• graduation,  odds are that won't be asked again

    defy gravity! defy it with drones.

    Hi Aska,

    This may seem out of bounds from the usual questions you receive but do you know every graduation hood colour for each faculty? I feel like there isn’t a website that has a comprehensive list, and if you do a Google search online, you can only guess a few if they explicitly write that this colour matches a certain faculty. I’m just curious to know if this is a thing…

    Thanks!


    hey there,

    uhhhh.

    a comprehensive list of every graduation hood color for every faculty at u of t?

    i don’t think there is one, but there is this tiktok video that shows all the hood colors at utm.

    Celebrating Happy Birthday GIF by Laff

    because as the people are saying, tiktok is the new google. (i can’t tell if i’m joking). but if you are on a tiktok cleanse like i am, here is a summary of what this video shows. keep in mind that the content is specific to utm!

    bachelors:

    • black/white – bachelor of science, bachelor of arts
    • orange/white – bachelor of business administration
    • black/orange/white – bachelor of commerce

    doctoral:

    • dark blue/scarlet – doctoral (medical)
    • scarlet/white – doctoral (graduate)

    masters:

    • black/cerise – master of arts
    • black/maroon – master of applied science
    • black/orange/grey – master in biotechnology
    • black/white/orange – master of forensic accounting
    • black/orange/white – master of management & professional accounting
    • black/white/royal blue/orange – master of management of innovation
    • black/grey/cerise – master of science
    • black/dark blue/dark grey – master of science of biomedical communication
    • black/grey/orange/biosphere blue – master of science in sustainability management
    • black/dark brown/ivory – master of urban innovation
    • black/blue/kelly-green/grey – master of science in occupational therapy
    • black/slate grey/corn yellow – master of science in planning

    learning that all these degrees exist was not on today’s bingo card but here we are, i guess. i think the biosphere blue color name goes hard, but who chose corn yellow?

    Reality TV gif. Kourtney Kardashian sits on a couch. She has a blank expression on her face as she sticks her tongue out and says, “Ugh.”

    anyways, a couple more tips if you want to start your detective career today. gaspard is the company that manages the rentals of grad gowns and they have a list of hoods online, but they don’t actually tell you the colors. so that’s a dead end. but, there’s a comprehensive list of all the faculties at u of t, which gets you a step closer.

    then all you’ll have to do is match that list up to colors! set up one of those crazy bulletin boards with the red string. make sure your hair is messy, there’s a close-up shot of you sweating while writing frantically, and there’s a pile of dirty coffee mugs in the corner. attend every single u of t graduation across all three campuses to see the hood colors for yourself. if you really wanna get crazy, set up secret cameras to attend them for you and watch them all on 30 different monitors set up on the wall. don’t let the world stop you, if you want a list, make it yourself! as u of t says, defy gravity! defy it with drones. secret spy drones.*

    Season 3 Episode 21 GIF by Martin

    but if you really wanted to find out for whatever reason, the office of convocation may have an internal list, but you would have to make an in-person appointment to ask.

    over and out,

    aska

    *for legal reasons this is a joke

  • odds are that won't be asked again

    no one gets rest here. this school lacks a BEd

    Hi there! Do you happen to know any information on education, specifically teaching internationally? I’m currently going into second year, so I only just enrolled in a double major for English and BMS, but now I’m wondering if I need to pursue an education degree to teach internationally. I’m aware that U of T doesn’t really have an “Education major,” just the education and society minor. How exactly would I become qualified to teach internationally then? Maybe I don’t need an education degree in my undergrad? Maybe I need to go to grad school for it instead? I’m very confused, and I’ve tried to do a ton of research online and in reddit but I decided to reach out to you because I was still confused 🙁 I hope you can help! Thanks so much 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey,

    unfortunately i don’t feel all that qualified to answer this! i did a bit of research, but like you mentioned, it is a bit difficult to figure out. i was only to find stuff on websites that i don’t recognize, and that kind of info can be a bit hard to trust sometimes.

    this webpage indicates that qualifications will vary depending on where and what you want to teach, which makes sense. it seems like the standard is to have a bachelor’s of education degree, though. if you’re looking for that at u of t, your confusion is understandable.

    as far as i know, you are correct that the education and society minor is pretty much it for u of t education programs at the undergrad level. i believe other schools, like the university of alberta and the university of british columbia, offer bachelor’s of education programs. u of t does not. if you’d like a bachelor’s of education, you may need to transfer to another school. if you’re interested in doing a graduate degree in education at u of t, you may want to look into OISE’s master of education program.

    i’m not sure what type of international teaching you’re hoping to do, but if you were hoping to teach english classes abroad, you might want to look into getting a “teaching english as a foreign language” certificate.

    apart from that — sorry, bud. i don’t really know.

    in terms of how to move forward, you can try reaching out to your registrar’s office. i’m not sure if the academic advisors will necessarily be specialists on how to become an internationally accredited educator, but they may know the right directions to point you in for more information.

    i wish i could be more helpful! best of luck.

    be Boundless,

    aska

  • odds are that won't be asked again

    psychology! but also, acting!

    Hi there. I am not a student at University of Toronto, but I am seriously considering applying to join this institution to study psychology. With this, I also have a passion for acting. My question is, since it takes quite a while to become a psychologist, I was wondering if I would be able to receive my diploma of acting while becoming a psychologist which would therefore save me around a year of a half. Thank you, I truly appreciate this, you are helping me a lot.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    thanks for waiting for this answer!

    to be honest, i’ve been quite stumped by your question because i’m not sure exactly what you’re asking. i believe you can double major in drama and psychology at u of t, if that’s what you’re asking, and you would be able to finish that double major in four years if you plan everything out well.

    if you’re referring to getting a diploma in acting at another school while working towards a u of t psychology degree, you might consider studying as a part-time student. we do love part-time students around here — the association of part-time students (APUS) has the cutest lounge in the sidney smith building, with subsidized printing and free coffee or tea.

    i will note that, if you are interested in practicing as a psychologist, you would need a master’s or doctorate, so that might be good to keep in mind as you plan for the future. if you’re just interested in graduating with a psychology degree, that path will be much simpler.

    if this doesn’t answer your question or if you’re still confused, i would suggest getting in touch with admissions. their contact info is here. it may be easier for you to iron out the details of your plans over a phone call!

    be Boundless,

    aska

  • odds are that won't be asked again,  subject POST

    a pickle

    Hello! I hope you can shed insight on my situation 🙁 I’m in my final yr and confirmed my intent to graduate. Long story short, had a bad yr and got academic susp. Got back & my last yr I got +75s in all courses. This last fall sem I got 3.7gpa in 6 courses. The scary thing is even if I get 3.7 in my last 6 winter courses, I will be at 1.96, not enough to get into the bio major. I’m currently in psych major but i spent 4 yrs finishing bio. Its too late to start a new major/minor. What do I do?:(

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    this is a rough situation to be in! you weren’t super clear about this, but i’m guessing that you probably took all the requirements for a biology POSt without having been admitted, in hopes that you could be admitted later on.

    i think the best course of action for you is honestly to get in touch with your registrar’s office if you haven’t already and book an appointment with an academic advisor. it’s really hard for me to tell you what you should do without information about your academic history—i don’t fully know what your options might be! but your registrar’s office will have access to all that necessary information, and might know about more options than i do. i’m just a fellow student, after all. plus, it’s hard for me to make a recommendation this significant without being able to chat with you and find out more about what your interests and priorities are!

    it’s really cool that you were able to bounce back from your rough year, though. much respect to you, and good luck with this. i’m rooting for you.

    be Boundless,

    aska

  • odds are that won't be asked again

    i had to google ‘MBP’

    hello. I just wanted to know how can I attend to MBP students seminars while I’m not a student at UofT?

    ——————————————
    this is the first i’m hearing of these seminars, so i’m not 100% sure if that’s possible. i managed to find a calendar of MBP student seminars here, and it looks like when you click on a specific event, a contact email is listed on the page. i’d try emailing that person, explaining your interest, and asking whether you can be admitted to the zoom call where the seminar is taking place even if you’re not a student! maybe you’ll get lucky and they’ll let you in.
    happy new year and thanks so much for your wait with this answer.
    be Boundless,
    aska
  • odds are that won't be asked again,  subject POST

    this week has felt like two years hbu

    Hello there, I’m in a tricky situation that’s kinda rare. Couldn’t find any cases to reference to, so here I am. Long story short, Low CGPA, have 6 credits left to complete. But got removed from the program, since I didn’t meet the cut off. Went to the chair of the department, nothing useful came back. So should I switch a program to start fresh? Took me 3 years already in the school but it seems nothin’s worth it. Any suggestions would be great. Thank you.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    happy october! hope you’re doing all right in this extremely chaotic world. i’ve been doomscrolling my way through the week and watching too much CNN. if ya know what i mean.

    it makes sense that, as you said, your situation is quite rare — i’m not really aware of any programs that require you to keep a certain CGPA, if that’s what you mean by “didn’t make the cutoff.” so, should you switch programs and start anew? it’s always difficult for me to provide clear answers to these kinds of questions. here are some factors i think you should weigh:

    1. is there a program similar to the one you were removed from? something you’d be able to use your current credits towards so that you wouldn’t have to necessarily start from scratch? for example, i had a friend switch from international relations to disapora and transnational studies in her third year— apparently there were enough similarities between the two that she was able to do so without too much inconvenience.
    2. is there a program that really gets you goin’? something that you’re intensely curious about, can see fitting into your interests well, or will help move you towards your goals? i know a few people who picked programs they weren’t into, just ’cause they thought they should, and it made their degree extremely difficult to complete. picking a program you care about will make finishing your degree feel doable.
    3. do you have the resources, stamina, and time to add a year or two to your degree? if you switch to a completely different program, it’s likely that you’ll need to take quite a few more credits before your degree is complete. is that a sacrifice you’re willing and able to make?

    if you answered yes to any of the above, it’s probably worth it for you to consider switching programs.

    i think it’s also worth considering what your alternatives are. were you doing a double major in two different programs, or perhaps a major and two minors? is it an option for you to take another program you’re already enrolled in and specialize in it instead? or maybe you were already a specialist and that’s why you feel like you’ve been backed into a corner. i dunno. this is a lot of guesswork,,, honestly, you might benefit from an appointment with your friendly local registrar’s office. personally, i find that it’s really helpful to talk things over with an academic advisor who has access to things like my academic record. you might benefit from the kind of advice an advisor can dispense.

    anyway, just to sling a lil encouragement your way (cause god knows we could all use some right now): i know school is tough and seems pointless sometimes. you weren’t explicit about what other options you were considering, but my sense is that you’re feeling lost and are maybe even thinking about giving up. and you know what, if this isn’t the right time and place for you to be pursuing a degree, then that’s all right! but if you want to stick around and are just discouraged, i do think that you can find a path to finishing your degree that makes sense to you. talk things through with people, if that’s something that helps you. make pro-con lists. explore your options. whatever you ultimately decide, i trust that you know what’s best for yourself. as one of my friends likes to say, this problem will have its place. things will turn out all right.

    be Boundless,

    aska

  • email,  odds are that won't be asked again

    askanI.T.

    Hellooo, how do I add my utoronto email to Apple’s Mail app? I read the FAQ on the u of t library site but I can’t find my configuration number.

    ——————————————

    hi!

    do i look like I.T. to you? yes, i literally live in front of my computer and yes, i do seem like an omnipotent all-knowing/ all-seeing tech god, but i am NOT I.T.! sorry for getting so heated, maybe it’s that #millenial thing of being treated as tech support by my older family members that has made me bitter towards anyone who asks for tech help from me. but i shouldn’t have taken it out on you, and i apologize for that.

    awkward schitts creek GIF by CBC

    SO! you wanna put your utoronto email onto your phone. that’s a good idea, tbh, so you won’t miss any announcements from profs or u of t in general.

    i’m not sure what FAQ you were looking at, but this page that i found from the info commons help desk provides a step-by-step guide to adding the u of t email service to your ios device– without the “configuration number” whatever that is. that should work, but i know that the u of t email service sometimes just…. doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do. if it doesn’t work, you could talk to the people at the info commons help desk. they’re located on the first floor of robarts library.

    another thing that you could do, though this wouldn’t get your utoronto email to the mail app, is to download the outlook app. since the utoronto email is run through microsoft outlook, you could sign in through outlook directly. i personally don’t do this (i have my utoronto email linked to the mail app), but it’s definitely a possibility. i know a lot of people who do this because they find apple’s mail app ugly or less intuitive or whatever. it’s all about your preference.

    confused adam devine GIF by Apartment Guide

    i hope this helps. good luck!

    xoxo,

    aska

  • odds are that won't be asked again

    royal dog seeks equally royal walk

    Hi Aska,

    I’m an incoming freshman at UofT and I was wondering whether there are any
    places on campus which are good for me to take my dog on walks. Her name is
    Charlotte and I like to use a stroller while walking with her so that she
    doesn’t get her fur dirty.

    Please respond, Charlotte and I are waiting

    Yours sincerely,

    The Queen of Queen’s Park

    ———————————————

    hi!

    so nice to see a queen and her dog pursuing higher education!

    there are tons of green spaces and nice parks on and around campus. you know of queen’s park, seeing as you are the queen of queen’s park. there’s also philosopher’s walk, the UC quad, the trinity quad, the woodsworth quad, the innis green, and the victoria quad. all really nice places to take a dog for a walk or to throw around a frisbee.

    hope this helps, your majesty!

    xoxo,

    aska

  • admissions,  odds are that won't be asked again

    really, where would we be without grade 9’s?

    I recently go suspended for three days for using axe aand some else lit it on fire. Im in grade 9 and this is the first time in my life I got suspended. I for wont do it again though. My dream is to enter uoft for engineering but will this suspension affect me in any way. Will I get asked of a suspension? If so, should I say no? Thanks in advance.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m so sorry, bud. i know this must be really hard for you.

    but this is so funny. it takes a lot to make a dried-up old internet veteran like myself experience joy anymore, but i think you just might’ve managed it.

    honestly, i’m trying to think of something witty to say or some way to sass you out, but i am just speechless. you literally. lit your axe. on fire. you can’t make this stuff up, ladies and gentlemen.

    thank you. thank you, for sharing your story with the world.

    anyway: no, this won’t affect your admissions chances in any way. the only thing the university looks at is your high school transcript. as long as your marks are good, that’s all that matters.

    try not to burn any more axe, though, eh? that stuff’s deadly. and, just a tip, as someone who’s known a lot of grade 9 boys in their life: lay off the axe. girls don’t like it. guys don’t like it. just trust aska and switch to something less abrasive – you’ll thank me some day.

    xoxo,

    aska

  • odds are that won't be asked again

    what’s the deal with the strike?

    So what happens during a strike anyway?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    good question. on the eve of an impending strike, i’ve talked to more than one student who’s stressed themselves to hysteria over the possibility of a strike by CUPE 3902 Unit 1. so why not shed some light on the situation?

    THE SET-UP

    so, who the heck are these strikers in the first place? CUPE stands for the Canadian Union of Public Employees. 3902 is the number representing the university of toronto.

    three CUPE 3902 units have entered into negotiations in the past few months: Unit 1 (all Post-Doctoral Fellows, graduate students in the School of Graduate Studies and undergraduate students in the University of Toronto employed as teaching assistants, teaching fellows, demonstrators, tutors, markers, instructors, teaching laboratory assistants, Chief Presiding Officers, invigilators and part-time lecturers), Unit 3 (all non-student academic staff employed on contracts of less than one-year as lecturers, demonstrators, tutors, markers, graders or instructors or laboratory assistants) and Unit 5 (post-doctoral fellows).

    Units 3 and 5 have both negotiated settlements. Unit 1 has not yet negotiated a settlement, though the university has said that it is “fully committed to achieving a negotiated settlement for a renewal collective agreement with CUPE 3902 Unit 1 without a labour disruption, and has reason to believe that the parties will be able to do so.

    THE STRIKE

    now, onto your question. what happens during a strike?

    well, firstly and most importantly: the university WILL NOT CLOSE (FAQs for Students, #4). most of your classes will likely continue (FAQs for Students, #5). again, only certain instructors and TAs are represented by Unit 1, so classes run by professors will continue as planned.

    as well, even people who ARE represented by Unit 1 are still allowed to work (FAQs For Employees In The CUPE 3902 Unit 1 Bargaining Unit, #1) – though of course, this is not something we can or should expect, and will depend on the individual. make sure you’re checking Blackboard regularly for updates about your particular lectures/labs/tutorial sections.

    since your classes may or may not continue as planned, it is important to check Blackboard regularly for updates (this is referenced throughout the FAQs for Students).

    as to how and when class will continue in the event of a strike, that’s something the university isn’t able to answer at the moment (that’s aska’s subtle way of saying: don’t speculate! it’s not helpful in any way). however, they are aware of the possibility of a strike impeding students’ studies, and are doing their best to make sure the effect is minimal.

    question #23 of the FAQs for Students makes that pretty clear: “The University is committed to enabling its students to complete their program requirements in a timely fashion, and is aware of the particular needs and concerns of students intending to graduate this spring. We will be providing further communications if a strike occurs, and we will do our utmost to ensure that students are able to complete their degree requirements within the usual timeframe.”

    and yes: you should still complete the work that’s been assigned to you, unless your instructor has informed you otherwise (FAQs for Students, #19). sorry to crush your dreams .

    THE COVERAGE

    if you’d like to keep up with info about the strike, Blackboard and uoft’s FAQ are the best places to go.

    however, there’s also been coverage by The Varsity, The Star and CBC. if you’re an undergrad student and want to get involved, check out this facebook group.

    THE SIGN-OFF

    all the best,

    aska

  • odds are that won't be asked again

    GOOS’D

    Dear Aska, Do you know any places where I can get a pile of GOOS paper (good on one side) without much effort? Tired of digging through recycling papers. Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    excellent question! what an environmentally conscious human you are. good on ya. you get aska’s seal of approval.

    the one place i can think of is those trays of GOOS paper by the computers and printers at Robarts? d’you know what i’m taking about? i’m sure other libraries have them too, but i’m a Robarts girl*, myself.

    also, if you have an in with any administrative offices on campus (like registrar’s offices, department offices, etc.) maybe you can very sweetly ask them if they’re looking to unload some of the paper that’s inevitably piled up in their office. goodness knows they produce enough of it.

    so yeah, maybe dig through a library/office or two before resorting to the recycling. you’ll probably get fewer funny looks.

    cheers,

    aska

    * i mean, INFINITE BEING OF LIGHT AND WISDOM. not a girl. definitely not.

  • odds are that won't be asked again

    “fall” “break”

    Just curious as to why U of T doesn’t have a full reading week in the fall like other universities seem to have?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m curious, too. i haven’t been able to find any official explanation of the reasoning online. this Varsity article gives a pretty good overview of the issue, though it questions why we only get a two-day break instead of a full week, as we do in the winter term.

    for what it’s worth (and this is JUST ASKA’S OPINION – i’m not speaking on behalf of any university administration), it makes sense to me that in a school where full-year courses typically make the winter term heavier than the fall term, that the break in the winter would be longer than in the fall.

    but hey, we’re all allowed our own opinions on the matter. freedom, and all that.

    hope you enjoy your (albeit modest) break when it does come,

    aska

  • odds are that won't be asked again

    the theory behind the system

    I am very familiar with the fact that U of T requires students to pursue (at the very least) a specialist, a double major or a major and double minor – I have spent many days pondering specialists, majors, minors and switching subject POSts. I am just now wondering why this is required. I have never heard of any other universities that require this. Is there any special reason for the requirement? Do they just like us to be well rounded? If you know the answer, please enlighten me.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    wellll my friend, uoft is a bit different from other canadian universities in that it takes its inspiration from many different university systems. for example:

    most canadian universities follow the U.K.’s ‘course’ model. in this model, students enrol in a course (translated into our vernacular as ‘program’ for most canadian unis). the ‘course’ is very prescriptive, and dictates all or most of the classes you have to take.

    uoft follows the american model, in which students can mix and match ‘majors,’ ‘minors,’ ‘specialists’ etc. the terminology can change slightly for uni to uni, but it’s pretty much the same deal everywhere. notice harvard has a ‘concentration’ (essentially a major or specialist), ‘electives’ (which allow for something like the completion of a minor) and ‘general education requirements’ (similar to our breadth requirements).

    there are pros and cons to each model. the U.K. model allows for very focussed study, and provides structure that some people find to be a relief. some programs at uoft find this model preferable – for example, uoft law or rotman commerce.

    the american model allows you to pursue multiple interests, even if they are very different. you can double major in math and philosophy, if you feel so inclined. a U.K. university course would make that very hard, unless you could find an interdisciplinary ‘course’ specifically called ‘math and philosophy.’

    the american system is also very flexible. at uoft in particular, you have one whole year to figure out which program(s) you’d like to apply to, which is really helpful to lots of students who don’t have a CLUE what they might like to study.

    it’s my opinion that this flexibility, as well as the breadth requirements, do create well-rounded students. however, some specialists are so intensive that the well-roundedness is lost, and some students pair together very similar subject POSts, resulting in essentially the same degree as someone who follows one specific ‘course’. i guess the the point is that the choice is theirs, and i think that’s important.

    anyway, i’m not an educational theorist, so i don’t have any definitive answers. it’s interesting to think about, though.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. i know that the U.K. and the States are not the countries that came up with these models – obviously both countries are based on cultures and traditions that go much further back and spread across the globe. also, not every university in the U.K. or the States are exactly like this, it’s just a general trend. i just used those two countries as examples because most of us are familiar with their universities more than we are with other countries’.