hi there! i’m currently a grade 12 student looking at the ICCIT program, specifically DEM. i’ve been doing research (going on reddit) and i can’t really figure out wheter it’s a good program or not. i want to go into communications, and pursue project management, or public relations or something like that, and i’m not sure if i’m going to do higher education.

hey plankton,

broo i haven’t seen you since you played the lead role in spongebob! nice to hear from ya.

ok, doing “research” on reddit is so real. but please don’t trust everything you read on there or let it scare you off! some people go on there just salty after bad experiences/grades, and others are just straight up Wrong. also, like, people are more likely to rant on reddit if they’re mad than if they’ve had good experiences. so you gotta proceed with as much suspicion as you can muster.

in terms of advice, i can tell you what i think. however, keep in mind that i can’t speak from experience since i’m not in a CCIT program, and also don’t know anyone in one either.

ccit programs

i think the communication, culture, information, and technology (CCIT) programs look really good. in general, u of t programs are quite high quality—there are hiGh stAndards here—and CCIT certainly doesn’t seem like an exception to that. especially if you want to go into communications, this seems pretty perfect for you. as you can see from the arts & sciences calendar, the department offers such interesting and unique courses. what you would learn here seems like it would be current, relevant, and applicable, for careers in the context of today’s digital age. they offer courses about topics from rhetoric and media, to digital marketing, to sound studies, to surveillance studies.

the digital enterprise management (DEM) specialist definitely sounds like the most “practical”-y program out of that list, since it incorporates business management. you mentioned you might want to pursue project management, so this seems like a good choice for you!

maintaining a good gpa

so i guess u of t is Just A Girl. it just can’t escape the juicy, frightening rumours spreading about it around high schools. but, the rumours are sort of true, because when i got here, i was

.

everyone talks about how if you’re an A student in high school, you become a B student at u of t—and if you’re a C student, you become a D student. and i think this does happen to most people, but it is definitely possible to not fall into this!

i think the reason why this gpa drop happens is that there’s just a huge jump from what’s expected from you in high school vs. uni, in terms of workload, speed of material, and grading standards, as well as a larger disconnect between teaching teams and students compared to high school. here, a lot of people say professors couldn’t care less about you, but i think most of them really do (i’ve been lucky to have the most caring, amazing, and passionate professors and TAs recently). you just have take the initiative to connect with them, whether that’s through class participation or office hours. by connecting with your instructors, you’re more likely to feel comfortable asking clarifying questions and ask for help with assignments.

essentially, academic success at u of t requires a whole lot of self control and intrinsic motivation. in uni, it’s all up to you whether you go to lecture, whether you take notes, whether you stay on top of course content, and whether you take extra time to go to office hours. nobody else could care less if you don’t. so most people end up skipping class and falling behind, then cramming right before exams.

overall though, the big make-or-break factor is your program. you could have all the work ethic and motivation in the world, but if your program is difficult, all i can say is :D. for example, i have seen many fallen soldiers in rotman or life sci. some extremely smart and hardworking people i know met their fate with low marks there (in certain courses, not all courses!). but guys, don’t look at this and be discouraged, i also know some people in rotman and life sci with high gpas!

but for CCIT, i honestly haven’t heard anything about it being one of these notoriously hard programs. from the looks of it, it seems like you should be fine.

anyways, i wish someone had told me all that gpa stuff before i went into first year.

depends what your end goals are

finally, i think your choice really depends on where your future plans lie.

you mentioned you’re not sure if you’re going to do higher education. well, maintaining a high—or even good—gpa only really matters if you want to go to grad school. if you plan to go straight into the workforce, no employer is gonna ask for your gpa. they’re just going to ask for your experience. getting a degree from a reputable institution is going to hold more weight, and i’ve heard having a u of t degree looks really good for getting a job. u of t is number 1 in the country and ranked like, super high worldwide. (don’t ask me for an exact number).

wishing you luck with whatever you decide! i’m always here if you have more questions. here are some gold stars to launch you into uni life <33

over and out,

aska