• admissions,  computer science,  UTM

    MY reputation is that i’m a fabulously wise guru

    May 21, 2014

    Aska, I heard you like questions so I got a few fo’ you:
    1) Alternative offers. If I get an alternative offer, does that mean that my original offer is rejected, or will UofT outright tell me that I’ve been rejected?
    2) Campus differences. Lets say a friend of a friend of a close relative of a friend got an alternative offer to UTM when they applied to UTSG and is feeling kinda bummed out. Would there be a big difference in programs? To be specific, Computer Science??
    3) Not that I really care about this at all, but would your degree specify what campus you got it from?
    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you got that right. i love me some questions. questions for breakfast, lunch and dinner. i’m not a physical being, so i don’t eat real food. i feed off of people’s questions, like that oracle from aladdin 2. so let’s begin the meal, shall we?

    1) if you’ve received an alternate offer, that means that they are not making the original offer, and are instead making another one. so yes, whichever program you originally applied to, you weren’t accepted – instead you’ve been given an offer for an alternate program.

    2) to your “friend of a close relative of a friend,” i would say that the differences are very minute. you can compare the mechanical differences relating to the required courses at each school by comparing the two calendars, but they’re not astronomical. for example, at the end of your first year at UTM, you need to have completed a math (with at least a 60%) and computer science (with at least a 65%) course, and 4 credits total. an equivalent student at UTSG would need to complete two comp. sci courses with at least a 60% in each and an average of 67% in both, and 4 credits total. there are some minor differences, but they’re not huge, right?

    your degree is what you make of it. if you do really well at UTM, and supplement your academic career with relevant extra- and co-curricular activities, you will be successful. there are successful people from every school, and unsuccessful people. the “reputation” of the place can only take you so far. and i hope the people who brag about their school left right and centre feel VERY SILLY about that.

    3) kind of. from the UTM convocation website: “[t]he diploma parchment will say ‘University of Toronto’ and NOT ‘University of Toronto Mississauga.’ The only place on the parchment where ‘University of Toronto Mississauga’ appears is below the Principal’s signature.” so it will say “University of Toronto Mississauga” in small letters under the principal’s signature, but it won’t be very visible on the page.

    but it’s smart of you not to care too much about this. like i said, if you are accomplished in your school career, if you make connections while you’re at school, that’ll help more than a piece of paper from the downtown campus ever could.

    good luck in first year, dude,

    aska

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  • summer,  UTM

    those are some crazy summer plans you’ve got.

    May 12, 2014

    Hi aska 🙂

    Right, so – transfer credits. I’ve been toying with the idea of taking an online course at Athabasca instead of taking MAT135 over at UTM (I’ve already checked, and it’s transferable)… but I’m also taking summer courses. I already know I can handle summer school and enjoy it, but my question is can I take a course at Athabasca WHILE taking courses at UTM? I didn’t ask for a letter of permission, so I have no idea whether or not this can actually work, but I’m really hoping it will.

    Thank you!

    ———————————————

    hey hey,

    well, there’s nothing in the registration guide that specifically restricts you from taking them both. if you want to make sure that it’s possible, i’d recommend contacting UTM to ask them about it.

    if you didn’t ask for a letter of permission, what you’re doing is basically going in blind and hoping that the class will count as transfer credit. if you think it’s transferable, that’s great, but basically, without an LOP, there’s no official guarantee from the university that it will be (see page 4 of this handy-dandy guide).

    also, make sure that the total number of courses you’re taking don’t go over the maximum course load (page 7 of the handy-dandy guide).

    and that should be all! good luck. i really hope it transfers/is allowed. i’m sending you my lucky aska vibes to try and help out, but those aren’t COMPLETELY foolproof, so in the future, just get a letter of permission and chat with your school about it before signing up for a course out in the wilds of Western Canada*. lets you rest easy about it.

    best of luck,

    aska

    *i mean i know the course is online, but still. that’s a long way for the little internet wizards to carry information, you know?

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  • GPA,  UTM

    does anyone NOT stress about marks?

    May 5, 2014

    Hi,

    I know you got tons of messages out there asking about more important problems but I just kind of freak out with my GPA right now. I registered for Management program in UTM and (I think) the program’s requirement is high. I don’t know? I just push myself over the edge a bit and now I am in a constant-panic state. Is 3.15 a bad GPA? So bad that I will be kicked out of school and never get the chance to be anywhere anymore and that means I simply have to dig my own grave (literally) and die there? I’m sorry, I just kind of? anyways, thank you for reading my question.

    Kind Regards.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    oh, man. never make assumptions about the kinds of questions i get, because you’ll almost definitely be wrong. about a third of the questions i get are about GPA, so don’t worry – i take them all very seriously. and hey, i’m a student too. i understand that GPA is like a legitimate concern and takes up a lot of any student’s headspace. my head is probably 40% worrying about marks, 20% thinking about Game of Thrones, 10% worrying about not tripping over anything, and 30% worrying about my eye liner.*

    anyway, on to your question. whether or not 3.15 is a bad GPA is almost entirely subjective based on your goals for yourself. is it bad enough to be put on probation? no. if your CGPA is above a 1.50, you will be in good standing.

    is it good enough to get into management? (by which i assume you mean the management specialist, though i could be very wrong, because there are multiple “management” programs at UTM). i don’t know, and UTM doesn’t provide a specific cut-off GPA, so i’m not going to speculate. however, you’ve done the best you could, and now you just wait and see. if you get in, great. if not, that’s your opportunity to find something else that gets you excited and makes you happy and that you can be awesome at.

    capice? no digging of graves. that is just silliness. school programs are just not important enough to feel that distressed about. you are great and you are doing fine, and you’re going to pull through one way or another. and if you are feeling/continue feeling disproportionately down or anxious about school, then i’d suggest thinking about visiting the UTM Health & Counselling Centre, who may be helpful to you.

    i hope that helps.

    best,

    aska

    * though i really shouldn’t worry about it – my eye liner game is always strong. ALWAYS.

    **i say “put on probation” because they don’t kick people?out of school right off the bat for bad marks, at either UTM, UTSG, or UTSC.

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  • failing,  UTM

    you’ve answered your own question, bud

    April 24, 2014

    i go to utm i started the year taking more classes but basically i dropped?out of all my courses except 1 i want to go back to utm in the fall, but
    this years been a lost cause and i want my cgpa to suffer as little as?possible?even if i aced the exam in my 1 course i’d still fail the class?is there anyway for me to not have the bad grade i get in this course show?up on my transcript? i’m pretty sure the answer is no i need to be taking?at least one course to sign up for courses next year so i just need to?study my ass off take the bad grade and do better next year right?

    ???????????????

    hey there,

    utm says that “[o]nce a course has been completed it can only be removed under extreme extenuating circumstances presented through a petition to the Committee on Standing. Be aware that petitions for removal of a completed course are not normally granted,” so…basically, yeah, the chances are likely that the marks on your transcript will stay as they are.

    if you want to improve your GPA, it’s most likely that you’ll have to do it the good, old-fashioned way: by working hard in the terms to come.

    best of luck to ya,

    aska

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  • OSAP,  Transferring,  UTM

    transferring (you to the experts)

    April 17, 2014

    Hi there!
    I’m trying to transfer to UTM for the 2014-2015 year from another university. This meaning I’d be in second year if I got in. Now I’m worried
    sick. I’m afraid I won’t get accepted. I did pretty amazing first semester and was able to get a 3.8 but this semester I probably won’t get more than a 3.0 (That’s just a guess but probably around there). Now I know UTM has requirements for the subject PoSts when it comes to gpa. Then theres also the fact that I can’t enroll into courses until I’ve declared a post. All I want to know is whether I’ll be accepted or not because then I have to make arrangements at another university which just seems really messy to me and want to avoid it.

    There was also a question of OSAP, not sure if you would know. I have an resp which I’ve taken out but most of it is with my parents and not in my hand. I did get some of it but it was used up due to emergency’s and I don’t plan to use the one my parents have with them this year. When I apply to OSAP do I need to let them know of this money? I don’t want money that I don’t have anymore to affect my funding.
    Thank you!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    whoa nelly, you’ve got a lot of super specific question, my friend! i want to offer my sympathies to you for having to go through the nerve-wracking process of transferring. believe me, i’m a transfer student too, and i know how anxious you must feel right now. despite that, i want you to channel the energy you’re currently experiencing that’s making you want to scream in a roomful of people or tear out your hair into something productive.

    i’m not gonna deny that asking me questions is usually productive (i mean i can just imagine what a privilege it is to have a chat with me, whatever the circumstance), but in this case, i think your questions would be better directed to people who know about the specifics of your situation. keep checking your application/admission status on the JOIN UofT Portal, but know that UTM will likely wait for your second term marks to make an admission decision, so you might hear back from them as late as the end of May. however, that is still not too late to sign up for courses and declare a subject POSt, so don’t worry.

    as for your chances about admission, i’d recommend calling UTM Admissions & Recruitment at 905-828-5400. they’ll have specific information about your application and also about what they look for in applicants, and can probably better predict whether you’ll get in than i can. i know some people have issues with calling institutions on the phone, but it’ll be fine. they specifically say to call that number with admissions inquiries, so you’re good. i promise.

    finally, for your OSAP question, there are people at the downtown campus who specifically answer questions about OSAP, and i think they’ll be your best bet. you can e-mail them at osap.staff@utoronto.ca for general questions, or if you want to talk with someone about your current application specifically, try calling them at 416-978-2190.

    i hope that is helpful in pointing you in the right direction!

    best,

    aska

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  • grades,  UTM

    professional writing? pah. I’M a professional writer. totes.

    April 4, 2014

    Hello! I’m a first-year student from UTM and plan to minor in Professional Writing and Communication.. However, I’m not satisfied with what I’m getting right now in WRI203 (basically the intro course) (my midterm is a 77 which is defs okay, but I’m VERY sure that’s gonna plummet in the end). Is it really going to be detrimental for me to repeat a course in the future? Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well here’s the thing: if you pass the course, you actually can’t repeat it unless it’s required for the subject POSt you want to get into and you didn’t get the required mark the first time around. now, WRI203 is a prereq for the minor, so you’re good there, but unless you get under 70% in the class, you can’t retake it. that might seem like bad news, but on the other hand, you’re guaranteed to get into the subject POSt as long as you get above a 70%, since it’s a type 2 POSt!

    if you happen to get lower than 70% and decide to repeat it to get into the subject POSt, i don’t think that should be very detrimental at all. i assume you’re asking about grad school when you say “IN THE FUTURE,” but grad school isn’t the same as like, someone who wants to get into med school and has an LWD on their transcript.

    repeated courses are not an awfully big deal – the only effect will be on your GPA. but most grad schools don’t even consider first year when calculating the GPA of an applicant, so i think you’ll be alright. as for jobs and stuff, one course is not even worth thinking about for the employer, don’t you worry.

    best,

    aska

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  • courses,  psychology,  UTM

    admissions psychles

    April 1, 2014

    Dear Friend,

    I hope you don’t mind, this will be half ranting along with the question.

    I was accepted into the Commerce program at UTSG. I was unable to fulfill the first year requirements for the program, hence I was declined my place in the program. I unfortunately did not have a backup plan, I ended up making last minute decisions and end up in the Mathematics specialists program. After taking mathematics courses, I realized it was not my field. In the meanwhile, I took electives in anthropology, religion and psychology. I soon realized I was very into the psychology program, hence decided to get into psychology.

    Currently, I’m taking Psychology courses at UTM, even though I am not officially in the program. I am with high hopes of getting my transfer approved (touchwood). So far, I have 12 credits at the end of this year, as in April 2014.

    I know I need 20 credits for graduation in my program. I was wondering, I wanted to take extra courses in psychology, would I still be able to Do you know if I go pass my 20 credits by taking psychology, will they accept my grades?

    I would ask my registrar, however every time I come out of there, I always feel gloom for some reason.

    Thank you for taking out time to read out my rant. I appreciate any sort of help you can give me.

    Sincerely,

    ~ A student attempting to regain control in her life.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i haven’t been able to find any concrete information about this online. the fact is that each campus and department does things a little bit differently with respect to this issue, and osap also may become implicated if you take more than 20.0 credits as part of your degree, so it’s best that you speak to…yeah, i’m gonna say it…

    …the registrar’s office. it might be time to get over that feeling of gloom, buddy, ’cause the registrar is hella helpful. they should know exactly how your school/program handles going above 20.0 credits. and just so you know, i work in a registrar’s office. and we have an absolute WHALE OF A TIME*.

    if it’s really stressful for you in there, just bring a sippy cup of warm milk in with you or something, idk.

    sorry friend,

    aska

    *that may be because i always bring an inflatable whale to work with me. but you know. i can’t be sure.

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  • subject POST,  UTM

    and throw polly gee

    March 21, 2014

    Hi,

    I’m minoring in Anthropology (Arts) which requires a 1.0 credit prerequisite from a selection of 2nd year social science or science ANT courses. Currently, I’m taking ANT206 this semester, which will hopefully leave me with 0.5 credits to complete. I’m considering summer school, but there is only one SSc course being offered (ANT204) and the rest are all SCI (which I loath). ANT207 is a SSc course I would prefer to take over ANT204, but it’s not offered in the summer and is only available in the next school year. What happens if I don’t take summer school and complete the rest of this prerequisite in 3rd instead? Will it have any affect on my subject POSts? Thanks!?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the answer lies in rethinking the question, padawan. by and large, the school doesn’t look at when you take courses, unless it has to do with prerequisites. so it’s not about whether you take 1.0 of those courses in your second year of university, it’s about whether you complete 1.0 ANT2** courses by graduation. so you should be able to take them whenever, really, as long as you fulfil all the requirements by graduation. I get that your POSt description is like, super ambiguous (smh utm), but that is generally the rule.

    now doesn’t that make you feel better? the sun came out and is shining just for you, m’dear.*

    best,

    aska

    *although i’ve heard that there is supposed to be a snowstorm tonight, so maybe the weather doesn’t care at all about your life and is just being the moody, inconsiderate teenager it always has been.

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  • psychology,  UTM

    psyder

    March 17, 2014

    Hi, my name is [redacted] and I am a first year student at UTM. Currently I am in Life Sciences? and have taken Economics and Philosophy as my electives to complete my groups. I am planning on majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry and I really like Psychology and want to minor in it, but I didnt take it this year. So my question is, can I take Psychology next year and minor in it?

    Thank you

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m slightly worried that you’ve said “currently you’re in life sciences?” as if it’s a question? and you’re not quite sure? maybe you’re in divinity school at harvard, it’s kinda hard to tell? or possibly a boggy marsh in denmark?*

    alright, i’m gonna trust that you really are a utm student in life sci and go from there. so [redacted], (if that’s your REAL NAME), this is gonna be a bit tricky for you, since you haven’t taken PSY100H5. if you want to enrol for the psych minor in 2nd year, you need to have completed PSY100H5 with at least a 63%. so looks like you can’t request the minor this summer to be active for next year.

    HOWEVER, if you take PSY201H5 (which does not have PSY100H5 as a prerequisite) and at least 1.0 more 200+ level PSY courses in second year, and you have at least an average of 63% in those courses, you can declare a psychology minor at the end of second year, and officially be in the minor by third year. whoo! just make sure you meet all the other high school and general requirements, which you can read about here.

    best of luck, man. and stop questioning yourself, eh? you just gotta believe. you are an majestic butterfly who doesn’t need to end all its sentences with question marks.

    aska

    * an easy mistake to make, to be fair. the smell is the same as in the city.

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  • biology,  subject POST,  summer,  UTM

    get into health 4 sum wealth

    February 27, 2014

    Hi, im in first year and i somewhat screwed up and am left with 2.0 credits i really want to get into biology for health sciences but some of the courses require chm 110 and 120 which ill be doing over the summer. Do you think ill be granteed a spot in my subject post after i complete chem over the summer. Im really confused and disappointed in myself some encouragement would really help.

    – Amanda B.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    first, let’s do practical stuff, then encouragement.

    so, we gotta see what kind of subject post biology for health sci is. if we look here, we’ll notice that the bio for health sci major has some requirements for enrolment. they are: a) completing 4.0 credits, b) completing the prerequisites listed and c) having a CGPA of 2.5. health sci is a type 2 subject POSt (just ctrl+f ‘biology for health sciences), which means that only people who have fulfilled the given requirements can enrol. however, it is not a type 3 subject POSt, where even if you’ve fulfilled the requirements, you still might not get in because of the competition. in this case, if you did a), b) and c), you’re guaranteed to get in.

    because of that, if you successfully complete your chem courses (which are prerequisites) in the summer, and keep your GPA above a 2.5 (and assuming you fulfilled all the other prerequisites), you’ll be all set to enrol in the subject POSt! you’ll just have to do it in the second request period (see page 8), between june 17 and september 22nd, after you’ve received the marks for your summer chem courses. and that’s all there is to it.

    one thing i’m a little confused about: you said you’re “left with 2.0 credits.” does that mean that you failed 2.0 out of 5.0 credits this year, or that you passed 2.0? if you passed 2.0, then you’ll have to do one more credit over the summer to fulfil requirement a) completing 4.0 credits. just keep that in mind. other than that, i don’t see any immediate problems.

    k, now for some encouragement. well, my trans-campus friend, let me tell you something: you are great. you have almost survived your first year, and you’re still intact enough to have goals for yourself and aspire to greater things. you’re not just sitting miserably in your bedroom, smoking by a window and wishing your life was sepia toned. you go out there, and work, and ask questions when you need to! that’s awesome. pushing through is awesome. keeping on keeping on after you’ve disappointed yourself is awesome. and trust me: first year disappointments? we’ve all been there, and we got through it. and so will you, because you’re amazing (dare i say, almost as amazing as aska).

    i wish you the best of luck with your summer courses, Amanda B.

    cheers,

    aska

     

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  • life science,  St. George,  UTM

    utm vs. utsg – let’s get ready to rumbleeee

    February 13, 2014

    Hey! 🙂
    Ariiite… I am in a huge dilemma right now… I’m in grade 12, and I want to get into Life Sciences at University of Toronto.
    People say that U of T (St. George Campus) is reeeeaalllyyyy competitive and hard and you’re dying every minute over there (as said by my friend who is a first year there). Other people say that Life Sciences at UTM is easier. It’s confusing… Which campus has a better Life Science program?? I want to make sure that I’m in a place where I’d be able to successfully complete my degree without having to worry about too much competition and all the crazy stuff first year students talk about. LOL

    Oh and also, I heard that if you take Life Sciences at UTM, your classes are going to be in both St. George and Mississauga campuses. Is that true?

    ~Thank you~

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    alright, i’m gonna try to put this nicely: figuring out which program is easier is not what you should be doing.

    first year is hard, no matter the school. people who say “i work twice as hard as everyone else because i’m at uoft” are likely not doing very well and are trying to soothe a shattered ego. unfortunately, these people exist at all schools. they?go out every night and then moan to you every morning about how somehow, somehow, they’re failing chem. you can’t get away from their ego-stroking, asinine nattering. what you should do, whatever school you end up at, is ignore them.

    as for competition, it’s a bit like the flying spaghetti monster: it only exists if you believe in it.

    but you already know all that! you want to “successfully complete your degree.” i want that for you too; i also want you to get into a program you’ll really enjoy, because that’s the only way you’ll ever get through it. so let’s find out what it is.

    as a starting point, i’d recommend taking a look at all the life science programs for both campuses: here’s utsg’s, and here’s utm’s. if you know what area you’re interested in and only one school offers it, then your choice is already made! but let’s say, for argument’s sake, that you’re interested in a program offered at both universities – biology, for example. next, take a look at the kinds of courses you’ll take at both schools for that program (here’s utsg’s biology courses and utm’s biology courses, just to follow through on the example).

    are there some courses you’re not keen on taking? does one program offer more flexibility than the other, and you’re thinking you might want to double major or pick up a minor? do you really only want to do one program (as a specialist, for example), and you’d prefer the program that has more required courses? these are all things to think about.

    when you’ve properly thought about and researched all these things, you’ll be so well-prepared to make the decision that you’re likely to have a far better first year than your friend who is “dying every minute.” asking me for a second opinion was a great decision, and wanting to avoid the “craziness” tells me you really want to do well and not get caught up in pointless platitudes. now continue those great decisions by doing some real research and not trusting what a bunch of random people are telling you (not including me, of course. i am not a random).

    also, don’t worry if you don’t know the answer to any of these questions yet. it’s a lot to think about. lucky for you, you’ve got lots of time to think about it. and if you run into any more trouble in the process of your researching, don’t hesitate to come to me for clarification!

    sorry for the novel. hope that was helpful, friend.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. some utm courses are downtown, but it depends on the program! there’s no way for me to tell you exactly which classes are held downtown, but it may happen to you. there’s a bus that carries these people back and forth though, so i wouldn’t worry about it.

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  • chem,  first year,  math,  summer,  UTM

    quaking in my boots for summer school

    February 10, 2014

    How difficult are chem110/120 & mat134 during summer school at utm?!? I really need some advice :(

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, if you’ll allow me to get a little PHILOSOPHICAL here, difficulty is kind of a relative thing. i don’t know what you specifically find hard. BUTTT if you’d like to know generally how difficult the classes will be, i suggest you take a look at the course descriptions (chem 110, chem 120 and mat134; these aren’t for summer 2014, but they should give you a general idea of the course content).

    just read the course descriptions and consider your own abilities. did you struggle with stoichiometry in high school? what about titrations? if you struggled with anything in the course descriptions, maybe brush up on some grade 12 problems to review. same goes for math.

    HOWEVER keep in mind that the classes will most likely have a little bit of review incorporated into them already, and you can get that just from the course description. for example, any ontario calculus class should have taught the fundamental theory of calculus, and that’s in the course description for mat134. so they definitely won’t just be throwing you into the deep end.

    the second thing to consider is the speed – most summer classes proceed at roughly twice the pace of a fall/winter class. do you think you can keep up with that speed? i mean you’ll also be going to class more often, so there won’t be LESS CLASS TIME, but it will be a bit CONDENSED.

    these are all things to consider, but at the end of the day, there’s shouldn’t be a huge difference between the summer classes and fall/winter classes. if you think you need to review, go for it, but i wouldn’t worry too much. if you work reasonably hard and make sure to keep up with the pace of the class, you’ll be alright. have a little faith in yourself.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions,  life science,  UTM

    lemme just talk to my buddies in admissions…oh wait.

    February 10, 2014

    Hey Aska,

    Sorry if I am going crazy, but my final first semester was an 84%. How slim are my chances of getting into my desired program (life sci utm) for march.

    Thanks (btw ur really helpful :))
    ———————————————

    hey there,

    ahh, the admissions question. now my friend, i know you probably haven’t been reading this website as long or as intensely as i have – and why should you, you don’t get paid to read it – but there is a storied history on here of grade 12’s asking askas whether they’re going to get in with x average and yz extra-curriculars, and of those askas absolutely flipping out  on them.

    lucky for you, i haven’t gotten enough of them yet this year that i find them annoying. still, i gotta tell you that asking me this question is kind of pointless. i’m only slightly more informed than than you are (though i am, of course, infinitely better-looking and much funnier).

    like, i don’t know if you’ve figured this out from the hokey web design and disturbingly comic sans-esque font, but aska is NOT, in fact, an official branch of UofT admissions. i don’t work for admissions. i’m just a chick at a computer. (an amazingly beautiful, goddess-like chick, but a chick nonetheless).

    so what i can tell you is pretty limited, but i do know this: firstly, the minimum admission average, or cut-off, if you will, for life sciences, is 70%. 70%! that means your current average is 14% above that. seems like a lot, right? that’s ’cause it is. now, every year admissions seems to get more and more competitive, and i can’t guarantee you’ll get in, but i’d say there’s really no need to panic. your chances as they stand are pretty good (and not at all “slim” as you put it).

    so yeah! no need to panic. spend your time not worrying, and do something more interesting instead, like learning the pan-flute, trying out family constellation therapy, or getting ready for the new season of Game of Thrones?(WHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!)

    cheers, my friend, and i hope to see you around campus soon,

    aska

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