg the instructor to let you in.

    But your program requirements for this bio minor would be 4.0 FCE — 1.0 of which must be BIOA01H and BIOA02H and another 1.0 must be in C or D series. It’s not totally impossible to finish the minor without BIOB10Y. For example you can do:

    • BIOAo1H Life on Earth: Unifying Principles
    • BIOA02H Life on Earth: Forms, Functions and Interactions
    • BIOB31H Plant Physiology
    • BIOB50H Ecology
    • BIOB51H Evolutionary Biology
    • BIOC54H Animal Behaviour
    • BIOC62H Role of Zoos in Conservation
    • BIOC63H Conservation Biology

    See? Not impossible. 🙂

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • probation,  UTSC

    can i just pass on the probation?

    January 21, 2013

    I’m a second year student at UTSC. I was put on academic probation second semester of my first year. Failed 1/6 0.5 courses, others just poor marks. I thought I had this past semester in the bag but apparently not and I know my sessional GPA will be below 1.6 even though I passed my 3 0.5 courses this semester. Will I for sure be put on academic suspension?

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    Hey there!

    Okay so this is how it works for you:

    • If your GPA for this session is at least 1.6, your probation will simply continue.
    • If your CGPA is at least 1.6, your probation will be cleared and you’ll be put “in good standing.”
    • If your GPA for this session is below 1.6, then you will be put on suspension.

    So if you can’t manage that 1.6 this semester, then yes, you will be suspended. I recommend meeting with your registrar to work out some kind of plan of action. Maybe drop a course you’re in now to concentrate harder on the other ones? It’s not just enough to pass when you’re on probation. Your aim is to do a lot better to raise your CGPA.Good luck!aska

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  • UTSC

    how to manage in management

    December 5, 2012

    Hi Aska,

    I’m currently a first year management students at utsc but I have not been doing very well in my courses and I am afraid that I will be kicked out of the program. If I’m kicked out, do I still get a chance to apply for other programs? And how would I go about doing so?

    Sincerely,
    Distressed First Year

    ———————————————

    Hey Distressed,

    If you get “kicked out” of BBA Pre-Program, it’ll most likely to be the result of low grades… granted, for your situation a “low grade” could very well mean a “77” and here at UofT, there’s a grand number of students who would kill for something like that.But to be clear, all programs throughout the university will be looking at grades for admission, so just be careful to maintain your GPA as well as you can.

    Now is there a reason you’re not doing particularly well? Not interested in the courses? Too many Thirsty Thursdays? Is Management actually for you? For now, take some electives. Test the waters, feel out the situation, take a look at the other side, yada yada yada. If you’re doing poorly, maybe management isn’t the program for you. But if it’s what you really want, then it’s time to work your butt off and isolate yourself into the deep crevices of the UTSC library (they exist — I’ve worked in them) and study hard!

    But from what I’m reading, the Pre-Program seems to require you take some electives alongside those dreaded number-y course things so take advantage of that opportunity to take some that you’ll probably like and do well in. I mean that certainly can’t hurt your GPA, right?

    And as an aside, I have a friend who was in your exact situation. I’m like 90% sure he was almost failing all of his courses. Somehow, however, he turned that around and has been taking six courses at a time and absolutely rocking them just to graduate next June. It gets better, my first-year friend. I mean, you haven’t even written your exams yet! Work hard for the next two weeks (and onward, obviously) and you’ll be fine. Good luck!

    unnerved by numbers,

    aska

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  • UTSC

    globalization, governance, and ugh just give me a good grade

    November 16, 2012

    Hi,

    I’m taking POLA84H3- Globalization and Governance next semester. I was wondering about the difficulty of the course. Is it a lot of work? Is it a difficult course or fairly easy?

    Any info or advice is appreciated.

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    Hey hey!

    Okay, I don’t really have anything concrete to tell you. I never took that course and I don’t know anyone who has. If you were at St. George I’d link you to the anti-calendar, but UTSC doesn’t have one of those so I’ll just test my luck on Google!

    One Mr. “fenixconnexion” from some sketchy forum about UTSC bird courses claims:

    POLA84H3. i had it with skrobacki (sp?)
    you can get a good grade without buying the books and skipping lectures, just make sure you attend the tutorials, and work hard on the essay outline and actual essay. theres a good study guide provided for the final exam and you can use google to find everything out.

    And that’s basically all I could find for you. But I read the course description and it sounds interesting!

    Later days!

    aska

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  • admissions,  campus,  Transferring,  UTM,  UTSC

    campus switcheroo

    September 11, 2012

    heyy, super helpful humanbeing!

    I want to ask one question. Can I transition from one U of T campus to another during my first year?

    Also, probably I wouldn’t have asked if I’d known where I can find info about transitioning on U of T website. Could you give me a link if there is one, please 🙂

    Thanks in advance!

    -confused humanbeing

    ———————————————

    Hi there confused!

    What you’re asking about is called an internal transfer, and lots of students consider making such a campus-to-campus switch. The application to do as much is on the admissions website here, and you can apply as soon as today to start classes at a new campus next Fall. As to whether you can do that after just one semester, the answer is “no” for a couple of reasons. Enrolment services (the new, sexy title for “admissions”) will only accept transfer students after at least one year at any of the U of T campuses. Much like transferring universities, transferring campuses can only happen for September.

    Since admissions officers have only recently looked at your admission application, they want you to show improvement over a full year before looking at it again and re-assessing your acceptance for the various campuses.

    If you’re still bent on trying your luck, confused, your best bet is to contact admissions. I hope you’re charming!

    aska

    P.S. I’d like to correct the assumption that I am a “super helpful humanbeing.” I am, in fact, a super helpful cyborg. But thanks for the compliment!

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  • UTSC

    Banished to the Realms of Scarborough

    November 4, 2011

    Hello there,

    I used to be a student in London, United Kingdom. For personal reason, I had to move to canada. I was very glad to be canada and in Uoft. Then, i bought a condo downtown to be close to university. little did I know, I was in scarborough campus which is like country side.To sum it up, it ruin my expectation about university life. so, is there any reason they sent my there is there any possibility to make a complain?

    Best regards,

    ———————————————

    Hey,

    So, sure there is always a possibility to make a complaint, Canada has freedom of speech (do they not have that over in England … ). BUT they will just scoff at you and tell you to leave because unfortunately this was your doing, not the university’s.
    It’s been many a moons since I’ve applied to university but it’s your responsibility to know what campus the program is being offered at and choose accordingly. From my recollection, the campus is in brackets after the program choice and if offered at multiple campuses you choose which you would prefer.

    You can request an internal transfer after first year but that depends if the program you want is actually offered at the St.George campus.

    suger and love,

    aska

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  • UTSC

    how shitty is scarborough

    February 9, 2011

    Hi, my name is Shaheen and I applied at UTSC for human biology for 2011 but I have a few questions first…

    First of all, I’ve heard alot of bad things about UTSC. Rather than believe everything I hear, I decided to ask someone who actually has first hand experience. Is it true UTSC has the feel of a highschool? That there’s cliques and that highschool atmosphere?

    Secondly, how boring is the campus really? I mean it’s in the middle of nowhere, with nothing but the zoo around, right?

    And thirdly, this question may seem a little strange but what are the student demographics at UTSC? Would you say the vast majority are South Asian?

    Thank you so much 🙂

    ———————————————

    Yo yo concerned UTSC-er,

    It’s different experiences for different people … as is everything in life I guess.

    It is a smaller campus, so its a little more intimate then the St.George campus, but I wouldn’t go as far as saying that it is similar to highschool.
    I’ve actually never been to the campus, but I imagine they have activities planned and you can really make fun out of any situation. It’s university try new things (take this any way you want) and make your own fun.

    I’m sure there are a few south asians wondering about, I’m not sure I would say the vast majority though.

    St.George campus really is the solution to all your concerns. They have human biology, a decent asian population, massive and uncliquey (unless you count the engineers) and the city is non-stop adventures.

    love,

    aska

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  • colleges,  residence,  St. George,  UTSC

    The Time Has Come – Domination of The Colleges

    October 6, 2010

    Hello, I have a question; I was just wondering how many colleges does the St. George campus consist of and what are their names?

    ———————————————

    Dear either Eager Grade 12 Student, or Little Late First Year Student

    The time has come for these colleges to finally be explained, and have you hit the motherload because I’m about to blow your mind (figuratively … and potentially literally) with a vast amount of infomation.

    To answer this question straight up: there are 7 Colleges:

    Innis College, New College, St. Micheal’s, Trinity, University, Victoria, Woodsworth.

    Now if you want to know about each one, take a virtual tour, find the inside so you look cool when you call them by their shortforms … please … read on young vulnerable students.

    Facts:
    – Every Arts and Science student is apart of a College, whether you live in residence or live off campus

    – The colleges DO NOT affect you academically; no matter what college? your associated with you can take any of the Arts and Science classes offered.

    – NO there is not one specific college with really hot guys/gals

    – YES there are duds, stinky folk, and hermits at all colleges

    Let’s rank these bad boys:

    There’s ton of things to consider when applying, your interests, size of college, which one had the best funnels and most promiscuous members. Check out the ranking site (yah U of T has thought of everything) and see all the specifics you should consider.

    Keep in mind: the smallest Colleges will only consider you if they rank them number one (snots); so Innis, Trinity and Victoria College

    Trinity and Victoria Colleges also make their decision based on appliciant profiles.

    Academic cut-offs also change from year to year based on size and range of demand

    If wanting to live in Woodsworth Residence, it must be ranked number one

    The Ominous Colleges:

    Innis (Innis College)

    Perk: One of the smaller colleges; meaning smaller lines for OSAP (trust me … no one wants to wait two hours to pick it up, two hours to get it processed at the post office and another 7-14 days to get in your bank account … starving students need their money stat).

    Innis Website

    Virtual Tour

    New (New College)

    Perk: uuuh it’s relatively new, well in relation to the rest of the school, so theres lots of cement in the resedences … is that a perk, i dunno.

    New Website

    Virtual Tour

    St. Mikes (St. Micheal’s College)

    Perk: If your Catholic, this residence will make your parents happy, while still allowing you to have fun. If your not Catholic and just like stained glass, they welcome people from all religious (or non-religious) backgrounds.

    Mike’s Website

    Virtual Tour

    Trin (Trinity College)

    Perk: You get to live out your dream of being Ron Weasley. The residence looks like a scene from the Great Hall, AND you wear robes to your meals (seriously, I’m not messing with you). Trin is one of the smallest and hardest to get into, so for those who want to look fancy you can try for this one.

    Trin Website

    Virtual Tour

    UC (University College)

    Perk: Looking like a castle, but one of the larger college (so less intense to get into); residences are right on St. George; solid social life.

    UC Website

    Virtual Tour

    Vic (Victoria University)

    Perk: Margaret Atwood, and Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson (who the hell is that?) are both were from Vic. They have my personal fav library E.J Pratt Library (screw the harsh cold nature of Robarts, except the 9th and 12th floors).

    Vic Website

    Virtual Tour

    Woodsworth (yaah, they’re still just Woodsworth … or we can try to start Woody as their nickname)

    Perk: New residence on the corner of Bloor and St.George, modern furniture and plenty of windows (its pretty much a glass building… isn’t there a saying about living in a glass house, maybe its different for apartments)

    Woody Website

    Virtual Tour

    Don’t say I never supply you with links

    Phew.

    Love your dearest companion,
    Aska

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  • graduation,  UTSC

    two degrees, one student

    October 1, 2010

    I so lost right now. I got accepted into the general social science program at UTSC and now Im planning to do a double major in psychology and sociology, but can I even do that cause the two are from different fields of study, ones BSc and ones BA. If so, which degree would I get?

    ———————————————

    Hey there our newest social sciencer,

    You definitely allowed to have majors in two different fields. ACTUALLY, to graduate from U of T you need either a Specialist, two Majors or a Major and two Minors.
    Here’s the kick though, when graduating you will have to choose which degree you want; so either your BSc or BA.

    This question seems quite popular, here’s the link to it being answered previously.

    If you’re feeling a bit lost, stop by your registrars office and they can help you out.

    xoxo,
    askastudent

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