• fees,  financial aid,  grad school,  international students

    (Ph)enomenal (D)ollars

    February 3, 2016

    Hello ! I’m an International student that wants to go to UofT for gradschool (phD). I’m academically okay for the program (I have an overall A and all that jazz) but…. Where can I start looking for scholarships to live and study at UofT during those years? I’m a bit lost since I don’t know a thing about scholarships for international students that wants to go to Canada – Thank you !!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the major scholarships that fund postgraduate study in Ontario are the NSERC and OGS scholarships. unfortunately, those are only available to domestic students. what i’d recommend is taking a look at your home country’s opportunities, if any, that are available for students travelling abroad. most countries have some form of financial aid for postgrads.

    we do have some scholarships available for international students, and i’d strongly encourage you to apply to as many as you’re eligible for, but they do not provide nearly as much funding as is probably ideal.

    the good news is, as a PhD student, the university is committed to funding you. all the information about how financial support works for a physics PhD is available on page 29 of this document provided by the department of physics. it shows that if you don’t have access to any scholarships, the university will still be able to support you through RA and TA-ships, and internal scholarships.

    here is a breakdown about how much physics PhDs were funded depending on their year, and where the money came from. the aid hovers around $40k per student, depending on the year of your PhD. which is totally liveable.

    if you have further questions about how this all works, i’d recommend contacting the financial counsellor at the School of Graduate Studies.

    best of luck,

    aska

    Read More
  • financial aid,  international students

    i’ve made $2.76 so far in pity loans

    July 13, 2015

    I wanna go to UofT but I’m an American…will I be eligible for financial aid??

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    to be eligible for the federal aid offered to ontario students (called OSAP), you need to be a Canadian citizen/PR/protected person and Ontario resident.

    unless you meet those requirements, you would have to seek financial aid in your home country. for American citizens, government loans come from FAFSA.

    once you’re at uoft, you could apply for a wide-range of college-specific and university-wide scholarships based on financial need, academic excellence, and community involvement.

    finally, there is the financial aid we are all eligible for: sitting in the spadina subway station with a beat-up banjo, singing forlornly about the cost of tuition while people pityingly drop nickels into our empty tim’s cups*.

    cheers,

    aska

    * handy tip b/c you’re american: this is a “tim’s cup.”

    Read More
  • international students,  OUAC

    welcome to the beauty that is OUAC

    May 11, 2015

    On the page for the international application it says to use it if you’re ONLY applying to the University of Toronto. Do they mean if that’s the only Canadian school you’re applying to or like the only school you’re applying to at all?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    basically, if you’re ONLY applying to uoft and you’ve never studied at a Canadian university before AND you live outside canada – you apply using this application.

    if you’re also applying to other Canadian universities (in addition to uoft, that is), then you should apply using this form (the OUAC 105).

    it’s just one of those finicky bureaucracy things, but make sure you use the right application, because it could cause you a lot of trouble later on if you make a mistake.

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  engineering,  grad school,  international students

    a very exhaustive examination of admissions to grad school (whoo!)

    September 29, 2014

    Hey aska! I’m very keen on getting into either Mengg or MS in CS at UofT. I’ve done my Btech in electrical and electronics with 66.76% from a tier 1 college of India. I have a 1.3 year work ex with a big data analytics firm. What are my chances of getting into the program. Gre 312. Toefl 104+ expecting.

    ———————————————

    Hey there,

    so. you’ve got a Bachelor of Technology and now you want to continue the roller-coaster ride that is engineering at UofT. great!

    admissions says that you need a four-year Bachelor’s degree, which you have. You also need to have attended a 1st. div. college, which you did. finally, your TOEFL score is comfortably above the minimum requirements for admission.

    the only thing i’m not sure about is your average. to get into engineering, you need to have completed your degree with at least a B or B+ average in the final two years of your degree.

    i’m not sure whether that 66.67% you mentioned is a) reflective of your four years, instead of just the last two, and b) works on a different GPA system than ours.

    the uoft website doesn’t allude to any different GPA scale in Indian universities, so i would contact the faculty of applied science & engineering to ask them whether your GPA scale matches theirs. also, make sure that the average you’re using to calculate your likelihood of admission is the average of your last two years of school.

    if that average is at least a B+, then you’re an eligible and competitive applicant.

    finally, make sure that you check the admissions requirements for the specific department you’re interested in within the faculty, because some of them have extra requirements like letters of reference (that’s where your work experience could come in handy).

    the M.Sc. in comp. sci. also requires a B+, but only in your LAST year of study.

    the TOEFL requirements are the same as those for engineering, and they don’t specify a preferred GRE score.

    the GRE actually seems like an asset rather than a requirement, because they say that “[a]pplicants from outside Canada are encouraged to submit scores from the GRE General Test, and are encouraged to also submit scores from the GRE Subject Test in Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related discipline.”

    the one thing that might complicate your admission to the M.Sc. is that “[p]reference will be given to applicants who have studied computer science or a closely related discipline.”

    i don’t know how closely electrical and electronic engineering is related to computer science, but it may be something you can ask the department of computer science.

    and that’s it! sorry for the information dump – i hope it all makes some sense. best of luck on your application!

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • international students

    what’s the one kind of ship that never sinks? citizenship!

    July 9, 2014

    hey! my nationality is greek and I also live and go to high-school in greece. but my mother was born in canada and so i got the canadian citizency. According to these facts am I considered domestic or international student if I apply to UofT?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m flattered that someone all the way in greece somehow found this website and thinks i’m official enough to answer this question for them, but sadly, i’m not even close to that.

    if you’re a Canadian Citizen, then i’m inclined to say that you would be domestic, but PLEASE?contact CIE and talk to them about it. you can discuss your exact situation with them, and they’ll know for sure one way or the other.

    it’s a pretty important distinction, not least because of the massive difference between domestic and international fees, and it’s also a complex one, so i don’t want to make a casual assumption that might turn out to be wrong. you don’t want to turn up at customs in Canada thinking you’re domestic when it turns out you’re international, and neither does aska. so do yourself a favour and phone/e-mail the rad folks at CIE.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S.?if anyone is even THINKING?of commenting on the title and saying that friendship is the one kind of ship that never sinks, not citizenship, then why don’t you bike over to my kindergarten friend Suzie’s house, and try to tell her that we’re still friends even after the SPECTACULARLY RUDE incident in Mrs. Patterson’s class when she beheaded my Barbie. yeah. citizenship is government-sanctioned, y’all. friendship can turn into a Barbie bloodbath as soon as you drop your guard.

    Read More
  • admissions,  international students

    who was even awake during grade 7?

    June 16, 2014

    Hello!So I am a high school student from Central America who desperately wants to study at UofT.I have some questions that I hope you may have the answers to:
    Does UofT consider your GPA or average? So… when they look at your transcripts do they look for your GPA or do they look at your percentage?
    From what grade does the university consider your grades? From 7-12 or 9-12 or 10-12… etc.
    As an international student, can I work to earn money while at the university? Do I get a work permit too?
    I came across this?http://www.adm.utoronto.ca/pdf_applications/int_student_app.pdf?and I was wondering do you know how many applicants applied? How many got selected? Any statistics on what their averages were… anything of the sort??
    I hope you have a lovely day, and thank you for your time!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    at your tender age the only things you should desperately want are naps and that nice, central american sun that all us torontonians would give multiple fingers for. alas, the heart wants what the heart wants. who am i to disagree?

    1. uoft considers whatever form your grades happen to come in; if that’s a GPA, they consider your GPA. if it’s percentage, they consider percentage. if it’s IB points or fairground tokens or whatever system your school has dreamt up – they’ll consider it. just go here, put in which country you’re from, and they’ll tell you exactly what the requirements are for the program you’re applying to.

    2. hahahahahAHAHAHAHA. imagine if they considered all your grades from grade 7-12. the vast majority of people from my high school wouldn’t have made it to university. that would have made me so happy…

    no. they only look at your grade 12 marks, and occasionally your grade 11 marks, if you’re applying for early admission. again, just look at this page and it’ll tell you exactly which courses are considered for your program.

    3. there is a work experience program, but it looks like it’s being tinkered with at the moment. you can also work on-campus, off-campus, and even on co-op. you don’t even need a work permit.

    4. not only do i not know how many applicants there were, but i can’t even find any other information about that scholarship. which is a bit baffling; my Googling skills are usually impeccable (i look on the second page for stuff. yeah. i’m dedicated to my art).

    not to fear, there are still lots of opportunities for you to fund your education.

    keep in mind that uoft also automatically considers you for $2000 entrance scholarships based solely on your marks – no application needed. same goes for your college (though the value of the scholarship depends on the college).

    you can look here for all the admission scholarships offered by the university. and there are even more scholarships offered through the centre for international experience.

    hope you have a rad year, and hope to see you at uoft sometime soon!

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  international students

    watch aska struggle with an exotic education system and laugh at her

    February 28, 2014

    Hello, I am a Canadian student who lives in Lebanon. I attend a french school called College Notre Dame de Jamhour.I am in grade 11 and I am thinking of applying to University of Toronto for 2 years of Biology, Chemistry, Math and Physics in order to get into the PharmD program.I’ve been searching a lot for the average grade accepted students have, unfortunately I haven’t found much.I know exactly what courses I have to take to get into PharmD and I know exactly how the PharmD program works, my only concern is my getting into UofT in the first place.I would really appreciate it if you could tell me what are my chances of getting accepted:SAT 1: Reading: 630 Math: 800 Writing: 620 SAT 2: Math level 2 800 French 800 Plus I am planning on doing the SAT chemistry subject test and the TOEFL during the summer.My average grade is 16/20 in the french scaling system.I won the national competition in Robotics,I have a piano and guitar diploma,I have been practicing martial arts for a very long time now and I’ve won tournaments ( boxing, wrestling, judo, kick boxing, jujitsu…).
    I was hoping if you could tell me what are my chances of getting into UofT in order to start studying chemistry, biology, physics and math there, of course in order to apply to PharmD after 2 years.
    Thank you very much for your time

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i gotta say, it intimidates me a bit when people send me super formal questions, ’cause it makes me feel like they expect a super formal answer. i hope you know that i’m not like, an authority or anything. have you read this blog, my friend? ’cause otherwise, you’re about to be severely disappointed.

    however, i’m not completely useless. i can tell you what the university expects, which is that you fulfil the prerequisites and get your diploma. but i’m sure you know that already (i’m not even sure i linked to the right education patterned system, to be honest. i think i did. also, when you say you wanna study math, chemistry and physics, i’m assuming that means you want to get into the Life Science stream).

    now, about what you’re really asking, which is the time-honoured question: “WhAt arE my CHAN ceS Of getTI Ng iN???!?!?!!11!?” that’s a bit hard for me to tell, because i have no idea what those marks mean, but according to this handy wiki article, a 16/20 is tres bien, which in my books translates to a 90%+. with that kind of average, i’d say you can basically assume you’re going to be accepted (assuming of course that you’ve met the prerequisites; for you, i’m guessing that would be math, physics & chem and biology-ecology in the sujets terminale, but your school administration or uoft admissions know that better than me, so i’d recommend asking them, if you don’t already know what the prerequisites equal to in your system).

    when it comes to extra-curriculars, i have to once more break a young student’s heart and let you know that it actually doesn’t matter at all what extra-curriculars you have. being good at martial arts and robotics is awesome, and will help you with scholarship applications and probably with being a good student at university, but it’s not considered as part of uoft’s admissions decisions. sorry, friend.

    i hope that helps! and remember: you’re in grade 11, and you’ve got lots of time to figure all this stuff out, so don’t worry yourself too much. life has a way of sorting things out one way or another. try to sit back and enjoy the ride. you’re doing great.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • international students,  summer

    summer fees mysteries

    February 3, 2014

    Hi there!

    I’d like to know how much it costs for an international student to take summer courses. Some told me it’s $200 ish per credit, others said it costs like $10,000. I tried to look up the fees on the U of T website but I’m kind of confused.

    I’d really appreciate your answer.
    Cheers.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    alright, you’re not gonna be happy with this answer, but here goes: i don’t know. and the reason i don’t know is because the university doesn’t know yet, either. student accounts tells me they don’t have the summer fee schedule up yet; it’ll be posted to the student accounts website in may, so keep an eye out there (and if you still can’t find it come may because their website is HELLA CONFUSING, call them at 416-978-2142).

    what i can tell you is that it won’t be as low as $200 and DEFINITELY not as high as $10 000 per credit. it’ll probably be somewhere between $500 and $1000 per credit, but i don’t have any precise numbers yet. SORRY. here, have a gif of a pug falling over to make up for it:

    pug falling over

    crossing my fingers for low fees,

    aska

    Read More
  • international students

    freeze! show me your IGCSEs

    December 2, 2013

    I am a student of the British system-GCE and I don’t go to school , so basically I’m home-schooled . This is how so many of us do it here :leave
    school and bury ourselves in the excruciating IGCSE crap . Why? Because actually attending a school is usually not necessary so it only makes sense that we focus on IGCSE . And now I come to the realization that this is not enough!

    I’ve been preparing based on the university’s (not-so-easy) IGCSE requirements and guess what? These requirements never included ‘actual school transcripts’ but now I realize they are indeed required .

    In short , would I be accepted with my IGCSE alone or do I really really need a school?

    Ps: I want to apply for September 2014

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the igcse’s are accepted and included as a possible substitute for gcse requirements, but uoft also requires a certain number of a-levels, depending on the program (arts, sciences, physical sciences and math, engineering). so i’m not sure about ‘actual school transcripts,’ but you will need a-levels on top of your igcse’s. i’m given to understand those take two years to complete, so you probably won’t be eligible for admission in september 2014.

    i’m really sorry that’s the case. i’d recommend looking into other universities around the world to see if any accept the icgse’s alone if you really aren’t keen on waiting two years. i know you’ve worked really hard for what you’ve done so far, but sometimes the world is just super unfair.

    good luck,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  colleges,  international students,  university-college,  victoria

    the british-patterned education system hurts my head.

    November 28, 2013

    HI, I recently applied to UofT for Maths/physics specialist degree. I just have a few questions…I did my A-levels in maths, physics and chemistry and achieved A, B and C respectively. Since my school did not offer Further Mathematics, I retook the last year and finished Further maths A-level (B) and retook some physics modules as well. So basically I completed my A-level in 3 years…sigh..but thats not all…i am on my gap year now and have applied for September 2014 intake.. soo long story short:1. Are my grade enough for the Maths/physics degree? A,B,B,C2. will the retake and the gap year affect my chances greatly? 3. How should i send my documents to the uni? i emailed them about it but didnt get the answer i was looking for. Should i just photocopy my originals and enclose a letter from my head teacher for the validity of my certificates?Thank you soo much 🙂 Also please refer me to the colleges posts…i have chosen Vic and University college…any views? Social scene, people, late night parties 😛 but above all the FOOD 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i hope you international folk know that when you babble on about sixth form and A-levels and GCSEs and whatnot, most of us north americans have no idea what you’re talking about. fortunately i consider myself kind of a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to international education systems, so i’ll give this my best shot (and fail completely probably lol but i do my best).

    for the program you’re considering, the cutoffs haven’t been published anywhere. the admissions site for uoft says you need three different a-levels. it doesn’t specifically cite any marks, but generally, A’s and B’s are what’s deemed acceptable from the british-patterned system. however, international students are really looked at on a case-by-case basis, so i’d say you should still go right ahead and apply. i’d also advise you to mail a letter to enrolment services explaining about the C, if there’s any particular reason or extenuating circumstance behind it. there should be an opportunity to do that when you apply.

    speaking of applying (the MOST fun and exciting process -.-) you should follow the ouac 105f form in order to apply. it’ll get all your personal information and academic history and will probably prompt you to send your transcript physically to the university. as for whether you need a letter from your head teacher or any additional documentation, just keep e-mailing enrolment services until they give you an answer – only they know what specific documents they need.

    the gap year shouldn’t impact the admission decision at all.

    finally – the age-old college question rears its ugly head once more! you should know that if you’re choosing between vic and uc, vic will only consider you if you rank it first, whereas uc doesn’t care, so i’d recommend ranking vic as number one and uc number two. as for my views, they’re both lovely places. i have a class in uc this semester and i never fail to be amazed at how old and grandiose (and friCKIN HUGE) it is. if you don’t mind walking a lot and occasionally getting lost for a million years, uc’s great (think hogwarts’ shifting staircases).

    on the other hand, vic has some pretty old, fancy buildings too. it has a really modern library, which is cool. if you really want to know about the colleges’ personalities, i would recommend reading their student papers – here’s university college’s and here’s vic’s.

    as to parties and food, all colleges have that. you can’t put this many twenty-somethings in one place without those things, or they’d wither and die. seriously.

    finally, here are some useful tags for stalking: college, uc, vic

    best of luck,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  colleges,  computer science,  international students,  meal plans,  residence,  scholarships/bursaries,  woodsworth

    the longest question ever submitted to askastudent

    November 25, 2013

    Hi there!
    I’m just currently trying to get my stuff together for applying to different universities and I just had some questions and things I need to confirm. I’m currently in Grade 12 in Edmonton, Alberta and I want to get into Computer Science at Saint George.
    Firstly, I would like to eventually end up in the Software Engineering stream and I just wanted to make sure that this stream is under Computer Science and not engineering or its own department (different universities does this differently and I just need to make sure I’m applying for the right thing).
    Secondly, With the application process, if I were to apply right now, but my marks increase in the future could I update the marks?
    Thirdly, With Computer Science, do I need to submit my Math 30 mark or can I just submit my Calculus mark and skip over math?
    Fourthly, how do I go about getting my official transcripts to you? Is this an automatic process or would I have to talk to my school administrators?
    Fifthly, speaking of marks and transcripts, I know some Universities will look at your grade 11 mark if you are currently not finished a prerequisite, is this true at U of T? Also, is the application average calculated by taking the required courses then taking the highest courses on the transcript or is it based on submitted courses?
    Sixly, Okay I know you guys are probably sick of these questions about Colleges so I apologize beforehand. Anyways I just wanted to know how much being affiliated with a college really matter? Such as, would belonging to University College or Saint Mike’s over New College have an affect on future job prospects or grad school applications? (Basically how much does the prestige of a college matter).
    Sevenly (okay this numbering system is starting to sound ridiculous), what is the cutoff for Trinity College? I am afraid of putting Trinity as my first choice because I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of getting into Victoria, Innis or Woodsworth. Speaking of Woodsworth, as Woodsworth doesn’t come with a meal plan so what alternatives are there? Also I heard somewhere that Woodsworth won’t consider you if you don’t put them down as your first choice, is this true?
    8ly, Would getting a single room hinder on my social life, I’m worried that if I get a single room then I won’t be able to connect with as many people.
    9*10^0-ly, how much support is there for first years, I know this probably varies from college to college but just generally speaking are there a lot of support options? I have never been in Toronto so I would imagine I would be pretty lost without it.
    My highest marks as they currently stand: [information redacted for privacy purposes]
    Finally with this information what do you think my chances of getting into Computer Science and into Trinity are?
    And as a little side request, do you happen to know where I might find like a side by side comparison of the colleges? As well as where I might find scholarship information?
    Anyways thank you very much for taking the time to read this. This would definitely clear up somethings for me. I look forward to hearing from you!
    Best Regards.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    congratulations man, you win the award for longest question ever received on askastudent. i’m impressed that you wrote all this out, seriously. meanwhile, i’m sitting here trying not to dribble egg salad on myself. it’s a wonderful thing uoft does to you.

    i’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m gonna answer all of your questions briefly here, and i’m gonna refer you to our (NEW AND EXPANDED WOW) FAQ to answer some of the more general questions about colleges, living in residence, etc more extensively. sound good? good.

    let’s get to these questions.

    ———————————————

    Hi there!
    I’m just currently trying to get my stuff together for applying to different universities and I just had some questions and things I need to confirm. I’m currently in Grade 12 in Edmonton, Alberta and I want to get into Computer Science at Saint George.

    Firstly, I would like to eventually end up in the Software Engineering stream and I just wanted to make sure that this stream is under Computer Science and not engineering or its own department (different universities does this differently and I just need to make sure I’m applying for the right thing).

    –> Software engineering does not exist as a separate stream at the downtown campus. UTSC’s computer science program offers a software engineering stream.

    Secondly, With the application process, if I were to apply right now, but my marks increase in the future could I update the marks?

    –> The final marks that the university looks at are your mid-May marks. Your school should be able to update these, and if not, you should be able to do so through OUAC. (If you have any trouble with this, contact OUAC directly.)

    Thirdly, With Computer Science, do I need to submit my Math 30 mark or can I just submit my Calculus mark and skip over math?

    –> Calculus and Vectors and Advanced Functions are both required

    Fourthly, how do I go about getting my official transcripts to you? Is this an automatic process or would I have to talk to my school administrators?

    –> Talk to your school about it! They should be able to help you out. Otherwise, see if you can apply through the OUAC 105 form, which is for out-of-Ontario students.

    Fifthly, speaking of marks and transcripts, I know some Universities will look at your grade 11 mark if you are currently not finished a prerequisite, is this true at U of T? Also, is the application average calculated by taking the required courses then taking the highest courses on the transcript or is it based on submitted courses?

    –> No. The application average is from your six highest courses including prerequisites. That stuff they tell you about universities sometimes looking at grade 11 marks is most likely a lie. obviously i’m not on any application committees, but if you’ve done well in grade 12, i’d say that’s more than enough.

    Sixthly, Okay I know you guys are probably sick of these questions about Colleges so I apologize beforehand. Anyways I just wanted to know how much being affiliated with a college really matter? Such as, would belonging to University College or Saint Mike’s over New College have an affect on future job prospects or grad school applications? (Basically how much does the prestige of a college matter).

    –> It really really doesn’t matter.

    Seventhly (okay this numbering system is starting to sound ridiculous), what is the cutoff for Trinity College? I am afraid of putting Trinity as my first choice because I don’t want to jeopardize my chances of getting into Victoria, Innis or Woodsworth.

    –> There is literally no cutoff. Admission also depends on the trinity college profile. Innis and Vic will not consider you if you don’t put them as #1. Woodsworth will.

    Speaking of Woodsworth, as Woodsworth doesn’t come with a meal plan so what alternatives are there?

    –> Here are some dining options available to all students.

    8ly, Would getting a single room hinder on my social life, I’m worried that if I get a single room then I won’t be able to connect with as many people.

    –> Not at all. You’ll be leaving with these people, using the same washrooms, eating with them on a regular basis…if you’re friendly and willing, you won’t have a problem meeting people.

    9*10^0-ly, how much support is there for first years, I know this probably varies from college to college but just generally speaking are there a lot of support options? I have never been in Toronto so I would imagine I would be pretty lost without it.

    –> I’m not quite sure what you mean by support. There’s plenty of academic support offered by each college and also by the university – all you have to do is look around!

    My highest marks as they currently stand: [Information redacted]. Finally with this information what do you think my chances of getting into Computer Science and into Trinity are?

    –> I ca’t be the one to tell you that. All I’ll say is, just apply, and don’t worry about it before you hear back from the university. Life is too short to stress out about a dumb little thing like this. Do the best you can, apply, and that’s really all you can do.

    And as a little side request, do you happen to know where I might find like a side by side comparison of the colleges? As well as where I might find scholarship information?

    –> That doesn’t exist. Scholarship information can be found here.

    best of luck,

    aska

    ———————————————

    and there we have it! like i said, some of these questions will be going into my new FAQ, so keep an eye out for that for an EXPANDED ANSWER to a lot of these questions, with more INFORMATION and GIGGLES than you could possibly imagine. thanks for the typing workout, and remember to stay cool *sunglasses emoji*.

    Read More
  • admissions,  international students,  stress

    everyone is panicking about admissions oh god.

    October 31, 2013

    I study in year 10 and in an cbse school. I want to take up science but I am very weak in it. I am good in biology and I know that because of my grades and understanding. I really want to be a gynaecologist but I cant because of my grades. I doubt I can take up science also. I am in desperate need of help. Please tell me what to do.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    I understand where you’re coming from. Students all over the world right now are experiencing exactly the same thing you’re experiencing – they’re afraid they’re not good enough, and they are generally convinced that they are going to fail. Man, I can’t blame you. Going to university is incredibly scary, especially if you’re planning to go to school in a different country.

    I’m guessing you go to school in India, meaning this is the year you’re doing/have already done your AISSCE examinations, and that has got to be really stressful. Just know that even if you don’t do as well as you hoped you would, you have two whole years to improve.

    That said, if you’re thinking of coming to UofT and you eventually want to go to medical school, you’ll probably want to enrol in the BSc. Life Science program. If you like Biology, there’s a Biology major available, where you get to focus on Biology, which is what you seem to feel most comfortable with. The requirements for that program are here. Like I said, you’ve still got some time to figure all this out, but if you want to feel a little less worried, take a look at the requirements and see if you think you could handle them.

    If it turns out that in two years you don’t meet the requirements, then maybe you can take some time to think about what it is you would be most comfortable doing. However, you’re only in year 10 now and there’s plenty of time to figure all this out and get your grades up if you have to – so don’t worry! If you are careful about researching the best possible option for you, you won’t go wrong.

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  computer science,  international students,  masters

    weaselling past GPA requirements – yeah good luck with that

    September 30, 2013

    hi, I am currently doing Bs(Computer Sciences) in Pakistan – 5th semester (start of 3rd year). I would really like to get admission in Masters Degree program offered in uoft. Although i am quite good at what my field focuses at, yet my GPA does not express that at all. I have a current CGPA of 2.30. uoft site says that the minimum gpa required even for applying is 3.00 (B). I am so much paranoid that i cannot express. The thing is that, surprisingly, the university i am doing my BSCS from is ranked #1 for CS in Pakistan and is actually really good. But at same time, their grading is very very very strict. what i mean to say is that with the amount of effort it took me to maintain gpa of 2.30 at FAST-NU (my university name), i could easily maintain way above 3.00 in any other university from Pakistan (just that they don’t teach as thoroughly as FAST). So this makes me think that if i was in a less competent university, it would have been easier for me to get to uoft. is it not a bit unfair? why is the teaching level of institutions not also considered.

    And, please please please help me, i really want to make it to uoft. Can’there be any other way? If with gpa like this, i apply to uoft anyway, are there chances that i can get selected? what if i score really good at GRE test (or international students)? will the University of Toronto consider
    me on the basis of anything other than my gpa? 🙁

    Will really appreciate helpful suggestions.
    Thank You

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    I appreciate how much you want to get into uoft. Seriously, it’s a pretty rad place. I’d love to help you as much as possible; you’ve come to aska for help, and if there’s anything more rad than uoft, it’s aska.

    Unfortunately, I am just a lowly messenger, and I don’t have the power to bend uoft’s admission requirements. They do say explicitly on their website that they require at least a 77%-79% GPA in the final two years of your undergraduate course. Lucky for you, you’re just starting on your third year, meaning you’ve got almost two years to get your GPA up. I get that your university is crazy hard, but if you really want to get into uoft, you’ve got to find a way to boost it.

    If there really is nothing you can do to bring up your marks but you feel like a master’s in CS here would be a breeze, the School of Graduate Studies does make exceptions in special cases. Do you feel like your case is special? Hint: it’s probably not unless you have some kind of industry experience to back up your knowledge, but I don’t know man, give it a shot, why not.

    As for other parts of your application, a good GRE result will strengthen your application, but it’s not everything. At the end of the day, fair or not, the requirements are the same for all students, and you’ll probably just have to work within uoft’s GPA cut-off.

    Bottom line, just do whatever you can to get your marks up in the next two years, and maybe consider applying to other universities – they’re alright too. I mean, they’re not us. But they’re alright.

    aska

    Read More