new kids - askastudent

architecture, internal transfer, new kids

gaslight, girlboss, garchitect

May 5, 2024

Hi!! I’m current a senior in High school and I made a impulsive choice to apply to all business and math programs for uni due to my parents wishes, but I’ve always been interested in architecture. I got accepted into UofT Scarborough for coop management so I was wondering whether it would be impossible to transfer from this program or something similar into Daniel’s Faculty for Architecture Studies? And if I could, would I have to take an extra year into my studies or what would this entail?

Thank you everyone in advance!!

hey there,

i definitely felt that first part of parents wanting you to apply to business and math programs. see, this is why you should just let your kids study what they want ’cause it’s either going to cause more trouble later on to switch, or they’re going to be !unhappy! for a long minute. i have witnessed way too many intelligent, creative, and passionate people forced into a “practical” major because their parents refuse to pay for their schooling otherwise.

anyways, yes, it is possible for you to transfer from utsc coop management into the daniel’s faculty of architecture, landscape, and design. and you’re not alone! this person a few years ago had the same question.

so what you’ll want to do is called an internal transfer, which you can do by completing both the u of t internal application and the one idea supplemental application. basically, any u of t student can transfer faculties/campuses as long as they meet the prerequisites and apply before the transfer deadline for the faculty.

follow the instructions on this page under “university of toronto students”. even if you’re currently a senior in high school, you’ll be applying for a transfer as a u of t student from utsc, since that’s where you were admitted. but to my understanding, you’ll have to apply next year and take your first year at utsc in management. this is because the daniel’s internal transfer deadline this year was january 15, and it’s well past that.

i hope that this isn’t too disappointing for you! i definitely don’t think it’s the end of the world to take your first year in management. if you only spend one year there, all your credits will be eligible to be assessed for transfer so that the courses you take there don’t go to waste. just make sure to fill out the transfer credit assessment application by the deadline (which is sometime in may/june, as you’ll see on that page).

so overall, it does seem like

1. you can transfer into architecture

2. you might have to take an extra year in your studies.

however, if you really don’t want to take an extra year, you do have some options. so first, i would say to take summer school to get more credits done, which most people end up doing. this way you should be able fit your studies into four years.

the second is that you actually won’t be super behind if you transfer after first year, assuming your credits get transferred. i also changed programs going into my second year, and at first i thought i would be behind and have to take an extra year. BUT because all u of t students have to take electives on top of the courses required for their programs of study, the courses i took in first year just ended up counting as electives for me. so i wasn’t actually behind at all!

let me explain: you need 20 credits to graduate. in general, one course that takes one semester = 0.5 credits. say you take a double major and each major is 8 credits each. then you’ll have 16 required credits for your program, which leaves 4 credits for up to 8 elective courses.

finally, the third option i want to place on your radar is the certificate in business fundamentals program. if you really wanted to get some sort of degree in business at utsg, a certificate is basically the smallest version of a program that u of t offers, and you only need to take 4 courses to complete it. people usually use a certificate as a small add-on to whatever main majors or specialist they are taking, if they just want a bit of experience in that area. however, i am not sure if you are able to take this while being in the daniel’s faculty of architecture. you would need to email the department or the registrar to find out.

i hope that all makes sense? just keep in mind, this is my thoughts on the matter. so i think the best thing you can do now is to reach out to either daniel’s admissions at undergraduate@daniels.utoronto.ca or your utsc registrar to confirm all this, and to ask for specific advice on applying for an internal transfer. it’ll be very helpful, since you can also ask their advice on what your best options are. they would know best.

anyhoo, wishing you luck. i hope you’re able to study what you want to study, you’re gonna absolutely kill it. go forth and commit some gaslighting, some gatekeeping, and a whole lot of garchitecting.

over and out,

aska

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financial aid, international students, new kids, scholarships/bursaries

money, money, money

May 4, 2024

hello!!! international applicant to uoft here, hoping to get into econ^^ i’ve heard about the top 6 rule, and was hoping it applies to us too, since my grade 12 math grade suffered a bit (our school has a strange grading system where it assigns “equivalents” to certain numerical ranges… my midterm math grade was the equivalent of a high 60 to low 70) and since econ falls under social sciences they won’t be looking for math. the rest of my grades (all of grade 11, as well as grade 12 minus math) are high (low to high 90s) and even my grade 12 average is the equivalent of a 92+ with that math grade (again, weird grading system) so i was wondering what you think about my chances? thank you!

hey, i was the international student who sent in the ask about applying to social sciences even with a very low midterm math grade. kindly disregard my previous ask since we now have an update: not only did i get in, i also got the international merit award (somehow!) it’s still a lot of money, though, and my parents are kinda reluctant to send me though i really want to go ? for my question: is it in any way possible that i will get additional/different scholarships that could maybe offset the tuition a little more? thanks a lot!

hey there,

wow. congratulations omg?!! that is a really great scholarship.

but yeah, international student tuition is insanely high, so every bit of financial aid you can get will help. the good thing is, it is absolutely possible for you to get additional scholarships on top of the international merit award. you are able to apply to many more awards throughout your time in university! (i’m going to place this handbook on navigating that here, in case it’s helpful.)

1. scholarships/awards

the main thing you should check out is the award explorer, which is a searchable database of thousands of awards offered at u of t.

basically, there are several different types of awards you can get during your time here: admissions, in-course, and graduating awards. the one you just got is an admissions award, which is given out to newly admitted students. although there are some that require a separate application, all you new kids are automatically considered for these when you apply to u of t, based on your grades.

once you’re a current student, you can also receive awards called “in-course” awards. again, some require applications, but for others, you are automatically considered based on your grades once you get into your program of study. u of t offers over 5,800 in-course awards every year, and all you have to do is keep track of when they are being offered, as application deadlines happen at different times of the semester.

finally, during your last year, you are also eligible for graduating awards.

within the broad categories of admissions, in-course, and graduating awards, there are more specific awards given by your faculty or college every year. to find out more about faculty/college awards, follow this link to look at their individual websites. (my little nugget of advice for faculty and college awards is to get involved as a student leader! there are several student leadership awards that are much easier to apply for than the competitive ones you’ll be looking at for economics student awards.)

just make sure that you apply filters when using the award explorer in order to see what you are actually eligible for. otherwise, you’ll just find yourself scrolling through an overwhelming number of awards. for example, if i apply the filter “open to international” and search up “economics”, i can see 44 awards that you are eligible for simply as an international student in economics! spend some time looking through there, and you’ll find there is a lot to apply for during your upper years.

2. other avenues of financial aid

if you want to earn money while completing your degree, i would recommend the work-study program. they offer part-time, paid, on-campus jobs that are available on all three campuses, and are often flexible due to the fact that you’re a student.

there are also emergency grants available to domestic and international u of t undergrads in case of unforeseen financial emergencies.

however, it’s true that there are much less financial aid opportunities for international students compared to domestic students. while domestic students have access to OSAP and UTAPS, u of t says they are not able to offer direct financial aid to international students because they are a publicly funded institution. which, yeah, okay that makes sense. in this case, they say you should look into you home country’s financial aid programs.

but if you’re an american—as a canadian, i say that as aMERcan (with a bit of a gag reflex)—you’ll have access to several USA student aid programs. these include the william d. ford federal direct loan program, alternate/private loans, the 529 college savings plan, and others.

and as always, i recommend that you reach out to a recruitment officer at your college registrar! they can give you more specific info and meetings with them are super helpful.

over and out,

aska

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ccit, new kids

ccit for newbies

April 10, 2024

hi! im an international student and i just got accepted at uoft in ccit! is there any specialization we can take in the degree? thanks!

hey there,

first of all, congrats on your acceptance.

second of all, woah, this is a cool department. i am getting absolutely sold by its description on the artsci website.

i’m guessing you’re asking about specialization within the CCIT department, and not within the CCIT major? if it’s the former, then yes, there are several programs you can choose from the communication, culture, and information technology department. as you can see on the arts & sciences calendar, they offer a specialist, a minor, and several majors. (if you’re unfamiliar with what those are, refer here for the difference between program types).

they offer five different programs that you would apply to after your first year:

1. specialist in digital enterprise management (DEM). this is basically a management program that specializes in the tech industry. and it sounds so cool? an important thing to note, though, is that you cannot take this at the same time as a major in CCIT, a major in management, a major in commerce, or a major in TCS.

2. major in CCIT.

3. major OR minor in professional writing and communication (PWT).

4. major in technology, coding, and society (TCS).

5. professional experience certificate in digital media, communication, and technology. this is an add-on certificate to the other four programs, since it requires that you’re enrolled in one of them. it’s like an internship sort of thing that lets you get some out-of-classroom experience in a 12-16 week work placement.

but if you were asking about specialization within the CCIT major, there is always room for personal choice and exploration within each major. the CCIT major requires 8.0 credits to complete. of those eight credits, four will be taken up with required courses. but with the other four credits, you have freedom to choose between any third year or fourth year CCT or VCC courses. so you can build-your-own-degree based on what you’re interested in!

anyways, i hope this was helpful! good luck with everything.

over and out,

aska

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life science, lost, new kids, programs

crash course for incoming students

March 25, 2024

Hey! I got accepted into Life Sci but I’m having some serious second thoughts… I’m not sure if I wanted to major in something science related but I really want to go to UofT, so now I’m stressing over courses. I feel like everywhere I look, I get vague answers, so I was hoping I could recieve a clearer one here :/ are there required courses in first year that are related to the area you’re admitted into, or can you just take whatever prereqs a major has (within arts and sci)?

hey there,

well, you have come to the right place!! before you read all this, the tldr is that you’ll be fine.

when i was accepted into life sci, i was in your exact situation. i wasn’t really sure if i wanted to follow through with science and wanted to try out the arts. the rules around switching around and taking prerequisites are so confusing for incoming students, and for what? it really does not need to be that complicated, so i’ll try to lay it out as clear as i can.

1. admission categories

so when you’re admitted to u of t, you are in an “admission category“. there are six of these in arts & sciences, and they are just a way to group the 340+ program choices into general categories for incoming students. the great thing about admission categories is that they actually give you a lot more freedom to explore during your first year than if you were admitted into a specific program. (here is a list of all the programs included in the life sciences category).

essentially, what i was told for ease of understanding, was that your admission category does not really matter. a common assumption many incoming students make is that your admission category is your program and you’re already tied down and committed. but at this stage, you are not in a program yet—therefore, you can really take any courses you want and shoot for programs that aren’t in your admission category. the only thing your admission category actually has material impact on is getting first-pick during course enrolment.

2. programs of study (POSt)

during the spring of your first year, you will apply to your programs of study (abbreviated as “POSt”). there are three levels of programs: a specialist, a major, and a minor. the difference between these is the number of courses required. most often, people take 2 majors, or 1 specialist, or 1 major and 2 minors. but the maximum number of programs you can enrol in is 3. if this is confusing, sid smith commons has a page with a really great visualizer for what these combinations can look like.

some programs are “open” and some are “limited”. open programs have no prerequisites, while limited programs do. again, sid smith has a page about how to apply to programs.

3. first year pre-requisite courses

to answer your question, yes, pretty much. you can just take whatever pre-reqs a major has within arts & sciences. because remember, at this point, you are not tied down to anything.

for example, if you were admitted into life sciences because you wanted to get into biology (life sci), but now are changing your mind and wanting to major in urban studies (humanities), you could absolutely do that! all you would have to do to get in to the program after first year is take the pre-req courses listed on the artsci website under “enrolment requirements” for that program. that is, if there even are pre-requisites. if there are no pre-reqs, take whatever you want in first year and then select that program on acorn in march!

4. if you’re still confused, here is what i did

in my first year, i was admitted into life sciences, but decided going into it that i didn’t want to do sciences. so i only enrolled in arts courses for my first year. and the spring of my first year, i applied to my open enrolment arts majors. then, i decided to 180 backwards and go back into life sci. so in my second year, i took the first year pre-req courses for the science major i wanted. then in spring of my second year, i applied to my life sci major, keeping my other arts major.

a lot of people’s paths look like a bit zig-zaggy like this. some people know exactly what they want to do, but most people don’t really know! it takes some exploring to figure it out and that’s okay. it’s normal to have second thoughts!

anyways, i hope this clears things up! please drop any more questions that come up. good luck going into first year, you will be amazinggg!

over and out,

aska

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new kids, programs

when oh when does first year end?

August 10, 2023
hi, i was wondering: it says you have to apply to POSt after your first year. say i’m going into first year in september 2023. does that mean my first year is over after winter 2024 or after summer 2024?

hey there,

*in good witch glinda voice* when oh when does first year end? well, oh well, that just depends…

assuming you’re enrolled full-time and complete 4.0 FCEs (credits) this year, your first year will be over after the winter 2024 semester. so, in april. (your first year basically just ends when you complete 4 credits.)

when they say to apply to your POSt after first year, they’re referring to the two POSt application periods. if you’re applying for an open program, you can enrol anytime between march and september. for example, this year, open program enrolment is happening between march 1, 2023 and september 20, 2023.

if you’re applying for a limited program, there is a “first request period” between march and july, and a “second request period” between july and september. specifically, this year, limited program enrolment dates look like this:
- first request period:
  - apply from march 1, 2023 – april 28, 2023
  - check results between april 29, 2023 – june 9, 2023
  - enrol by july 7, 2023
- second request period:
  - apply from july 8, 2023 – august 22, 2023
  - check results between august 23, 2023 – september 6, 2023
  - enrol by september 20, 2023
generally, you would apply during the first period if you expect to complete prerequisite courses during the fall/winter session, and you would apply during the second period if you expect to complete prerequisite courses during the summer session. if you wanted to look into it, sidney smith commons has a great description of program enrolment need-to-knows!

best of luck this year. *hands you an ice cream sandwich*

over and out,

aska
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choosing, courses, new kids

a user manual on courses that you should, probably, read

June 5, 2023
This may be a really stupid question, but could you explain courses (their typing(?) clusters(???)) as well as the course selection process and what needs to be considered? Every time i think i got everything i need to know im hit with new terminology i do not understand ? for context im an incoming (hopefully) part-time student at utm, class of ‘27, planning to transfer out by first year but will pursue an english maj philosoy min creative writing min courseload if transferring doesnt work out

hi bestie,

no worries, this is not a stupid question. i see you’re encountering first-year’s overwhelming task of deciphering the online labyrinth of “important-uni-things-you’re-just-expected-to-know”.

the good thing is, courses aren’t as complicated as they seem at first! tbh, i think the problem is that a lot of first years just don’t know where to find the right resources. or, they’re like me and gaslighted themselves into thinking it’s all common sense — what my high school chemistry class used to do before a test. as fun as that is, please don’t do that.

anyways. there are several U of T pages that describe everything you need to know about courses. to begin, i would say your best bet is to read through how to use the artsci calendar. this page explains pretty much all the basics about courses and programs, such as how courses are abbreviated on the website, and what things to keep in mind when choosing courses. among what is outlined on that page, understanding course codes is the foundational thing that i would highlight. for example, ENG110Y1 can be broken down into:
1. ENG – indicates department, ENG = english.
2. 110 – indicates level of difficulty. the “100” means a first-year level course, and 200-level courses are recommended to take in second year as they are more difficult. and so forth with 3rd year 300-levels and 4th year 400-levels. while an upper year can take easier courses, it would be hard for a first year to take a 3rd year course.
3. Y – the “Y” or “H” indicates the credit value. Y = full course, 1.0 credits, and H = half course, 0.5 credits.
4. 1 – indicates which campus offers this course. 1 = St.George, 3 = UTSC, 5 = UTM
when choosing your courses, you should take note of prerequisites (courses you need to take before another course), exclusions (courses that are so similar you probably shouldn’t take both), and co-requisites (courses you should take at the same time). if a course has any of these, it will say so on the timetable, degree explorer, and acorn. you should also know that there are four types of classes: lectures, tutorials, practicals, and seminars, explained, again, in “how to use the artsci calendar“. and a side note of personal advice — although you’re a part time student, i would highly recommend making space in your schedule to take first year foundation courses, those were my favourite classes in first year. but the best thing to consider in course selection is to make note of important dates so you don’t miss them (wouldn’t that be silly): such as priority course enrolment for first years, which starts on July 20th.

now in terms of your question about typing and clusters, i’m not sure what you mean by typing, as “type” is mainly used for program types. meanwhile, clusters are just categories of courses within a program. typically each program will break down its large list of courses into similar-subject categories. for example, your english major seems to have three clusters that you need credits in: 1. “indigenous, post colonial, transnational literatures”, 2. “pre-1800 english literature” and 3. “theory, language, critical methods”.

see? not so bad.

finally, i will leave you with even more resource avenues you can look into if you want to know more. there’s an awesome new student guide to planning and enrolling in your courses, with important dates and how to pay your fees. sid smith also has a simple page on how to enrol in courses. UTM’s 2023 course enrolment workbook is “to be posted soon“, and course enrolment workshops could be helpful for you. then, if you really want to know everything, as you say, you can go down a rabbit hole reading through the artsci’s course planning and course enrolment pages (but i really don’t think you need to).

best of luck in your plan, i hope it all goes smoothly.

over and out,

aska
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new kids

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

July 27, 2019

hi im definitely not smart enough for this school but ill be there this september aaaaaaa

——————————————

hello friend,

welcome in advance to u of t! super happy for ya as you enter this ~new chapter of life~ and hey, i’ll let you in on something– plenty of students here feel the same, and continue to feel the same even after first, second, third, and even fourth year.

impostor syndrome can be a weird thing. i mean, i dunno if that’s exactly what you’re feeling– maybe you’re just nervous. but i remember reading this pretty good article in the varsity about it that resonated with me and at least a few others. it says the thing better than i know how to say the thing, if you wanna check it out. tl:dr impostor syndrome is not an uncommon feeling at u of t, but there are ways to refocus and start to move away from it. one of those is to compare yourself to your own achievements and look at your own growth, rather than holding yourself up against others.

and hey– you got into the school, right? that’s gotta count for something. what matters now is what you make of that admission. go to your classes. keep up with your readings. u of t does ask for a lot from its students, but if you’re up to tackling that workload i wouldn’t say you’re any less deserving of your place than anyone else.

wishing you the best of luck, and if you find yourself dazed or confused at any point in time, don’t be afraid to ask. i’m super excited for you and all that you’re going to experience/achieve/learn in the coming years. don’t let your self-doubt get you down.

be Boundless,

aska

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new kids, work-study

will work-study for food

May 25, 2017

Are you allowed to apply for work study when you’re still a high school student? Or can you only do that after you begin in September? Thank you!

———————————————

hi!

unfortunately, you can’t apply for work study if you’re still a high school student. you need to be enrolled as a student (full-time, part-time, undergraduate, or graduate) to qualify for work-study positions.

good luck, young one. looking forward to seeing you around campus come fall.

xoxo,

aska

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new kids, subject POST

science student by day, commerce student by night

April 29, 2011

Hi I am a newly admitted student for Fall 2011 and was wondering if we can do a BSc and BCom double major in St george? I want to study Chemistry (which I have applied for ) as well as Finance and Economics.

Thank you,

Vi

???????????????

Hi Vi! Congrats on getting into U of T. Askastudent is big-upping you today. Way to go!

In your first year, keep in mind that you haven’t been admitted into a subject PoSt yet, so it shouldn’t affect your course selection or future plans if you later realize that Commerce and Chemistry aren’t for you. Usually though, students find the Commerce program at U of T kind of grueling (in a good way!) and like to concentrate on that stream instead of another, you know? However, I did have a friend who graduated with a double major in Commerce and Cinema Studies so you can definitely do it!

Basically you could graduate with a BCOM or a BSC as long as you fulfill 7 credits (and the program requirements) in both. But you would have to choose if you ultimately would like to have your degree show that you graduated with commerce or a science degree on your transcript. Up to you, and obviously since you are a newly admitted student, this is a long, long time away. So for now, enjoy your summer and we’ll see you for frosh week.

I obviously am picturing you as an enigmatic scientist by day, Wall Street trader by night.

xoxo, Askastudent

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new kids

take me to belgium!

July 28, 2010

Greetings from la Belgique

First of all: Got a great website running there mate!

And now down to business:
I haven’t been able to attend any of the academic orientation sessions, because
I’m still in Belgium at the moment.
I was wondering if there’s any kind of special orientation or something for the
International students end of august or september. Is there anything like that
available?

Also, I saw that there is this Academic Mini Course from the 25th till the 27th
of August. Apparently you have to register to be able to attend the course; do
you know where I could register for this?

Fanks and Cheers!

???????????????

Whoa, Aska has readers in Belgium??? Coolness. This whole thing is making me way hungry for mayonnaise and fries.

In response to your question, I’m not aware of extra special Academic Orientation sessions just for International Students, since those things are usually done via your college. However, feel free to scope all info for the Innis Academic Orientation on stuff like what’s ROSI and how to select your classes, all online, here. Specifically designed for International Students!

RE: Mini courses, it looks like you can sign up for one offered through UC.

To register, please contact the Academic Success Centre:
email: mail.asc@utoronto.ca or phone (416) 978-7970.

Does that help? Are you eating a waffle right now and watching a movie by the Dardenne Brothers?

Wishing I was in Belgium telling you about course administration, Askastudent

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first year, new kids, tcard

get the party started!

July 16, 2010

Hey Aska,
I signed up for an event called, ‘ Get Started ‘.
I know that its an even for first years who require help picking courses
but, what else do we soon-to-be-first-years learn about? And how long is the
event? Andd, I heard that we get our UofT ID pictures taken as well, is it
true?

Thanks a bunch !? 🙂

———————————————

Boy those smiley emoticons get me right in the chest.

Is this the Innis academic orientation? Or another, obviously bargain basement imitation? (Just kidding.) Basically these events are all about teaching first year students how to read the timetable, explaining what courses are suggested for Commerce, Science, and Humanities Streams, explaining the breadth requirements and stuff like financial planning for school and OSAP…all culminating in a wicked barbecue with other students and a chance to tour the college and the residence.

Sound like a blast? Well, somewhat. What’s good about these events is that it does give you a chance to meet other students going into your year and older, wiser, current ones. You can meet some of the faculty of your college and hear war stories about course selection and get all psyched for frosh week – if you want. So it’s an incredibly handy session to prepare you for choosing classes and meeting some people who can ease your addled minds.

If you have proof of enrollment (i.e. the letter U of T sent you when they accepted you into the institution), then you can visit the T Card office and get your T Card! You can also get your T Card during the first week of classes.

xoxo, Askastudent

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awkwardness, first year, friends, new kids, residence

All the ladies who truly feel me (throw your hands up at me).

August 21, 2009

hard to admit, but being a mama’s girl my mom is coming with me to toronto for few weeks during frosh week to settle me into my residence etc (teaching me how to use the laundry machine to avoid ‘everything is pink because of one red sock’ situation, etc etc)
but through sept 3rd and 18th there seems to be no hotel rooms available for booking
would it be possible for her to stay with me in my residence during her stay? I have a single room so maybe?

Listen, I am a proud Mama’s boy who couldn’t even recognize a washer/dryer upon entrance to residence – so I can understand where you are coming from. It is BECAUSE I can relate to you that I’m about to serve up some tough love.

Are you honestly considering having your Mom stay with you for the first 15 days of university?! Really? I think this is a bad idea for reasons three.

One. These are two of the most socially decisive weeks of your uni experience. You will seriously limit your ability to make friends and engage in (planned or impromptu) activities. Unless you have one of those vicarious mothers who’ll wear tubes tops while serving up strawberry daiquiris to your girlfriends – you cannot argue that you will be undermining your?social life before it has the chance to develop.

You’ve signed up for Frosh week right? If not go sign up now! Seriously. Go.

Okay, you’re back. Now, that you’re doing Frosh, what is your poor mother going to do with herself while you are pre-occupied with all of these exciting events? Water fights and face paint? No.

Two. You have a single room? Is it part of a suite? Do you share common spaces like a living room or bathroom? Think about the situation that you will be putting your neighbours in? The presence of a parental figure would certainly be a damper on the local scene. In fact it would just be awkward for everyone involved. ????

Does your residence have a limit on the number of consecutive nights a guest can stay? Find out.

Three. I GET that your Mom loves you, and wants to ease your transition. I really do.

I GET that you want your Mom around to teach you the in and outs of domesticity, and to be a familiar face when you are entering a new environment. BUT you should know that there is something to be said for learning independence… independently from your parents.

University is so much more than memorizing crap in class. It is about stepping out from under the protective parental umbrella, and tackling the challenges and nuances of daily living – face on. And you won’t be alone. Everyone shares these uncertainties.

I had a friend who poured bowls of cookies for breakfast, and put liquid detergent in the dryer. Did we judge her? No, we helped her and became better friends because of it.

Why don’t you be proactive and help your Mom with laundry and cooking now, before you leave? She’ll love it for more than one reason, and you’ll have a head start when you get to school.

Perhaps your Mom could visit for a couple days in the second or third week of class (when you’ve actually accumulated enough laundry to do a load). I would plan it tentatively, as you may very well find that you aren’t as incompetent as you once thought.

Sound reasonable? I really hope so, because I am not kidding around.

Hmmm… this one felt a little heavy for a Friday afternoon. How about we lighten the mood with a little spice a la 1997?

Oooh, that actually just made things even heavier, didn’t it? My bad.

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courses, new kids, TAs, tutorials

Two Toe Rye Al.

August 12, 2009

With each course that I want to take comes a tutorial. Now I’m reading about them but it’s just not clicking. Are they classes (after the lecture) that further the students understanding of the lecture?

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Every time I send a new question, I think of a new one! So this one is:

I understand that beside courses it says [_L] and [_T]
But under Vic college, I’m looking at a bunch of humanities courses and instead of L and T it says [_S] [_P]

So whats S and P?

Two questions. Same student. Same day. Normally I wouldn’t indulge such a desperate plea for aska’s attention. BUT, your first question is irresistibly basic – yet important, and I actually didn’t know the answer to the second. So, here goes…

“With each course… comes a tutorial.” In my head I read that like a cheesy, white, male voice actor excitedly announcing on an infomercial. Like a tutorial is some sort of bonus if you “enroll within the next 30 minutes!!” I’ve never heard a tutorial sound more exciting! With that attitude, I suspect you will do quite well in school, my dear.

So, what IS a tutorial?? To an upper-year student this question is almost amusingly obvious – but then I realized… I had NO IDEA what they were when I came to U of T. In fact, I think I was scared of them ( “Will I have to speak…. out loud?!”). A great question, asker.

A tutorial can takes many different forms, but is more or less “a class.”

A tutorial intends to supplement the lecture material. It may be a re-iteration of the Prof’s discussion. It may be an in-depth debriefing of required readings. It is always a chance to seek clarification.

A tutorial is facilitated by a T.A. (teaching assistant), who is more often than not a grad student. If you have an undergrad as a T.A. you know that they are either a) a big deal, or b) so far up the Prof’s @#% that you don’t know where one ends and the other begins. In upper years, it’s not uncommon for the Profs themselves to conduct the tutorial.

A tutorial may require passive or active participation. The T.A. might give a mini-lecture while you sit, write, and ask questions. The T.A. might facilitate a dialogue between the students. The T.A. may also administer quizzes. It is really common for students to have to prepare a five-minute presentation or lead a group discussion as well.

A tutorial is smaller than the general class. 15-30 students is the usual range.

A tutorial is almost always 1-hour long.

A tutorial may be enrolled in on ROSI, or be signed up for in the first week of class. Once the Prof announces, “Okay, come to the front and sign up for your tutorial” – your bland, sterile, Sid Smith classroom will transform into a warm summer’s morning on the cobbled streets of Pamplona. Except the bull horn that trails inches from your thoracic vertebra is actually the ballpoint pen of a Polish girl who commutes daily from Mississauga.

A tutorial is usually mandatory. That is to say, they take attendance for 5% of your grade. If no grade is assigned you should still go. That’s right… should. But I’ll leave the guilt trip up to your own superego. Besides the obvious, one benefit of going is that your T.A. will begin to recognize you, and dare I say like you. Don’t tell me that won’t help when they come across your essay at the bottom of a pile of 200. A second plus is that you can meet friends in tutorials. It happens all the time, I swear. A tutorial is just small, conversational and informal enough to lay the foundation for some lasting bondage.

A tutorial is almost never held in the first week of class, especially if the timeslot precedes the lecture (don’t go, no one will be there).

A tutorial may occur weekly, or less frequently. The total tutorial hours are indicated in the Calendar Listing.

E.g. HIS104Y1 -Ten Days That Shook The World [48L, 24T] (pg. 262). The “24T” means that there are 24 tutorial hours across both Fall and Winter terms. This is approximately once per week.

That was THE perfect segue, to answering your next question.

[__S] = Seminar: essentially a hybrid of lecture and tutorial. It will be a smaller class with the expectation that you speak now and then. Like high school. With less melodrama. Probably.

[__P] = Practical, aka laboratory, aka lab. In first year, these are usually held every other week.

P.s. Speaking of Salt and Pepper. Did you hear that all of a sudden salt is healthy for us now?! What’s next, poutine and cigarettes?!?

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