• academic success,  bad times,  mental health,  stress

    how to fight the procrastination demons

    October 30, 2024

    Hey Aska, do you have any advice or personal strategies that have helped you for avoiding procrastination? I don’t know if I’m burnt out or don’t feel like doing any work but I desperately need to be more productive. I’ve been putting my assignments off until I feel the panic streaming through my bones and it can’t be healthy. Not sure what to do about it, I’m only in lifesci but my work load is crazy. Don’t know if you’ve dealt with procrastination but I’ll take any tips. Thanks.

    hey there,

    my brother, my buddy, my comrade, my pal. i feel you.

    you are not alone and it’s so normal to feel this at U of T, regardless of what program you’re in. i gotta be honest, the life sci work load is truly crazy and i don’t even have the time to wrap my head around how it’s humanly possible to get all your work done — your panic is not your fault, the system is just built in a panic-inducing way, methinks.

    but man, i’m sorry you’re feeling that way, it really sucks.

    well, i am proud to inform you that i consider myself a highly practiced procrastinator, and like you, am also constantly feeling the panic streaming through my bones. especially this midterm season, it’s been crazy.

    This contains: silly cat is moving too fast and having a mental breakdown

    anyway. i’d tell you it might be helpful to see a learning strategist at your college registrar, because that is a resource that is helpful for some people, though i’ve never tried it myself. but i’m sure that’s already on your radar, and so are the array of the university’s mental health resources.

    the best i can do is just share what sort of works for me and what strategies i use. i am far from having it all figured out, but i do struggle with procrastination like you, so maybe something here will be helpful for you.

    1. plot well

    my first tip is to plan all your deadlines and assessments out in some sort of calendar system. there are so many out there that it’s too much to attempt to find the best one, but what you can do is find one that works for your purposes right now. at one point, that was notion for me. then, it was those little brown muji planners. then, at one point i didn’t plan anything out and kept it all in my head (it didn’t go well). now, i use google calendar.

    what i look for in a calendar is the ability to add colour — specifically, the colour red, which i use to highlight all my big assessments/tests. this adds Urgency and i need that. and what i like about google calendar is you can add time-events that block off hours in your day AND to-do list tasks AND day-events that just sit at the top of your schedule.

    Story pin image

    ahh ok i’m realizing this is hard to describe but i also don’t really wanna add a screenshot of my calendar here lol. so lmk if you want a more in-depth post about the calendar planning side of time management.

    anyway, planning things out visually is super helpful for me because while i plan, it induces panic ahead of time as i’m writing it all out — which is a good thing! it tells me i need to get on top of things now and not later. it also helps you see how much work you’ll have per week in the next month, which can indicate how you should be balancing your work.

    2. small steps

    my next tip comes from a counsellor i once saw in first year, and it is directly targeted towards procrastination.

    a lot of the time, the reason we procrastinate is because a task feels too big or daunting, and so we try not to deal with it until we absolutely have to. so breaking your task into small steps is a really effective way to take away how big the task feels to us.

    rapunzel GIF

    for example, you’ve got to study for a midterm in 3 days, and there’s just so much content to get through, you missed a couple lectures, and haven’t done a single reading since the first week of class. so you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. well, what i would do (and what i did, because this happened to me last week) is break this situation into smaller steps.

    first, go through the lecture slides that you missed, and make that a separate task in itself: so now, you’ve just got to catch up on a lecture.

    YAY, one step done.

    then, you’ve got to catch up on the readings. this feels big again, so what i do is break the reading list apart into the weeks they were assigned to, and make a goal of how many weeks to get through in how many hours, depending on the reading lengths.

    see what i’m getting at? rather than letting your brain go “oh no i have to catch up on a semester’s worth of content in three days and somehow memorize it all”, let it go “ok so right now, in this moment, i just have to watch this lecture recording”. it makes things a lot more do-able.

    and if you’re really overwhelmed, it doesn’t even have to be “watch this lecture recording”. it can literally be, “fill up my water. load quercus, load the lecture. open my notes”, etc. etc.

    3. dismantle yo’ fears

    disclaimer: i have zero qualifications, i just love to psychoanalyze things and i’ve done a lot of thinking about this so hear me outttt (or scroll past, whatever).

    ok. so while we can take care of how large a task is, we can also take care of how daunting it is. for example, think of some big deadline or assignment that’s stressing you out right now. for me, that’s a 15 page personal essay that i’ve got to write for one of my classes. then, think about why it’s scaring you. what exactly is so scary about it?

    just sit and ponder that for a sec.

    Sad Ariana Grande GIF by Saturday Night Live

    procrastinating is just a natural human response to a stressor — like the fight, flight, or freeze response. procrastination is the freeze. and depending on the person and situation, they procrastinate not because of a lack of motivation, but because they’re scared of one of the following things:

    • the unknown, because it’s a task they don’t know how to do or have never done before
    • failure <3 or disappointment
    • bad feelings associated with doing the task

    so for me, if i really think about why my 15-page paper is scaring me, i realize that i don’t want to start because i want to write absolute Bars and get a high mark on it. meanwhile, i’m also trying to avoid the stress i associate with writing a long paper — but it’s not like putting it off is going to solve any of that, in fact, it will only work against me!!!!

    so basically, really thinking about why that thing scares you and dismantling it is one man’s way to conquer the anxiety of starting big assignments/tasks.

    Mental Health Lol GIF by Max

    4. rest when you’re resting

    my final tip also comes from that counsellor i saw. and it is to take proper breaks and draw clear boundaries between rest and work. you mentioned that you’re not sure if you’re burnt out or don’t feel like doing work, so i think this one might help you.

    a problem that i (and several people i know) have is that when we take a break, we’re not really taking a break because the whole time we’re stressing about all the work we should be doing. so while we say we’re resting, our brain is still in drive-mode and is not resting.

    as a result, this defeats the whole purpose of taking a break and then when you’ve got to lock in again, you still feel mentally exhausted. so it can be helpful to just being aware of this and consciously try to make a clear boundary between time set aside for work and time set aside for rest.

    i also realize this is a pretty abstract instruction, so what this can tangibly look like is making your boundary physical. i heard somewhere that setting different environments for different things is super important because your brain will unconsciously associate an activity with that environment or something.

    for example, a big one is not working in bed. doing work while laying in bed tells your brain that bed is an environment for working and resting, rather than just resting. or, having a different table for eating meals and another one for working. whatever is feasible for your living environment!

    and, yeah. i’ll end it here cause this was another long post and i don’t want to bore the masses.

    overall, i really hope that this was helpful in some small way or another. U of T is so notoriously hard and it’s a natural response to feel burnt out in this environment. it’s rough out here, but you’ve got this! best of luck to you <3.

    This may contain: a cartoon hippo sitting on top of a grass covered hill with the caption, your direction is more important than your speed

    over and out,

    aska

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  • bad times,  lost,  probation,  summer,  suspension

    feeling terrible is terrible

    June 4, 2017

    Hey ???????? Summer has begun and it sucks. I’m on my first year of suspension and what should I even do on suspension? I feel like I failed my parents, wasted my tuition and I just feel terrible. What are my options now that I’m on suspension and when is the earliest that can I begin enrolling in courses again? Would I be able to enroll for summer school 2018? And what gpa do I need once I get back to school to get off suspension/probation? Suggestions? Thank you for your help. ~ the distressed kid

    ———————————————

    hey ?????????

    being on suspension may seem like the worst thing ever but it’s really a time for ~*personal growth*~

    reflect, re-evaluate, regrow, like groot! (he’s so cute, i had to include this gif)

    give yourself lots of ‘you’ time. try and think about what went wrong last semester and how to prevent it from happening again. make a game plan to follow for when you get back to school and set some good goals. you’ll be even more excited and motivated to return if you set goals because you’ll be like “hey, i can do this and i can’t wait to achieve these goals!”

    and when i say set goals, i mean realistic goals. stuff like “GET A 4.0 GPA” are too vague and frankly, super daunting. stuff like: ‘sleep at least 7 hours every night’, or ‘take half an hour to review notes from the day’s classes everyday’ are examples of more realistic goals that won’t seem as intimidating as: “GET AT LEAST AN 80% ON EVERY TEST.” if you are someone who tends to skip classes both unintentionally and intentionally, (lol, me) set a hard limit for yourself. “i can only skip 4 classes this semester.” set some ground rules for your ‘next semester game plan’, but be realistic and thoughtful about them.

    (*i know that admin/ faculty people are reading the part about skipping classes and shaking their heads but hey, it’s actually super difficult for some of us to be in the right mindset to get to class. sometimes it’s an anxiety thing and sometimes it’s just a general lack of energy/ motivation. showing up to class is actually a lot harder than it seems, so no judging or angry emails pls.)

    if you are looking for practicality, both financially and career wise, i would suggest that you try working full time to save up some money for school! who knows, you might find a job that you love and realize that you don’t need to finish school to excel in your field!

    if work sounds like too much pressure for you, i’m a big believer in volunteer work. giving back to the community is always a great way to learn a lot about yourself and your role in society. sometimes we can get really caught up with our own lives and the seemingly terrible things that happen to us, but it’s also important to think about other people and do all we can to help people who are less fortunate.

    hey, if making money or giving back to the community aren’t a priority right now, you could do an eat, pray, love kind of thing and travel! you might even FIND YOURSELF! go explore the world and experience new and wonderful things!

    if you ever feel a longing for academia during your suspension, you can try getting a head start on classes you plan to take in the future. feed and enrich that brain of yours and don’t let it go dormant. if you spend your whole suspension without challenging your brain, it might be hard to get back into the groove of things when you return to school. (this isn’t a proven fact, but from personal experience, i have a hard time getting back into school mode after summer vacation because i don’t use my brain all summer)

    in regards to the parental units, don’t feel like you failed them. they might make it seem like they used to be golden children, but i’m sure they’ve made mistakes too in their lives. you’re still figuring things out and they should try to understand that it takes time. they were once your age too! as for the money thing, yes, some mistakes have financial consequences, but think of it as paying for a valuable life lesson! life lessons are priceless, yo.

    if this is your first 1 year suspension, you will be be able to return to school after one calendar year, so yes, summer 2018, after which you will be on academic probation. once you are on academic probation, you will need to maintain a CGPA of 1.50 or more to have your status changed to “in good standing”. read more about academic standing here!

    i hope i’ve given you some stuff to think about and some ideas as to what to do with your one year off! let us know if anything else is stressing you out! we’re here for you!

    oh. and go see your registrar. they’re awesome.

    peace, love, and an encouraging pat on the back,

    aska

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  • bad times,  failing,  health,  late withdrawal,  petition

    my bed is my safe place

    June 2, 2017

    Hey,

    My registrar has advised me to petition to have a quite a few of my credits designated as LWD instead of the F’s they currently have due to my documented illness (read: mental health struggles). I was just wondering if you could give a ball-park estimation of how successful these types of petitions are? The depth of consideration these petitions are given? Will I be taken seriously or will the petition-gods roll their eyes?

    I’m scared/embarrassed of submitting a petition with such a heavy request. I actually do pretty well in school when I’m not in bed all day (which has been the case for the past year and a half).*

    *FYI, I am currently receiving treatment and plan to resume with my studies – I just really need my academic record cleaned up if I want to have any future in my field or any future period.

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey,

    while i personally haven’t seen people petition to designate failed courses as LWD, (that’s not to say it doesn’t happen) petitioning for most things at U of T is done through a case by case basis. there isn’t really a formula or way to predict what the outcome will be. since this petition is kind of a big deal, know that the petition committee will not handle it lightly and will only approve of it if there are serious extenuating circumstances.

    for now, i would just follow the advice of your registrar and try to petition it anyways. the fact that your registrar has advised you to do so means that they think there could be a chance of it getting approved. and hey, it doesn’t hurt to try!

    in my personal experience (meaning it might not be the same for everyone), mental health issues are dealt with pretty seriously at U of T. i’ve definitely late withdrawn from several courses over the years due to mental health issues with the help of my registrar and counsellors at health and wellness. being in bed all day made going to class and, well, pretty much everything very difficult. it was the greatest escape from reality. you’re not alone.

    the good thing is, you’ve taken the initiative to contact your registrar and ask for help. the fact that you reached out for help definitely helps your case! i don’t think they’d straight up roll their eyes if, like you said, you do pretty well in school when you aren’t in bed.

    i can totally understand why you’re scared; petitioning is always a little nerve-wracking. it may not be what you want to hear, but realistically, the only thing you can do is keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best! remember, health always comes first. stick with the treatment plan if it works, and always put yourself and your wellbeing before anything else. you can do this.

    ^me and you

    (i started typing ‘hug’ into giphy and then i saw ‘hugh jackman’ [my husband], so i thought i would get him to give you some encouragement as well)

    sending you our love, luck, and positive vibes all around,

    aska

     

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  • bad times,  gap year,  lost,  petition,  probation,  suspension,  UTM

    you need some good ‘ol r and r

    May 24, 2017

    hello aska,

    i read through a lot of your answers that were tagged with relevant terms, but I still hope I am not repeating someone’s question

    im a utm student about to be put on suspension… last school year i was negligent with my studies and so getting on probation was my fault entirely. this fall semester my marks have been abyssmal (i failed 3 courses) and I know it is my fault too, but there was also a  situation that happened during november (2016) that I could argue affected my marks.

    im not used to persisting to get exemptions or extensions (since ive never had problems that werent at least partially my fault) so I did not do anything about it at the time. now I am wondering if it is worth/possible pursuing or if it is too late. it was stressful and time consuming situation and unfortunately I do not have any official documents regarding the situation, maybe a few witnesses or pictures and onesided attempts to a file report…

    i am just grasping for any straws right now if you cant tell, just looking for a way to return to uni this september. ive read that students improved after a year off but i do not see how I will be able to cope with suspension and the burden of crushed expectations during the forced year off. needing to repay my school loans once im not full time also scares me.

    if my winter semester gpa is a great deal higher than my fall gpa this year is there a chance i could file a petition to return to school in september since I showed improvement?

    im probably hoping you could gauge my chances of returning in september and relay to me some good news ;; although I didnt mention it a lot, I do know how much of the blame for this situation is on me.

    im scared to reflect on it too much so i am trying to keep moving by looking at my options. the only hope I have right now is to ace every single one of my upcoming exams 100%..

    thank you for your time with these answers

    ———————————————

    hello,

    first of all, i’m really friggin’ sorry that i didn’t get to this question in time. sometimes it’s hard to get through everyone’s questions in time for the end of the semester, but we (yes we, i’m not alone in my efforts anymore!) are working our way through them as fast as we can.

    also, thank you for taking the time to see if this question has already been answered. we really appreciate it.

    when you emailed us, you mentioned that you were about to be suspended. i’m assuming that the suspension has now taken effect. again, i wish i could’ve offered you some advice earlier but it really wouldn’t have had much of an effect on your situation.

    so, how do we move forward from this? it sounds like you’ve had a tough year.

    first: i cannot stress this enough. go to your registrar’s office as soon as possible. even though it might seem too late, they may be able to help you file a petition to lift your suspension. please keep in mind that these kinds of petitions are reserved for very special circumstances will only be approved if the committee on standing believes that there were extenuating circumstances affecting your ability to meet the demands of school. your chances of continuing school in september will depend on whether or not your registrar believes there are sufficient grounds to file a petition. don’t lose faith, there is still hope!

    i’m not 100% sure about the timeline/deadlines on these types of petitions since they are very rare, but i would go the registrar’s office as soon as you can.

    regarding asking for extensions from profs: this is definitely hard. it took me a long time to get used to doing it, but you really need to think about it like this: you’ll never know until you ask. at least do the bare minimum and ask. if you don’t feel comfortable with asking for extensions from your profs, registrars are also capable of sending emails on your behalf.

    on the other hand, taking a year off might seem like the worst thing right now, but maybe it’s just what you need. you can get a job doing something you like and work towards paying off your student loans. the time off could be valuable for you in terms of re-evaluating your goals. a year without school might be good for your soul. think about it. a year of no readings, no essays, and no assignments sounds pretty nice tbh. relax and recuperate. it seems like what you went through was a little traumatic to say the least. don’t beat yourself up if you need some time to get back in the groove of things.

    wishing you all the best,

    aska

    *we are always here for you if you need us for (somewhat delayed) support* <3

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  • awkwardness,  bad times,  sabotage,  weirdness

    u of t hunger games spinoff

    May 16, 2017

    I heard that UofT is filled with students who tear out pages from the library books to sabotage other students, students who give wrong notes and answers, and students who sabotage labs. Everyone says that the students are out to get each other and only care about their marks. Is this true? Does it depend on the program?

    ———————————————

    hello,

    dude, this sounds like a great idea for a tv show or movie. i can see it now:

    it would be like the hunger games but instead of an outdoor arena it’s actually the U of T campus during a particularly frigid winter. two randomly selected undergrad students from each college/ faculty are thrown into the arena to sabotage and betray each other to get marks below 50 *gasp* (after which they are forcibly transferred to repeat their senior year in high school). major obstacles in the arena would include un-shovelled sidewalks, people who refuse to look up from their phones when walking to class, and those speeding cars in front of northrop frye. while queen’s park may seem like a nice grassy soft area to lie down for a night’s rest, terrifying creatures like squirrels and muggers lurk in the shadows. tempting banners at second cup with hipster smoothies on them may lure you to wait in line for one but beware for they may cause you digestive issues, causing you to miss a final worth 50%! the last student standing gets to live in one of those nice new condos on bay FOR LIFE where they will be waited on by people who have committed academic offences like intentional plagiarism/ cheating. oooooh!!!!!!! and the best part is that they will automatically receive full ride scholarships and entry into the masters/graduate program of their choice.

    the point of these games is to remind us of that U of T is capable of destroying our whole career if we don’t work hard. omg imagine meric gertler as caesar flickerman omg it would be so good. yo ima copyright this asap and pitch it to warner bros or something. © askastudent

    right, you had a question. sorry i got a little carried away with my imagination.

    uhm. i haven’t personally experienced any outright sabotage at U of T, but that’s also because my programs aren’t very competitive. in other programs, i’ve heard of people maybe posting the wrong solutions to problems, but it’s hard to tell if they genuinely didn’t know how to do the question or if they were actually trying to sabotage people. people in my programs (social sciences and humanities) are usually super helpful and willing to share notes. i have a feeling that people at U of T are too busy saving their own a**es to care about fixing their notes to sabotage other people. that would be so crappy. if it did happen here, it would be super rare and it’s bound to happen at other schools too! tearing pages out of library books would result in fines for the borrower so i don’t know why anyone would do that. that would be so dumb. libraries have security cameras too! (i know this because i check every time i sneak my food up to the stacks.)

    regardless, if a student did betray their fellow classmate,  i’m sure karma would eventually come back and bite them in the a**.

    it definitely does depend on the program, too. if a program has limited enrolment, chances are, people will be more competitive. however, sometimes when the program is smaller, people make more of an effort to stick together and make sure everyone does well. i’m sure some specific disciplines will come to mind if i tell you that some programs are more cutthroat than others.

    anyways, these rarely occurring crappy people are no reason to avoid U of T. don’t forget about the wonderful people who exist here too, like me!

    peace and love and may the odds be ever in your favour

    aska

     

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  • bad times,  depression,  gap year,  grades,  health,  lost,  probation,  stress

    solidarity sister

    May 4, 2017

    Hi Aska,

    I’ve come to you in the past to ask an important question that you answered spectacularly, and I’m returning to ask yet another question in hopes your answer for this will exceed how great the previous one was. Whereas my last question sent nearly a year ago was excitement and anxiety meshed into one about trying to figure out my second year courses, this one is about giving up those second year courses. Or just giving up period. Idk, basically, I’m in a deep and dark hole that I can’t seem to climb out of.

    I’m a second year student at UTSG, I am in “good academic standing”–not necessarily meaning I’m doing “good,” but the school hasn’t sent me a threatening email about putting me on academic probation, so in that case I’m golden. I have dropped 2.0 FCEs, and am currently about to fail another full year course which I sadly no longer can drop on ACORN according to the 2017 Calendar. (idk i read about talking to my registrar’s office about dropping it, idek pls confirm).

    I’m just in such a rut. I had my life planned out since my first day of senior year in high school, and now I’m barely getting by because I am so unhappy that I’ve been seriously considering professional help to get me through (although I probably won’t because of embarrassment issues). I have no motivation–the path I had planned for myself was a plan I loved, but now I’m so unsure. (I’m an English and History Major btw; was planning on getting my Masters of Teaching from OISE after completing my undergrad and then becoming a teacher. But my marks are too low, let’s face it, so I was planning on getting my Consecutive BEd from YorkU after.)

    What I’m saying is, I need advice. I need a break from life. Because I swear, just a few more weeks or days or hours on campus and I will crack.

    If I end off this year, I’ll only have 2.0 FCE’s fulfilled for my second year. Almost like it didn’t even happen and I just wasted 7K+ on my tuition. Sigh. Can I take a year off? What will happen when I ask to come back after? Can I even ask to come back after? What should I do, Aska? I’m hopeless.

    Sincerely,

    A distressed and mentally drained soul that feels like giving up on everything in the world.

    (aka probably a lot of students that go to UofT)

    Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hello friend,

    thank you so much for reaching out. i wish i could’ve gotten back to you sooner! it has also taken me several hours to craft a response to this so i apologize!

    since the topic of mental health is super super important to discuss, i’m going to try my best not to sound cliche and just be honest about my own experiences and try to give you advice based on what worked for me. (cliche’s are cliche’s for a reason though, so apologies if many are used)

    to preface all of this: i’ve been through exactly what you’re going through, and dude, i feel you. the past four years have not been smooth and i continue to deal with depression and anxiety everyday. it was really awesome of you to reach out about this topic this because it encourages people to talk about it. keeping things bottled up is never a healthy option. i am a firm believer in letting it out. anyways, please know that you’re talking to a kindred spirit and that even though i might not know you personally, i’ve been there.

    transitioning from university is a huge jump and you’re definitely going to be under a lot of pressure. deadlines, commitments, terrible profs, and newfound independence are pretty much a recipe for disaster if coupled with sleep deprivation and lack of general nutrition.

    let’s try to tackle this step by step.

    1. your academic standing and dropping courses: regarding your academic standing, as long as you are still “in good standing”, you are, in your own words, golden. failing a Y course isn’t the end of the world. just make it up in a different semester! in the future, (again, i wish i had gotten back to you sooner) i would recommend that you consider this wonderful thing called LWD (otherwise known as a late withdrawal). i’ve taken advantage of this many a time when i’ve hit rock bottom, and it’s super helpful for times when you know you’re going to fail but you’ve missed the drop deadline. read more about LWD here.
    2. getting help: admitting that you need help is pretty hard to do but it’s the first step to feeling better. i can tell you from personal experience that reaching out to a professional is definitely hard but once you do, you’ll feel so much better and you’ll feel super accomplished. you don’t need to be embarrassed about your mental health. there are more people out there than you think that are going through the same thing. how i got help: i reached out first to my friends who urged me to see a doctor on campus. i made an appointment (really the hardest part) to discuss my mental health with a physician at health and wellness and she referred me to a psychologist. with my doctor and psychologist, we developed a treatment plan to help me gradually feel better. at around the same time, i was missing deadlines, skipping classes, and staying in bed all day. it was really hard for me to come to terms with getting zeroes on assignments so i went to my registrar’s office to ask for help. i will never stop singing praises for my registrar’s office because they’ve helped me in so many ways. my registrar wrote letters to professors for me when i needed to ask for extensions but was too embarrassed to ask. they are also knowledgeable about the various campus resources that are available for students, whether it’s accessibility services or health and wellness. making my profs aware of my condition also yielded some very comforting responses. i had profs who said to me: “please let me know if you’re struggling, don’t hesitate to come talk to me if you ever need someone to talk to”. i even had profs who went above and beyond their role as a professor to make sure i was still caught up with my work by emailing me what i had missed. profs are humans too and chances are, they’ve probably gone through some dark times themselves, but you’ll never know until you reach out to them. if you only get one thing out of this post, i hope i’ve encouraged you to get help. you are not alone in this battle and there are tons of people and resources out there that can help you lessen the weight on your shoulders. trying to crawl out of the dark whole is hard but it’s easier when you have the support of other people.
    3. a change of plans: your life is constantly shifting. every factor in your life is fluid and sometimes it’s really difficult to have a set plan for the future. just look back on your life 2 years ago: how much has changed? did you think you’d be where you are today? you learn new things, try new things, and meet new people everyday, all of which could drastically change your whole life course. while sure, it’s good to set goals for yourself to work towards, don’t sweat it too hard if your goals may need to change. there really isn’t one way to do anything. going on a completely different path doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t end up at the same destination. you could switch your majors, take a gap year, decide you don’t want to go back to school, get certified for teaching languages abroad and end up teaching english in japan! same end goal, different path. it’s not the end of the world if things don’t work out right now because the possibilities are endless. *askastudentstorytime* things have an odd way of working out. i actually wanted to go into the same teaching program at OISE but found out that my grades were too low. i went to the registrar’s office one day to talk about how my grades sucked and i ended up getting a job there a couple of months later. since i started working here, planning for my career has completely changed. i may not ever become a teacher, but i’ve found something else that i also like doing, and you will too!
    4. gap year: if you feel like you’d feel better taking a year off, by all means, do it! your health is your number one priority because a degree is pretty much worthless to you if you end up destroying your soul to procure it. if you do want to take a gap year, don’t enrol in any courses in the semesters that you want off, and the school will get the hint and financially cancel you. if you are an international student, contact the CIE to double check the consequences of going on a gap year with a study permit. don’t worry, nothing bad will happen while you’re gone and you are always welcome to come back and finish your degree at any time. all you’d have to do is to re-register and pay the $25 re-registration fee at your college. see? not so scary!

    you wanted some advice for what to do so here is the tldr version of it all.

    dropping/ failing courses won’t sabotage your whole university career. it happens all the time. next time if you know you’re going to fail but you’ve missed the drop deadline, consider using one of your LWD’s.

    talk to someone/ anyone about your struggles. someone out there will be able to help you or at least relate to your struggles! take advantage of the registrar’s office and the resources available to you on campus.

    goals may change and that’s okay.

    take a gap year if you think your health would benefit from it. a break from school and some time to recuperate might be exactly what you need right now!

    i’m really sorry that you’re going through this and i hope that the summer is a lot less stressful and more enjoyable. bask in the warm sunlight and drink it all in before things get dark and gloomy again. feel free to write again! while i can’t guarantee that i will get back to you in timely fashion, i guarantee that aska will always respond eventually to any emails we receive. thanks for taking the first step to email us. be proud of your efforts.

    i know it’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel at this point in your life but i can assure you that it’s there! it’s always easier to walk through a dark tunnel with the help of people who’ve seen the light. idk, i’m trying to come up with a good metaphor but i’m not sure if it’s working.

    …k what i’m trying to say is that you’re not just walking towards nothingness.

    you’re gonna be okay. hang in there.

    peace and lots and lots of love,

    aska

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  • bad times,  probation,  suspension,  UTM

    just keep swimming

    July 6, 2016

    Hi Aska,
    How are you?
    I have recently been suspended from UTM (I have a CGPA of 1.41) and I tried summer school and ultimately disappointed myself and my parents (they work very hard for me yet I could not do such a simple task) SO now I have a year off and I have this unruly fear that if I stay out of UTM for too long I am gonna lose whatever drive I have to study (and based off my gpa, not
    so much). I just do not want to come back to UTM after a year and make the same mistakes. I am totally aware of my mistakes and I demand redemption next year.

    tl;dr Im suspended for a year and I dont want to lose my drive to study. How do I maintain an academic mindset?

    Thank you so much and you are forever appreciated in my heart!

    ———————————————

    hello!

    i’m doing pretty good, thanks for asking!

    firstly, school is hard. don’t feel discouraged if you’re struggling. so you had a minor setback – it’s okay. you are not alone and you have a lot of support at UTM.

    the number one piece of advice we have for you is to keep in contact with your registrars because they are there to advise you in all your academic endeavours. sit down with your registrar to formulate a good plan for your undergrad. ask yourself if you truly enjoy what you are studying. if not, consider switching programs. since you seem to have trouble staying motivated, regular check-ins with the registrar will be extremely valuable for you so you can be held accountable and be less likely to slack off.

    furthermore, there are a number of academic resources available at UTM including workshops and skills development sessions. they are designed to help students develop better study habits and i’m sure they’ll be very helpful.

    some other pieces of general advice i would offer are:

    1. don’t be too hard on yourself because you can’t win them all. in the grand scheme of your life, this will only seem like a minor setback. don’t let this discourage you and bring you down.
    2. acknowledge small victories. if you finish a chapter of reading or get through a day of class, reward yourself with a treat. little progress is still better than none at all.
    3. set goals. lists are very useful when setting goals because there is a certain kind of satisfaction that comes from checking something off your list. set realistic goals like, “today i will put on pants” or ” i will attend all classes this week.”

    and there are obviously other things like exercising regularly that you could try. some people claim that you ACTUALLY feel better after exercising and you don’t actually feel like you’ve been run over by a train, but that’s just my opinion.

    during your year off, i would encourage you to try reviewing some of the course material from your first year to practice good study habits. it might seem pointless since you’ve already gotten your grades back, but at the end of the day, you’ll feel a lot more confident and prepared to tackle your second year if you feel like you know your first year material very well. use the time that you have to better your habits, and you’ll see results in the new year.

    random inspirational tidbits:

    alfred pennyworth: why do we fall sir? so that we can learn to pick ourselves up. – the dark knight rises

    THIS VIDEO is probably one of the most inspirational videos i’ve ever seen in my life. i think it’s a lot more inspirational than dj khaled.

    but nonetheless, i appreciate you too.

    good luck on getting back into the groove, we here at askastudent believe in you! may the force be with you.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • bad times,  writing

    everyday is a winding road (academically speaking)

    April 29, 2011

    I feel like I try so f***ing hard to do well in my courses and I always come up flat on my face. The highest mark I’ve gotten on an essay is 71. My average in highschool was 89. I knew I was going to get lower marks then that in first year, but it just seems so much. Every time I get an essay back I dread looking at the mark and then when I do, I feel like crying. Maybe I’m being overdramatic but when I don’t do well at something I want to give up and quit. So, I guess I should get to the question. Does it get better? Will my (apparent) ‘bad’ writing improve? Thanks anyway.

    ———————————————

    Hey there. We have all been there. I remember having a 91 average in high school and getting my first mark and being like, “what 65???” University is hard and it sometimes is frustrating and it always makes you want to give up. But you’re commited to it, right? And it will get better.

    As you progress into further years, your classes will get smaller which will be a big help. Seek out independent studies and seminars – which will allow you to direct your research into your personal favourite topics of study and allow you to work more intensely with a professor. Get involved with your student union. And use your college writing centre, which will completely guarantee a boost in your essay grades. They hire trained editors to go over student essays and help you write a more formidable argument. The women at the Innis Writing Centre are complete geniuses and have saved me time and time again! Best of all, it’s free!

    The secret to doing well in university is going to class, reading all the material, and using the library (and your research materials) effectively. Academic writing and discourse is an entirely different way of writing, but once you master it and understand it – you will go far. Maybe talking to your prof or one of your registrar’s will make you feel a little more assured, so you can improve your grades next year?

    Another amazing resource is the Academic Success Centre, which offers drop-in consultations with a professional about how to write and study more effectively and workshops on writing and rhetoric. I’d definitely look into that.

    I guess what I’m saying here is that everyone struggles with the transition from high school to university, and first year, with its giant introductory classes and huge tutorials is bound to be intimidating. But there are resources for you, and I know that you can do it.

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • bad times,  tutorials

    BLACKBOARD IS MAKING ME CRAZY!

    September 17, 2010

    Hi,

    Could SOMEONE PLEASEEEEE help me sign up for tutorials on Blackboard?!?!? All of my profs have said that I need to sign up for tutorials via the course website on Blackboard. I HAVE CLICKED EVERY SINGLE BUTTON & LINK ON MY FRIGGIN BLACKBOARD PAGE AND NO WHERE DOES IT SAY “SIGN UP FOR TUTORIALS.” Yes, I have also been to the course websites!! Please excuse my extreme frustration its just that (as im sure you know) it is imperative for me to find and sign up for tutorials (and study groups for that matter) so that I dont fall behind!! I feel like I cant find ANYONE to help me! Only one of my courses is listed on ROSI as even having a tutorial and I signed up for that even though it is extremely inconvenient. If I had known how to sign up for tutorials, I would have done so a lot EARLIER!!

    My courses are:
    ENG150y1
    SOC101y1
    HIS104y1
    INI115y1

    If you are unable to help me, please direct me to someone who can!
    This is REALLY stressing me out and im in my FIRST WEEK of classes in my first year! PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!
    Thank you!
    -Jesica

    ———————————————

    Oh boy, it sounds like you are in a dilly of pickle, girlfriend! Judging by your DRAMATIC USE OF ALL CAPS, I can identify a stressed and overwhelmed anxiety stemming from your tone of writing. But DON’T WORRY. This situation will eventually get solved – the first week of classes is after all, just the first week of the rest of your life.

    All I have to go on is this pretty lame FAQ from the Portal website:

    I have logged into the Portal ? why is my course not listed?
    A: You may not be registered for the course in the ROSI system ? check ROSI or with your registrar.

    A: You may have just recently registered for the course on ROSI. Blackboard data is updated from ROSI on a nightly basis.

    A: Your instructor may not have made the course available yet. Confirm with your instructor that the course has been made available to students.

    A: The course may not be offered on Blackboard this session.

    If none of these answers seem accurate to you, then you may be experiencing a common ROSI glitch, a lazy prof or an ill fated day. The only thing I can suggest is EMAILING your professor or TA to see what the status is of your course being registered on portal. It’s totally possible that they just haven’t gotten around to it yet, or that you may not be registered in the course online. Email them politely (do not use the crazy all caps) and ask what the deal is. If you can’t register on portal yet yourself, they may have to manually register you for tutorial that works with your schedule.

    Hope that helps!

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • admissions,  bad times

    askastudent helps a smart but troubled student

    August 6, 2010

    Hi there,

    I am in probably the most stressing situation I have ever faced. I was accepted to UofT St. George and everything was going great. Then in my final semester I thought it would be interesting to attempt a grade 12 math course, since i am a social sciences student. my mid-term in advanced?functions was rather okay (76%), and then due to circumstances in my personal life I failed the class. This put my post-secondary career at risk as this was? my final credit 6th 4U credit, as six 4U/M courses are needed to be accepted to any program. I continued the course in summer school and still the situation deterred me from completing the course. UofT has asked me to supply my mark but I don’t know what to do.

    Would it be possible to hold my seat while i completed a 4U/M course in a quick private school, It would be done no later than August 25th? what steps should i take to do this? what can i do? if i don’t go to this university starting september i lose my RESP and that all i have to study. Please Help!.

    My other five 4U marks are:

    98%
    97%
    91%
    86%
    95%

    ———————————————

    Hello there, smart but troubled student. You are like Seth Cohen and Ryan Atwood all rolled into one? That reference makes me sound old, doesn’t it.

    Seriously though, I feel for your situation, especially with such impressive marks. I contacted a registrar at Innis College, who told me that the best and most effective thing to do, would be to write a letter to Admissions and Awards, explaining your situation and asking that they grant you admission based on your otherwise supremely excellent marks. Considering that you are planning to finish the course on August 25th, they may grant you (extremely late and extremely special) admission. Do this ASAP. Admissions and Awards are like crazy busy right now, and are very hard to get ahold of.

    Another action you should immediately take is to contact the college registrar at U of T that has offered you admission. I trust that you accepted U of T’s conditional offer, but have you already chosen your courses for next year? This late math course will definitely affect whether you will be studying in September.

    Please contact these places immediately and let me know what happens. And remember, there’s always Sandy Cohen if you lose your way.

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • bad times,  courses,  grades,  registration

    acting your get together

    May 8, 2009

    I’ve had a rough two years in terms of personal life and only passed 2.5 credits in my first year. Now, in my second year, problems at home have continued to build up and stress me out. I tried taking a lighter course load this year but it was still too much. I dropped my last course of the school year in time for the S-course drop date. Now that I have no credits for this year, will I be able to take courses in the summer and fall?

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  • bad times,  computers,  plagiarism

    off with your head!

    April 24, 2009

    hi:
    i really have some trouble. i written one of the computer since assignment by myself. but today, the prof told me, there is someone’s code same as me. i’m wondring, if the prof think i am the one who plagiarized, and give me a record in my transicript. will that be a big problem?what is the biggest problem if i had a bad record. and will that record be canncelled after few years?

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  • bad times,  GPA,  probation

    “let’s just forget this ever happened…”

    April 3, 2009

    I’ve had a lot of family issues going on lately and have fallen behin with a lot of stuff. I’m currently on academic probation for making some mistakes last year and I know that I was wondering:

    a) what is the average I need to have this semester to be able to continue on at school in the fall?

    b) I am only taking one course right now, if I drop it as well and therefore have no courses done this year can I continue in the summer and fall of 2009?

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