• fees,  first year,  money,  new kids,  textbooks

    Read it and weep.

    August 11, 2009

    Hi,

    I’m doing a budget for the coming school year (aka figuring out how much money I can spend on Thai takeout/going to shows/clothes/other fun stuff whilst still having enough to feed myself) and have general figures for all my expenses except books. Could you give me a ball-park estimate of what a first-year Humanities student should expect to spend on books? I’m taking an economics course, a german course, and three social sciences courses, if that helps.

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    Before I answer your question, I want to say that… in the first week of class you will receive a course syllabus from your Prof. This will list the exact required readings for the course, and where you can pick them up – officially. Generally, it is not a good idea to buy your books before attending your first class. It’s common for students to switch up courses in the first week. You don’t want to have spent a billion dollars on books for courses that you ain’t takin’. Then again, you could avoid bookstore lineups by going early for courses that you know you MUST take.

    But for now, for you… an estimate of book costs… yes. Let’s get down to business.

    There are two ways to answer your question:

    The standard response is… one thousand dollars. This is a very rough estimation, based on an equally approximate average of $200 per full course, or $100 per half course. Again, this is rough math (the only kind a humanities student like you really knows). Also, Humanities course books will certainly be cheaper than Science courses, namely because there are no goggles or lab coat required to read Shakespeare. What I am basing these numbers on? The word of a financial aid advisor, costs of books at the U of T bookstore, personal experience, and the positioning of the moon in the seventh house.

    If you want a more accurate estimate of your course book costs, you can try to find out the prices for each course. I did some investigative work based on what you said you’re taking.

    ECO100Y: Intro to Economics: for the Summer offering of this course, the U of T bookstore sold the course pack for $145.50.

    GER100Y: Intro to German I: the German Department actually publishes its 2009-10 course syllabi online (amazing). The required textbook is listed there, and costs $45 on amazon.com. If it is sold at the Bookstore it will cost more. I promise.

    POL103Y: Canada in Comparative Perspective: the Bookstore sold this book for $100 for the Summer offering of the course. Amazon.com is selling it for $95. Wooo. There is also a course reader (a bound collection of journal articles) that is required and typically costs around $100.

    POL108Y1: Global Networks: last year’s course had three required readings that are available at the U of T Women’s Bookstore (where all the cool books are). Online they cost $10 + $10 + $15. Weekly readings are actually posted (for free) on the course website. Double wooo.

    SOC101Y: Intro to Sociology: Prof. Brym actually designated a series of his OWN books as required readings. This is a moderately irritating cash grab, but then again, if you ain’t a Rotman Prof you ain’t exactly ballin’. The costs on the publisher’s website are: $104 + $60 + $23 = $187. You also need to buy an “iClicker” from the Bookstore for $35 – which is all the rage in Con Hall these days.

    Okay! I’m exhausted. The point in doing all of this research is less about giving you exact monetary sums, and more about showing you the different ways of finding out what + how much your books are. Got it Watson?

    Now, that was an “official” response to the issue of buying books… but the starving student response is… considerably cheaper. Below is a list of alternative methods/tips for getting your course books without succumbing to the inflated prices of the man.

    a) Check out the library system: U of T’s library collection is friggin huge (the plus side of being at a massive university). Depending on how large your course is and how frequently the readings are required, you may be able to get by signing them out. Typically, Profs will put a few copies of a course reader in the “course reserves” section of the library. This limits your sign-out period to a day or two, or maybe the books can’t leave library. You can photocopy select readings from these if you want too.

    b) Differentiate between required and recommended readings: when you’re poor… the word “recommended” takes on a new meaning – if you catch my drift. Usually these books are only useful if you are totally struggling, you are an ultra-keener, or for when you are writing essays.

    c) Locate second hand bookstores. There is one across from the bookstore on College St. They have new and used books, and they are cheaper. Just find out if the editions are the same (they change very minimally every other year or so… just to milk us for more money). The Prof will tell you if an older edition will suffice.

    d) Buy books directly from students who have taken the course last year. You will often find advertisements in res bulletin boards. Check these out even if you don’t live there.

    e) As suggested before, ordering from amazon.com, or directly from the publisher may be cheaper… depending on the shipping cost.

    f) This may or may not be illegal… buuuut you can possibly photocopy a library’s copy of the entire textbook. Here’s what you do: get your hands on a copy of the textbook from the library, gather up a bunch of friends/acquaintances in your course, take the book to a local copy centre (the less mainstream, the better), and order as many copies as required. Why is this awesome? It’s waaay cheaper. Your fellow copyright infringers and you will become instant fugitives… I mean friends. And your version will come in a coiled binding that you won’t feel bad about defacing with highlighting and scribbles.

    If I had even half of a moral in my body I would NOT suggest this on a University-sponsored forum, like askastudent. Lucky for you I don’t. So do it, but don’t go telling people I told you to. Do we understand each other?! I thought so.

    The flipside to buying cheap books is selling old books. Post ads in residences or sell them back to the bookstore. This is actually quite a viable option. Apparently you can get back up to 50% of the original cost.

    Will all the money that you save on books might I suggest spending it this way….

    Indian takeout from Banjara

    Muchos nachos at the Green Room (beware of funky draught beer)

    Performances by the Drama Program at the Helen Garpheghasdfhgeklfns Playhouse

    Streetcar + ferry ride + bike rental + picnic on Toronto Island

    Get fancy and have one drink at Panorama (a better view than the CN tower will offer… because you can actually see the CN tower)

    Classic/Alternative/Delayed movies at the Bloor Cinema (get a membership)

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  • new kids,  ROSI,  tcard

    997630one4354among36the4553herd66

    July 10, 2009

    Dear Aska,
    I just graduated high school and am headed to St. Mike’s in the fall. I was just wondering, since I’ll need to pick my courses soon, where do I get my student number and pin? Is it the same one I’ve been using to apple and send in my PSE? or do I need my Tcard to get all my info to enrol? thanks alot

    ———————————————

    I don’t know what numbers you’ve been using to “apple” – but you can keep your fetishes to yourself. (McIntosh or Granny Smith?? No no, I don’t want to know!)

    Grab your Offer of Admission letter. Look at the top right. Find your “applicant number.” As soon as you accepted your offer of admission to U of T online, this 9-digit number instantly became your “student number.” If you lost this letter or threw it out… then you’re an idiot. Kidding. Mistakes happen. You’ll have to go to your College Registrar’s office to fill out a TCard form.

    I assume that you are asking about your PIN because you want to log-in to the Student Web Service (who goes by the name ROSI – pronounced “Rosey”) for the first time. By default, your PIN is your year/month/day of birth in YYMMDD fashion. Get it? The first time you’re in you’ll get to change the password to whatever you want. You will also have to create some questions as backups if you ever forget your PIN.

    Third, you not need your TCard to enroll in courses. In fact, most students won’t pick up their TCards until September – when an ever-growing queue will snake across the entire second floor of Robarts Library. Try to avoid that. Go here if you can to pick it up. Bring your Offer letter and photo ID with you (or the completed TCard form). You will then be able to get your utoronto.ca webmail going. Woo!

    Always keep your TCard on you, don’t ever lend it to someone, and don’t lose it or you’ll have to pay to get another. Same goes for retaking the photo if you think your hair looks like crap in it – seriously though – it won’t get any better.

    Well, that was all pretty dull – let’s make this interesting.

    The student number is a funny thing. In more than one way it will dominate your identity while you’re at U of T.

    Considering that there are over 70 000 students at U of T – a good 90% of whom share the names Mike, Chris, Matt, Jessica, Ashley and Amanda – it just make administrative sense to assign you an individual identifier. Many U of T students complain that their student numbers totally supplant their actual names. I won’t entirely disagree, but I will argue that it’s not ALL that bad.

    For one, your student number is all yours. It = you, and you alone. It’s like your fingerprint, and don’t we all get excited about our fingerprints?!? You will memorize your number by October (if you haven’t already), and will retain it throughout your prunes and your depends years.

    Also, the student numbers of each annual cohort typically have a common 3rd number (right now it’s 997…….). This is a subtle means of generating solidarity amongst you and your peers. It also becomes grounds to assert your superiority over newer students. Don’t believe me? Listen carefully around campus and you’ll hear this patronizing comment: “Oh how cuuute!! Your student number is 997! Mine’s 994.” But, can you blame us?! That is the U of T equivalent of war wounds, really.

    Caution: if you see any 989’s around – tread lightly. A decade under U of T pressure can invoke permanent damage.

    Seriously though, if you are ever corresponding with U of T admin, provide BOTH your names and your student number. I swear that some Registrar’s Offices do care to match a face to a name. Also, don’t advertise your student number around town. It is a pretty private identifier (e.g. used for grade postings on random Sid Smith walls).

    Who wants to kill a couple hours???? Check out this site. I’m dying over here!! Make sure you read the oldies (circa 1900) – it’s great for naming pets. And what’s with all the recent names that have slight variations on standard spelling. Why put a boring old “i” when it could be a “y,” right? Annoying.

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  • admissions,  grades,  new kids

    …when we’re cruisin’ to geth er.

    June 29, 2009


    Hi there! I have accepted my offer from University of Toronto – St. George Campus (Innis College) for life science. The letters I have received states that I must maintain a good academic standing, in order to keep my acceptance. Other universities have provided a specific average that I must maintain (for example, Waterloo mentions that I must keep an average of 75% or above). I was wondering what final average would I need to maintain; also, if my final average goes below a certain range, will I be rejected?

    Waiting your earliest reply:)

     

     

    I’ll give you the bad news first.

    YES, it is possible that your offer to U of T will be withdrawn should your final transcripts not be up to snuff.??? (who/what/where?IS snuff??)

    It is also possible that your offer will stand, but you would?be admitted on academic probation (i.e. must achieve C- average in first year).

    The good news is that?the ominous statement in?your offer?letter?is pretty much intended to prevent grade 12’s from accepting their offer of admission and then throwing in the towel for the rest of the school year. Much to your chagrin, there is no hard-and-fast rule as to what the conditional high school average is. Rather, it is relative to what your transcript said when you applied. So, the evil marks police are really looking for a drastic drop in your average.

     

    There are also some individual subjects that are scrutinized more heavily than the others. For all new admits to Arts & Science, your English marks should not take a drastic fall. For Life Science students (like you) your high school Maths, Chem, Bio (and sometimes Physics) marks should stay relatively similar as well.

     

    Your Parenting class mark matters less. That is, unless you actually killed the creepy robot baby, in which case you’re out.

     

    Is “drastic”?fall too ambiguous for you?

    How about a “dramatic” fall?

    Not good enough?

    An “embarrassing” fall?

     

    Now I know your type. So I know that you won’t be able to sleep until I tell you an actual number between 50 and 100. Right? Alright… twist my arm… I’ll tell you. It’s 78%.

     

    That was a lie. I just made that up based on being better than Waterloo.

     

    But what if U of T DID give a definitive minimum average, like 75%? Wouldn’t that just enable students to calculate the bare minimum effort they needed to get by? What kind of academic mentality is that?

    (Engineering students’ ears are ringing everywhere right now).

     

    I’m gonna go on a limb and guess that you are a keen life sci kid, who wouldn’t just call it a day after getting your offer from U of T anyway. So, don’t worry.

     

    But if you are still worried, you can try contacting your College Registrar’s Office and annoying them directly with your question. They will be able to check out the situation, contact Admissions & Awards, and then get back to you on your prospects. But seriously people, only do this if your grade 12 marks really took it in the teeth.

    Should your original offer be withdrawn (and you will find out sometime in the latter half of the summer), then you can submit a statement to Admissions & Awards explaining why that happened, which ‘may’ save your –––.?If, after reading this, you’re lower back is?perspirating profusely, perhaps you?will pro-actively issue a letter to Admissions;?just?a little something extra for?your file.

     

    After all that, I guess I didn’t really answer your question. It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that I can’t.

     

    Good luck!

     

    Aska

     

     

    P.s. I will congratulate you on choosing U of T over Waterloo. Was it the stale smell of pickled cabbage that turned you off? Or are you just a chorizo (over bratwurst) kinda girl/guy??

     

    P.p.s. That chorizo joke was kinda deep. Check out the disproportionate number of Portuguese speakers around the St. George campus: http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/pdf2/cpa79.pdf. Love ?em!!

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  • innis,  new kids

    A defunct link on a U of T website?! (a first for everything)

    June 12, 2009

    I cannot access to this website
    http://www.utoronto.ca/innis/innisacademicorientation.pdf

    ———————————————

    Ooooh. A straight shooter. I respect that.

    Alright Calamity Jane, try this:

    http://www.utoronto.ca/innis/AOS_International_2009.pdf

    (it’s the 2009 version)

    Finally, a U of T document that uses PINK! Or perhaps it’s magenta… or fuchsia.

    What’s this University turning in to?!? … late withdrawals, credit/no-credit, tertiary colour schemes.

    P.s. For future reference the document can be found at

    http://www.utoronto.ca/innis/NewAdmits.htm > “Special Update… click here” (this link is now also broken. just goes to show that time will get us all in the end – aska 2014).

    P.p.s. I’m not sure why this song popped into my head after answering your question. Let it rekindle your love OR confirm your hatred (I’m on the fence… for once).

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  • campus,  first year,  friends,  new kids

    Coolness validated.

    June 1, 2009

    Hey there..
    Ok so, I’m going to be visiting Toronto sometime soon.. And I live at like the other end of the world, so it’s not like I’m gonna be making this trip again before august or September or whenever term starts.. (I’ve been admitted into arts and science, first year).. So heres my question… It says t-cards will be made available from June 1st.. But i’m going to be out of toronto by June 1st… So is there anyway I can request to get it made earlier? Cuz I’m guessing without a t-card I can’t get a utoronto email address… And then I have no way to act cooler than the other people stuck in this hell hole by joining the University of Toronto network on facebook!..
    Also while I’m visiting what all should I be picking up and getting done? (For example I’m gonna check out my residence and pick up a calender, so whats the other stuff I can finish off?)

     

    Hi. Great questions. I actually laughed out loud at one point. Okay, get over yourself.

    It breaks my heart (…and I swear I have one) that this reply is arriving too late for you. At least it’ll be relevant for other newbies.

     

    You can’t get your TCard printed before June 1st, you will have to wait until you move to Toronto in the fall, when you can contend with a million other people lined up to get theirs. Irritating, I know. Unless everyone ELSE reads this and picks theirs up in advance. Potentially you will be the only one then. This will be little a test of Aska’s power.

     

    It’s true that you need your TCard to be issued your UTORid, which is necessary to create your email account… which is necessary to join the Facebook network… which is necessary to make your friends feel uncool. However, you certainly don’t need your TCard to make your friends feel less cool. Take my word for it. There are tonnes of strategies to elevate yourself above the clique.

    -join the Toronto network

    -change your education information

    -take photos of the campus and post them in an album (toss in a photo of the ROM… that’ll get ’em)

     

    If you really wanna be Toronto-cool, you might as well start selling out to the latest non-conformist trend (note the rich oxymoronic-ness). Think sickly thin boys with scarves and sloppy-haired girls in men’s dress shirts.

     

    Come to think of it, you don’t have to elevate your own coolness to gain advantage over your friends.’ Why not knock them down a few pegs? That’s my modus operandi, and look where it got me – getting paid to make fun of people.

     

    But seriously, if you are a new student visiting campus in the summer, do these things:

    a) visit your rez (check out this link: http://www.housing.utoronto.ca/residence/ToursMay-Aug2009.pdf)

    b) visit your college Registrar’s Office

    -pick up the Calendar & Timetable

    -check, in advance, if they are conducting any summer orientation sessions for new students

    -make an appointment, in advance, with an academic advisor (super useful)

    c) visit the undergraduate coordinator from the Department of any prospective Programs of Study

    d) partake in a “walking” campus tour:

    -until you are enrolled in your courses (27 July), you won’t really know where your classes will be held – so identifying specific buildings will be less useful in June, but the walking tour will introduce you to buildings that are more universally relevant to students

    e) eat something awesome:

    -Future Bakery & Caf (Bloor & Brunswick)

    -Daddy O’s (Sussex & Spadina)

    -Harbord Bakery (Harbord & Major)

    f) go up the CN Tower:

    -just kidding

     

    Is that enough for you? Good luck.

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  • frosh,  new kids,  student groups

    If a tree falls in the forest, and no one reads the flyer…?

    May 29, 2009

    What campus club/organization is in charge of Frosh week?? I need to contact them for frosh kit questions…any possible contact would help. Thank you in advance.

    A simple question. A less simple answer.

    Much like Canadian Federalism, Frosh Week responsibilities are divided amongst U.T.S.U. and the individual Colleges.

    UTSU (the metaphorical federal gov) will do the concert, parade, and clubs fair – typically on the last day. They will also amass the basic “frosh kit” (e.g. laundry bag, XXL t-shirt, random flyers that you’ll never look at).

    It is your College’s Student Society (‘provincial gov’) that will conduct registration, and organize the itinerary for the majority of Frosh Week. They will also supplement the frosh kits with another t-shirt (probably just an XL this time), some college paraphernalia, and some more useless papers.

    Sometimes college residences will host Orientation activities too (…they’re like municipal gov’s!).

    The International Student Centre will also host activities (…yep, my metaphor just ran dry).

    I’m going to take this pro-active opportunity to say (from experience) that you must participate in the Frosh Week of your OWN College. So, if your high school friend goes to Trin, and you’re at Innis… it looks like you’re gonna have to make a new friend. Bahahaha!

    Seriously though, participating in Frosh Week is a critical way to socially transition to the university and the city. It WILL be awkward and tiring at times, but if you are a good sport I promise you’ll have a blast.

    You can expect a registration form in the mail from your Student Society/Union/Council in June or July, or sometimes you can just register on the website:

    Innis New St. Mikes Trin U.C. Vic Woodsworth UTSC UTM

    P.s. I’m sorry UTSU. You were a casualty of my metaphor. I would never suggest that you resemble Steve Harper & Co.

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  • colleges,  new kids

    brits go to trin, architects go to woodsworth

    December 12, 2008

    hey!
    i’m thinking of going to U of T next year (september ’09) and was just wondering what residences are good for a first year British student?? I’ve been looking at Innis and St. Mikes, and University College sounds nice but would like the real picture of what these residences are like as a student – not just the overly long descriptions that each college has written.

    So which is good and which is not so good?

    Thanks!

    ——————————————————————-

    Hey, im applying to the faculty of arts and science for architecture. i was wondering which colleges in your opinion are the best? and if any college would be more equipped for a future architectural student? im an international student, so i cant really go and check them out myself. been to their websites and honestly cant really get much out of them. essentailly, im look for a college which is fun, but also allows students to study and work easily within it.

    thanks!

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  • admissions,  new kids

    attention all nervous highschoolers! your attention please!

    June 13, 2008

    Hey! I’ve been admitted to Innis and UToronto has asked to see my final grades. The only thing is I’m pretty sure that I’m going to get a C+ or a C in one of my classes. My other final grades will be As and a couple of Bs. UToronto said that my offer of admission would be subject to cancellation if my final grades aren’t of “acceptable standing”. Will they cancel my offer of admission because of the C or am I just overreacting and worrying myself over nothing? Thanks

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  • admissions,  commerce,  new kids

    what happens? now you PARTY!

    June 7, 2007

    Heyy.. so i’ve accepted my offer for commerce @ st.george on the ouac website, NOW WhAT?? how do i make an appointment with someone that will help me with my schedule? is there a number/ website to call? i said before i was staying on res, now im not, is there something i should do to change that on my profile? basically.. yeah.. what the hell do i do next? ahah, thanks!
    ps. your sarcasm is quite amusing, awesome site.

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