• academic offense,  other schools (boo!),  suspension,  UTM

    no secrets

    March 22, 2017

    Hello,

    I started at the campus of UTM in 2010 and got to second year by 2014 – I
    know, not something I’m extremely proud of. In 2014, I got suspended for
    one whole calendar year for failing too many courses. Subsequently, I also
    got suspended for a plagiarism allegation for 3 and a half years. Right now
    is 2017 and my suspension is up in the summer of 2018.

    Would it be wiser for me to just ditch U of T and apply to another
    university with my high school grades? Or is that not allowed?

    Thank you!

    ———————————————

    hey,

    wow, sounds like you’ve had quite a wild ride. school ain’t easy, that’s for sure.

    if you choose to ditch U of T, you can’t apply to another university with just your high school grades. if you try applying for another university, you’ll need to show records from every previously attended institution, and if you refrain from disclosing information, there will be pretty severe consequences.

    your best bet, if you still want to pursue your degree, would be to wait out your suspension and continue on at U of T. we still want you if you want us too!

    hope everything works out for you!

    cheers,

    aska

     

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  • academic offense,  plagiarism,  UTM

    second academic offence before graduation

    February 3, 2017

    Hi Aska,

    I’m a 5th year student at UTM, planning to graduate in June this year. And just before this Fall semester ended one of my professors called me out for plagiarism on a final essay. (Note: The turnitin percentage was 14 percent, there were two short sentences on the paper she said were “too similar” on the essay and I began both with “x-author describes..[etc.]” aka citing the author not only before said sentence but also in the works cited list at the end.) Anyways, the problem is, If this goes through to the Academic Integrity office this would be my second time committing an offence. What can I expect? Will I get suspended just before I am about to graduate? Do you think what I did counts as an offence? The plagiarism guidelines the professor gave us defined plagiarism as “expressing someone else’s ideas as one’s own”, which I did not do. Please let me know what you think of this situation, what I can expect and what I should do. I am very stressed out about this. Much appreciated.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    tbh, you’re in a bit of a tricky situation considering the fact that this is your second offence. i’m not sure how they could have accused you of plagiarizing since you cited your sources and used quotations, but there must’ve been something serious that your instructor felt the need to address. i hope for you that it was all a huge misunderstanding!

    you may already be familiar with this, but in u of t’s academic integrity codebook, there is a blurb on the topic of plagiarism which states:

    “For offences involving plagiarism, depending on the amount of plagiarism contained in the work, whether or not accurate (or any) citations are provided or concocted, and whether or not any acknowledgment of the source material is provided, the Provost recommends a sanction ranging from reduction in the grade on the piece of academic work by one-half, to a final grade of zero or failure for the piece of work or zero for the course.”

    however, the recommended sanctions for plagiarism will be different this time around because second time offenders will be punished more severely:

    “According to Appendix”C” in The Code, where a student has previously been convicted under The Code and commits another offence, the recommended sanction shall be suspension for 2 years to expulsion from the University.”

    in terms of what outcome to expect in your case, i can’t answer that. i can’t predict the outcome of your allegation not only because i don’t have enough information, but because there are too many ways your situation could be handled.

    the whole process depends on several varying elements such as: how much the assignment was worth, if you admit to committing the offence, and if you admit guilt. it could go all the way to expulsion, but it could also result in the department chair not finding an offence was committed, resulting in no further action.

    do you see what i’m getting at here? there are simply too many variables to consider.

    you should know by now that the university takes these issues very seriously, so we can only trust that the admin will carefully review your records, look at your assignment and come to a just decision.

    if you are suspended right before graduation, there isn’t much to do except try to appeal the decision or wait out your suspension. sorry to end on this disappointing note, but hey, lets hope that no further action will be taken!

    bottom line, keep in contact with your registrar’s office since they will be able to help you with your case!

    anyways, i’m rooting for you and hope that this issue will be resolved swiftly and in your favour!

    peace and love,

    aska

     

     

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  • americans,  gap year,  other schools (boo!),  transfer credits,  Transferring,  UTM

    inauguration day/ come back home

    January 20, 2017

    Hi!

    I completed my first year at UTM in the 2015-16 school year, in good academic standing. I had to move at the end of my first year to the U.S., and so transferred to an American University. Turns out I may be returning around Fall 2017, though! So, my question is, would my one year off just count as a gap year? Would I be able to transfer my American credits back to UTM? I checked transfer explorer, and it doesn’t even recognize my American Uni’s name, lol, so I don’t have much context for my courses.

    I hope you can maybe provide some insight here? Has this happened before?

    Any light you can shed on the situation would be greatly helpful!

    Thanks!!

    Sincerely,

    An unintentional and unwilling exchange student who regrets moving

    ———————————————

    sup,

     

    welcome back, maybe!

    there isn’t really an official term that designates a ‘gap year’ at UTM, but basically if you’ve been gone for 12 consecutive months, you’ll have to reactivate your student record.

    you can do that by going online at this link if you’ve been away for 12 consecutive months. once you reactivate, you need to make sure you pay tuition with 12 months or else your reactivation will expire.

    in terms of your transfer credits, i’m not exactly sure why your university doesn’t show up, but you’ll be applying for a slightly different kind of transfer credit: a post-admission transfer credit.

    a combination of these two actions should get you back on the right track, however, it would be best to contact your registrar at UTM to make sure you’ve done everything correctly and to confirm that you have indeed reactivated your student record.

    hope this works, and hey, you’ve picked a good time to move back to canada!

    peace and love and hope for america,

    aska

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  • admissions,  arts & sciences,  St. George,  stats,  UTM,  UTSC

    i will find you

    January 18, 2017

    Hello! I can’t seem to find the statistics on those that were accepted into the faculty of arts and science. Help would be appreciated!

    ———————————————

    yo,

    stats are hard to find. don’t feel bad. you have come to the right person.

    in addition to being ridiculously charming and hot (like my homeboy liam neeson), i also possess a very particular set of super ninja detective samurai skills. fear not, for i have found what you are looking for.

    there’s this super cool thing called Common University Data Ontario (CUDO) which can give you stats on:

    • Number of degrees awarded, student enrolment and entering averages – all by program;
    • Number of students living on campus and activities offered;
    • Student satisfaction;
    • First-year tuition and ancillary fees by program;
    • Number of teaching faculty;
    • Undergraduate class size, by year level;
    • Research awards granted; and
    • Graduation rates and employment rates by program.

    click on the year that you want to see and voila! you can even look at stats on UTM and UTSG.

    go crazy!

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • admissions,  applying for U of T,  averages,  life science,  summer,  UTM

    summer, night school, same diff

    January 16, 2017

    So I am currently a grade 12 student and am planning on applying to UTM for Life science. Please give me a good grasp on this, because I’ve been hearing inconsistent feedbacks from different people, but what is an average that most life science admitted students get around? I have people telling me it is super competitive where you must have high 80s at least, but I also have family friends on their 4th year saying as long as your average is above 80 and around low to mid 80s, there is nothing to worry about? So what do you think it is?

    Also, how focused are they on individual marks instead of averages? because my other courses are in low to high 80s but my advanced functions is stuck in the 70s. So I was wondering if you could give me info on that too.

    Last question, is there any discrimination against courses taken in summer or night school?

    Thank you

    ———————————————

    hi!

    the life science average is available right here and it states that you’ll need low to mid 80’s.  when information is spread from person to person, it can become quite skewed, so it’s always a good idea to go right to the source! keep in mind that admission averages change from year to year and some years can be more competitive than others.

    my understanding is that individual marks aren’t as important as your average, but if you are applying to Life Science and happen to have a high average because of A’s in humanities classes, yet you got a C in Biology, they might see that low biology mark as a red flag. enrolment services will definitely take into account classes that you took which are relevant to the program.

     

    and finally, according to the UTM admissions FAQ: “All courses are considered equivalent, whether it is day school, night school, summer school, private school or online, as long as it is completed through a Ministry of Education recognized institution and it is your first attempt at that course.”

    sound like you’re good!

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • arts & sciences,  friends,  getting involved,  internal transfer,  transfer credits,  Transferring,  UTM

    honk

    January 6, 2017

    Hi

    Do you think it is easier to form a community and actually have a group of freinds much easier at Mississuaga than t St. George?

    While transferring from St George to Mississauga, if I have five credits, will all my five credits be transferred?

    Thank you very much.

    ———————————————

    hi,

    wow, another subjective question! i wish i could just say something along the lines of “put on a canada goose jacket, walk 20 steps northwest of convocation hall, do your best goose call and wait for your new friends to flock over” but unfortunately life does not work in such wonderful ways.

    regarding friends and communities: i can’t speak for utm since i’ve spent my whole undergrad at utsg, but it really doesn’t matter which campus you’re a part of, it’s all about you. i know that seems really deep but it’s actually quite simple.

    friends are easy to make if you make yourself available and keep an open mind. if you’re rude and distant to people, chances are, you won’t make very many friends. when we were younger, we were taught not to talk to strangers. i’d say now that we’re in university, talking to strangers is the only way to go about making friends. you won’t be the only one at either utm or utsg looking to make a friend. during a break in class, maybe strike up a conversation with someone who looks approachable. small talk does suck, but at least after that, you’ll know one person in your class! the easiest way to start a conversation, i find, is giving someone a compliment. i’m not saying that you should say “omg you’re so hot” to that guy who should be pursuing a modelling career instead of being in your class, but something simple like: “nice pencil case!” can be good. if they seem reluctant to continue the conversation, just move on to another person! easy as that!

    profs will sometimes even force you to talk to the person seated beside you in class. this is usually just so you can have a buddy in class to catch you up if you miss a class, but that’s also a way to meet people!

    aska story time: i once made a friend in class because she said “i like your superman shirt!” and then “i like your hair!” and then “i like you!” to me. it was a bit much, but we’re friends now and that’s all that matters.

    if all else fails, please try the goose call method and let me know what happens.

    in terms of being part of a community, we all have different definitions of communities. communities can close-knit and not so close-knit (? can’t think of a better word). joining a club or being part of a residence can automatically make you belong to a community, but it all depends on you and your willingness to participate and be involved. find a club from the ulife list of something you’re interested in. attend a meeting or an event. if you like it, continue showing up and see what happens! the more involved you are, the more close you’ll be with others in a community!

    if you’re transferring from UTSG’s faculty of arts and science to UTM, according to this link all your credits will be retained unless you’re other undergraduate divisions like applied science and engineering, music, physical education and health, or architecture. if your program is outside of the faculty of arts and sciences, you will have to apply for a transfer credit assessment.

    hope this helped! like i’ve said in the past, if you don’t make any friends, a crisp $20 bill will buy you 1 hour of friendship with askastudent.

    honk honk,

    aska

     

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  • admissions,  applying for U of T,  averages,  polisci,  social sciences,  St. George,  subject POST,  UTM,  UTSC

    a polisci question on election day

    November 8, 2016

    Hi, what are the approximate averages needed for ontario students to get into BA political science at St George, Mississauga and Scarborough? Thanks

    ———————————————

    hello there,

    first, let’s break this down. at U of T, political science falls under the category of social sciences. if you want to pursue political science, you might consider applying to the social sciences stream after high school.

    once you are accepted, you’ll first have to complete a total of 4.0 FCE’s (full course equivalents, or credits) until you can be accepted into a political science program, be it a major or a minor. 4.o FCE’s just means that you’ll only be able to apply after first year. keep in mind, you don’t necessarily need to get into your program after first year, you can enter in second year and on!

    in terms of admission into the social sciences stream at each campus, you’ll see here that they recommend the following averages: low to mid 80’s for U of T St. George, mid 70’s for UTSC, and mid to high 70’s for UTM.

    before you choose your first year courses, definitely refer to the calendar and look at what courses you’ll have to take and what grades you’ll need to get to be accepted into the polisci program. since i am the nicest stranger you’ll never meet, i’ve linked you to the political science calendar of each campus: UTSG, UTM, and UTSC so you can see what you’ll need. you’re very welcome.

    giphy-5

    i hope you get into polisci and do some good in the world. don’t forget to thank aska when you receive a nobel prize. happy (or unhappy) election day!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • residence,  St. George,  UTM,  UTSC

    myspace

    October 17, 2016

    Can I live on campus in a single room? Or are all the rooms shared? Thanks

    ———————————————

    hi,

    yes, you can live on campus in a single room! not all rooms are shared. since you didn’t specify which campus you were interested in, here’s info on all of them!

    this is an excellent page which explains facilities and room styles for every residence at the St. George campus. you can even download a PDF which compares all the residences! for a similar resource at UTM, click here.

    UTSC’s residences are unique in that they consist of townhouses and apartments, but you will definitely be able to find single rooms within them for sure.

    hope this helped! if you have any more questions regarding each residence, i highly recommend that you give them a call or send them an email! most residences hold tours for prospective students and their parents.

    on another note, i feel your desire to live in a single room. i don’t know what i would’ve done if i had to live with another human being in my room. *shudders*

    cheers,

    aska

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  • campus,  commerce,  rotman,  UTM

    the ultimate showdown

    October 17, 2016
    Is Utm commerce inferior to Rotman commerce? What are the significant differences?

    ———————————————

    hey,

    i’m going to present you with all the relevant information so that you can make your own informed opinion about the two programs. since i’m not in commerce, i don’t actually have my own opinion, and even if i did think one was better, i can’t actually tell you because i’d have some very angry people dressed in suits knocking on my door.

    Suits hell tv reaction usa

    that being said, i’m going to lowkey paraphrase an aska post from 2 years ago because they gave great info. don’t worry, this is not me throwing subtle shade at you for not looking through old posts. it took some digging to find!

    the main difference between UTM commerce and Rotman commerce are in the requirements needed. Rotman’s requirements can be found here and UTM requirements can be found here. if you are thinking of applying after first year, you’ll see a difference in the minimum grade requirements. you can take a look at both of them and see which one seems better suited for you.

    do keep in mind that if you are accepted to Rotman, you will not be able to take any RSM classes at UTM or at UTSC.

    the main takeaway of this post is: Rotman has a reputation that can’t be ignored; it is no doubt one of the best undergraduate business programs in canada. that being said, UTM is definitely part of this reputation, considering the fact that it is a branch of one of the best universities in canada. at any rate, whichever one you choose, you’ll get an excellent education, just because it’s still at U of T.

    i would highly recommend that you try to reach out to both schools for more information. a cool thing about Rotman is that they have student ambassadors who would be happy to connect with you and tell you more! for UTM, i would recommend that you direct your general inquiries to the department of management, which you can find here. you might also find it worthwhile to check out both campuses to see which one you like more! U of T campus tours are a great place to start.

    i wish you all the best in your commercial endeavours!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • biology,  life science,  sociology,  subject POST,  UTM

    majoring, minoring, and all that jazz

    October 6, 2016
    Hi Aska, I’m a first year at UTM and am currently majoring in Sociology. I have a couple of questions hope you will be able to answer them, it would mean a lot! I was wondering how double majors work? When do I have to say that I am double majoring? Or do I have to? Also if I want to make my 2nd major Life Science do I have to have all the prerequisites from high school and the average?
    ———————————————
    hey,
    the whole major minor conundrum is this thing we call subject POst or program of study. there are three different options you can pursue:
    1) a specialist
    2) 1 major + 2 minors
    3) 2 majors
    when you’re applying for a subject POst, you should go to this link to see the complete listings of every subject POst available.
    let’s say you want to do a double major in sociology and biology (this is just an example)
    you’ll see that both sociology and biology are type 2 subject POSTs.
    type 2 means that you will need to submit a request via ACORN, make sure you have taken the required courses and also make sure you have met the GPA/ grade requirement. the first request period will be from march 14th to may 1st. mark it down so you won’t forget like i did in first year. i made these mistakes so you could learn from them, my young padawan.
    still confused? here’s a guide to understanding the different types of enrolment.
    unless it is otherwise indicated, most life science programs won’t require any high school prereqs unless you’re thinking of pursuing psychology, which requires grade 12 biology or calculus.
    a good idea is to check out the calendar to see exactly what you need to take for each program. you can do that here.
    the calendar will tell you everything you need to know!
    hope this cleared some stuff up for you. enjoy your first year and remember that your registrar is the best place to go if you have any questions regarding academics
    cheers,
    aska
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  • admissions,  international students,  UTM

    math is hard

    September 14, 2016

    Im an international student going to UTM for commerce. I did my AS levels and got As in Accounts and Economics but somehow my math grade slipped from a 100% in school to a C in final grade. Will UTM take back my offer of admission or not allow me in the commerce program?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    to be honest, that seems like quite a significant drop in your grade so it may be possible that they will rescind your offer. however, we really have no idea and it would benefit you to check with admissions at UTM to ask about your own unique situation.

    i know we say “ask us anything” but this is one of those situations where we really have no idea of knowing, simply because we don’t work for admissions. however, if you do have any other questions regarding student life or other academics throughout your time at U of T, feel free to send them to us and we’d be happy to answer them for you!

    regardless, i wish you all the best in your upcoming semester! i hope it all worked out for you!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • commerce,  management,  UTM

    you’ve got time

    July 8, 2016

    I want to get into commerce/management which requires the CGPA of minimum 4 credits

    Im about to go into second year right now taking summer courses, since i dropped a lot of courses over the terms i will only get 3.5 credits after this summer session completes

    I have all the prerequisites for management and still need MGT120 for commerce(if i choose commerce)

    Im not sure what i should do now is it possible for me to take courses next term get into commerce/management program in the third year? or please suggest better option? i really dont want to stay in university for 5 years and i dont mind doing course overload!!!!

    ———————————————

    hey!

    if you have all the prerequisites for management, you can apply for the program after you take one more half credit course (in order to reach the 4.0 credit requirement). you’ll have to apply during the subject POst period.

    if all you have to do is take MGT120 for the commerce program, you’ll have your 4.0 credits to apply for the program, provided that you meet all of the other requirements (e.g. minimum GPA, minimum grades in specific courses).

    since you just finished your first year, you still have your whole second year to reach your 4.o credits, so you should be able to apply to your program of choice during the subject POst request period in march 2017 in time for third year.

    in terms of you wanting to graduate in 4 years, remember that you will need 20 credits in total. if we wanted to divide these 20 credits by 4 years, we could say that you want to finish 5 credits for each year, which is a full course load.

    since you have 3.5 credits after first year, you can chose to make up the 1.5 credits in the rest of your undergrad through summer school or by taking more than 6 courses a semester. you have options. if you require further guidance on how to make up your 1.5 credits, don’t hesitate to consult your registrar! they can help you come up with a practical plan without overwhelming yourself.

    now all you have to decide is whether you want to go into the management program or the commerce program!

    good luck with your decision and i hope you have a great second year!

    *in case you’re wondering what the title of this post is referring to

    cheers,

    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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