• colleges,  st. mike's

    colleges, crim, enrolment, oh my!

    January 22, 2018

    Hello,

    I am admitted in the University of Toronto St. Michael College for studies in Humanities. I have 2 questions for you.

    1) What is the difference between all the Arts & Science colleges?

    2) Is it possible for me to select Criminology & Socio-legal studies as a major after my first year even though i have been admitted in the faculty of Humanities?

    Thank you.

    ——————————————

    hi!

    since your question is in two parts, i’ll be answering in two parts.

    1) colleges are kinda like a student’s “home base” during their time in the faculty of arts and sciences. every student in artsci belongs to a college. this is mostly for administrative reasons, as u of t and the faculty of arts and sciences are huge. so, if you needed to access any admin (ie. registrar’s office, dean’s office, etc), you would want to get in contact at the college level first. there are also a lot of different resources that are available to students at a college such as writing centres. you will also be participating in orientation week with your college and if you’re living on residence, your college is where you would live.

    there isn’t really any difference between the colleges, they all serve the same basic purpose. there are some people who say that each college has their own “personality”, but you will be able to find people that you click with no matter which college you’re at. basic people will tell you all about the stereotypes associated with the different colleges, but that’s all they are– stereotypes.

    2) yes, it’s possible for you to for you to enroll in criminology and socio-legal studies as a major even though you were admitted into humanities. as long as you have the appropriate prerequisites fulfilled, there’s nothing stopping you!

    you just need to take 2.0 FCE (full course equivalents) in either: HIS (history), ECO (economics), PHL (philosophy), POL (polisci), PSY (psychology), or SOC (sociology). then, between first and second year (or whenever you complete 4.0 FCE), you have to apply for the major on ACORN. check out this link for a detailed explanation of the program enrollment process. criminology and socio-legal studies is a type 3 program.

    you could also make an academic advising session with your registrar’s office, who would be able to give you even more information.

    i hope this helps! see you on campus in september!

    millie bobby brown blow kiss GIF by SAG Awards

    xoxo,

    aska

    Read More
  • frosh,  st. mike's

    st. mike’s, st. mike’s, ra ra ra

    June 11, 2015

    When can smc student register for frosh?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    SMC hasn’t updated their orientation website yet, so unfortunately, i have no idea. last year, however, the earliest deadline was July 15th, so we’ve still got some time left. you can keep an eye on @SMCCampusLife if you have twitter for updates, or check SMC’s frosh website closer to July.

    have fun at frosh. hoikity choik or whatever.

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • rotman,  st. mike's

    rotmikes (not a good combined name. i regret this.)

    March 3, 2015

    I’ve been accepted to Rotman but I’ve been reading a lot of things that are putting me off, specifically that the atmosphere is cold and your campus and social life will suffer. How true are you finding this? Also do you have any idea what St. Michael’s College is like? I was accepted there for residence and would like to know more about it:) thanks in advance!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    before i get into this, i may as well give full disclosure: i’m not a rotman student, so i don’t have any kind of INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE about how rotman works. i have a lot of anecdotal information from having friends in rotman, but that can only go so far. i mean, they don’t let people onto the internet with just ANECDOTES, y’know. only real, legit people get on the internet.

    but hey, not being in rotman has never stopped me writing about them before! check out aska’s rotman tag for all kinds of musings.

    as a general point, i’ll say that lots of programs that are known for being very INTENSE can be isolating (engineering, engsci, rotman, economics, comp. sci). if it turns out you don’t like the program and/or find it very difficult, it can be hard to integrate yourself into the community.

    to put it another way: if it turns out you hate commerce, you’re not going to want to be hanging out with a bunch of commerce-y people all the time. it’ll get real old, real fast.

    however, it’s not impossible to make friends and get involved. here are a list of student organizations at rotman, all of which are a great opportunity to make friends within rotman. and if you love what you’re studying, you’ll be able to make friends with other people who love it and actually enjoy yourself.

    also, you’re allowed to have a life outside rotman (believe it or not). college life is a great opportunity to get involved – at st. mike’s you have the st. michael’s college student union, the st. michael’s college residence council and the st. michael’s college troubadours, just to name a few.

    even if you don’t do anything on campus, it’s hard NOT to make friends when you’re living on residence. just like…exist…on your floor and people will notice you and talk to you. and if YOU take the initiative to talk to THEM? well then, you’re golden.

    if you want to know more about st. mike’s, please check out our st. mike’s tag. you can also peruse aska’s ‘prospective students’ page and check out the links listed for st. michael’s college. (there’s a lot of ’em and they took a ridiculously long time to link, so please click on them).

    the residences at st. michael’s college are divided into five buildings. st. mike’s is the only college on campus which has single-sex floors – which i guess could be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective.

    despite that, every house/floor in the residence is part of an incredibly tight-knit community. everyone dines in the canada room, which is a great big dining hall on the college campus. everyone eats together, everyone lives together, and everyone participates in rez life together.

    as a first year, you’re most likely to be put in fisher house, teefy house or elmsley hall (1st or 4th floor) (if you’re female), and moore house or elmsley hall (2nd or 3rd floor) (if you’re male). you can read up on the character of each building here.

    congrats again on your acceptance! see you around next year,

    aska

    Read More
  • st. mike's

    SMC1

    February 12, 2015

    I applied to SMC one and only had to rank my programs.. It said there was a personal statement? Does that come after or something?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    did you apply following through the steps in this link  if you didn’t, do it now.

    if you did, and you weren’t given the opportunity to fill out the personal statement, i would call SMC’s registrar and ask them what’s going on, and whether you’ve made a mistake or missed something somewhere along the way.

    hope you have FUN with ONE!

    aska

    Read More
  • colleges,  st. mike's,  university-college

    gimme one chance, gimme one night, to be your college

    May 30, 2014

    Hi there, I m a student frm malaysia admitted for faculty of life sciences in sept2014 intake at U of T. FYI, I had applied UC as my first choice for the college ranking in St George campus, yet I was given st mikes….is there any possible way for me to switch my college now? Or I had to wait till the 2nd yr? Thx.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    from malaysia?? that’s cool! well, i hope you like toronto. it’s probably a lot more frigid than you’re used to, so hopefully the academics will be worth the frostnip.

    i spoke with UC and – lucky you – they are currently accepting applications to transfer. i say ‘applications,’ but really, you just have to send an e-mail to the registrar’s office explaining why you want to transfer, and they’ll let you know their decision. keep in mind that all colleges provide the same basic services (scholarships, academic advising, etc.), so make sure to explain what specifically at UC you don’t want to miss out on.

    that said, if there’s nothing unique to UC that you were really hoping to take advantage of, i think it’s best to give st. mike’s a try. i’m willing to bet that when you’re here, choosing a program, keeping up with your studies, and trying to obtain all the f#%&! cards you need to use the horrendous public transit in the city will be much bigger concerns. you may find your college will magically transfigure from a nagging worry to a welcome helping hand.

    if you give it a year and still find that your student life is gravitating towards UC activities, then you can consider transferring again, but for now, if it were me, i would just hold on and see what happens. st. mike’s may surprise you.

    a warm and sunny (finally) welcome to toronto,

    aska

    Read More
  • residence,  st. mike's

    live in loretto or stay in st. mike’s – part ii

    May 21, 2013

    Hi,

    I’ve spent wayy too much time today going through your archives.. makes for a good read for procrastinators.

    Anyways, I’ve been accepted at St. Mike’s college so I’m thoroughly confused about the residences. I’ve been through your blog and found no comparisons of the residences within St. Mike’s (so I’ve done my research) 🙂

    I was wondering if you could give me a general response of the students staying at Loretto’s college vs. those staying at SMC? My parents say they’d be comfortable with me in Loretto’s for the first year, but I don’t want to miss out on the freshman fun and if coed > than loretto’s then I’d have to talk to them about reconsidering.

    Thank youu 🙂
    PK

    ———————————————

    PK,

    I’ve actually answered this exact question before and was met by this one totally awesome response.

    I’m hardly a pro on St. Mike’s residences and don’t know a lot of people who’ve lived in them so sorry, I can’t quite give you any accounts, but the general consensus seems to be that if you’re choosing between the those two…

    (Note: Kind thanks, @vikkitokkz, for your hilarious reply to my tweet.)

    Likewise, from my own experiences of visiting Loretto, it just wasn’t my favourite place. Very… long. Great bathrooms though! I actually quite liked the bathroom situation that went on there.

    But yeah, I say you should just go to St. Mike’s. If the problem for your parents is the whole co-ed thing, just point out that while the res is co-ed, floors are single-sex, as are the shared bathrooms — meaning they can relax, there won’t be any hanky panky. Sort of. Whatever.

    Cheers!

    aska

    Read More
  • frosh,  st. mike's

    the one time U of T doesn’t ask for money

    August 1, 2012

    Hi there,
    I was wondering if i was to defer my payment due to OSAP would I be charged a deferral fee. Secondly, i`m a commuter. For frosh week, i chose to stay on campus for its accommodations. How are the accommodations – (my college is st.mikes)?

    Many thanks,a first year student

    ———————————————

    Heyo

    Hell no! There are not any charges for deferring your fees because of OSAP. That would just be a kick in the ribs when you are down. Just make sure to make your payments in a timely fashion after you receive your OSAP because interest will start to accumulate after the 15th of Oct and then every mid-month mark after that!

    Your accommodations will be in the regular residences, so I would hope they are pretty decent because some student will be staying there for the next 8 months. I haven’t heard a peep about St.Mikes rez situation, so I’m sure they are pretty decent to not warrant any complains from students who are use to mommy and daddy’s nice house.

    Rest your vocals and prepare yourself for a lot of chanting in Frosh week!

    still recovering,

    aska

    Read More
  • colleges,  st. mike's,  switching

    i want to be the guy!

    April 14, 2011

    Hi Aska,

    I recently got my acceptance to U of T Life Sciences at the Saint George Campus! WOHOOO!

    One problem. I applied to Trinity College and they put me in St. Michael’s College.

    So, I understand that I was denied admission to Trinity, but I want to know, can I still go there for first year? Can I change my college after being admitted for first year?

    I called them and they told me that you can’t change to Trinity after being admitted, but where there’s a will there’s a way right?

    Or not.

    If that’s the case (say it ain’t so!), what other colleges do you recommend that have a similar “jist” at UofT. What do you think of University College and Victoria College? Or, tell me what’s nice about St. Mike’s (the one I’m admitted to)?

    Thanks!

    Peter

    ———————————————

    Hey Peter! Congrats on putting the “saint” in St. George. I liked your subject heading so much that I stole it for my own. Don’t we all wanna be “the guy?”

    Which is why I’ve got some bad news for you. It’s pretty hard to switch colleges after you’ve been selected (esp. as an incoming freshman) because a lot of it has to do with how many spots are in residence. The only way to try and switch colleges is to make a personal case for yourself at one of the colleges at your choice. In your email to the college’s registrar, you have to specifically plead why your personality and charming good looks will make you the big man of campus at UC or Victoria. Though at this late point in the game, you might be out of luck. I do have friends who’ve had luck applying to other colleges in later years, so you can try again at a later date.

    Trinity is notoriously small and snobby, so you might actually have more fun at St. Mikes than you think. Though it is vaguely Catholic here are some good things about St. Mikes:

    *The Kelly Library – which has dope DVDs available for renting and a Starbucks that’s open late

    *Real pretty buildings that house underrated programs like the Italian Studies and Book and Media Studies programs

    *A close promixity to Hero Burger

    *Catholic Schoolgirls and/or Catholic Schoolboys

    *The Mike – their student newspaper

    *An active student council

    *”Classic student residences”

    All I’m saying is don’t rule out St. Mikes before you try it. And keep in mind that your college DOES NOT restrict what classes you can take, or who you hang out with or where you go on campus. Mostly your college will affect your first year in residence (if you are living in residence), administrative/registrarial stuff and how much $$$ you donate to their alumni fund.

    Let me know if you have any other questions.

    Godspeed Saint Peter.

    xoxo, Askastudent

    Read More
  • jobs,  st. mike's

    what happens if i want a job with my degree?

    September 3, 2010

    Hey,

    I’ve been wanting to take up an internship for a local independent magazine for a while now. Incidentally, they take priority over those who are looking to get school credit. I was wondering if UofT gives such credit, or if they will acknowledge it, at least? I’m going into second year and just recently declared my Post as MAJ English/MAJ Book & Media Studies. I’m thinking of applying for this interning slot next summer. I just don’t know who else to ask about this school credit thing. Registrar’s? The English Department? Book & Media Studies Department? Help!

    ———————————————

    Hi there!

    As a fellow mag-lover who has been in the same position as you are, it’s almost impossible to get U of T to accept an internship as a credit in the English or Book & Media Studies programs. Many journalism students have internships built into their programs, but for people studying literature, it’s often not a requirement.

    Your registrar won’t really be able to facilitate this. The best thing to do would be to talk to the program representative at the English and/or Book & Media Studies Department and explain in detail why you should be able to get either a credit or a half credit for your internship. You will have to let them make an exception for you, and often that is hard to do.

    The best people to contact would be as follows:

    ENGLISH

    Undergraduate Counsellor – Ms Vala Holmes
    416-978-5026
    Jackman Humanities Building, 170 St. George Street, Room 609
    english.undergraduate@utoronto.ca

    Associate Chair – Professor Nick Mount
    416-978-5921
    Jackman Humanities Building, 170 St. George Street, Room 608
    416-946-3144
    Jackman Humanities Building, 170 St. George Street, Room 704
    nick.mount@utoronto.ca

    BOOK AND MEDIA STUDIES

    Book & Media Studies
    Coordinator
    John Noyes
    Professor
    St. Michael’s College Fellow
    (416) 926 1300 ext. TBA
    john.noyes@utoronto.ca

    Hope that helps and that you get to do what you want to do!

    xoxo, Askastudent

    Read More