• current student,  FLC,  humanities

    course conFLCs

    September 8, 2022

    I was pre-enrolled in ENG140 for my humanities FLC but I’ve found that it conflicts with a course I need to apply for a program I’m interested in. If I drop ENG140, will I also be removed from the FLC?

    hey there,

    unfortunately i haven’t personally been in a FLC, but according to their website, you are allowed to drop courses that they enrolled in without being removed from the FLC, it seems.

    Sid Seixeiro Sid GIFfrom Sid Seixeiro GIFs

    although, speaking from experience, eng140 is an amazing course, so… tough decisions. either way, you’ll still be able to experience that FLC camraderie without being tied down to the pre-enrolled courses (hooray!). you could also email flc@utoronto.ca directly for any other questions!

    Stromman Excited GIFfrom Stromman GIFs

    good luck! 🙂

    aska

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  • FLC

    tag yourself, i’m the eyeball taking the damage

    July 30, 2020

    Hi,

    I am confused. On the FLC website it says groups meet every tuesday or thursday. Could I essentially do tuesdays one sem and then thursdays the next? I’m asking here bc I already sent the m an email but its currently giving out automatic replies. So, I’m really pulling at strings here. If you can’t answer this question its all good

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    sorry it took me a few days to get back to you on this! maybe you’ve heard from the person you emailed already. i was never in an FLC, so i couldn’t initially answer this question, but a friend was kind enough to reach out to someone with FLC experience so i could get something back to you.

    they weren’t 100% sure, but their understanding was that when you join a FLC, you enrol in a group that takes place biweekly. if you see options for tuesday and thursday, there are probably two separate groups that each meet on a different day— one on tuesdays every two weeks, and one on thursdays every two week. usually, you remain in your FLC group for the whole year. if you wanted to switch midway through the year, you’d be needing to switch groups.

    from what i understand, that doesn’t happen very often, but whoever’s in charge of coordinating your FLC will be the best person to tell you whether or not it’s actually possible. in other words, you do need to wait for that response if it hasn’t come yet.

    anyway, shoutout to that friend of a friend for sponsoring this question. many thanks, my dude. here’s a visual representation of me running this blog without the help of other people:

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • first year,  FLC,  one programs

    tfti to first year courses :(

    May 27, 2020

    Hello, I hope whoever reads this is doing well! I will be joining Physical and Mathematical sciences at UofT this fall, and I wanted to ask about the One’s program vs. FLC! I heard FLC was pretty suitable for those doing LifeSci, so I don’t know if the same would apply to someone not doing LifeSci. So, my question is: which one is better? And, can I do both? Also, is there a cost to the One’s program? How many times do they meet up? Thank you!

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    congrats on accepting your offer of admission, that’s some pretty cool stuff. let’s unravel your question:

    Cat Fumbling GIF by Originals

    are FLCs suitable for people who aren’t in lifesci?

    yes! i suspect you may have heard that they’re good for lifesci students because there’s lifesci first year learning community (FLC) group at every college, making lifesci the most common FLC. but the thing is that there are all sorts of FLC groups to match a range of interests. you can join a humanities group, or a social sciences group, if that’s the kind of thing you’re into. want to hang out with a bunch of actuarial science, compsci, math, psych, or econ kids? apparently there are enough of them that those programs get their own FLCs.

    Matt Leblanc Wow GIF by Friends

    in short, if your interests line up with one of the FLC groups offered, whether lifesci or otherwise, joining an FLC in your first year is at least worth considering. since you mentioned that you’re going into the physical and mathematical sciences, you can probably look into the mathematics FLC.

    which one is better? can i do both?

    which one is “better” honestly depends on what you’re interested in, experience- and outcome-wise. i think FLCs may be better for meeting other first years with similar academic interests to you, and growing a sense of community in that way. you also get some pretty solid guidance if you’re part of an FLC, since you have access to senior-year student mentors as well as staff/faculty advisors. however, with FLCs you’re bound to a specific set of courses for your first year, which can feel a little restrictive. it’s great if those courses serve as prereqs for programs you’re interested in anyway, as i assume is probably true for FLCs with a more specific focus. however, if you were registered in a humanities FLC but planed to take a super niche humanities program with different prereqs, i can’t imagine that would line up very well. it may also be important to you that FLCs offer CCR recognition, while ‘ones’ and first-year foundations seminars (FYS) do not.

    the ‘ones’ program, though, lends you quite a lot of flexibility in terms of subject matter depending on which course you choose. registering in a ‘one’ won’t take up more than a single slot in your timetable, and there’s no extra meeting on top of the courses, unlike with an FLC. it’s true that you’re less likely to meet first years with similar interests because all sorts of first years tend to register in ‘ones,’ but they’re still great places to make friends! in my first year, i chose the ‘ones’ program over a FLC for its flexibility, and ended up meeting some of the people i’m now closest to at u of t. plus… honestly, in terms of how cool the subject matter is, i would rank ‘ones’ above FLCs, and FYS courses over both of them.

    can you take both? i know that there are exclusions for FYS courses and the ‘ones’ program, but i’ve never run into any exclusions for FLCs and ‘ones.’ i’m relatively certain that you can do both, but if you wanna be 100% certain i’d check it over with your registrar. 

    is there a cost to the ones program?

    jerry maguire money GIF

    not unless you take a course with a travel component, like this seminar that involves a trip to california. i think the only ‘ones’ with a travel component are the SMC ones, though– if there’s a fun, expensive field trip involved, usually you’ll know just by looking at the course page. and anyway… who even knows if those field trips are gonna be able to run for this upcoming school year?

    how many times do they meet up?

    not sure which one you’re referring to here. generally, outside of regular classes, FLCs meet up 13 times over the academic year. on the other hand, ones operate like regular classes (you meet for the designated class time every week for either one semester or the full year).

    anyway, hope this was helpful and you have a great first year! good luck making a decision.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • first year,  FLC,  seminars

    199 vs flc vs ones showdown

    June 14, 2017

    Hey!

    I’m a newly admitted student to life sciences, and I’m kind of in a predicament. I’ve applied and been accepted to one of the Ones program, (UC one – Gradients of Health in an Urban Mosaic). However, I’m also interested in the FLC program for my college, and I read that I can’t do both/it would be hard to and probably interfere with my timetable. I’m going to be living off campus, and taking the typical science and math courses along with a psych, so I’m honestly not sure which would benefit me more? Do you have any personal experience with either? Or have you guys heard of any really good things about either option?? I’m really confused and I’m not sure what is best

    *(on another note what is the difference between a 199 course and a Ones course? Would I be able to do a 199 and a FLC?? do i need to apply to take a 199 course like the Ones program??) *

    Hope that’s not too much to ask ahh thank you!!

    ——————————————

    hi!

    congrats on getting in and welcome to the university of toronto!

    the FLC website says that they don’t recommend doing both a FLC and a first year foundations program since it might be a little hard to balance your time and sort out your schedule as you’d have to juggle many inflexible slots on your schedule. so you technically can do it, it’s just not recommended.

    personally, i haven’t done a FLC, but i did a ones program in first year. i thought that it was a pretty cool experience and i liked that i got to form really great relationships with my profs and classmates. i was also super interested in the course content, which obviously makes everything better. however, some of my classmates found that the program took up a little bit too much time in their schedule (we met four times a week so trying to schedule other classes or commitments around that was a little difficult). it’s really about balancing what you see as the positives and negatives and seeing if it’s worth it for you. as much as i’d like to enforce my opinions on others, this is really your call. something that i might find positive (like small classes) you might see as a negative.

    as for the difference between a 199 course and the ones programs, well it’s in their names. a 199 is just one course and a ones is a program usually with multiple courses whereas a 199 course is just one course totalling 1 FCE or 0.5 FCE depending on whether it’s a full year course or only a semester long. you also don’t need to apply to take a 199 course, you just enrol in it on ACORN like a normal course.

    i think you can be in both a 199 and a ones program, as long as that ones program isn’t vic one. at least that’s what it says in the artsci calendar. all hail the artsci calendar.

    enjoy the rest of your summer and try not to stress too much, bruh. we will see you on campus in september!

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • FLC,  friends

    the friendship, loyalty and compadres program

    July 25, 2016

    Hiya,

    I’m an international student and it’s oh so hard for me to get out and make friends. The FLC program sounds helpful enough (socially and academically), but after a summer of putting together a schedule I like, I don’t want the standard timetable to mess with my first year seminar or my Calc professor preference. Can I edit my schedule for one or two classes and still be part
    of a FLC?

    I’ll be in Life Sciences.

    And if I can’t edit my schedule, is a FLC really worth it?

    – 🙁

    ———————————————

    hey!

    now, i could explain all the benefits of FLC to you and try to convince you that it’s a great idea, but i have never been a part of an FLC. however, here at askastudent, we strive to deliver the truth.

    here are the truths:

    “FLC is fun times.”- a trusty source

    “first year life-sci is very hard.”- multiple trusty sources

    while a “flick” is definitely a good place to make friends, please know that there are plenty of other opportunities at U of T for you to make friends. classes are a great place to start! clubs are also plentiful – check out the handy uoft clubs database here.

    if you want to partake in FLC for the academic opportunities, by all means, do! however, if it doesn’t work with your schedule, don’t worry about it! i would recommend prioritising your ideal schedule for first year because it’s more important to get into classes that actually count for credits.

    if you don’t end up doing an FLC, remember that the first year seminar that you’re interested in will also be great for you academically.

    turn that frown upside down, you have nothing to worry about! and hey, if you like our posts on facebook and leave us flattering comments, maybe we can be friends! (k tbh that was mostly a shameless plug, we actually have enough friends)

    kidding. we only exist because of you guys. keep writing us please!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • commerce,  FLC,  rotman

    Dropping an FLC

    October 28, 2013

    Dear All:) Hey,
    I am a first-year student in Rotman Commerce and right now involved in FLC group for RSM (RSM099Y1). For some reason I have to drop this non-academic course. I went to ROSI at first and it said that I could not change anything on ROSI. So may I ask how to drop that course then? Am I still allowed to drop in this half-way period?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    I really like how you said “dear all,” like there’s a whole office behind askastudent, all of us just working together to answer as many questions as possible…yeah, no, it’s just me. Sittin’ here. All alone. Feel free to drop me a line any time. I don’t really get a lot of chances to talk to people.

    Anyway, I’m sad to hear you’re thinking about dropping your FLC group! FLCs are really cool because they’re like extra-curriculars in that they’re non-credit courses, but they’re official enough that they appear on your transcript as an extra activity – and they provide a social and networking atmosphere that can be really helpful for your future career, especially in commerce.

    However if you do have a scheduling conflict or REALLY don’t like your FLC, all you have to do is e-mail flc@utoronto.ca and let them know you want to drop it, then they should take it from there. Because it’s a non-credit course, dropping it halfway through the semester won’t jeopardize your GPA, so you can rest easy about that.

    stay swaggie,

    aska

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  • FLC,  international relations,  polisci,  trinity college

    trin trin…you got IN?

    July 11, 2013

    Is taking Trin one classes like really good for your efforts to get in IR or is it just a waste… PS, if I’m taking a FLC IR and a First year class, is trin one still a good thing to have even if it’s not going towards a major? FInally, I know it’s a bit late to ask, but is there a huge difference if I major International Relations or Political Science?

    Thanks.

    ———————————————

    Yo.

    Entry into the International Relations major is based on two things: (1) your grades in your first year economics course and your first-year history OR Trinity One course, and (2) a statement of interest.

    So basically, taking your Trin One course is a “good thing” depending on how dedicated you are to it. 🙂 But I suppose being able to tell the world you got into a 25-students ONLY sort of club will be nice. Also, it’ll probably look pretty on your statement!

    And is there a huge difference between IR and Poli Sci?

    Ummm well I’m going to go with yes since the former seems to deal with international relations and the latter seems to deal with politics.

    But I don’t see why this has to be an either/or situation.

    Here, you have to complete either (1) one specialist, (2) two majors, or (3) one major and two minors.

    So you can definitely complete a specialist in IR if that’s what you’d like, but keep in mind that there’s an additional requirement for entry in that case: either a language course or calculus.

    But you can easily double major in IR and Poli Sci, which would be great considering IR does include some Poli Sci courses, which will mean overlapping credits, which will also mean more time for electives you can play around with.

    xoxo,
    aska

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  • admissions,  courses,  FLC,  rotman

    askastudent — recruitment and admissions officer extraordinaire

    June 21, 2013

    Hello

    I am completley lost and dumbfounded by the information presented on the Uof T website in choosing the courses for the first year. I do not understand at all how the process of choosing courses works and hoped that you would take some time out and simplfy the process for me.

    So, my dilemma is such. At the end of the first year, i am hoping to move into Rotman Commerece and hence i need to complete the three required program entry courses (i.e., RSM100Y, ECO100Y, MAT133Y or equivalent) From what i understand this will only give me 3.0 credits but i need to apply to Rotamn Commerce with 4.0 Credits and i have to complete the year with 5.0 credits. What can i do?

    What are Prerequisties because the programs listed above have prerequistes and i have had to meet them to take the course. Since i have done IB program the codes listed for the prequstes are something new altogether which i do not understand and i believe they are written as canadian format of subjects.

    Furthermore, i wish to tale FLCs , how many creidts would these count towards and will i have to sit an exam for these FLCs? I have no idea how to use the calendar to choose the courses. Please help.

    My last question is that what on earth are subject Posts and are we supposed to take the subject posts in the first year or the second yhear. Also how do i select a major and minor.

    Through these question, i can surely see that you will lnow that i am confused. But please help me since i am panicking and Julu 30 is coming
    closer to choose the courses.

    Thanks

    +

    Hi

    I just wanted to know how many people who apply to Rotman Commerce at the end of their first year get in? I’m planning to apply to RC and hope to get good marks and apply. What percentage of chance do I have to get into RC at the end of the first year assuming I get really good grades. Furthermore, how many people do apply for RC at the end of the first year since on their website it says there is less than 20 spots available. Please answer these question with as much accurate detail as you can.

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    Okay for starters:

    Your course selection is July 30. That’s still in like five weeks. Do you know how much you can do in five weeks? How many schedules you can formulate for the lawlz?

    Reeelaaaax. Breathe in. Breathe out. Got it? Okay. You’re okay.

    PART I: COURSES ARE CONFUSING

    Now the process of choosing courses is quite simple. It’s like going to an all you can eat buffet and deciding you’d like to get chicken wings AND chicken balls. Like you’re literally going to pick the courses you like, look at when they take place in the timetable, and just make sure nothing overlaps. To follow my buffet metaphor, if my food ever touches on my plate, I get very unnecessarily frustrated because I am a five-year-old on the inside.

    But anyway — choosing courses:  Easy as pie. 🙂

    As for your dilemma… you don’t HAVE to finish the year with 5.0 credits. You can finish with no credits for all the university cares. To take 4.0 though is just as simple as taking 1.0 more than those 3.0. So you can take economics, math, and intro to whatever the heck RSM100Y is, and then top that off with English or history for example.

    PART II: ROTMAN BUSINESS.

    Prerequisites = courses you need to have before taking a course.

    So among the three that you’re set on taking, RSM100Y and ECO100Y actually don’t have any prereqs (granted ECO does give some recommended prep). But for MAT133Y or its equivalent, you’re going to require grade 12 advanced functions and grade 12 calculus.

    HOWEVER, I think you’re in a different situation since you were in IB.

    I know that a lot of IB students tend to get some courses they took beforehand transferred over for some general math or whatever credits. If you take a look at this chart (just scroll down on the PDF), you’ll see that if you took the proper IB math courses, you may have already gotten the 100-level math equivalent!

    Granted, whether or not it can function as a corequisite to RSM100Y might be something you want to clarify with Rotman for yourself.

    PART III: FLICKS. I MEAN FLCS.

    FLCs are on your transcript, but they don’t count as credits. I mean they’ll appear there, but they’ll be listed as “extra” mostly so your transcript can look pretty and you can feel pretentious.

    But if you’ve done any research into what exactly a FLC is — which, considering your questions on em, you have not — you’ll know that they’re not so much academic courses so much as they are… support groups? Meh. I mean look at the name. First-year learning communities. Essentially, FLCs are groups of maybe 30 or so students enrolled in the same core courses that have each other’s backs.

    Yeah.

    Okay well that’s one way of putting it.

    To get into one is simple though. Like even simpler than choosing courses! If you go onto the FLC webpage, you’ll eventually get to a button saying “Join FLC” and then bam, an application.

    For you, I would recommend the Economics FLC. While the students in the Rotman FLC will be taking the same courses as you (assuming you get into the three that you’d like), it’s limited to students actually in Rotman. That being said, the Economics FLC is basically the next best thing for your situation.

    PART IV: THE PERSISTING POST PROBLEM.

    POSts. POSts. POSts.

    POSts are programs of study. They’re the program you choose to major/minor/specialize/whatever in. You pick when you’ve completed at least 4.0 FCE, so typically at the end of first year. You do this on ROSI.

    PART V: ROTMAN AGAIN.

    I don’t know how many people apply to Rotman internally. Sadly, I am not actually that all-knowing, omnipotent being you seem to think I am.

    What I DO know, however, is that pretty much basically nooooo one gets in if they’re applying to Rotman from Arts and Science after one year. For the most part I’d say they take maybe… ten people? It’s not based on a number so much as it’s based on your grades, so if you’re not scoring high-90s… well then boo for you.

    PART VI: ASKA GIVES UP.

    Holy incredibly long post, aska.

    And to be completely honest, I think you might benefit from an appointment with a first-year advisor. If you can’t meet with them in person, see if they offer phone or Skype appointments. Likewise, you might have to do some double checking with Rotman over how your IB transfer credits (assuming you bother to transfer them) hold up.

    Whoo. It’s finally over!

    xoxo,
    aska

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