programs - askastudent

current student, major, programs

major changes

August 2, 2022

Can you change or decide to double major in your 3rd year?

hey there,

yup, speaking from experience, you definitely can. honestly, this is probably one of the most redeeming qualities of POSt (especially for us indecisive students).

The Good Place Indecisive GIFfrom The Good Place GIFs

you can switch between programs in the “program change groups” directly on acorn without any application or approval (see the list here), and for other programs you can try to request the change on acorn or contact the department for approval.

program changes are usually available on acorn in march/april and july/august each year. in fact, this year’s program change deadline is august 23rd, so if you already have a program in mind, you might even be able to get it done this summer!

of course, the success of your program change may depend on the courses and programs you’ve completed so far, and how related they are to the programs you’re switching into. competitive programs would also still be evaluating you by their POSt criteria.

anyways, hope this helps. be free! go find the program of your dreams!

It Is Not Too Late To Change Your Mind Still A Chance GIFfrom It Is Not Too Late To Change Your Mind GIFs

good luck,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
courses, current student, programs

gotta get with the program

April 25, 2022
Are only my first 20 credits counted for program requirements? Ahhh its so confusing

hello there,

ahhhh indeed.

Controlmypc Cat GIFfrom Controlmypc GIFs

according to the artsci calendar, you need at least 20.0 credits to graduate, courses beyond that can still count towards your program requirements.

you just gotta make sure that your 20.0 (or more) credits satisfy these conditions:
- at least 13.0 FCEs at the 200+ level
- at least 6.0 FCEs at the 300+ level
- at least 10.0 FCEs from the faculty of arts and sciences
the one thing you might have to be careful about is that if you have over 15.0 FCEs with the same three letter designation in the course code (e.g. ENG, or MAT), only the first 15 will count towards your degree requirements… but technically, maybe they can still count for your program requirements? i guess if you do find yourself in the unique dilemma of having 15+ FCEs with the same three letter code, it’d be best to check with your registrar, just in case!

hope that helps!

aska
Read More

aska No Comments
arts & sciences, programs

u got the beeeeest of both worlds (2.0)

February 6, 2022

Hi! So I’m starting my senior year in less than a month (whoa) and I’ve decided that I want to major in poli sci. I was on the UofT website and it said that a student can have two majors, if I’m in the social science stream freashman year so I can major in poli sci, how hard will it be to choose a second major in a completely different field (like life sci)?

hello there,

sorry for the late reply!!! (yikes) but i hope this helps anyway. and yes i did recycle that title. it’s just too good.

if you enter in the social science stream, it’s definitely possible to choose a second major in a different field, as long as it’s in the faculty of arts and sciences, and as long as you can take all the courses required for each major. imo one of the coolest things about uoft artsci is the sheer number of programs that you can basically mix and match — here’s the full list!

They Have Everything Complete GIFfrom They Have Everything GIFs

in terms of courses, each major usually requires around 7-8 FCEs (credits, basically) and you need 20 FCEs to graduate, so it should be totally fine to major in two very different fields and have some space leftover for electives, too.

the one thing i can think of that might be a bit tricky is course selections. generally students get priority enrollment for courses in whatever stream/program they’re enrolled in. so if you apply for the social science stream, you’d get priority for those courses in first year, but may have a harder time getting into life sci or other categories’ courses. in my experience though, first year course selections weren’t too bad and i was able to get into most courses i needed in my stream/program and other electives. also, first year classes are usually pretty huge (especially lifesci), so i wouldn’t worry too much about getting into those tbh.

best of luck,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
programs, transfer credits

give us priority enrolment!

August 25, 2020

hey! really appreciative of what you’re doing here 🙂 I’m a UTSG student and I need to take PHL281 (biothetics) as part of my program (health studies). But, no priority so the waitlist is super long (40% would need to drop lol). PHLB09 at UTSC shows up as transferable to 281 on transfer explorer, and it has lots of space and a great prof. does that mean I can take it and have it count towards my major reqs? i should email the dept, but I don’t know how to write that email/what to say :/

——————————————

hey there,

this is one of the most annoying things about course enrolment at u of t, tbh… i wish they’d provide priority enrolment for all program requirements. it makes things so hard when the school doesn’t give you priority for courses that you actually need in order to complete your degree.

as far as i know, if PHLB09 at UTSC is transferrable to the PHL281 at UTSG, you should be able to take it. it might be even easier than normal this year, with hybrid/online classes. i agree that you should probably email the department and double-check. you can keep the message pretty brief. here’s a suggested email from me if you’re not sure what to say:

“Hello (name of person),

I’m emailing with a question about a Health Studies program requirement. My name is ______ and I’m a student in the Health Studies major. My student number is _______.

I haven’t been able to get into PHL281 for this upcoming academic year, but according to Transfer Explorer, PHLB09 at UTSC has been accepted in the past as a transfer credit equivalent to PHL281. I’m wondering whether or not I’d be able to to take PHLB09 in place of PHL281 and have it fulfill the program requirement.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to a response!”

i’d also shoot a quick email to your registrar, just to check what else you need to do in order to take a UTSC course and have it count towards a UTSG degree. i’m not sure if this is a letter of permission situation or not, but there are likely other hoops you’ll need to jump through in order to be 100% certain you can get credit for the UTSC course. i think you’ll almost definitely need to interact with the transfer credit department at some point. your registrar will know what to do. don’t forget to include your student number in the email so that they’ll get back to you sooner!

i hope this helped and good luck.

be Boundless

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
english, programs, subject POST

what is this, valentine’s day?

March 22, 2019

Hello again!

I just had a few quick questions regarding program enrollment. So, for my english major and creative expression and society minor it says that I can apply from March 1-September 18th 2019 and then for my book and media studies it says March 1-May 12 2019 but to check for results on July 2nd 2019 and enroll by August 7th 2019. Does this mean I can apply for it now for my second year beginning in September? Because I went to enroll in acorn and it said that the “start session” begins Summer 2019 but am I not enrolled nor do I want to enroll in summer school. I’m just confused on what this means.

Thankyou!

——————————————

hi again and welcome back!

lot of dates you got there. not all of us can relate.

SORRY anyways, all this info you’ve got boils down to yes, you can apply to your programs now for september. that summer start session thing just means hypothetically, if you DID want to start courses for your program in the summer, you’d be able to.

this is the statement the registrar put out about start sessions, that does a way better job of explaining things:

Heads up: If you have just enrolled in a program and the Start Session says 2019 Summer, that’s normal! It doesn’t mean you need to start taking courses this summer. The purpose of the Start Session is so you know which year you added the program, and which calendar’s requirements you will be following in order to complete the program.

hope this helped!

over n out,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
programs

POSt to play

September 19, 2018

Do you have to choose a program second year or can I still be undeclared

——————————————

hi!

once you complete 4.0FCE, you must choose a program of study. in general, this happens at the end of your first year. if you don’t enrol in a valid POSt combo (ie. a specialist, two majors, or a major and two minors) after finishing 4.0FCE, ACORN won’t let you add courses. which is a big time uh-oh.

if you finish 4.0 credits, but you haven’t completed the requirements for your desired POSt, you can add yourself into a placeholder type 1 (the kind with no application or specific course requirements) program. as i mentioned before, if you’re not in a valid POSt combo you won’t be able to add courses. by adding yourself into the placeholder POSt, you’ll be able to add courses on ACORN, avoiding the big uh-oh.

now you may be thinking “but aska, now that i’m in this fake POSt, do i have to take courses in that POSt?” no you don’t! adding the fake POSt just ensures that you can add courses. basically, you can take the courses you ACTUALLY want, finish the requirements for the POSt you ACTUALLY want, then drop the fake POSt after. no harm, no foul.

i hope this all makes sense, it can be a little hard to follow.

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
english, first year, programs, sociology, UTAPS

good luck, young one

September 10, 2018

Hello!!

I am a first year student. I plan on majoring in English and Sociology. I have a couple of questions:

What is Type 1,2,3 program? From what I understand type 1 program does not have any requirements. And does English and Sociology fall under any of those programs?

If English and sociology does fall under type 1 program that means that I do not have to worry about anything hopefully.

Can I enrol in my english or sociology major now or in second year?

Also how fast can i graduate? I am currently enrolled in 5 course. I plan on taking however much courses I am allowed in the summer.

Lastly, one of my friend told me about UTAPS. I will be receiving OSAP this year. Will i be eligible for UTAPS. And (if so, i hope so) when will I know if i am getting UTAPS?

Thank you

——————————————

hello eager first year!!!

since your question is in multiple parts, i will be answering in multiple parts.

1. program types

the program type basically indicates what the entry requirements are for that specific program. type 1 programs have no special requirements. type 2 programs require specific courses and/or grades in those courses and type 2L programs are programs with a limited amount of spots. type 3 programs require specific courses and have a limited number of spaces. some type 3 programs might require additional information (an application, an interview, etc). check out this link for more info.

according to the program listings, english is a type 1 program and sociology is a type 2L program.

2. enrolling in the majors

you don’t need to enrol in a POSt (program of study) until you’ve earned at least 4.0FCE (full credit equivalents). this is usually at the end of your first year.

for english, you will just need to add the program during the program enrollment dates and you will automatically be added to the major–easy peasy lemon squeezy.

for sociology, you will need to have a minimum of 65% in SOC101Y or an average of 65% in a combination of SOC102 + SOC103, SOC102+SOC150, SOC103+150, or SOC100+150. once you’ve completed that requirement, you will request the program on ACORN during the request period, and then wait for the response. if you are accepted, you will see an “invitation” to the program that you will need to accept to be officially in the major. keep in mind that because sociology is a 2L program, it means that just meeting the minimum requirement may not get you into the program.

check out this link for more detailed information about enrolling in programs.

3. how fast can you graduate

if you take 5.0FCE every year, you should graduate in 4 years (5 FCE x 4 years= the 20 FCE needed to graduate). if you take the maximum number of summer courses (2.0FCE) every year, you could graduate a little earlier (ie. if you were supposed to graduate june 2022, you can graduate november 2021). basically, that would look like this:

5FCE (fall/winter 2018-19) + 2FCE (summer 2019)

+ 5FCE (fall/winter 2019-20) + 2FCE (summer 2020)

+ 5FCE (fall/winter 2020-21) + 1FCE (summer 2021)

= 20 FCE needed to graduate for november 2021.

keep in mind, however, that summer courses move super super quickly and it isn’t a really good idea to take the max amount of summer courses– especially since you’ll be coming straight from a full year’s worth of school. personally, i can’t fathom the idea of three years straight of school– i need my downtime!

another option that you could look into is taking 6.0FCE (the absolute maximum amount of credits) per year. again, keep in mind that u of t courses are super intense and a lot of students actually take less than 5.0 because of how heavy the workload can be. it might be a good idea to see how first year goes and then decide if you wanna take a heavier course load (either in the summer or in the year after).

4. UTAPS

if you’re receiving OSAP, you will be automatically assessed for UTAPS. you can use their online estimator to see if you’re eligible and how much you could potentially receive.

according to the financial aid website, UTAPS is first applied to your balance on ACORN and any extra is sent to your bank account. it doesn’t say when you will receive the UTAPS if you are eligible.

i would get in touch with enrolment services, the financial aid office on campus, for more information.

phew, that’s a TON of information.

i hope this helps! good luck, young one.

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
degree requirements, extra courses, programs

don’t forget the magic POSt combo

July 27, 2018

Hi! So, I currently exceeded the 6.0 100-level limit, and they won’t count my last course I took for a breath requirement to go to my GPA, I got an 84. I was previously suspended for a year, and came back, and my GPA has gone up to 2.13 from being 1.14. It seems to be a bit unrealistic, but my goal is to graduate with a high distinction and study masters at Scotland or England. ????With my latest 100-level course, my GPA would have been 2.23. I’m in no rush to graduate early, only have 7 courses left, the highest GPA I would get is 2.8. I’m majoring in history of art, and double-minoring in history and music culture. Would it be possible to add an additional minor using the course they counted as “extra” to bring it up, I’m just scared if I go above degree requirements, they wouldn’t count those too.???? What should I do or aim for from now on?

———————————————

hi!

though courses that count as “extra” don’t go towards your GPA or the 20.0 FCE needed to graduate, you can put them towards a program. so, hypothetically, you could use the “extra” course to add an additional minor.

i say “hypothetically,” however, because you won’t be able to add a third minor to your degree. you’re allowed to be in a total of three programs of study, so adding a third minor would put you up to four POSts. sadly, if you deleted your major to add your third minor and still only be at three POSts, that wouldn’t work either. you need to be in at least one “big” program (so like a specialist or major) and a maximum of two “small” programs (a minor). there is, sadly, a magic POSt combo that you gotta fulfill to graduate.

you can check out this link for more information on degree requirements.

i suggest making an appointment with an academic adviser at your college registrar’s office. they can talk to you about grad school and boosting your GPA. they can give you advice and help you plan for grad school.

i hope this helps!

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
programs, switching, Transferring

goodbye science hello arts

July 18, 2018

Hey Aska,
Im currently enrolled as a BSC specialist student, but want to change to a double major BA. I meet the transfer credit requirements for my double major BA and have the grades for it, so should the switch go smoothly? Thanks!

———————————————

hi!

i’m a little confused by your question– you gotta be more specific!!!!

i assume that you’re a student in the faculty of arts and science and you’re trying to just switch from a science specialist to an arts double major? i’m just gonna answer the question as if that’s what you mean.

so, within the faculty of arts and science, you don’t need to “transfer” any credits over if you’re switching programs within the faculty. all you need to do is change your POSt. if, as you say, you’ve met the requirements for the arts double major that you want to switch into, then there shouldn’t be an issue with switching from a science program to arts programs. just don’t forget that if the program(s) you’re interested in is a type 2 or 3 program, you will need to apply by august 29th and if it’s a type 1 program, you have until september 19th to add the program on ACORN. check out this link for more info re: the dates and program types.

if you’re actually a transfer student from another school, campus, or faculty, then there’s a totally different process that i don’t really feel like detailing for you right now. check out our “transferring” tag for more information on that specific circumstance.

good luck!

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
english, first year, newly admitted, polisci, programs

double double (major) toil and trouble

May 2, 2018

Hey aska!
I’m going to uoft St. George for an English undergrad in the fall of 2018. I’m also interested in doing a double major in political science. I’m a bit confused about how to choose courses (how to take ones that interest me, fulfill my program requirements, and are also are prerequisites to upper-year courses) and am worried about the workload if I do go for a double major. (I think I heard somewhere that it would take an extra year?) Also, I know I’m not outstanding in English and the main reason why I want to study it is because I want to improve in it. Since my highschool graduation is drawing closer, I’m beginning to have doubts about whether or not I can succeed regardless of how much effort I put in because it’s a world class program and I’m only average at best. In your experience, was there a huge step-up from highschool English to university English? Were can I find information on courses available to me?
Thanks so much!

——————————————

hi!

at u of t, in order to complete your degree, you have to do a combination of programs of study (or, POSt). you have to complete either: a specialist, two majors, or a major and two minors. so, your desire to do a double major is actually pretty common at u of t. being worried about the workload is valid, you ARE moving from a high school workload to a university workload. however, like i said, doing a double major is extremely common at u of t, with some students even piling on a minor with their double majors! i don’t think you will have any issues doing a double major. however, if you do, that’s ok too. and it’s ok to consider taking a reduced course load (less classes per semester) and take longer to graduate in order to work at a speed that works for you.

god, if i could, i would grab every incoming first year student by the shoulders, give ’em a good shake, and scream “YOU CAN TAKE MORE THAN FOUR YEARS!!! TAKE YOUR TIME!!!!”

but… i digress.

now to address the question of course selection. most students take 5.0 FCE (full course equivalents) in a year. 5.0 credits is considered the standard for a full time student and it’ll allow you to graduate in 4 years (5.0 FCE times 4 years = 20 FCE needed to graduate). because first year is general and you can take anything you want, it’s a good idea to check out the required courses for your intended programs of study. so in your case, if you want to do an english and polisci double major, you’d want to see what the required courses are to get into those programs as well as what first year courses are offered in those programs.

for english, there aren’t any prereqs to get into the major. however, you should probably take a first year english course anyways as most second year courses and other upper year courses require the completion of a first year course. check out this link for all the first year english courses that would count towards an english POSt.

for polisci, you need to have achieved at least a 67% in POL101Y or POL200Y or one POL FCE or equivalent in half courses. so it would probably be a good idea to take one of those courses in your first year so that you can get into a polisci major after first year.

you 100% should get in contact with your college registrar’s office and set up an academic advising session. they will be able to go more in-depth with you and discuss all your options. you can also get in contact with the program advisers of english and polisci respectively. check out this link for their contact info.

as for whether or not you can succeed “regardless of how much effort [you] put in”… well, like i said earlier, the transition between high school and university can be difficult, but it isn’t impossible. if you find yourself struggling academically, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with the academic adviser at your registrar’s office, or to contact your prof/ TA, who are also great resources and can really help you if you’re struggling in a course. you should also look into the academic success centre, where you can make appointments a learning strategist who can help you learn more about how you learn.

another great resource at u of t, especially for kids in programs like english and polisci, are the writing centres. you can book an appointment and bring your assignments to them before the deadline, and the people who work at the writing centre can go through the assignment with you and provide insight on how you can write a better assignment. they’re awesome. they’ve saved many a paper of mine.

ok, phew! that was a LOT of information. i really hope this helps. if you have more questions, please get in contact with the people i’ve linked above (especially your registrar’s office, they’re super helpful and a great first contact point for anything academic).

good luck, see you on campus in september!

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
enrollment, french, programs

french it up!

April 30, 2018

Hi,

What are the differences between the French programs at U of T St George? What is the best program to take if someone with very minimal french knowledge (near beginner) would like to be at a high B2/C1 level by the time of graduation?

——————————————

hi!

at u of t, we have a lot of very different french programs that all have different focuses, so it all depends on what aspect of french you’re interested in.

if you’re interested in ONLY learning the french language, you’d want to enroll in the french language learning program. there isn’t too much information on the website or the faculty calendar about what exactly this program entails, but it looks like students registered in this program only take french LANGUAGE courses, meaning that you just learn the language itself.

if you’re interested in french language AND literature, you’d want to enroll in the french language and french literature program. again, there isn’t too much info online, but it looks like students take both strictly language courses as well as literature courses that are taught in french.

if you’re interested in french language AND linguistics, you’d want to enroll in the french language and french linguistics program. once again, there isn’t that much info online, but it looks like students are focused on both learning the french language itself as well as the linguistic system that makes up the french language.

phew! ok, that’s a lot of different programs with a lot of vague information. i think that, from your question, you’re looking to just learn the language itself? in that case, you’d probably want to just enroll in the french language learning program. you can take a look at some of the links i’ve put above to see what the required courses are and if they interest you.

keep in mind that you will have to take a placement test in order to be put into any french language courses.

again, because there isn’t a lot of info out there online, i suggest getting in contact with the french department itself who’ll be able to give you more information and better explain the differences between the french programs.

i hope this was helpful! go out there and french it up!

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
arts & sciences, programs, St. George, subject POST

not so easy as 1- 2- 2L- 3

May 15, 2017

When is it time to choose programs? And what are the different types of programs (Type 1,2,3)? Thank you!

———————————————

hey,

ah yes, it’s that time of year again. i really hope that in the time it has taken me to respond to your inquiry, you’ve tried googling this yourself…

…but if you haven’t, that’s fine, i’ll answer your question anyways! all of the below information applies to the faculty of arts and science at UTSG.

this information is illustrated really nicely in this link right here but i’ll reiterate it for you and all my wonderful readers because that is what i do.

behold.

when is the subject POSt enrolment period? depends on your program type. (fyi: i am using program and POSt interchangeably.)

how do you check what type of program you want? you use this handy little (or not so little) list.

type 1 programs: the period to enrol for type 1 programs is april 1st to september 20th (a.k.a. now) there are no enrolment restrictions on type 1 programs. if you have completed 4.0 FCE’s you will be able to enrol into any type 1 program. all you have to do is go to ROSI or ACORN and enrol yourself. (just plunk the code on the left side of the column into the subject POSt module, et voila!)

type 1S programs: these are basically the same as type 1 programs except the enrolment period is different and students in these programs pay higher fees. there are no restrictions or applications for 1S programs and the enrolment period of july 3rd to september 20th (a.k.a. later).

type 2, 2L (the L just means limited), 3 programs**: this is where things get a little funky. read carefully.

there are two request periods for these types of programs because the first period is if you completed the program requirements by the end of the 2016-2017 fall winter session, while the second period is if you are hoping to have completed the program requirements by the end of the 2017 summer session.

the first period to apply is april 1st to may 17th. you will need to apply during this period, check your result on june 30th, and then if you have been invited to enrol, enrol by august 2nd.

the second period to apply is july 3rd to august 27th. you will need to apply during this period, check your result on september 15th, and if you have been invited to enrol, you’ll need to enrol by september 20th. be sure to check your ROSI during this period (put it in your calendar!) because you don’t have much time to enrol!

**type 3 programs: these differ slightly from type 2 programs because program enrolment is limited and you will require an application. some applications do not accept applications from the second request period. if that is the case, it will say 3-no.

again, the steps to applying and enrolling are all outlined nicely in the link i attached above!

***something important to keep in mind is that if you’ve completed 4.0 FCE’s, you won’t be able to add any courses until you apply to a program. if you are applying to a type 2 or 3 program where it is possible that you may not be accepted, it is very important to secure a backup POSt so you can continue to enrol in courses. my advice to you would be to enrol in a random type 1 specialist program simultaneously along with your type 2/2L/3 program applications just in case you don’t get into to the type 2/2L/3 programs. don’t worry, you won’t need to have taken any courses in that department, pretty much any type 1 POST will do. that being said, you could also enrol yourself in 2 type 1 majors/ one type 1 major and two type 1 minors as place holders, but that just overcomplicates everything once you need to drop them. it’s better to just use a type 1 specialist as your placeholder because if you do end up getting into a type 2/2L/3 program, you’ll only need to drop one POSt (your random type 1 specialist) as opposed to two type 1 majors/a type 1 major and 2 type 1 minors.***

does that make sense? are you one of these flamingoes?

that’s okay! i realize this post may be a little convoluted and wordy but if you need more clarification, please comment below!

good luck and i hope you get into all your desired programs!

peace and love,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
arts & sciences, choosing, computer science, courses, keeners, math, programs

compsci conundrum

May 9, 2017

I am planning on attending UTSC (but I think this question should be
applicable to the other campuses) this September, and I am looking for
advice on whether I should aim for a major + 2 minor or (software
engineering) specialist program in Computer Science.

I am leaning towards the major + 2 minor option for the following reasons:

The specialist program requires some additional courses that I think would
make it more difficult than the major. For example, it requires both Linear
Algebra II and Intro to Probability, whereas the major program let’s you
choose one of them. Another math course that is required is Calculus of
Several Variables I, which just sounds terrifying. And I know that math is
important in CS, but, I am only okay in math (ended with 83 in functions
because trig killed me [I probably wouldn’t have done that well on it in
the first place, but I planned poorly for other subjects, and so did not
have time to study for the unit test]; calc seems much more interesting,
though), and so I would like to skip some of these math courses.
Additionally, I am not sure how useful or hard some of the additional CS
courses like Intro to Numerical Algorithms for Computational Mathematics or
Computability and Computational Complexity will be—they all seem very
abstract and not-practical.

Another reason I want the major + 2 minor is that I would get two minors. I
am taking Writer’s Craft this year and have realized that I quite enjoy
creative writing. It just so happens that UTSC offers a minor program under
English called Creative Writing. I think taking this minor alongside the CS
major would be a great way to lessen the workload and pursue something I
enjoy, while also pursing something else I enjoy that can actually earn me
money. Having only math and theory-based CS courses besides a small number
of electives is not too appealing to me. I realize that those courses are
better than practical programming courses in the long-run, but having them
make up the vast majority of my degree seems a bit painful. I don’t have a
solid pick for a second minor yet, but I don’t think it would be hard for
me to choose one (linguistics and food science are top contenders).

Here, then, are reasons I might want to go the specialist route:

I’m special.

I think some of the courses the specialist has you take would be pretty
beneficial. For example, since my goal is to get a job as a programmer, the
courses that seem to teach you how to do stuff in a real-world environment
like Intro to Software Engineering and Engineering Large Software Systems
could really be useful, and I might be missing out if I opt for the major.
There are also a few other courses like Programming on the Web and Intro to
Databases which could add to my skill set and make me more marketable for
co-op and post-post-secondary jobs. I am of course just predicting how
valuable these courses might be form their names and descriptions alone;
that’s why I’m asking you! The major program only allows you to take 1
credit of additional C/D-level (300/400-level) CS courses, which means
missing out on some potentially useful courses. I am guessing that it is
not possible to take more as electives, but is it?

My minors will probably also not help at all with my future career; I would
only be taking them to lessen the amount of math/CS courses and increase
the amount of enjoyable courses. Is that a bad thing to do?

So, to conclude, do you think the benefits for taking the specialist
program (additional useful courses) outweighs the cons (more un-fun
courses; less fun courses)? Both choices aid the mind, but in different
ways (i.e. one probably reduces chances of suicide).

Thank you and sorry for the long message; I wanted to make my points clear
🙂

———————————————

buddy.

i began penning a response to this question that went a little something like: “just go with your gut! it seems like you’re leaning towards the major and two minors option! why not pursue that?”, but upon further reflection, i’ve decided that we need to rewind a little, if that’s okay with you.

(just so you know, i’m not a computer science student, nor have i taken any computer science classes and i’m just as confused as you are about these programs. i’m speaking only as a seasoned upper year student)

before i start ripping into you, (it’s going to happen, i’m sorry) kudos to you for thinking this hard about what program you want to get into. it’s clear you’ve put a lot of thought into this, which is great. this response isn’t supposed to make you feel bad- i just want to bring you back to earth a little.

so, first- you’ve made some serious assumptions on what these courses are going to be like. i can tell you from experience that i’ve made assumptions based on course names and have been incredibly wrong. classes also vary pretty dramatically depending on the instructor.

*askastorytime* i took a class called urban geography, planning, and political processes. i thought was going to be super difficult and intense, but it ended up being super chill. for our final project, we created a zine and performed a rap for the class. for our group presentation, i contributed a sick drum beat and didn’t even utter a single word. moral of the story: do not judge courses by their names. linear algebra is probs super easy. (i’m kidding. math is never easy. math is very hard. we mustn’t joke about math.)

your assumptions that some classes are “abstract”, “non-practical” or “terrifying” are all based on the course name. the truth is, every program at u of t will require a great deal of hard work. sure, easy courses exist, but transitioning from high school to first year is a huge challenge and you need to take that into account. picking the major and two minors option over a specialist program doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be choosing the ‘easier route’. like i’ve said in previous posts, it really depends on how deep you want to get into a subject. a major and two minors allows you to explore a larger variety of subjects whereas a specialist will let you dig deep into one subject. which option are you more interested in?

while the university does have a breadth requirement which encourages us to take courses outside of our faculty, personally, if i were to choose two minors that were completely unrelated to my major, i feel like i would have lots of difficulty focusing on each one and feel like a scatterbrain. for others who are better at multitasking and switching between subjects easily, a major and two minors is perfect! it really depends on what kind of person you are. can you turn your computer science mind off and jump right into phonetics and phonology if you need to? you’ll have to test that out in your first year! p.s. don’t forget to take a moment to check out the requirements for your potential minors and their different application requirements.

that being said, from what i’ve heard, computer science is extremely math heavy. there is no easy way out. you have been warned.

for now, i think you should try picking courses that are prerequisites for the general computer science programs (if you are sure about pursuing computer science), and see how you feel about them. fear not, the utsc calendar literally says that it’s not meant to be difficult to switch between different streams within computer science.

you have plenty of time to discuss your options with an academic advisor as well! you can also talk to the program supervisor for computer science if you have more specific questions about the available compsci programs.

i’d also encourage you to reach out to current or past computer science alumni to get some different perspectives on how they chose their programs. hearing other people’s thought processes might help you figure out what you’re looking for!

hey, if doing programming for your whole undergrad sounds terrible for you, maybe computer science isn’t the right program for you. your first year is meant for you to explore and discover what courses you like. you don’t even necessarily need to get into your program by second year if you still don’t know what to do after your first year.

so in conclusion, specialist courses won’t necessarily be more useful in the long run, and if the idea of specializing in software engineering doesn’t sound colourful enough for you, maybe the major and two minor option will be better for you! again, you really need to take some university level classes to see what it’s really like here. don’t judge a book by its cover, yo.

good luck with your decision, i hope you choose a program you like!

peace and love,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments