• transfer credits,  UTM

    fLOP that transfer credit

    May 8, 2015

    *Latrice Royale voice* Aska you look sickening today, you fabulous thing you. I’m going to go into my last year at UTM this September, and I’m a bio kid… but I have a secret: I’ve been taking calculus at Athabasca online. Third-year me didn’t realize there was such a thing as a LOP, and I’m about to start the second course that counts for MAT134/5 at UTM, but now I’m scared that the OffReg won’t accept my efforts, especially since I took about 9 months for part I because of health. Wat do? 🙁

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    latrice royale in charge

     

    thanks for the compliment, man! means a lot. and right back at ya.

    (sidenote: is ‘OffReg’ what y’all utm-ers call the registrar’s office? man, it’s like a whole different world over there.)

    i hope the courses you’ve been taking at athabasca are MATH265 and 266, because according to transfer explorer, those are equivalent to MAT135Y1 at utm.

    it’s not impossible to get transfer credit without a letter of permission. the university says that “[s]tudents who take courses at another institution without following one of these processes may still be eligible for transfer credits,” so it’s definitely still possible that you’ll get the transfer credit. and it’s a good sign that transfer explorer is recognizing it.

    however, just to save yourself some time, it might be best to talk to your OffReg* as soon as possible and see whether they think you’re likely to get the credit.

    cheers,

    aska

    * see? i’m learning.

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  • first year,  St. George,  UTM

    indecisive sam

    May 4, 2015

    Hi! So I am a grade 12 student who applied and got accepted to UofTsg for life sciences and UTM for chemical and physical sciences both with the same (rather high) entrance scholarship. In both grade 11 and 12 I took AP bio, chem, physics, and maths and I really enjoyed and excelled in all of these courses (to give you an idea, my current average is in the high 90s with my science and math courses having the highest marks). In grade 11, chem was probably my favourite science however this year my interest has shifted toward biology. I know for sure that as of now, I don’t want to go to med school to become a doctor but I would really enjoy pursuing something in a similar field such biochemistry or pharmacy–however, I am totally undecided and definitely open for change! I basically love science in general and I have yet to find out what I can do with that.
    I have heard so many rumours about UofTsg life sciences being a GPA killer and I’m scared that going there will basically ruin my chances of getting into grad school …or anywhere for that matter. On top of that, many of my peers also preach that UofT is NOT the way to go for an undergrad especially if you’re getting in to the sciences as they have had family/friends who have had terrible experiences there. If it wasn’t for this horrifying image I’m getting of UofTsg I would most likely decide to go there. But now I’m thinking that UTM might provide an atmosphere that is better suited for me if I am still trying to find my path … But of course I have no idea what the experience at either campus in either program would be like. I love both of the campuses for what they have to offer, and both programs seem to tend to my interests, so the only other factor to base my choice on is something I have yet to experience for myself. This entire decision-making process is driving me insane I have no idea what to do!! Some insight from someone who has first-hand experience would be greatly appreciated 🙂

    Thanks for bearing with my rant,
    Indecisive Sam

    ———————————————

    hey there Indecisive Sam,

    first things first: i know this wasn’t really a question, but you’re not going to fail all your courses in first year. if you have an average in the high 90s, and you continue to work as hard as you did this year, you should be okay.

    definitely, first year will be harder than grade 12, but it won’t be impossible. a big part of the difficulty is that you’re trying to adjust to all these lifestyle changes while keeping up with your school work. first year is a challenge, but it’s not rigged. you can succeed if you’re passionate about what you’re studying, and you put in the work (and you don’t have a nervous breakdown halfway through the year. remember, eating and sleeping is not optional).

    now that that’s out of the way: unfortunately, i can’t tell you whether to go to UTSG or UTM. i can’t even give an authentic, personal account of both campuses, because i’ve never been to UTM. what i can tell you is that i love the downtown campus. i love that it’s in the city, and i love that it’s big enough that you can dip in and out of different small communities within the university. i love the old buildings (yep, i got sucked in by that old shtick).

    however, a lot of people find the downtown campus very isolating. they don’t feel like they belong anywhere. a lot of the faculty of arts & science colleges have long and storied traditions that are wonderful, but can make you feel like an outsider if you don’t fall in easily with them.

    some other things you might want to consider when deciding on a campus include: which residence you like better (if you’ll be living on res), what scholarships each campus may be offering you, and what extra-curricular or experiential opportunities each campus may offer in your field of interest (internships, clubs, etc.).

    finally, i know this is a super frustrating thing to hear because it’s not – at all concrete, but sometimes just spending a bit more time on campus (both at UTSG and UTM) can be helpful. sometimes you get a gut feeling about these things.

    and if there’s no gut feeling, stop into the regal beagle for drinks and poutine while you’re at the downtown campus so your trip isn’t a complete waste.

    best,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  UTM

    cr/ncr strike panic (UTM EDITION)

    April 13, 2015

    UTM SUBJECT POST CR/NCR WHY YOU DO DAT???!! So with the recent strike i heard that in order to cr/ncr a course you need to be enrolled in that subject post/program? I am in second year and i plan to enrol in the psy subject post later this year. I already met the first year req. just took a break to figure out if psy was for me. However i am taking one of the courses required 270 even though i am not in the subject post yet. Can i still cr/ncr it.. my gpa will suffer from my not so great grade

    ———————————————

    hi there,

    i think you misunderstood something along the way, amigo. you were able to credit/no-credit ANY S COURSE affected by the strike in the winter semester (including courses that count towards a subject POSt) until april 6th.

    that deadline has already passed, so…i hope you selected it cr/ncr already.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • psychology,  UTM

    psych you out

    April 9, 2015

    Hi,1) I am second year student at the UTM campus and I plan on applying to the psychology major in the coming weeks. I already meet the psy100 grade(completed in first year) and the first year entry psy requirements. i just decided to pursue a major in psychology this January. I know there is a requirement that second year students need to meet in order to apply to the subject post. with a combination of grades. I am currently completing psy210 . what do i need to get into the program now

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    alright, the website is a bit confusing, so i double-checked this info with the lovely lovely people at the UTM psych department, and this is what you need:

    1. PSY201H5

    2. at least 1.0 additional FCE’s of the upper-year requirements for the psych major

    3. at least a 63% average in the above courses

    4. an AGPA of at least 2.0

    5. BONUS: and yes, just in case you were worried, it is a type 2 program (see page 12), which means that as long as you meet the requirements, you should be admitted to the program.

    and voila! just mix your ingredients together in a large bowl, leave to cool for 2 hours, and you’ll have a DELICIOUS psychology major (serves four). then just add tuition to taste (the university’s taste, obviously. not yours).

    best of luck with your application bro,

    aska

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  • first year,  residence,  UTM

    look out…it’s FROSH ON RES!

    April 7, 2015

    Hey Aska! Alright so I was accepted into the CCIT program and I’m seriously considering accepting it, but I just want to get some stuff cleared up before I do.

    First of all, does the CCIT program offer an internship/ Co-op? Also do I have to maintain a certain GPA by the end of my first year to continue on to my second year?

    Ok, now about residence. When I went to the open house someone had told me that the school expects you to find your own place by the second year. Does that mean I cannot live in res after i complete my first year? Also when in res do i have to buy my own internet or does the school provide that for me? Does the school have a list of stuff I should and shouldn’t bring?

    What is campus life like? I hear a lot of people say that it’s pretty dead because UTM is a commuter school. I also hear a lot of complaints about the food options on campus. Is it really that bad?

    Thanks in advance!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    CCIT does in fact offer internships, though it’s not mandatory to complete an internship to complete the program. you can learn all about CCIT internships here and here.

    you can see the first-year requirements for entering one of CCIT’s three programs here (the GPA is competitive for admission, but there’s no minimum cut-off).

    as a matter of fact you can live in res in second year. according to this page, the first 300 upper-year students who reapply to residence are guaranteed a spot. upper year students are definitely a minority in residence – 300 is not a lot – but it is still possible to stay, if you really want to.

    i’d disagree that campus life is dead. UTSG is a commuter school too, and in my experience there are still oodles of ways to get involved. besides that, residence life is a whole separate thing from student life, so if you plan on living on residence, you’ll have two communities you can get involved with. here are just a couple of ways to get involved on res at UTM.

    as for food, this list looks pretty good to me!

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • late withdrawal,  repeating course,  UTM

    MAT133 *shudders*

    March 24, 2015

    Hey! So, I’m a first year commerce student at UTM and I’m going to apply to the accounting specialist Subject POSt. The prerequisite courses for this POSt are ECO100, MAT133, MGM101, and MGT120, but I’m failing MAT133. I think I’m going to withdraw from this course, rather than failing, and take it during the summer. Will the LWD on my transcript affect my admission into the POSt, or anything else?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, you won’t be able to get into the POSt if one of the prereqs has an LWD on it. however, i can’t see anything on the requirements for an accounting specialist that says that they will give preference to people who tried the course more than once.

    SO if you LWD the course, take it again and do really well, and your marks in the other three prereqs + CGPA are competitive, then you’d still be competitive for the POSt.

    otherwise, LWDs do have some impact on graduate school applications, but this is one LWD in your first year, so honestly, i wouldn’t stress too much about it. if you think you can do significantly better in the course by LWD’ing it now and taking it again, then go on over to your registrar and make an appointment to discuss putting through a request.

    good luck with it, my friend,

    aska

    P.S. make sure you follow updates related to the strike, as they may affect the rules related to LWDs. HOW they might be affected, i can’t say. it’s all part of the THRILL AND EXCITEMENT of labour disputes! whoo!

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  • UTM

    managing utm management

    February 23, 2015

    I’m worried about whether or not I will get into the upper year management program, do you know any people who got into it with moderate gpa’s? My GPA is currently 2.5 and I don’t know if that’s enough. Also, what happens if you don’t get in? Can you retry by just essentially doing your first year again?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    today on, ‘hey, what campus are you from?’ aska makes a WILD GUESS that you’re in utm management. if you’re NOT in utm management, then, well, you should’ve told me that.

    utm’s department of management website doesn’t make any specific statements about what GPA you need to be competitive – mostly because, like with most things in life, it all depends on how good everyone else is, and not so much on how good you are.

    i don’t know if a 2.5 will be enough. you can talk to a management advisor and your registrar about it – honestly, i think it would be smart of you to come up with a back-up POSt or two, in case it doesn’t work out this year. management’s pretty competitive, and while i have a firm no-admission-prediction policy, a 2.5 is not great, for such a competitive program.

    you should be able to repeat all three prerequisite courses if you didn’t get a 63% in any of them – they’ll just appear as extras on your transcript next year. however, i would definitely recommend you discuss this option with your registrar before taking it.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • UTM

    just LEAVE

    February 12, 2015

    Hey Aska!

    I am currently a first year at utm. I have been considering to get a college diploma then come back and finish my degree. I think it works better for the field I want to get into. I am just not sure how would uoft look at the credits I have here so far. Like, do I have to let them know I left temporarily or what I did during my time off?? I don’t want the credits I have at the end of this year go to waste.. WOuld I have to reapply?

    thank you

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you don’t have to let them know you’re taking time off, and you don’t have to reapply when you came back. once you’re here, you’re here, and you can come and go as you please.

    you DO have to let them know about any courses you’ve taken at other institutions for transfer credit purposes. you can read more about transfer credit?here.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • psychology,  UTM

    why oh why oh do i need to take bio?

    January 27, 2015

    Soooo stressed so I last year summer 2014 I applied for the psychology major at utm and I was told that inorder for my request to be granted I had to complete only highschool 4u functions before I could be granted acceptance into the program…fast forward now I am enrolling for a highschool grade 12 functions class at night school and i just found out I need grade 12 biology too..but I was only told I needed math what do I do now since I didn’t take science in grades 11-12 🙁 🙁

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    at this point, i think one of the most practical things to do would be to take grade 12 bio at summer school. tdsb offers summer school courses to both tdsb students and non-tdsb students – keep an eye on this page for more information.

    utm also lists the peel school board, independent learning centre and virtualhighschool.com as acceptable alternatives.

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • gap year,  UTM

    i’m off!

    November 25, 2014

    Hello, I’ve started my first year of uni at utm but I’m thinking of taking a gap year after I’m done, before starting my second year. Is this possible? Who would I have to contact to sort this out? Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it’s totally possible! and you don’t have to do anything. as long as you don’t enrol in courses when the time rolls around, your fees will be cancelled (see page 30 of this booklet).

    then, after a year of finding yourself or trying to work so you have money to live or supporting your family or whatever CRAZY SHENANIGANS kids these days get up to, you can just come back! re-registration of your student record will cost $25 (see page 35), and you can go to your registrar’s office for that.

    sometimes – even at uoft – things can be that simple. it’s a christmas miracle.

    cheers,

    aska

     

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  • business,  rotman,  UTM

    talking about some business business

    November 24, 2014

    Hello,

    I am an IB student. I would be interested to go to a business school or a university in order to study business/management. I was wondering in which school could I go with which grades ? Maybe, if you have some websites in mind that could help me, I will be happy to visit them.

    Thanking you in advance and waiting for your answer.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i only really know about business at uoft, and very generally in ontario, so that’s what i’m gonna tell you about.

    most people agree that the really good business schools in ontario are schulich at york, ivey at western and rotman at uoft (utm’s management programs are also really good).

    this is a uoft blog, so obviously i can tell you the most about rotman and UTM management. i’d recommend you browse the rotman tag if you want to learn all the intricacies and funny little details of that part of uoft.

    you can also browse rotman’s viewbook and their FAQ’s and Useful Links page for a lot of basic info about the school.

    if you have any more questions about commerce at uoft, just shoot ’em my way. and good luck in your research – hopefully you’ll be on your way to the most businessy of careers in no time!

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions,  UTM

    i am the epitome of communication AND culture

    November 10, 2014

    Hello! So i have a couple questions regarding the Communication, Culture, Information & Technology program.

    First of all is there anyway i can get more information on the program from UTM? I wasn’t able to attend the fall information day and I’ve already looked on the website at the program description, but i would like to know a little more about it if possible. So if there’s a number i can call or an email i can contact that would be great! Or if you know anything about the program please further enlighten me on it! I am aware that within the CCIT program there are a multiple interdisciplinary specialist programs, The one i’m interested in is the IDM (Interactive Design Media). On the UTM website it said that i have to apply after my first year of CCIT and that spaces are limited. So my next question is when applying on the ouac website do i just select IDM or select CCIT and then after my first year reapply to IDM? Also, if i do not get accepted into the IDM program after my first year, what happens? Do i continue on doing CCIT as a major? Im just really confused about the admission process. My last question is does the IDM specialization have coop/ internship opportunities?

    Sorry about all of these questions! I really hope you can help me out with this because i don’t know where else i can contact for more information about this stuff. Thank you so much!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i don’t know much about Communication, Culture, Information & Technology, to be honest with you. i would read the brochure if you haven’t already. also, it’s always interesting to go on a little google odyssey on the professors that teach in your department of interest; their research can tell you a bit about the kinds of things you might be learning.

    there’s also this careers by major thing which UTM does that i am super jealous of. also take a look at the websites of the student groups related to CCIT – they’ve got some helpful information on there (also, their websites are beautifully designed. figures). you can even contact the execs of the student groups for advice; i’m sure they’d be more than happy to answer your questions.

    otherwise, you can always call the ICCIT directly.

    as for admissions: CCIT is an institute – as in, the ‘Institute of Communication, Culture, Information & Technology.’ the institute itself offer a few different programs: the CCIT major, the DEM specialist, or the IDM specialist.

    you don’t enrol into specific programs until second year at uoft. when you’re applying out of high school, you just pick a stream. see this? the green headings are streams, the things listed under each heading are programs. your stream would be CCIT, and that’s what you’d pick on OUAC.

    again, that doesn’t make you a CCIT major, just a student in the Institute. you pick your program after first year. comprende?

    if you’re not accepted into the IDM specialist after first year, then you would enrol in one of your backup programs instead. you need to be in a program after first year to continue taking courses.

    and i don’t want to hear any of this nonsense about not having backups. life is gonna throw you some curveballs, y’know; it’s always a good idea to know what you’re going to do when and if they happen. (however, i do think applying to the CCIT major is a pretty good backup).

    you can browse every program offered by UTM here.

    CCIT is not offered as a co-op program, but there are some 400-level CCIT courses which are either just internships or can incorporate an internship into their structure: take a look at CCT409H5, CCT410H5, CCT411H5 and CCT413H5. also, the career centre, which is available to all uoft students, provides lots of experiential opportunities across all three campuses. also, there’s this. or you can just go door to door and beg to do people’s programming grunt work for free.

    and don’t worry that you’re asking too many questions, dude. i’m here all night. i have nobody to go home with and am very lonely, so…yeah. i’m here all night. also they sometimes have free food here.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • St. George,  Transferring,  UTM

    will you MISS me when i’m gone, MISSissauga?

    October 6, 2014

    Hello!

    I’m a first year English student at UofT Mississauga. I wanted to transfer to UofT St.George next year. What do I need to do in order to do so? What is the cgpa I need to get in and when do I need to apply? and how hard is it to get in, because I heard it’s difficult to transfer.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    logistically, it’s actually easier for you to transfer between uoft campuses than people at other universities. so you’ve go that going for you.

    now, don’t get too excited: i’m not saying you WILL get in. i’m just saying it’s not IMPOSSIBLE, if you meet the requirements.

    so, as for requirements, it’s pretty straightforward. all you need is to meet any program requirements, and have a decent CGPA.

    that means at least a ‘B’ average and, assuming you want to transfer into English at UTSG, there are no specific program requirements UNLESS you’re interested in the specialist, in which case you’ll need at least a 73% in your school’s equivalent to ENG110Y1, ENG140Y1, or ENG150Y1.

    all the application deadlines you could ever possibly need are here.

    best of luck in your quest down town,

    aska

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