• UTSC,  wait list

    wait(list), is this play about me?

    July 14, 2023

    Hi I got waitlisted for a D-level Bio course that I really need to graduate. I’m number 14, and the class has a size of 40 should I wait until September to get in or should I just pick another course? Also, ACORN won’t let me waitlist an extra course because I have added 2.5 credits for each. So I would have to get off the waitlisted course (that I really want) to get into another. What do I do? Thanks!

    hey there,

    wait, is this, cour — is this about — *sniffles* course enrolment? *nose dives into nearby pillow. lets out a gutteral, earth-shattering scream* *after a few moments of silence, looks up, unbothered* i am not currently absolutely losing my mind over course enrolment waitlists.

    homer simpson falling GIF

    anyways, the general guideline is that about 10% of people will drop the course. in a class of 40, you would want to be 4th in line. so being number 14 means its pretty unlikely that you’ll get in. not impossible, but the waitlist does end on september 13th. it also depends on how high the course’s drop rate is, as this differs.

    what you should do depends entirely on how desperately you need this course. i don’t know what year you’re in or how close you are to graduation, so i’m running on assumptions here.

    Explain Premier League GIF by Liverpool FC

    here is some advice if you’re in 4th year and really need this course because it might push back your grad. i’m assuming you’re not, because of the absence of desperation and urgency in your question, but eh, just in case. first, don’t drop the course. go to your registrar for help. i know that st. george students are able to get into mandatory courses they need to graduate, so maybe there’s something similar at utm?

    if you are not in 4th year and still have time left to take the course another year, you could still wait to drop it — while you might not be able to enrol in another course right now, by august 3 you’ll be able to add 3.0 credits on acorn.

    this also depends on if the other course you want is filling up fast. if it’s not filling up fast, i would say wait until august 3, and don’t drop the bio course. but if it is filling up, then decide based on how badly you actually need this bio course. i can’t tell you exactly what to do because i don’t have the full picture here, but i hope this was helpful and you can make a good decision based off this info. sending good luck and good vibes!

    over and out,

    aska

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  • biology,  wait list

    “english or biology?” is like saying “lotion or paint?”

    May 10, 2023

    Hi aska, its me again (UTSC transfer) and I was also considering the Conservation EEB to take with PoliSci, but the only summer course offered is BIO120 first subsession (emailed bio120 office and they said I could take it even without gr 12 bio), what are my chances of getting past the waitlist? EEB125 is also only offered in the fall, do you think I could catch up and still graduate in 4 years or should I just go with English as my second major? Tysm

    hi bestie,

    i see you’re back.

    aaahh real monsters nicksplat GIF

    for your own sake, i don’t think it makes sense to settle for English if it’s not your first choice—English and Conservation Biology are very different majors (as if you don’t already know that). and, as i said before, catching up from an 80% course load in first year is very doable. while some of your EEB courses aren’t offered in the summer, there are so many course options to earn credits from. taking EEB125 in the fall is perfectly fine, as lots of people take their program’s first year courses after first year.

    in terms of BIO120, the general rule of thumb about waitlists is that about 10% of people will drop the course (not to mention the people who will drop from the waitlist). from a quick check of the artsci timetable, i can see that BIO120 has 189 spots this summer, so as long as you’re in the top 19-ish of the waitlist, you’ll most likely get in. so no need to worry, you’ll be fine. after all, this isn’t ticketmaster or the eras tour we’re dealing with here.

    Eric Andre GIF

    i hope this is helpful, sending encouragement and good vibes!

    over and out,

    aska

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  • current student,  wait list

    yes, you can be keen even on the waitlist… (jk this question is p valid)

    September 6, 2022

    Hi! I have a question about protocol re. a waitlisted course. I’m an incoming first year, and have been waitlisted for a course. It has a very high drop rate from what I’ve heard, so I’m fairly sure I’ll get in eventually, but probably not immediately. It’s supposed to be difficult and fast moving, so I’m somewhat concerned about playing catch-up. Am I permitted to attend the lectures in the meantime? What should I do about assignments?

    hello young one,

    unfortunately if you’re waitlisted, you won’t get access to the course quercus page, assignments, or online lectures (if any). but if the lectures are taking place in person and are fairly large, nothing’s really stopping you from sitting in. from my experience, most first year lectures are too large for profs to take attendance or notice a few extra students lurking around, and unless things have changed drastically in covid, it’s not like there’ll be bouncers out front trying to check if you’re actually in the course or not.

    Homer Simpson Hiding GIFfrom Homer Simpson GIFs

    you will probably miss a few practicals/tutorial sessions though, if your course has those, and some assignments. usually, you can get in contact with the course coordinator to ask if assignments from before you joined the course could be dropped or replaced with other assignments. some courses also allow you to drop a certain number of assignments without penalty.

    something that could really help is to get your hands on the course syllabus — try to see if you can find a copy floating around on the internet, or make some friends in the course and ask them for some of that insider info — that’ll give you a better idea of the course policies on assignments, topics covered, textbooks and other things you might have missed out on. if in doubt, definitely communicate with the course coordinator and see if you could work something out. btw, your registrar could also help out if you’re having any trouble negotiating things with your prof!

    best of luck!

    aska

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  • courses,  current student,  forensic science,  wait list

    more waitlist woes…

    August 15, 2022

    If there is a waitlist of 40+ people for an fsc course, do you think it’ll be offered in summer? Its fsc316 and it was only offered once in summer in 2021. FSC minors need it too but they only offer a few spots and the majors and specialists take those:(

    hey there,

    first of all, that’s a friggin cool program! although i must admit i had to look up fsc to realize that it wasn’t french (fsl) but actually FORENSIC SCIENCE  like woah.

    to be honest, i don’t really know, but since this course hasn’t really been offered in previous summers, i wouldn’t bank on it happening this year. i mean sure, it might, but that probably depends on a lot of different factors, and just because a course has a long waitlist doesn’t mean they’ll offer more sessions of it.

    No Workaholics GIFfrom No GIFs

    i did do some digging into the fsc minor though, and according to the utm academic calendar, it seems that fsc316 isn’t actually required. i don’t wanna be that guy going ‘ok but do you need that course’, but you might wanna take another look at what exactly is required for your program, in case you could take a different course instead? for example, the utm calendar lists fsc316 as part of list of a bunch of courses, and out of those, you’re supposed to take 0.5 FCEs — so any other half year course on there should do!

    however, if you’ve now developed an emotional attachment to getting into this course — i understand.

    I Need It GIFfrom Dallas Buyers Club GIFs

    assuming you’re in third year right now, so one possible strat is to try getting into the course in your fourth year, since you’ll have higher priority in course selections. that could get tricky though if the course has other types of priority enrolment for specialists/majors etc, so if you’re hoping to go down this route, i’d recommend emailing your department or the course instructor to ask about their process for this. another potential issue is that this may throw a wrench in some of your fourth year course plans, if fsc316 is a prereq for anything else you’re interested in.

    if you do end up really needing the course, i’d also recommend asking your registrar for tips. for example, 4th year arts and science students at utsg get a special lil dean’s promise that we can invoke to get into mandatory courses that are required to graduate, and although i’m not sure if utm has a similar thing, it doesn’t hurt to ask around and see if there’s anything else you could do.

    best of luck!

    aska

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  • current student,  wait list

    waitlist woes

    June 22, 2022

    Hi, I’m fifth on a waitlist for a class of 25 people and I was wondering if I’ll have a chance of getting in since there are three weeks left before waitlists are over. I just need some encouragement:(

    hey there,

    i’m sure you’ve heard of that handy rule of thumb where if your spot on the waitlist is within 10% of the class size you’ll probably get in. unfortunately your spot is more like 20% of the class size so it’s kind of hard to tell. it’s not impossible, of course — you’d just need 5 people to drop the class or leave the waitlist which could totally happen from now till july 6th, but it really depends.

    Golden Girls Shrug Shoulders GIFfrom Golden Girls GIFs

    people might also drop the course after the waitlist closes. since the last day to enrol in a summer S session course is july 10th, if you’re dropped from the waitlist but still really want to get in the course you might need to obsessively check acorn for a few days in case something opens up. (a pain… i know. but just so you’re prepared)

    sorry i can’t give you a straight answer but i can send encouragement so there you go. it’s possible! believe in yourself! don’t lose hope!!!!! and if you don’t get in, there’s always next sem, hopefully.

    Motivation Penguin GIFfrom Motivation GIFs

    good luck!

    aska

    p.s. to anyone planning to drop a course, this is a psa to do it asap for your fellow students :’)

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  • wait list

    a little patience

    August 18, 2021

    Hi! I’d like to ask a question about waitlist. I am currently waitlisted on two MAT133Y5 classes, one is at #10 out of 150 class size and the other class is at #37. I kinda of prefer the latter since the teacher seems to have a better rating. But I’m not sure if I should give up my #10 spot just in case I can’t get in the latter class. But I’m also afriad that once I reach #1, I’ll automatically lose the spot for the favorable professor since I’ll be enrolled in a class already. Should I wait?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    thank you for waiting for this answer!

    the general rule of thumb for waitlists is that, if you’re in the top 10% of the waitlist, you have a good chance of getting into the class. in other words, for a class of 150, you’d want to be somewhere from 1-15 on the waitlist.

    this is a bit of a tough case here, in the sense that you’re deciding between two different waitlists. all i’ll say about that is, for me, it’s typically a red flag for a class if a waitlist moves too quickly — once, i got into a class of 30 after being 7th on the waitlist, and the professor ended up being really difficult. so if you end up getting into a class of 150 after being 37th on the waitlist, that may actually not be a good thing.

    so, personally, i’d stick with the class in which you’re #10. but you’ll need to weigh the factors you’re looking at and see how you feel about the situation. i don’t feel comfortable definitively telling you what to do, since this decision may have a significant impact on your experience of the semester.

    i hope that my explanation makes sense, and i trust that you’ll make the best decision for yourself!

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • enrollment,  enrolment,  wait list

    i have tons of uoft related headaches :(

    July 28, 2020

    Hello! i absolutely love what you do here, it’s so helpful and has stopped more than a few of my uoft related headaches haha. I’m a first year and I got into all of my courses except for CLA160H (in person). There’s 33 people in the class and thankfully I’m the 1st on the waitlist. The online-synchronous CLA160H still has a lot of room so should I wait it out on the waitlist? Are my chances good? Or would it be wise to just enroll in the online class? thanks so much, have a great day!!

    ——————————————

    hey there!

    if you’re first on the waitlist, i’d say that your chances are probably good. the rule of thumb is generally that if you’re in the top 10 percent of a waitlist (in this case, if you are number 1, 2, or 3) the waitlist will move quickly enough for you to make it into the class. if you’re really set on the in-person section, i would say that it’s probably worth staying on the waitlist.

    now, a bit of a disclaimer: i have no clue how the hybrid model is gonna be affecting this rule of thumb, given that one of either online or in-person classes may be more in demand. plus, people’s plans are likely a little more unstable this year than they have been other years, which may affect waitlist movement as well. all this uncertainty is not my vibe.

    but the rule of thumb is what we know, and what we go by. i’m sure people will still be dropping classes/switching courses around. just keep an eye on the waitlist. you might even get off the waitlist soon, if you’re lucky— i’m already off one of mine, and i was in the top 10 percent.

    i hope this helped and that the rest of your course enrolment went well!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • wait list

    let the games begin

    January 16, 2020

    i saw others were asking you about waitlists now so I just wanted to drop my question in too! When does the waitlist usually close? I know its today but the calendar just says end of the day so should I be ready with sword in hand at 11:59 PM? Also, it’s my first time actually being on one this late in the game so if you’ve got any tips and tricks (or occult rituals, I’m not judgy) to nab an open spot I’d appreciate it!

    ——————————————  

    hey there,

    i’ve been told that the waitlist closes tonight at 11:59, yes! if you’re not ready with sword in hand, i don’t know what to tell you. i hope you know i’ll be real disappointed.

    haha just kidding i don’t think jumping on it at midnight will necessarily be the make or break factor. it’s basically down to whether you’re the first person who wants in to reload ACORN if someone drops between tonight and the 19th.

    i’m not an occult expert, although wouldn’t that be cool? i’ve sat in a chapters in front of the wicca (?) section and cracked the books on auras and crystals open, but can’t say i learned anything substantial. the only tip/trick i have for ya is to just check as often as you can without going mad. it’s a game of luck. i hope for your sake you have good odds.

    wow. geez. that was too much of a throwback for me. i’m out.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • breadth requirements,  first year,  religion,  wait list

    oh the agony of being waitlisted

    January 14, 2020

    hi! i’m a 1st year and i want to fulfill br 2 this sem. i want to take rlg101 but i’m 15th in a class of 250. do you think i have a chance of getting in anytime soon or should i just go with my 2nd choice (rlg 235 – also does anyone know anything about this course? would you recommend it based on workload/evals/etc?)?

    —————————————— 

    hey there,

    the general rule for waitlists is that if you’re in the top 10% of the waitlist, you have a good chance of getting in. what that means is that as long as you’re in the top 25 of a waitlist for a class of 250 (as you are) you’ll probably be fine.

    i would note that this depends on when you joined the waitlist, as well. i don’t really know how this rule works (it’s just been repeated to me by so many people that i’m assuming it’s legit) but it would make sense that if you join a waitlist relatively late in the game, perhaps the top 10% will already have moved? if you’ve been on it for a while, you’ve got a higher chance of moving up, i think. because i don’t know much about your situation, i don’t know what to recommend you do– maybe just decide based on what i’ve told you, or book an appointment with your registrar if you really need help making the decision?

    unfortunately, i’ve asked around and came up with nothing on rlg235. you can try messaging the religion undergraduate students’ association on facebook, because i figure if anyone knows anything, your best bet is someone there. there’s nothing on ratemyprof for the prof, either. sorry i can’t be of more help, but i do think you should try reaching out to the rsa!

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • wait list

    shh. not a calculator

    December 21, 2019

    Hi, I’m currently number 16 on a waitlist for a Class that has 80 spots. I know about the top 10% rule, but right now Im in the top 20%. What are my chances?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    honestly… it’s really hard for me to say what your chances are. if there were a formula for calculating this, i could plug and chug it, but unfortunately there isn’t. even with the top 10% thing, that’s just a guideline– waitlists move differently, and personally i still get a lil nervous when i’m in the top 5%. there’s never any guarantee– sometimes the waitlist won’t budge, which i wanna say is especially true for required courses with very limited space. and sometimes it’ll blow through. but there’s no general rule.

    but if you really wanna know, i don’t feel too great about your chances in the top 20% of the waitlist. personally, if it were me and i didn’t really need to take it this semester, i would take it another sem, or find an alternative. that’s just me. obviously it’s totally up to you what you choose to do.

    if for some reason you absolutely need to take this course, check out this life @ u of t blog post on the dean’s promise, and see if you qualify. that’s the only loophole i’m aware of, and i figured i’d give you the heads up just in case.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • wait list

    tHe NeeD to TaKe 5 CoUrSeS iS a SoCiaL cOnStruCt

    September 9, 2019

    hi! In what situations would a department let you into a class after the waitlist drops? I’ve 3 courses waitlisted and I probably won’t get into 2 of them. These are possible courses I can take to fulfill a requirement. I am in/will be taking another course that will fulfill this requirement. Would they let me in these courses if I don’t get in after waitlist drops? Also, kinda freaking out cause I want/need to take 5 courses this fall

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    i’m not aware of any situations in which you’d be ‘let in,’ per se, after the waitlist drops. however, i have heard of a kind of loophole, which is this: there’s a gap in time between the day the waitlist closes and the last day to add a course. this year, the fall waitlist closes september the 13th, but the last day to add is the 18th. in between these days, there’s a sort of free-for-all: if someone decides they’d like to drop a course, a spot will open up on ACORN for anyone to snatch up. so you can give that a try. it’s not a reliable solution by any means, but it is a chance.

    i’m not sure how else i can help you, given that i don’t know anything about the nature of the requirements. do you mean prerequisites? graduation requirements? program requirements? usually, if it’s the type of program requirement that gives you flexibility (eg. pick two courses from list a and one from list b) you almost definitely will not be snuck off the waitlist for your preferred class in that group. they’ll just tell you to take another class, even if it’s one you don’t really wanna take.

    if they’re super pressing requirements, you can always try begging the department to let you in, i guess. if that one course would keep you from graduating on time or something, maybe they’d make an exception.

    in terms of your chances of getting off the waitlist the normal way, what i usually tell people is this general rule: if you’re in the top 10 percent, chances are the waitlist will move. people will drop out, move out of the country, bleach their hair off and decide they can’t show their faces at school for a sem… you name it. or just decide they wanna dip. hey, whatever the reason is, it might give you what you want.

    in the future, i’d suggest that you don’t put yourself on quite so many waitlists. stressy situations like these are best avoided, especially if you’re not optimistic you can get off those waitlists. i dunno. 3 seems like a pretty big risk to me. best of luck with it all. feel free to drop by your registrar for more specific advice, if ya want, but hopefully this helped.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions,  engineering,  wait list

    still wait-eng

    June 11, 2019

    Hi, I am on the waitlist for engineering at UofT, I was wondering of I could get an offer in late August (if enough people decline their offer). Thanks!

    ——————————————

    hey friend,

    according to the lovely engineering admissions office, august would be pretty late for an offer as typically programs are all filled up by then. they aren’t able to give a specific date/time frame as to when the latest offers are sent out, as they’re continually sent until programs are filled. so unfortunately i can’t give you any specifics.

    the only time offers might still be moving around in late august is for postsecondary transfer students undergoing transfer credit assessment, apparently. if you’re applying straight out of high school, seems like odds are low you’d be getting an offer that late in the summer. wouldn’t give you much time to plan, either, especially if you’re from out of town and will have to worry about housing. if you’d be a commuter not so much.

    hope this helped and sorry to be the bearer of non-ideal news. fingers crossed for you that an offer of admission comes sooner, but it may be best to start fleshing out backup plans and alternate routes in case that offer doesn’t come thru.

    over n out,

    aska

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