• academic success,  current student,  leave of absence,  mental health

    you can do it!

    November 15, 2022

    my time in undergrad has been rough, in addition to much longer than expected; i don’t know how long it’s going to take to get my degree nowadays, and most of my friends have already finished undergrad. i haven’t been in a good place for a while now and haven’t been diagnosed with depression by a professional but everything about me absolutely reeks of it. i still want to continue with higher education, but i don’t know if i should take a break or continue at a relaxed pace. too heavy, or…?

    hi there,

    i think the best thing to do here is to get some professional advice — for mental health, academics, future plans, or whatever else you may have on your plate. your registrar is a good place to start as they can probably direct you to other resources and options, and you can also book an appointment with your family doctor or a clinician at the health & wellness clinic, and get confidential counselling over the phone through mySSP.

    i think it’s a bit hard to know what path would be best for you right now without having a more detailed discussion. it all depends on how your health right now, what your priorities/goals are, possible accomodations… the list goes on. it’s complicated! so, really. reach out to these supports!!

    now i may not be a medical professional or academic advisor, but i’d like to think i’m a bit of an expert in giving some perspective, emotional support, and wholesome gifs.

    speaking of wholesome gifs:

    Cat Ghost GIFfrom Cat GIFs

    i think it’s important to remember that it’s ok to take your time, and rather than trying to push and do things “on time” (whatever that means, anyway) make sure you’re doing it in a way that works for you and your priorities — a very important one being your health!

    i was trying not to get all into the realm of cliche quotes and ~positive thinking~, but since we’re here already i might as well drop a few more, like:

    • “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”
    • “comparison is the thief of joy”
    • “time is a social construct and plenty of students graduate in 4+ years anyway” (ok i just needed to fill a space here but still, it’s true.)

    cliche? oh yeah. helpful? hopefully. easier said than done? yeah, probably that too. but you get the point.

    there are probably other practical considerations that’ll affect your decision, like career goals, finances — all of that fun stuff. i think it’s important to think about these things first and figure out where you really want to be at the end of the day. do you want to enter a career that requires a degree? or maybe you’re really passionate about what you’re learning but just need the time, or the right time and circumstances, to work through it. if neither of these is true, maybe it’d be better to look into other options to really reach your goals. you may feel tied down to finishing your degree, but if it’s not what you really want/need, there could be better options out there — and tbh there’s no shame in jumping ship if this just isn’t working out for you.

    if finishing your degree is your end goal, you’ll have to consider your health, finances, and academics this semester to decide whether to take a leave of absence or drop some courses. there’s still a bit of time until the course drop deadline (literally tomorrow!)

    a leave of absence could be a good option if you really feel like you are floundering right now and need the time to rest/get things together. you’d have to drop all your courses this semester by the deadline, and cancel your registration on acorn. there might also be other ways to take a leave if you ask your registrar (they have their ways…)

    on the other hand, if you feel like you could pull through for some/most of your courses this semester, then cr/ncr may be a good option, especially for more difficult or stressful courses. this way, you could save on the tuition you’ve paid so far while earning some more credits towards your degree. you could then take a leave of absence next semester if needed

    there’s a lot of other stuff that can be done/planned out academics-wise too, like going over study strategies with an academic advisor, getting accomodations and support for health concerns or other extenuating circumstances, or changing to programs/courses that play to your strengths.

    uni life is a depressing mess sometimes, but i think with the right advising and supports/resources, you can definitely plan things out to finish your degree in a manageable way, hopefully with a clear, realistic timeline — that way, there’ll be a real light at the end of the tunnel, and you won’t feel like things are just left hanging up ahead. (it really sounds like i’m just regurgitating some kind of smart goals framework thing right now but hey, i guess the theme of the day is cliches.)

    anyhow, i hope this helped give you some ideas on how you could move forward. it’s a tough situation for sure, but i hope you know that it’s ok to take your time on this journey, and that there are tons of resources you can reach out to for support and advice.

    rooting for you!

    aska

    Motivation Penguin GIFfrom Motivation GIFs

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  • academic success,  current student,  mental health

    sending u positive energy (and all the resources i got)

    June 2, 2022

    Hi! I am a first year student and this year has been just bad. I moved to a whole new country and ig that had a bad effect on my mental health. I have failed 4 of my first year courses . I am not sure what to do.

    hi there,

    i’m so sorry to hear that your first year has been so difficult. i hope you’re doing better now, and maybe this can give you some comfort/advice.

    honestly, the transition to university is tough to navigate for almost everyone, not to mention moving to a completely different country, or figuring out student mental health resources. it’s just a lot, so know that you’re not alone. first year is probably one of the most universally despised years from what i’ve heard, but it does get better. most people i’ve talked to get better at their study skills, meet more friends, and simply adjust more to uoft life over time.

    the first thing that i would recommend for you is definitely to book an appointment with your registrar. they provide support for all sorts of student concerns and can help give advice on things like mental health resources, study strategies, finances, and more. they’re so so helpful and can definitely guide you in the right direction.

    i’m sure you’ll be in good hands with your registrar in terms of resources, but i’ll also just include some that i know of which may help. your health definitely comes first, and uoft does have a whole list of mental health services which you may have heard of, as well as 24/7  phone counselling for all kinds of student concerns through my SSP, if you ever need to talk about anything. you may also want to see a medical professional or look into accessibility services accomodations to get the proper supports for any health concerns you might have. it can be tricky to find the mental health supports that work best for you, so i’d recommend starting early and trying out resources this summer to help maintain your health and wellbeing.

    the academic success centre also has a lot of great programs to help build your study skills, like workshops, peer mentors, and learning strategist appointments. i’m not sure if you’re taking any courses right now, but you could also just book an appointment to reflect on your past school year and get some professional advice on how you could improve.

    you’re probably also aware of the CIE at utsg, or international student centres at utsc and utm, which offer support especially for international students. i just have to highlight these programs from the CIE which look super wholesome, and could be a great way to connect with other students and build your support system here in toronto.

    from what i know, these resources are open year round, so if you have any concerns or simply want to get on track to prepare for second year, definitely reach out to them! although the road ahead can be challenging, i think that with the right supports and strategies, you can definitely make it through!

    Bh187 Bighero6 GIFfrom Bh187 GIFs

    good luck,

    aska

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  • academic success,  chem

    does anything make sense anymore

    October 29, 2018

    Hi,
    I recently got my midterm mark back from CHM135 and as expected I did horrible. I got a 39.22% (it’s my fault for slacking off full-time). Apparently the labs are “easy marks” but I’ve gotten a 79% on my first one and my friend told me that it’s pretty bad. I’ve never really been good at labs, but I’m willing to improve.

    I’m extremely anxious about the next midterm and the exam. Is it still possible to pass the course with a 60-65%? (How do I calculate how much I should get for next assessments to get this mark?).

    Thank you.

    ——————————————

    hi!

    oh man, we’ve all been there. it’s tough, but you’ll get through it.

    a great tool that i’ve used in the past to figure my sh*t out is this grade calculator. basically, you just enter the marks that you currently have and  how much the assignments are worth, and it’ll calculate that you currently have in the course. there is also an option to see what you’d need to get on the rest of the assignments in order to achieve a certain mark and an option to see what your final course mark would be if you got a certain average on the rest of the assignments. i hope that makes sense. it’s hard to explain. just check out the link above.

    confused k-pop GIF

    i highly suggest going to your prof/ TA’s office hours to discuss strategies for success. i know that that’s super intimidating and scary, but trust me, it’s worth it. it’s always a good idea to talk to the people who’re actually grading you to get a sense of how you could get better grades. profs/ TAs are always happy to see students and to help them out.

    you should also check out the academic success centre. they’re a great on-campus resource that is sadly and criminally underused. you can make appointments with learning strategists, attend workshops, and meet up with peer mentors– all of which can help you improve your grades and help you become more…. academically successful.

    i hope this helps you out! good luck!

    xoxo,

    aska

    PS- don’t forget that the last day to drop or CR/NCR any F courses without academic penalty is november 5th!!

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  • academic success,  extra courses,  repeating course

    learning about learning

    August 13, 2018

    if I failed courses (first year) would you recommend not retaking them this year? or should I retake them? gpa is kinda awful right now.

    ——————————————

    hi!

    good news: if you want to take a course that you’ve already taken and failed, there shouldn’t be any issues for you enrolling in it on ACORN. keep in mind that you wouldn’t be able to enroll in a course that you’ve passed but wanna retake (let’s say, to get into a POSt) on ACORN by yourself. that’s something you’d have to see your registrar’s office about. those courses (courses you’ve passed but want to retake) will be marked as EXT (“extra”) which means it won’t count towards your GPA or your 20 credits needed to graduate.

    i don’t know if i can explicitly recommend retaking or not retaking a course. that’s ultimately up to you; only you know why you’d wanna retake a course and only you can gauge whether or not you can boost your GPA by retaking the course.

    i suggest that you should make an appointment with an academic adviser at your registrar’s office to discuss this. they can go through your academic record with you and help you come up with a plan of action– whether that be retaking courses you’ve failed or looking for new courses to take. they can also point you in the direction of some really cool academic resources. a resource that they may show you is the academic success centre. they’re awesome. you can attend workshops, make one-on-one appointments with learning strategists, and meet peer mentors. i highly suggest checking them out.  learning about learning and how you can learn better is a great first step in improving your marks. at least, that’s what i’ve always found.

    i learned from that justin bieber GIF

    i hope this helps!

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • academic standing,  academic success,  failing,  first year

    it is not the end

    February 26, 2018

    Hi! I’m a first year, and due to my own personal issues I’ve completely bombed this year. I think I failed two courses first semester, and I’ve already missed two midterms this semester. God just writing that out gives me anxiety. I know I can’t excuse this behaviour, but I lost a loved one before exams first semester & it’s just been really hard but I’m ready to refocus on school, I’m just worried it might be too late. Will uoft kick me out? I don’t care if my gpa is low I just want to graduate

    ——————————————

    hi!

    i’m sorry that you’ve been having a rough first year. university can be really tough, especially when you’ve got other things going on as well.

    so, u of t won’t “kick you out,” but they could put you on academic probation, depending on what your CGPA (cumulative GPA) and annual GPA at the end of this school year is. if it is lower than 1.50, you will be placed on probation. basically, this just means that you can only take up to 5.0 FCE during the fall/winter session and 2.0FCE during the summer. if, after being on probation, your CGPA is less than 1.50 and your annual/ sessional GPA is less than 1.70, you will be suspended for one calendar year. being suspended means that you can’t register as a student for the duration of your suspension. for more information about academic standing/ probation/ suspension, check out this link.

    but in your case right now, you would only be put on probation at MOST. and this would only be if your CGPA dipped below 1.50. so, as long as your CGPA is above a 1.50, you’re okay.

    cbs omg GIF by The Late Late Show with James Corden

    i would also suggest making an appointment at your college/ faculty registrar’s office. they’ll be able to provide you with academic advice or refer you to other resources on campus. one of the resources they may refer you to is the academic success centre. i would also highly suggest that you check them out. you can make an appointment with learning strategists and mentors, go to a drop-in session with an academic adviser, or attend workshops. they can really teach you how to learn better, which may help out with some of the academic problems you’ve been facing. i highly suggest checking them out, they’re a criminally underused resource on campus.

    i really hope this helps. please know that help is always available to those who seek it out. good luck!

    good luck GIF

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • academic success,  failing,  health and wellness,  mental health

    i’m rootin’ for you!

    February 5, 2018

    HI!!!
    Sooo ya, Im in my 3nd year of study and I already failed 2 courses back in first year. I thought I was doing fine in this course (csc236) but then the marks came and it was abysmal. During this whole year I wasn’t feeling well, a lot of anxieties and some depression – I know, I only have myself to blame. I’d like to ask what are your suggestions on the actions I should take to deal with this 0.0gpa and the advice to do better?

    Thanks ;(

    ——————————————

    hi!

    that sounds like a really tough situation to be in. i’m really sorry for how long this response has taken me, but i hope that you still find it helpful.

    first of all, i’m going to suggest that you make an appointment with your registrar’s office. they can help you and/or point you towards resources that can help you. they should be your first point of contact whenever you’re feeling distressed (emotionally or academically). make an appointment, talk to one of the advisers there, and they’ll be able to give you more nuanced/ detailed/ personalized advice– more than i can give you (as a lowly student blogger).

    broken computer GIF

    for academics, i highly suggest checking out the academic success centre. you can make appointments with learning strategists, mentors, people who work in writing centres, and a whole bunch of folks that’re there to help. they can provide a lot of personalized advice and teach you all about HOW you learn and ways of learning more effectively. that should help you learn BETTER and (hopefully) boost your marks. they also have some walk-in appointments that you can make, if you don’t wanna make an actual appointment.

    you should also check out health and wellness. in your question, you said that you aren’t “feeling well” and have “a lot of anxieties and some depression.” i think that you should check out their mental health services, even if you don’t think that you need to. mental health is super important, and the university doesn’t talk about it enough. mental health can really have a negative effect on your academics and getting to a healthy state of mind can help improve your academics as well.

    i hope this was helpful. i think that, most importantly, you should make an appointment with an adviser at your registrar’s office– they are literally paid to help you. school, especially this school, can be really hard, and we all need a little bit of help sometimes. there’s no shame in it 🙂

    good luck.

    spongebob squarepants good luck GIF

    xoxo,

    aska

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