• bba,  co-op,  co-op management,  prospective student,  tuition

    co-op tuition: bba-lling on a budget (yes this is the best i could come up with)

    October 23, 2022

    Hi everybody! I am a prospective BBA Co-op student. I am supposed to take three study terms the first year. What would I be charged for it? The website says that the annual fee is 60,000 CAD. Now is that for two terms or three terms?

    hello!

    unfortunately, i’m not a bba co-op student — but lemme try to give you some advice anyway.

    i’m looking at the bba co-op websites for utsc, and yes, the international bba co-op tuition seems to be about 60k for first year. from what i understand, each year in the co-op program has three terms: fall, winter, and summer. it’s a bit different from programs without co-op, which don’t usually include a summer term. this makes me think that your 60k per year tuition probably includes all three terms in a year. but again, not a bba co-op student! so take this with a grain of salt. many grains of salt.

    the other thing you might have to watch out for is the co-op fee, which is paid on top of your tuition, apparently. for example, for a typical bba co-op program at utsc, you’d have to pay about $500-600 in co-op fees at the start of each term, for the first 8 terms of your degree — and that’s regardless of whether you’re doing a work or study term in that period.

    Paragon X GIFfrom Paragon X GIFs

    i hope my absolutely 100% accurate and factual information clears things up 😉 but do confirm this with your registrar and/or department. they’ll definitely be able to help more and could probably even give you other advice and resources!

    good luck,

    aska

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  • choosing,  co-op,  co-op management,  UTM,  UTSC

    i’m the goat

    April 23, 2020

    Hi there! Sorry for bothering you but I am really struggling between UTSC and UTM right now. Little bit of background info: I was accepted to the Co-op Management program at UTSC and the Management program at UTM (did not apply to UTSG). I am also an international student who has received a 65% scholarship for my studies in UToronto, and an additional 19000CAD scholarship from UTM.

    Pros for UTSC:
    -Can do Co-op which I believe is really good for a student’s future career
    -Better sports facilities (especially for my sport) which are really ideal for me

    Cons for UTSC:
    -Don’t really like the campus, looks pretty sketchy and people don’t seem to like it on Reddit
    -More expensive as I will be losing my 19000cad from UTM and Co-op costs more I believe
    -The campus just really doesn’t look as nice as UTM but I am not sure because I have really only looked at pictures online
    -No free shuttle bus to downtown:(

    Pros for UTM:
    -nicer campus, more green area which I will feel more comfortable being around
    -Lower tuition fee (which is kind of a big deal for me)
    -Free shuttle bus!!
    -The community just look nicer and suit me better, idk…

    Cons for UTM:
    -no co-op which I’m not sure if its really that big of a deal (Coz I really need job experience but can I even get any at UTM…)
    -might have to travel to downtown/UTSC 3-4 times a week to practice
    -isolated area? So hard to find jobs/internships around campus? I am really not sure because I am just so lost:(

    I guess UTSC can prepare me for a better career which is truly ideal, but UTM is what I prefer for my 4 years of college life. Would be great if I can get the same amount of work experience at UTSC by attending UTM (is there a way to secure that the school can help me find jobs if I don’t do co-op or am I really going to be on my own:( )

    I might even do UTM Commerce in my second year if I study at UTM, but I will probably stick with Co-op management if I study at UTSC. Which one do you think I should choose? Is Co-op really that big of a deal? Is it worth sacrificing part of my college experience/preference for it?

    Sorry that I am all over the place, there’s just too much going on in my head and I’m just so worried that I’m going to regret it. Thank you so much for your precious time and help!

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    congrats on making it into both programs, and with scholarships, too!

    quick psa: it would be v cool if people stop sending questions to every single ask box i advertise! this seems to be an international student thing, so you’re not alone in it, but rest assured that i will see your question even if you only send it once. 

    but you never need to apologize for bothering me, this is what i do. let’s get to it. for anyone who hasn’t been following this epic saga, this post is a part two, it seems, to this one. thank you for taking my suggestion to shorten your question! that’s cool. we love readability.

    so you did the epic pros and cons list, i can see. a few notes on that list:

    • don’t believe everything you see on u of t’s reddit! from my experience, it’s where the angry people go to congregate.
    • finances are definitely something to consider! you’ve been offered a huge scholarship to UTM, and imo that’s hard to turn down.
    • it can often be quite difficult to make a judgement about a campus based solely on pictures. here is a webpage offering virtual tours of utsc, and here are some virtual tours of utm residence buildings. you can also try looking video tours up on youtube, which is something i did when i was making my admissions decision!
    •  utsc has a lot of green space too! 
    • it’s hard to tell what a school’s community is like until you’re there. i’m curious as to why you think the utm community will suit you better. rest assured you will be able to make friends, find mentors, and study under great profs regardless of whether you choose utm or utsc!

    it’s still really hard for me to give you a definitive answer re: which school you should choose, because even if i know what factors you’re considering, i don’t know the weight of each one. for example: if you give up the utm scholarship, will you be taking on that same amount in student loans? or do you have sufficient parental support to not need those loans in the first place? i feel like depending on your situation, the importance of certain things you’re considering can change.

    keep in mind that you will (presumably) be spending four entire years of your life as a student at whatever campus you choose. so if you feel like you’d be happier at UTM, that’s not insignificant. four years is a solid chunk of your life. university isn’t just a stepping stone to a future career– it’s an experience, and one that has so far been really precious to me.

    that being said, i’m not sure that there’s a way to ensure that u of t helps you get a job without a guaranteed co-op. that isn’t to say there aren’t any student supports to help you find jobs at utm– utm has a fantastic career centre, and like i told you in the last post, the utm management program has programming that will help you get work placements and hands-on experience. ie. MGT480H5 and the certificate in effective business practices and leadership skills. if you end up choosing utm commerce, you’ll have access to the Personal Experience Year (PEY), which is a 12 to 16 month internship also done by students at utsg.

    basically, i wouldn’t say you’ll ever be fully on your own. there’s programming at both schools to help ensure that you get hands-on work experience while pursuing your degree. at the very least, your registrar’s office (both at utm and utsc) will be able to provide you with guidance and refer you to career resources.

    ultimately, you’re gonna need to take ownership for your decision. there’s no easy formula to success in life. co-ops are important, yes, but you can do great even without one. students at st. george don’t have access to the co-op program that utsc runs, but they tend to be fine. i have full faith in you to make the best decision for yourself. you got this.

    i actually think it’s pretty clear which school you want to go to, so…

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • co-op,  co-op management,  keeners,  management,  management,  UTM

    fOLLoW yOur HeaRT, [redacted]

    March 9, 2020

    Hi this is [redacted]. I am sorry for contacting you but I am too desperate to get an answer for some of the questions that I have regarding UTM management and UTM commerce haha. Hope you would not mind:)

    I was recently accepted to study management at UTM in the upcoming Fall. I love the course and all that it has to offer but I can’t help thinking that there are better options such as Rotman Commerce, or even just UTM Commerce. I have been looking through Reddit post and people are saying that UTM Management is just not that impressive and is a low-risk low return kind of course. There are also no PEY or co-op for this course but the one thing that I really want to do at Uoft is to get a lot of internships/work experience during my college life. However I do not think UTM Management can provide me as much experience when compared with Rotman commerce/ UTM commerce. The only specializations that UTM management offered are Human Resources management and management which is very broad. On the other hand, The commerce program leads to specializations in accounting, finance, and marketing which are more employable than just pure management or pure commerce.

    I understand that I will have to do Management at UTM for my first year. But may I know is it easy to transfer to UTM commerce after first year? I also did not take any Calculus course in high school but I might consider getting tutorial on Calculus (not summer school/night school) before attending UTM. Now I was looking at your previous response and you mentioned that ‘MAT133Y5 recommends that you’ve already completed high school calculus (with at least a 70%) before taking the course.’ I do believe that I have a solid math background but I am not familiar with calculus, do you think tutor can help me get prepared for the course?

    Apart from that, is there anything that I need to look into before thinking about transferring from UTM management to UTM commerce? Or are there actually any advantage of studying Management over Commerce? My ultimate goal is basically just to work at a large company with a decent salary and nothing much. Will UTM management be able to give me that opportunity or will other courses provide a better prospect for my future career? Really sorry that I have so many questions. I am just pretty excited but also kind of worried that I am missing out on better opportunities. Just want to get a clearer picture of everything and I hope you would not mind giving me some guidance and suggestions. Thank you very much for your precious time!! (Love what you are doing btw:)))

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    not gonna lie– i get kind of overwhelmed when people send me questions longer than medieval love letters. please don’t ever apologize for contacting me, though! this is what i do. just means i gotta break the question down a lil. let’s see what we got.

    is it easy to transfer to UTM commerce after first year?

    easy enough. in fact, i dunno if you’re aware of this, but you’re not actually a management student in first year. you’ve probably been admitted to a stream (management first-year admissions is my guess) with instructions to take certain courses; upon completing those courses in first year, you’ll then be eligible for admission to the actual management program. u of t runs using a POSt system, which stands for Program Of Study; all this means is that first years aren’t really in a major/minor/progam until they qualify, apply, and get accepted at the end of their first year.

    i’d check this over with the utm registrar to be safe, but as far as i’m aware, all you need to do to switch into commerce is take the commerce prerequisites and meet the grade threshold. you can find that info here. if you’re certain you want to be in commerce, you can probably take those prereqs right off the bat (instead of your management ones) to save you the trouble of switching over later on. but like i said, please confirm this with the registrar’s office! in my experience it’s been easy enough to switch around, but i don’t know if the programs you’re interested in have any quirks.

    can a tutor help you get prepped for calc?

    you are correct that calculus is important for MAT133Y5. i can’t give you a straight answer as to whether a tutor would be helpful– wouldn’t it depend on the quality of the tutor and the material you cover? i think in general, it would definitely be better than no calculus experience whatsoever. university math classes are pretty rough, and i would not advise you to enter into one without calculus. the best approach would probably be to have your tutor cover the calculus and vectors curriculum outlined in this pdf, and make sure you have all those concepts down. if you scroll down to page 101, you’ll see the curriculum i’m referring to.

    is there anything that you need to look into before transferring to UTM commerce?

    like i said, just check in with your registrar!

    are there actually any advantage of studying Management over Commerce?

    i am not an expert on this.

    i’d say someone at the department would know– maybe you could try contacting the academic advisor? the advice i, personally, can give you is simple: follow your heart, as cheesy as that sounds, and don’t trust everything you read on the internet. if i had believed every single redditor i came into contact with in high school, i would not have ended up at u of t. i’d say it’s more important to pursue your interests and excel at them than it is to drag your feet into a program that an internet stranger said was better. so that’s my take.

    you didn’t directly ask these questions, but you seemed to want guidance on it. out of the generosity and benevolence of my heart, i’ll cover them: 

    • can you get PEY and co-op opportunities in management? 

    it actually seems like the UTM management program offers a fourth-year internship course, MGT480H5, that will give you the kind of hands-on experience you seem to be hoping for. whether you’re in management or commerce, you’ll also be eligible for a new program (launching in fall! wow!). it’s called the certificate in effective business practices and leadership skills. details are here, should you be interested. if you’re admitted to the certificate, you’ll get to take part in a 4-month paid work placement, on top of other certificate requirements. fun stuff! ‘

    • will you end up at a large company with a decent salary?

    haha bold of you to assume climate change won’t getcha first

    all in all, though, i’m really glad you’re excited and looking into your options! best of luck with it all, and you know where to find me if you have any other questions. hope this was helpful.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • co-op

    co-op and an extended car metaphor

    June 28, 2016

    i have a little trouble with enrolling my program on Acorn. i want to do linguistics specialist coop but then i just realized the enrolment date for this program had passed. Should I just leave my program blank right now? Can I still get into the related coop courses/workshops in this case? Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    there are a few things going on in this question. it has, as the business people would say, “a lot of moving pieces.” lemme try to address some of them (though i am not, myself, a business person per say. i do rock a pleather briefcase, though):

    firstly, if you are not currently in a co-op program at UTSC, you can’t just apply to a co-op POSt via ACORN. you have to apply to co-op as a whole, the same way that at the downtown campus, you have to apply to transfer internally if you want to switch faculties. that application required a supplementary form that was due in April.

    if you’re currently not in co-op, you probably wouldn’t be able to get into the associated work-term preparation course (which i assume is what you’re talking about); see 6B.5, since that is taken in your first year of co-op.

    as for what you should do in terms of programs now, with course enrolment looming ever closer on the horizon: you should NOT leave it blank. in order to sign up for courses, you’ll need to be in an acceptable combination of subject POSts, i.e. 1 specialist OR 2 majors OR 1 major and 2 minors. if you’re not, ACORN will put up a big STOP sign in the metaphorical road to your course selection, and you will stay parked until you pull a program or two into your back seat for the ride.

    what would make the most sense to me, since you’re interested in the linguistics specialist – co-op, is to do sign up for the next-best thing for the time being. the regular linguistics specialist (i say ‘regular’ only to distinguish it from co-op; obviously, i’m not commenting on all the linguists out there, who i’m sure are extraordinary people in their own right) has unlimited enrolment, which means that you can sign up for it after your first year and are guaranteed admission.

    to continue the car/road metaphor, unlimited POSts are the cupholder of car accessories; everyone can get one. if you decide to apply to a limited POSt, you should have an unlimited one in your back pocket just in case.

    all this is to say: you need to make sure you’re in an appropriate number of programs by your start date for course enrolment, otherwise you will be in big trouble on the day of. and aska doesn’t want that.

    drive on, linguist,

    aska

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  • co-op

    co-op: cool opp or cop-out?

    June 14, 2016

    hey aska should I do co-op? D: the pros definitely outweigh the cons, but I really doubt I can deal with all the stress :/ just show me how scary it is rrrraaahh

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i haven’t been sure how to tackle this question because i’m not exactly sure where you’re coming from. i don’t know which pros you’ve deemed more significant than which cons, what stress you’re referring to, or why you find it scary. what i DO know is that i am a fan of co-op.

    as far as i’m concerned, co-op is a great program. and i say that as someone who is completely unbiased, having never done co-op or even applied to study at UTSC. I just think that any opportunity to work in a professional setting while in school is absolutely invaluable. it helps you gain valuable skills, make contacts that could lead to a job after school, and earn money while you’re studying! if you have the funds to pay for co-op in the first place (after all, it does cost more than non-co-op programs), why not go for it?

    yes, co-op students don’t get summers off. yes, going into the workforce is scary (i’m just taking a wild guess that that’s the part you think is scary). thing is, you’re going to have to get into the workforce eventually, so why not start early? that way, you get to become much more familiar and comfortable with working, not to mention add some positions to your resume in time for graduation.

    also, you go through co-op with other students, which makes co-op a lot less isolating than just going off into the workforce on your own. in fact, you can start by reading about some other students’ experiences online.

    that being said, not all programs are the right fit for co-op. there’s a reason i never considered it, after all. mainly, i didn’t want some poor career advisor beating themselves over the head about what possible job they could find an English specialist (anyway, i did just fine finding them on my own). but also, i thought that a research-based, academic program would better suit my needs, and that i could work part-time and on work-study around school. at the end of the day, you have to do what feels right for you.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • co-op

    sorry boss-man gtg catch my flight

    June 7, 2016

    Can I have a 2-week off during Christmas if I’m on a co-op work term?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    I mean, yes. co-op is like a regular job, and people at regular jobs get days off for statutory holidays, as well as vacation time. i assume that there’s some kind of guideline about how many hours UTSC co-op students should be working for the duration of their work terms, but i haven’t been able to find that information. I would recommend you ask the UTSC co-op office.

    as a general recommendation though, i would say that you hold off on booking any trips or making definite plans until you actually have your job and know what kind of hours you’ll be working, and what kind of time off you can expect. there will likely be a wide variety of different ways that a company/organization can organize your hours to fit the parameters of co-op. don’t make any assumptions until you have a contract to read or an orientation from your boss.

    cheers,

    aska

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