• GPA,  graduation,  probation

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

    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

  • probation,  suspension

    your academic record is not word online, what’s on it will not disappear if you refresh

    I was on academic probation first year due to my failing marks I had a gpa of 0.5 I ended doing better second year but not well enough to get my gpa over 2 and got suspended for third year I was planning to come again and start all over do u think it’s a good idea given the courses I did pass with barely passing makes?
    ——————————————

    hey there,

    as far as i’m aware, i don’t think you can… start all over? at least in utsg’s artsci faculty (though i’m nearly certain most other places will be the same) your academic record is your academic record. there is no tabula rasa. you can certainly decide to return to your studies after your year of suspension and give things another go, but whether i’d recommend you actually do that depends on the reasons behind your probation and suspension.

    were there unforeseen circumstances that were out of your control, but that you’ve since had the time, resources and support to cope with? did you have trouble adjusting to the pace of uni life but feel better equipped to do so now?

    is school just not your thing? were you having trouble with the workload, or focusing, or the general structure of things? did you not ever want to be here in the first place?

    i dunno, man, you’ve given me very little to work with (which is often the case with these questions, so that’s okay). it’s hard for me to really say whether i think coming back to school is a good idea just based off of your GPA and suspension record.

    there are so many other factors that play a part in any given person’s ability to do well in school. my instinct is to refer you to your registrar, as they’d be better equipped to help you weigh your options given your academic history and personal aptitudes.

    the only option for you i can think of, if you really want to start over, is to try to transfer to another school. if you manage to do that, any credits carried over from u of t won’t have marks attached to them. this doesn’t mean your u of t record disappears– if you choose to apply to grad school down the road it’ll still be relevant– but yeah, that’s the only “start over” option i’m aware of. it might be difficult to complete a transfer if you’ve been suspended, though.

    i dunno, m’dude. brain is fried from midterms and i feel bleh and unhelpful right now :(( not even caffeine is managing to fuel the snark today. so yeah, hit up your registrar. or speak to someone who’s familiar with your circumstances. or! send more detail in and i can continue trying to help you. all the best as you try to find your path.

    be Boundless,

    aska

  • probation,  suspension,  Transferring

    a rough patch

    Hey!

    I go to UTM for the commerce program. This upcoming school year (Fall/Winter 2019) I am supposed to be going into fourth year. However, due to life I did really bad in school first year (failed all of my courses) and halfway through second year I dropped my courses. This lead to me being put on probation and suspended for 3rd year. I currently have a 0 CGPA & I have 3.5 credits on my record.

    I spoke to academic advising and they told me that to pass 1st year again and eventually get accepted into second year for UTM’s commerce program, and major in finance (what I aim to do), it would be really difficult (I would need  90s in all my courses for the next 2 years, with 8 credits each year, just to get accepted into the program because the cut off is now a 3.0 minimum CGPA). This would make me behind 6 years, with just a chance of being admitted into the program. I’m not sure if the courses I would take for the next 2 years would even count towards my degree properly.

    I really only see myself doing a bachelors in business with a finance major. I took the year of probation to actually study the content and prep myself for the upcoming school year so I can do well. I also started my career in the field as well.

    I really don’t know what I should do and what would be the most effective path.

    Academic advising also told me that even if I applied to other institutions, my transcript would definitely minimize my chance of getting in.

    I wanted to know if there’s anyway for me to get into a different school for example, Ryerson’s accounting and finance program, by just showing my marks high school, if I didn’t want to transfer in, but rather join in as a first year student.

    Or are there any other options within UofT, at any campus, to get the degree I want. I feel like all my doors have closed again, just because of a rough patch I went through when I was younger and just got into Uoft.

    Please help! And thank you so much in advance!!

    ——————————————

    hello friend,

    thanks for waiting for this response. your circumstances stumped me, though i’m sure not as much as they’ve frustrated you.

    this is what i want to say:

    regarding the ‘starting over’ option at ryerson or elsewhere, unfortunately the extent of my domain is the university of toronto. i would have loved to help you look into other places and such, but i would recommend you contact those schools directly and find out what their policies are regarding re-starting your degree. you can give ryerson a call here, and if you’d like to at least check out york i’ve linked that too. i feel better sending you directly to their admissions offices just cause i don’t actually have the answers to your question– i’d only be acting as an intermediary, which isn’t the most effective or foolproof way to do things. if you have any specific circumstances you think might affect their decision, you’d also be able to present those to them better yourself.

    i doubt you’d be able to apply to any university, though, with a totally fresh start using just your high school marks. they’d require you to provide your entire academic history upon application– if you omit your university marks, this could be considered fraud. there’s a chance you could submit some sort of supplemental statement along with your transcript to explain what went wrong. it may not help you as much as i wish it would, though, given your record and suspension.

    also– from what i remember, when you apply through OUAC, one of the sections of the application will ask you to account for what you’ve recently spent your time on if you’re not entering directly out of high school. for example, those who took a gap year to travel would indicate that there. you’d be obligated, then, to let any potential institution know about the time you spent at u of t.

    for the path of least resistance, so to speak, you could look into doing college programs, where admissions may be more forgiving as opposed to a university. i’m not sure, but i’m pretty sure colleges like george brown have business programs. i’ve done some research into this, but at the moment i’m not aware of any options you have to get your degree at u of t without taking the path you already know about.

    i know you’ve already visited an advisor, but my gut says to send you back to your registrar. these are the kinds of conversations that are best to have in-person, which is something i’m neither qualified nor allowed to carry out. my hope is that, even though they delivered bad news to you last time, they’ll be able to help you more if you continue to have these conversations with them. 

    i do have a question for you– when meeting with your advisor, how open were you regarding the “life stuff” you struggled with? if you went through something particularly compelling and can show how you’ve grown and overcome your difficulties, maybe there’s a chance they might be able to make some kind of exception for you? for example, you can talk about how you’ve used your probation year well. good on you, for that– i hope it does something for your circumstances overall.

    if you choose to go the route of pulling your GPA up with the eventual goal of making it into business, i’d also ask them what’ll happen if you take those commerce courses but ultimately don’t make POSt. they might know more about what your options look like, eg. if they’re usable for another program.

    this is a tough one, dude, i feel you. all my best and i wish i could be of more help. i’m sorry the system is as unforgiving as it is– that it’s so difficult to pull yourself out of a place you were in at a single time in your life. but i have faith in your ability to get where you need to be, even if that path doesn’t look the way you hoped it would.

    over n out,

    aska

  • probation,  summer

    a tomorrow problem

    im in a stressful place right now – im on academic probation, but im already enrolled in summer school with osap already given. the 2 0.5 courses im taking interest me a lot and im sure i can do well in them, but there’s still a voice in the back of my head that gets me really nervous about my academic standing come the end of my term. do u think its possible to pass and secure at least a 1.7 gpa in the 1st summer term, given my terrible academic standing last year? ????

    ——————————————

    hey friend,

    it’s hard to know too much about your situation. but from what i can guess from the numbers, you’re trying to dodge suspension, yeah? or at least that’s usually what it is when someone on probation is concerned with making a summer GPA of 1.7.

    if the courses interest you and you’re optimistic about doing well, then by all means i think a 1.7 is possible. it’s hard to really tell because i don’t know what your academic record’s been like, nor do i know if there are non-academic factors you think will heap extra struggle on your studies. but at least it’s just the one summer term you’ve got to worry about for now. since the school’s not requiring you to pull your entire CGPA up to stay registered at the school (which would be much harder), it may be healthier to shelve your past grades for the moment.

    i don’t blame you for being nervous. it’s only natural to feel overwhelmed when you’re contending with a whole academic record looming over you. but ultimately, all you have control over right now is how well you do in these two classes. i’d encourage you to focus on just that, then. you don’t have control over your gpa so much as you have control over how smart/hard you study, and how well you keep up. you feel? remember that it’s also okay to ask for help– in fact, you should. clarification from profs/TAs on assignments can actually make quite a big difference with how well you do.

    i know the summer term’s been on for a few weeks now, but if you think it might help, i’d recommend that you contact your registrar or student life and see if you can get an appointment with a learning strategist. especially if you’ve been struggling for academic and not personal reasons, this might help you out. they’ll be able to walk you through smarter study strategies, give you exam prep tips, and sling you pointers on writing and presenting. they also help you address issues like procrastination, which tbh we all need at least bit of help with.

    as much as i’d love to (and totally could, if you want) write up a post chock-full of study tips, i always feel better knowing yall are talking to someone in person, who’s better able to familiarize themselves with your specific situation. i love the anonymous aska format, but it can make it a bit difficult to give super personalized advice, which you certainly deserve.

    thanks for waiting on this answer, and sorry for the delay in getting it up. wishing you loads and loads of good luck and strong work ethic to get you through the summer sem. i believe in you and your ability to push through and pass those courses, even if it doesn’t end up being easy. i’m here cheering for you and hoping for your success!

    over n out,

    aska

  • academic standing,  courses,  probation

    PROBing the limits

    Hi, I was just wondering what the max course load of someone on probation is supposed to be (Annual and Summer session)? Is the max a suggestion or university policy? Thanks

    ——————————————

    hello!

    according to my best friend the artsci rules and regs, if you’re on academic probation you can take up to five courses per semester in fall/winter, and during the summer your limit is two. these limitations (fortunately or unfortunately?) are not suggestions– the faculty you’re with will remove you from courses you take beyond those, and i don’t think you get to choose which ones you’re removed from. so it’s best not to risk it, in case they boot you from a class you need. 

    hope this helped! here’s a gif of some smol pups to brighten your day, because lord knows we all need that now that exams are on.

     

    cheers,

    aska

  • engineering,  first year,  probation

    post holiday slump

    Hello,

    I’m a firsts year engineering student and I’m currently having a pretty bad first semester in terms of grades. I’ve already dropped 2 courses and I know that I most definitely failed one of the remaining 3. I’m guessing my overall sessional average will fall between 40 to 45 percent which I know is really bad. Although I’ve learned some useful lessons in that i need to work on my time management skills and not falling behind, I’m unclear as to whether I’m going to be able to move on to the next session. I was wondering if they’ll put me on probation or if I have to restart all together or if I’ll be kicked out entirely.

    Thanks for your response.

    ——————————————

    hi!

    first of all, apologies for the super late response. it was exams and then the holiday and then the requisite two days of getting over the holidays etc etc etc. you know how it be. i’m not sure how relevant this response will be for you now that the semester is over, but hopefully this will help another student in the future or provide some clarity for you.

    according to the faculty calendar, if you are a first year student with a session average of 45%, you will be put on probation and you must withdraw for 8 months. then, you will have to retake the fall session. because of my late response, you should know your session average at this point. take a look at the calendar and see which average you fall under and what your situation is.

    i highly suggest that you get in contact with your registrar’s office or the engineering first year office to discuss your case. especially since this is a late response and your situation could’ve changed, i think it would be for the best if you talked with someone who can pull up your file and give you the most accurate info possible (even more accurate than me, your dear aska!).

    shocked gina rodriguez GIF

    i hope this helps!

    xoxo,

    aska

  • academic standing,  probation

    where do i stand, y’know, academically?

    Hi, I’ve recently been put on academic probation at the end of my fall/winter session, and I took summer school but then dropped it. That means I can go to school in the fall right?, to try and increase my GPA or does that mean I am now on suspension?

    ——————————————

    hi!

    academic standing is assessed twice a year: once at the end of the summer session and once at the end of the fall/winter session. so, if at the end of the summer session your cgpa is less than 1.50 and your sgpa is less than 1.70, then you’d be suspended. however, because you dropped your summer courses, that means that you wouldn’t have received a mark in those classes. because you did not achieve any mark or standing in those courses, your gpa wouldn’t have changed. this means that your academic standing would stay the same, so you’re still on probation. you can check out this flow chart for a more visual representation of how academic standing is calculated.

    if you ever have any questions about your academic standing, you should hit up your registrar’s office. they can explain what your academic standing means for you and give you advice on how to navigate it. they’re awesome. 10/10. do it.

    i hope this helps!

    cat hello GIF

    xoxo,

    aska

    PS- this cat is standing. because academic standing. haha, get it? haha.

  • academic standing,  first year,  probation

    0 to 100 real quick

    last year, as a first year, I took three courses a semester. I failed all of them. current gpa is 0.00 and cpga each sem is obviously 0.00. I’m now on academic probation. My question is do i just redo first year then? take all those courses again? or am I screwed beyond help?

    ———————————————

    hi!

    from what i understand, you currently have less than 4.0 FCE completed, meaning that you are still considered a first year student. in that case, you’ll need to take the first year courses that’re required for your intended POSts. so, you are sorta kinda “redoing” first year.

    being on academic probation, you do have to get your cgpa up to 1.50 and sgpa up to 1.70 by the end of the year in order to be back in good standing. hopefully someone will have already explained to you what being on academic probation entails, but in case they didn’t (and also just as a brief refresher!) being on probation basically means that you are restricted to 5.0 FCE in the fall/winter term and 2.0 FCE in the summer term. it also means that if you don’t get your sgpa up to 1.70 at the end of the next school year, you will be suspended.

    i highly suggest going to see an academic adviser at your registrar’s office if you haven’t done so already. they’ll be able to tell you more about being on probation, give you some great advice to help you do better in the future, and direct you to other on campus resources that’ll help you out. i also suggest making an appointment with a learning strategist at the academic success centre who can help you learn better, which should (hopefully) help you do better in school. you can also attend workshops and access peer support through the academic success centre. all really good stuff.

    i hope this helps. school is really hard, and paired with the other stuff that happens in life (family, friends, jobs, mental health, etc etc etc) it can feel impossible at times. but with a little bit of support, i’m sure you’ll be ok. as the patron god of toronto would say, go from 0 to 100 real quick. i’m rooting for you!

    started from the bottom drake GIF

    xoxo,

    aska

  • probation

    academic standing: it’s complicated

    Hi, so if you’re off probation do they send you an email telling you that? I was recently placed on probation at the end of April. I took summer school and raised my CGPA to 1.58 (I go to UTM). I haven’t received any email telling me I’m in good standing now. Also, I CR/NCR a course during the summer that I got a NCR for. But my other two marks that were assessed made my CGPA a 1.58. Am I considered to be in good standing now? Also note, my CGPA in April was 1.47, and my SGPA for summer is 2.15.

    ——————————————

    hi!

    they will contact your college/ faculty if there is a change in your academic standing, who should then inform you of that change. if you haven’t been informed of a change to your academic standing (ie. you haven’t heard from your registrar that you are no longer on probation), then that means there hasn’t been a change to your standing (ie. you are still on probation).

    if there’s any confusion at all, talk to your registrar! though i, as askastudent dot utoronto dot ca, know quite a lot, i am (unfortunately) not all-seeing. your registrar’s office, however, are able to see much further than i can. i’m a baller but it doesn’t mean i’m not humble.

    Kendrick Lamar kendrick lamar humble GIF

    i suggest that you make an appointment with your registrar’s office who’ll be able to look into your academic standing and provide you with more information. you can also look at this link that details what being “on probation” really means.

    hope this helps!

    xoxo,

    aska

  • failing,  probation

    keep holding on

    Hey

    As I 3rd year international student and heading to the last year of my uni life, I just found out I failed a course during the summer. It was a course for my program but it’s not a required course. This is really breaking me down because it drags my CGPA down and below 1.5. I used to be on probation before but I studied hard and pull my CGPA back to normal and safe line, now I have to face a fact that I would be on probation again when I am in the fourth year, is it going to suspend me directly? Is there any possibilities that I could make up this test to let it pass (the pass grade is 50 and I am 48), can I talk to the professor and see if he can curve? Or can I talk with the registrar office and see I could late withdraw this course? I knew the possibilities of these might be very very small but if there is anything I could to let it pass or erase this course history, I would sacrifice my life for it.

    Thanks

    ——————————————

    hi!

    first, let me apologize for my extremely late response. i’ve been super swamped lately with the start of classes. i know that isn’t a good excuse and it’s pretty sh*tty of me to have put this off for so long, so i hope that you will forgive me and that this response isn’t TOO too late.

    so, you shouldn’t be put on suspension; you’ll just be put on probation again. which sucks, i know, but you got out of it once, you can do it again! you should look at this link that gives has a lot of information on probation and advice. i also highly recommend visiting the academic success centre. they’re a criminally underused service here at u of t. you can make appointments with mentors, learning strategists, people who work at writing centres, and a whole bunch of other folks who are there to help out. it’s a really great way to learn about how you learn which should, in turn, help you learn better and get better marks. they have walk-in times as well as appointments that you can make. it’s pretty dope.

    as for your mark– unfortunately, if that mark has already gone through and you have the final mark for the course, it’s too late to get rid of it. the LWD date has also passed. i’m really sorry about that.

    if you need anymore advice at all, especially concerning probation, i also suggest making an appointment with your registrar’s office. 

    i hope this helps. again, i’m so sorry for my late response. i know that you’ll be able to get yourself out of this pickle. i’m rooting for you.

    GIPHY Studios Originals yay cheers rooting go team GIF

    peace and love,

    aska

  • probation

    probation pro

    Hi,

    I recently received a letter placing me into academic probation from the office of registrar. I have a 3.7 GPA but I took a course in the winter sem that I put to credit/no credit and ended up not receiving the credits for it.

    The letter said that I had failed a course and that’s why I was being admitted into probation. It also says that I am not maintaining satisfactory academic progress. Does that make any sense? Also, I was wondering if it’s possible to appeal against the probation?

    ——————————————

    hi!

    to be honest, your situation sounds a little fishy. unless you aren’t telling me something, you shouldn’t be on probation (you can only be put on probation if your CGPA is less than 1.50). i would get in touch with your college registrar to sort it out or to find out why you’re actually on probation.

    unfortunately, you can’t petition a probation. 

    i’m really sorry that you’re in this situation. i’m sure you did your best despite any circumstances or bullsh*t that may have been thrown your way. check out this link on advice for students who are put on probation and next steps.

    you could also check out the academic success centre, where they can set you up with a learning strategist who’ll help you develop individual learning skills. they also have drop- in hours if you want to see someone more casually. it’s like dating, but you get better marks and a sense of confidence in your academic life.

    i hope this helps! know that being on probation is not the end of the world and you will be able to recover and continue your education.

    i’m rooting for you!

    America's Got Talent agt americas got talent mel b rooting GIF

    xoxo,

    aska

     

  • GPA,  probation,  subject POST

    it’s not you, it’s me

    This might seem like a weird question, but I just spent an additional year
    trying to get into a type 3 specialist POSt. I’m sitting at a healthy 3.15
    CGPA right now, but economics scares me and it will probably drop. At what
    gpa/cgpa does the university kick me out of a program? Don’t get me wrong,
    I’m still going to work my ass off, haha, but I really would appreciate the
    piece of mind of knowing the very edge of my acceptable limit.

    ———————————————

    hello,

    holy crap. a 3.15 CGPA is so healthy yo.

    in regards to your question, you’re in luck. once you’re in a program, you’re in it for good.

    the program can’t break up with you, but you can break up with the program.

    even if you go on academic probation, get suspended, or take 10 years off, your program will stay the same unless you change it or remove it yourself.

    even though you aren’t going to get removed from your program, you should still set an “acceptable limit”. i would recommend that you try to stay above a 1.50 CGPA in order to remain in good academic standing. once you go below a 1.50 CGPA, you will be on academic probation which has a lot of not-so-fun consequences attached to it. if you want a good scare, look here.

    you should definitely continue working your ass off! (oh no, i said ass!!! but you said it first!)

    you’re doing great so far, so keep it up!

    peace and love,

    aska

     

     

     

     

  • bad times,  lost,  probation,  summer,  suspension

    feeling terrible is terrible

    Hey ???????? Summer has begun and it sucks. I’m on my first year of suspension and what should I even do on suspension? I feel like I failed my parents, wasted my tuition and I just feel terrible. What are my options now that I’m on suspension and when is the earliest that can I begin enrolling in courses again? Would I be able to enroll for summer school 2018? And what gpa do I need once I get back to school to get off suspension/probation? Suggestions? Thank you for your help. ~ the distressed kid

    ———————————————

    hey ?????????

    being on suspension may seem like the worst thing ever but it’s really a time for ~*personal growth*~

    reflect, re-evaluate, regrow, like groot! (he’s so cute, i had to include this gif)

    give yourself lots of ‘you’ time. try and think about what went wrong last semester and how to prevent it from happening again. make a game plan to follow for when you get back to school and set some good goals. you’ll be even more excited and motivated to return if you set goals because you’ll be like “hey, i can do this and i can’t wait to achieve these goals!”

    and when i say set goals, i mean realistic goals. stuff like “GET A 4.0 GPA” are too vague and frankly, super daunting. stuff like: ‘sleep at least 7 hours every night’, or ‘take half an hour to review notes from the day’s classes everyday’ are examples of more realistic goals that won’t seem as intimidating as: “GET AT LEAST AN 80% ON EVERY TEST.” if you are someone who tends to skip classes both unintentionally and intentionally, (lol, me) set a hard limit for yourself. “i can only skip 4 classes this semester.” set some ground rules for your ‘next semester game plan’, but be realistic and thoughtful about them.

    (*i know that admin/ faculty people are reading the part about skipping classes and shaking their heads but hey, it’s actually super difficult for some of us to be in the right mindset to get to class. sometimes it’s an anxiety thing and sometimes it’s just a general lack of energy/ motivation. showing up to class is actually a lot harder than it seems, so no judging or angry emails pls.)

    if you are looking for practicality, both financially and career wise, i would suggest that you try working full time to save up some money for school! who knows, you might find a job that you love and realize that you don’t need to finish school to excel in your field!

    if work sounds like too much pressure for you, i’m a big believer in volunteer work. giving back to the community is always a great way to learn a lot about yourself and your role in society. sometimes we can get really caught up with our own lives and the seemingly terrible things that happen to us, but it’s also important to think about other people and do all we can to help people who are less fortunate.

    hey, if making money or giving back to the community aren’t a priority right now, you could do an eat, pray, love kind of thing and travel! you might even FIND YOURSELF! go explore the world and experience new and wonderful things!

    if you ever feel a longing for academia during your suspension, you can try getting a head start on classes you plan to take in the future. feed and enrich that brain of yours and don’t let it go dormant. if you spend your whole suspension without challenging your brain, it might be hard to get back into the groove of things when you return to school. (this isn’t a proven fact, but from personal experience, i have a hard time getting back into school mode after summer vacation because i don’t use my brain all summer)

    in regards to the parental units, don’t feel like you failed them. they might make it seem like they used to be golden children, but i’m sure they’ve made mistakes too in their lives. you’re still figuring things out and they should try to understand that it takes time. they were once your age too! as for the money thing, yes, some mistakes have financial consequences, but think of it as paying for a valuable life lesson! life lessons are priceless, yo.

    if this is your first 1 year suspension, you will be be able to return to school after one calendar year, so yes, summer 2018, after which you will be on academic probation. once you are on academic probation, you will need to maintain a CGPA of 1.50 or more to have your status changed to “in good standing”. read more about academic standing here!

    i hope i’ve given you some stuff to think about and some ideas as to what to do with your one year off! let us know if anything else is stressing you out! we’re here for you!

    oh. and go see your registrar. they’re awesome.

    peace, love, and an encouraging pat on the back,

    aska