• CR/NCR,  dropping courses,  late withdrawal,  probation

    always choose the option with the dog

    December 9, 2016

    Hello Aska!

    I’m extremely frustrated and stressed at how much I’ve taken school for granted, so much that I’m now on academic probation! I’m currently taking 4 courses at UTSG and I know for sure I can not pass this one course. So I’m wondering if it’s possible to drop it before the deadline (Nov 6) without it harming my academic standing.

    Please tell me something good.. otherwise I’m quitting life and taking my dog and we are moving to the mountains and becoming mountain people

    ———————————————

    hello,

    first of all, i realize this answer may no longer be relevant, but i hope in the future you’ll direct your more urgent questions to a registrar! as much as i would like to answer everyone’s questions immediately, some questions do take more time to answer and as a result, it’s hard to answer questions in a timely manner.

    nevertheless, i will answer your question now so future students in your situation can benefit! dropping a course before the drop deadline will not have an effect on your academic standing. yippee! i really hope you actually dropped it.

    if you ever miss the drop deadline, you have the following options, to credit/ no credit (or as some people call it, “see-ar, en-see-ar”), or to late withdraw from the course.

    to credit/ no credit (abbreviated as cr/ncr) the course is an option if you are doing poorly in the course and are not sure if you will pass. if you do pass, you’ll receive credit for the course and no grade. if you don’t pass, you won’t receive the credit. keep in mind, this only applies for courses that you don’t need for your program. you can cr/ncr up to 2.0 FCE’s. cr/ ncr deadlines are usually well into the respective semester and are listed in the ‘sessional dates‘ section of the arts and science website.

    to late withdraw (LWD) from a course is for situations in which you think you’ll fail and if you’ve missed the drop deadline and the cr/ncr deadline. it won’t affect your GPA and your transcript will just say LWD.  you can LWD from up to 3.0 FCE’s. you’ll have to go through a LWD with your registrar and discuss what went wrong to prevent it from happening again. the deadline for late withdrawal is on the last day of classes in each respective semester, meaning dec 7th is the last day to LWD from an F course, and april 5th is the last day to LWD from S and Y courses)

    pro-tip: take a look at all the sessional dates and mark the dates for cr/ncr and LWD on your calendar. you never know when those dates will come in handy!

    registrar’s offices always get students saying, “well i didn’t know when the deadline was!” well, tough.

    moral of the story? keep in touch with your registrar’s office when you have an urgent situation. they’re a great help and don’t usually bite.

    giphy-1

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  petition

    petition-ception

    June 20, 2016

    So basically I filed a petition at the end of my first year to remove a cr/ncr I had in a course, even though I got a terrible grade of 54 in it. The reason I chose to get the cr/ncr removed was because I had taken 3.5 credits with 0.5 as cr/ncr and I needed full 4.0 to apply for the Management program. I knew my cgpa would take a dip, but I was a naive first year who didn’t even know I could apply again at the end of my second year or I wouldn’t have taken this absurd decision. My petition got accepted my cgpa took a dip and I didn’t get into management.

    Now fast forward to the end of my 2nd year even though my cgpa has increased, it still doesn’t meet the cut off, however if that program which I had successfully petitioned to remove the cr/ncr of was still cr/ncr my cgpa would easily meet the cut off. Now my question is if I can successfully somehow petition to explain to the university that at the time I put in my first petition, I was unaware of the fact that I could apply at the end of my 2nd year and if they could reinstate the cr/ncr, as that really is my last hope of getting into the Management program.

    Thanks for your time, and awaiting your response.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    seeing as getting a credit/no-credit reversed is a pretty rare thing, putting back a credit/no-credit which you’ve previously removed probably has an even slimmer chance of happening. now, this assessment is based on my limited experience of petitions relating to CR/NCR’s, which in turn is based out of one college in the faculty of arts & science. the rules are not identical at UTM, and so my assessment may or may not match up to your experience. i can’t seem to find any information that’s relevant to your situation in the literature, so i think we’re on our own here.

    the only way to know for certain what your chances are on your campus is to talk to the UTM office of the registrar. they can tell you whether or not this is advisable.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • courses,  CR/NCR,  subject POST

    you’ll really know your tree-hugging the second time around

    June 6, 2016

    I’m enrolled in architecture and I’m taking the Env222 course. Due to difficulties with that course, I used the CR/NCR option for it. However, I just realized that a minor that I want to pursue in environment and energy has env222 as a requirement.
    So, what should I do to satisfy this program requirement? Am I allowed to repeat env222 next year to enroll in this program again?

    On a side note, can I still enroll in a program next year? Also, can I enroll in three majors if I’m able to manage all the required courses within 20 FCE? Lastly, can EXTRA courses satisfy a program requirement?

    Thank you!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if that’s the only course that can be used to fulfill your program requirement, then you would just have to go to your registrar’s office and ask them to re-enrol you in it as an extra. and yes, extra courses can be used (and indeed, are almost exclusively used) to satisfy program requirements.

    you can enrol in programs pretty much whenever you want (between April and September), excepting after you put through a graduation request – changes have to be made at your registrar’s office after that. just keep in mind that making changes to POSts later may mean that it’ll take you longer to complete your degree; that may or may not be something you’re willing to undertake.

    you cannot enrol in three majors. the maximum number of specialists and majors you are allowed to enrol in is two.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR

    oh wait i’m actually doing well!

    March 18, 2016

    I had one of my courses on CR/NCR because a chunk of my mark was not posted (including the mid-term) before the March 13th drop deadline. The instructor only posted an assignment worth 10% & wasn’t sure I’d do well in the course as the mid-term worth 25% (written on March 7th) was not posted by the deadline. It was eventually posted on march 15h, and I did alright, will I be able to have them switch it over to a general credit with a final mark?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    since the deadline has now passed to make changes to a course’s credit/no-credit status, you wouldn’t be able to switch it back yourself on ACORN. you’re now at the mercy of your college/divisional registrar’s office to make a special exception and reverse the credit/no-credit for you.

    best thing you can do is contact your registrar’s office and book an appointment, and present them with a compelling argument about why they should make an exception for you. they may be able to or they may be forced by university policy to say no, but ultimately they are the people making the call, not me.

    best of luck!

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  grad school

    the lesser of two evils

    March 16, 2016

    hey aska!

    straight up – I took up a 6th course this semester as compensation for only taking 4 courses last term. Said 6th course is really hurting my gpa right now (got a 55/100 on the first test that’s worth 25%). So I’m thinking of either cr/ncr-ing or dropping it. I’m conflicted because

    1) I heard cr/ncr looks bad on paper for grad school and

    2) dropping it would mean only completing 4.5 FCEs this year which also hurts my grad school chances since it’s not a full course load. (ps. I had 2 transfer credits from high school, so I’m not worrying about graduating a semester late.)

    So, between cr/ncr and dropping, which is the lesser of two of two evils?

    much appreciate

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    1. it really depends. if it’s not a course affiliated with your program or the program you’re hoping to go to grad school for, CR/NCR’ing it is’not the end of the world. also, one CR/NCR in a transcript otherwise full of good marks is not going to destroy your chances. however, it all depends on the school/program you’re applying to -how competitive they are may affect their policy on CR/NCR.
    2. again, double-check whether having a full course load is relevant to the program you’re interested in. as far as i know, the only cases in which a full course load is a really big deal are medical school, pharmacy school, nursing school, and possibly similar professional programs in the field of medicine. usually, graduate (as opposed to professional) programs aren’t too concerned about the difference between 4.5 and 5.0 credits in a year.

    the drop deadline has passed now, which is too bad, but at the end of the day, neither credit/no-credit nor a less-than-full course load will completely destroy your chances at getting into graduate school. if one of those options will make you breathe easier, let you focus on your other courses, or otherwise positively impact the rest of your transcript, then that’s the one you should go with. however, both options are valid, as far as i’m concerned.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  grad school

    a smorgasbord, and #7 twice

    November 25, 2015

    Hi,

    I am a 3rd year Arts & Science student who needs some questions answered!

    1.) Is it better to graduate and then come back for a 5th year, or post-pone graduating and do a 5th year?

    2.) Will postgrad schools look at my 4th/5th year grades instead of my 3rd/4th (considering I know that they typically look at our last 10)?

    3.) If I want to re-do a course, that is one of the prerequisites for my postgrad program, do they ONLY look at the better mark? (and is re-taking courses looked down upon?)

    4.) If I have more than one of the prerequisite options for a postgrad program (ex; must have 0.5 credits in X or Y- but I have both), do they just look at the course I received a higher grade or both?

    5.) If I want to CR/NCR a course that is not mandatory for my major/minor, can it still be used to satisfy the x amount of courses I need to successfully complete my major/minor?

    6.) I am NOT a Psych student, and was told that I am unable to do summer school psych courses because of this. Is that true?

    7.) Do summer school courses count towards the last 10 grades that postgrad schools look at?

    7.) Does having a transfer credit look bad?

    Thankyou!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    a good old omnibus question – i love it. as always, let’s not waste any time and get RIGHT TO IT:

    1. it really depends on your situation. if you want to add a subject POSt to your degree, it may be easier to postpone graduating, get that subject POSt on your transcript, and then graduate. however, if you want to take some courses that are a little bit different from what you did in your degree, or just increase your GPA, you may want to graduate and take an extra year as a non-degree student.
    2. depends on the graduate program. typically, they’re looking at your past year or two of study, as opposed to a specific year. however, you should take a look at the requirements for the specific schools/programs you’re interested in, because it varies. the “last ten credits” rule you quotes doesn’t always hold true – sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less, and sometimes there’s a cooky, alternate system of ranking credits that is non-chronological.
    3. retaking a course is never great, but again: whether they will only consider the higher mark or look at the transcript more holistically depends on the school and program.
    4. see #3.
    5. if you want a course to count towards a subject POSt in any capacity, it can’t be credit/no-credit. even if it’s just, “you need 7.0 PHL courses.”
    6. most psychology courses are behind an enrolment control, which means that only certain students (in this case, students in a psych POSt) can access them. once the summer timetable comes out next term, you can take a look and see if any of the courses would be available to you, but in the meantime, the fall/winter timetable should give you a good indication of what the summer one will probably look like.
    7. typically, yes, but if it’s the last summer directly before entering grad school, that gets kind of dicey. again, you have to contact the specific program in question.
    8. not usually.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR

    cr/ncr is STILL HAPPENING, PEOPLE

    May 4, 2015

    Hi there! I CR/NCR a course or two before the deadline but now I’m freaking out and wanting to make sure I actually did it. Is there any where for me to do that? Rosi doesn’t seem to have record of any of my winter semester courses.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you designated a course cr/ncr on the website provided by the faculty of arts & science, and it says the course is in fact cr/ncr, then don’t worry about it. it’s going to take a little bit of time to transfer the information over to ROSI, so not to worry. breathe easy. have an ice cream cone. and thank the strike for the extended deadline.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  UTM

    cr/ncr strike panic (UTM EDITION)

    April 13, 2015

    UTM SUBJECT POST CR/NCR WHY YOU DO DAT???!! So with the recent strike i heard that in order to cr/ncr a course you need to be enrolled in that subject post/program? I am in second year and i plan to enrol in the psy subject post later this year. I already met the first year req. just took a break to figure out if psy was for me. However i am taking one of the courses required 270 even though i am not in the subject post yet. Can i still cr/ncr it.. my gpa will suffer from my not so great grade

    ———————————————

    hi there,

    i think you misunderstood something along the way, amigo. you were able to credit/no-credit ANY S COURSE affected by the strike in the winter semester (including courses that count towards a subject POSt) until april 6th.

    that deadline has already passed, so…i hope you selected it cr/ncr already.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  GPA

    GPACRNCR

    April 2, 2015

    Hi! I have 3 questions.

    If you change your subject post, does your GPA get recalculated? For example, let’s say I am doing a double major in C.S. and Math., and change it to a double major in C.S. and Media. Will my GPA get recalculated since some of the grades in courses taken no longer apply to the new subject post?

    If you take a course that is not part of your subject post, will it count for anything or is it just an extra course/exclusion? Like back to the first example, if I am currently double majoring in C.S. and Math., and decide to take a media course (not breadth nor elective; just for fun) . If I do good in this course, does it do anything to my GPA? And if I switch my subject post like before to C.S. and Media, will this course now count towards my GPA?

    Lastly, what happens if somehow you have CR/NCR on a course you need for a subject post?

    Thank you!!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, we all know the BEST THINGS IN LIFE come in threes. so let’s get started!

    1) GPA doesn’t work based on programs. your CGPA is your cumulative GPA from all courses you’ve taken at uoft. your AGPA is your annual GPA, which is the average GPA of all the courses you took that year. neither will change if you change your program.

    2) if you take a course, it will affect your GPA, regardless of whether it counts as a program requirement, breadth requirement, or neither of those.

    3) this one’s a bit tricky: normally, you should not credit/non-credit any course that is a program requirement. if you somehow managed to do that, you should head over to your registrar’s office right away to get that sorted out.

    HOWEVER, just this semester, the faculty of arts & science has made a few changes due to the strike. for Y and S courses THIS YEAR ONLY, you’re able to credit/non-credit courses ANY course, even a course that’s a program requirement. and you can do it right here.

    pretty exciting, right? just don’t abuse this power.

    all the best,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR

    more strike chat

    March 31, 2015

    Hihi,

    First of all I’d like to give a big thanks for all the help you give our little community. We’d be so lost without you. You da bomb, aska! <33

    I had a query about everyone’s favourite labour dispute. Do you have any idea of when, exactly, we’ll be able to designate credit/no-credit to specific courses at the end of term? I saw your response to a relevant question saying that a webpage would be released allowing us to do so, but I wasn’t sure what the solid dates were as to when this webpage would come up and how soon that would be from when final grades are posted. Early May?

    If I understand it correctly, whatever courses we have designated as CR/NCR will be reversed/turned back to normal by the university, so the final grades will have the usual effect on our CGPA. But since we will have the option to CR/NCR even after the final grades are posted, when will CGPA be calculated? I hope it’s only AFTER we’ve decided whether or not to credit/no-credit, and not before!

    Thanks!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    ding dong, the strike is over. and that means that everything is back to normal – except not really.

    the CR/NCR rule still stands, for anyone who’s wondering. you still have until may 20th to designate something credit/no-credit or to reverse a credit/no-credit designation for any S or Y course – program requirement or no, affected by the strike or not. there is a website in the works where students would be able to do all that themselves, but it just hasn’t been released yet.

    i don’t know exactly when the website will be up, but it’ll definitely be sooner than may. the FAQ hinted that the link would be released in the March 30th update (“Details on the process will be posted on this page shortly and an email will be sent to Arts & Science students the evening of March 30 with further instructions“). since they weren’t released in that update, i’m guessing they’re a little bit behind, but it’s highly unlikely they’re behind by a month.

    and yes, CGPA will be calculated after that may 20th deadline. things will be pushed back a little because of that, but hey, it could’ve been a lot worse.

    and hey, thanks for the nice words. you’re also the bomb.com.org.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR

    strike that credit/non-credit!

    March 26, 2015

    If you already CR/NCRed a year-long course before the strike, will it be influenced by the new policy (ie can I use it for program requirements and do I still have 2.0 courses to CR/NCR)?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    OK, IMPORTANT STRIKE UPDATE STUFF BELOW. READ CAREFULLY AND STOP BUGGING YOUR REGISTRAR’S OFFICE ABOUT IT K LOVE YOU FAM.

    basically, what the university will be doing is real easing a web page that will allow students to request credit/non-credit themselves, or reverse any previous cr/ncr designations they made have made earlier. this applies to any S or Y courses, regardless of whether they were affected by the strike. that means that even people who’ve already selected a course as credit/non-credit this semester will have a chance to see their final mark in all their classes before making a final decision about whether they’d really like to CR/NCR the course.

    and yes, these CR/NCRs will count for your program requirements, and won’t count as part of the maximum 2.0 courses you’re officially allowed to credit/non-credit.

    you can find all this info on the faculty of arts & science website here.

    good luck y’all, and try not to burst a blood vessel from this strike business, alright?

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  late withdrawal

    CR/NCR, LWD, or just lie down and cry

    March 10, 2015

    Hi, right now I’m considering doing a course as CR/NCR and I’m in my 3rd year . I’m aware that my graduate school program of choice (sciences) looks at both your third year and fourth year marks. If I drop this course, I will have 1 course short of full course load, so I was wondering if having a Cr/NCR course on the tran script would be a bad idea, and if I should just drop it. This course is also a science course. Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the first thing you need to do is figure out if the graduate schools you’re looking at care if you’ve maintained a full course load in your third and fourth years. most grad schools don’t, though i know medical school is a real stickler about it.

    a CR/NCR is generally preferable to an LWD, since 1) you actually have a chance of getting the credit and 2) LWDs will usually impact any grad school application negatively. CR/NCR – not so much (as long as you pass the course, i mean).

    if you don’t think you’re gonna pass the course, an LWD might be a better idea. if you’re feeling really torn about it, a chat with your registrar’s office is never a bad idea.

    or you can just do what i do: don’t drop any of your courses, don’t sleep, cry, and get behind on your work in every class! whoo! trust me, it’s proven to work.

    good luck with whatever you decide,

    aska

    P.S. i know that some registrar’s offices are being a bit more lax about the CR/NCR deadline because of the strike, but if you do decide to CR/NCR it, i’d still recommend hightailing it to your registrar asap – just in case.

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  • CR/NCR

    debit or credit/no credit?

    February 12, 2015

    Hey, I’ve been wondering; I’m taking a class that isn’t a requirement for my major, but it is a prerequisite for a class I want to take next year. Am I able to credit/no credit this course if it is necessary?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    rule of thumb is this: if the course is only a prerequisite, as in, you just need to have the credit to take the next course, then you should be fine credit/no crediting it. just make sure you do actually pass the course and get the credit – otherwise you may be in a bit of a pickle.

    HOWEVER if you need to get a certain mark in this course to take the next course (e.g. you need at least a 90% in MAT139Y1 to take MAT237Y1) DO NOT credit/no credit it. if you do, the department will have no way of knowing whether you actually got a good enough mark to take the next class.

    if the course calendar confuses you in any way about this, you can always contact the department that administers the course and ask for clarification.

    truly yours,

    aska

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