• 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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  • admissions,  life science,  UTM

    life sigh

    February 4, 2014

    Hi Aska,

    I just wanted to ask how many round of acceptances are there for utm life sci since our school distributed our second semester midterm in late april. Also i know the cutoffs for this program are about mid 80’s, but what if my average is exactly an 85%, will i still get in? Is utm only concerned with the overall average when accepting people into the program or they also look at individual grades for the top 6 courses?

    If you can help me out, that would be great

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i don’t know specifically how many “rounds” there are since, though it pains me to say it, i am not the ENTIRE ADMISSIONS committee at this or any uoft campus. i guess uoft just hasn’t realized yet that i’d do a fantastic job of deciding the next generation’s world leaders. it’s ok.

    anyway, i know that GENERALLY SPEAKING, there’s like three or so times that the university sends out offers – there’s early acceptance in december-ish, then late february/early march, and late may/early june. most people hear back in late february/early march, but it’s a really general timeline. you can get an idea of that here.

    they will use the average of your top 6 courses, including prerequisites, to consider you. and if that average is an 85%, then (disclaimer of me not being affiliated with admissions because i am just a hobo at a computer blah blah blah) yeah, you’ll get in.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • St. George,  Transferring,  UTM

    everybody, everybody wants to be downtown (yeah)

    January 27, 2014

    Hello,

    I am a first-year student currently attending UTM. It was my plan all along to live at home and attend UTM for my first-year, and then switch over to UTSG (where my program of interest is) for the remainder of my undergraduate degree. I’m just about ready to submit my transfer app.

    The site says that for transfer students in their first year (They also said this when I contacted them) They look at your first year marks, as well as your grade 12 makrs from highschool. They do not look at transfer credits as first-year students aren’t eligible to use them.

    To the best of your knowledge, is it very easy to transfer, since it is just between campuses?

    Please get back to me!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    “please get back to me,” as if i ever DON’T get back to people. c’mon guys, doncha know by now that you can TRUST me? i’m like the friendly neighbour down the hall who always talks with you in the laundry room even when you’re pretending really hard to read a book: dependable. chatty. always there. regular in my laundry habits.

    now, about your question. one, what ‘transfer credit’ are you referring to? do you mean ib/ap credits from high school? or transfer credits from first year? because i transferred to the downtown campus after first year and i got transfer credit for both those things. you gotta be specific in your questions, peeps.

    anyway, is it easy? i mean, yeah, bureaucratically speaking. you just use the internal application that i’m sure you’ve already got in order, follow the instructions and voila! i don’t think it’s any more or less easy than transferring from another canadian university.

    obviously, if you didn’t do very well in your first year, you’re going to run into some problems (i’d say that a first-year average of 5% lower than the cut-off your program uses to admit students from grade 12 will give you a good shot at getting in), and it’s harder to get into some programs than others (i’m lookin’ at you, commerce) but i think that goes without saying. you should hear back from them in late march/early april. it’s all pretty straightforward after that: you just, y’know, get on the train to a different school.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions,  psychology,  UTM

    getting on that brain train

    January 24, 2014

    Hello! I was just wondering what the UTM requirements are to apply to do a psychology major after not initially meeting the initial requirements. On the UTM calendar it says to go to the psychology homepage but I can’t seem to find anything lol.

    Thank you for your help!

    ———————————————

    hello. this is an old question. if you’d like to see why i am answering these BLASTS FROM THE PAST, please go here! thanks!

    aska

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the requirements are kind of the same as the initial requirements, to be honest. you still need to have completed grade 12 biology and advanced functions – no changes there – and you also need to have gotten at least a 63% in PSY201H5, as well as completed at least 1.0 FCEs out of the second or upper-year requirements for the psychology major.

    basically, they want you to be doing the major in practice, so that if/when you register in it formally, you’re not behind. i guess that makes some sense, but it also means that there’s NO SLACKING. you have to keep taking psych courses consistently and make sure you’ve got all those requirements done by the time you want to reapply. YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT, SOLDIER? DO YOU REALLY?

    i sometimes get carried away when motivating students. sorry. some call it a curse, some a blessing. i guess it’s up to you to decide which camp to believe. point is, it’ll be just as hard, if not harder, to get into psych after first year – so don’t stop trying now.

    aska

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  • admissions,  drama,  subject POST,  UTM

    majors and CTEP and UTM, oh my!

    January 22, 2014

    Hi!

    I’m a student going into grade 12 and have two very different fields which I want to pursue, so I have some questions. Is it possible to take a major in drama and a major in math? And if so, which one would I apply with or do I apply with both, in reference to the form, essay and auditions, etc.? Does this work for the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus? And is it possible to make my math major part of a teaching degree? I also don’t really understand how choosing courses works and if you can have electives, and how many. Also, would I be limited in teaching possibilities or employment possibilities if I took math as a minor?

    Thank you,

    Ioana

    ———————————————

    hello. this is an old question. if you’d like to see why i am answering these BLASTS FROM THE PAST, please go here! thanks!

    aska

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, ioana, you’ve got a lot of questions, so i’m just gonna take them step by step, starting with the first one: is it possible to do a major in math and a major in drama?

    yes! in fact, uoft doesn’t allow you to take just one major; that would be too easy. you kinda have to supplement it with other stuff, and double-majoring is one way to do that. the mathematics major requires that you complete 7.5 FCEs and the drama major requires that you complete 8.0 FCEs. that means 15.5 out of the 20 credits you will receive for your degree will be program requirements.

    as for how you apply, there’s only one application necessary. for drama, you won’t have to go through auditions and essays and all that until 2nd year. your first year drama course, DRM100Y1, doesn’t require any kind of audition or application. same goes for math; you can enrol in most 1st year math courses from any program you want. so it’s up to you whether you want to apply through life science or humanities, though i’d say humanities is probably your best bet, because the university might decide to impose restrictions on who gets into drama, but they’re far less likely to do the same with math. so just go to OUAC or however it is you’re applying, select the humanities stream, and sit tight. auditions and picking of majors will happen at the end of first year.

    more or less the same holds true (math major program) (drama major program) for utm, except they have fewer required courses altogether for both major programs.

    teaching at uoft requires a separate application and you can enter into it starting 2nd year. you’ll get your B.Ed. essentially by taking education as a minor, and then your B.A./B.Sc. will be your other “teachable” degree that you get after four years. math can totally be part of that degree (either B.A. or B.Sc.) if you major in it, though it will be tough to do two majors and a minor (i.e. math, drama and education) – almost every single one of your 20.0 credits will have to go towards some program requirement. utm is currently in the process of renovating their CTEP program, but when it comes back in 2015, it should be similar to the uoft program.

    if you just did a minor in math, you wouldn’t be able to do UTM’s CTEP, because their only allowed areas of study are french, chem, math or physics. you’d have other options at various other institutions that are all listed on uoft’s CTEP site, but if you’re looking at UTM, i’d advise majoring in math.

    as far as i know, math teachers are GENERALLY in higher supply than humanities teachers, but honestly, that’s nothing to base a decision on. like i’ve said time and again on this site, employment possibilities change and stats for employment go up and down by the month, and it’s smarter for you to do what you actually want to and MAKE a path for yourself than to follow the numbers. however, if you really want to teach math, then go for it, dude.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions,  commerce,  repeating course,  UTM

    who ever knows what university documents are talking about

    January 10, 2014

    Hello, I am a grade 12 student currently in high school and I plan on applying to UTM commerce, but this year my mother was terminally ill and diagnosed with breast cancer which has a impact on my school most importantly Grade 12 Advanced Function and I was wondering if UTM will accept me repeating the course again in night school to get a better mark. Please let me know! I plan on applying during the winter holidays starting December 19th!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    my condolences about your mother. as far as night school goes, UTM will be able to see both of your marks. they definitely won’t refuse to accept the repeated mark, but they “reserve the right to give preference to students whose grades represent their first attempt.” which i know sounds just like…what talk straight, dammit – will you accept me or not?

    that’s where i come in (w00). i have some experience in decoding red-tape talk, and if you translate that sentence from bureaucratic university jargon, it basically means that it might affect the admission decision a little bit, but it definitely won’t decide it. additionally, a repeated course is much better than just leaving a really poor mark on your transcript. so i’d go right ahead and repeat it!

    ALSO, IMPORTANTLY, since you have a legitimate reason for this having occurred, you have the opportunity (which i 100% recommend you go for) to write the university a letter explaining why your mark(s) is/are that way. it’ll make them a lot more disposed to give you special consideration. you can do that by getting in touch with enrolment services: they’ll tell you where and how to send this kind of letter.

    best,

    aska

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