• prospective student,  rotman,  St. George

    chill out rotman you’re scaring the first years

    April 5, 2023

    likely will be starting at rotman commerce in the fall. my question is, could I transfer from rotman to programs like utm commerce or utsc management? it’s been my dream program for a long time, but it wasn’t until the moment I got accepted that I started panicking about actually surviving rotman. realllllyyy want to make sure there’s a way out if I end up getting mauled in my first year lol

    hey hey hey,

    congrats on getting in! i don’t know what rotman horror stories they’re telling to make you all so anxious before uni even starts, but i guess it doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan…

    Ready Perfectly Overly Cautious GIFfrom Ready Perfectly GIFs

     

    anyway, in case you get mauled and rotman doesn’t work out for whatever reason, there are definitely decent ways to get out. utm commerce and utsc management both accept “internal transfers”, which are just transfers from other uoft campuses. i don’t know how difficult it is to actually get in, but at least the rotman math, commerce, and econ courses set you up pretty well for the prereqs to transfer.

    there might be a few restrictions, for example, the utsc management programs with co-op (oooo fancy) only accept transfers straight out of first year, so if that’s something you’re interested in, you’d have to start planning early on. i don’t see any requirement of that sort for utm management/commerce but you could contact the program advisor directly to make sure, because i know some other competitive programs also only accept students straight out of high school or first year.

    another backup could be transferring into other utsg arts and sciences programs, like economics, which is usually a bit easier/more straightforward than trasferring campuses.

    hope that helps!

    aska

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  • daniels,  prospective student,  St. George

    architecture and more

    April 1, 2023

    Hi. Variations of these questions have been asked and answered, but I guess I’m looking for the mechanics of the whole thing: first, have been admitted to Daniels in Architectural Studies and hope to pick up Art History as a second major. How easy is this to accomplish? What steps are involved? Second, how do non-Daniels electives work? Say I’m interested in an elective in English Lit or Archaeology or photography. Would I be able to tack these on and when? Third, any way as a Daniels student to do a business certificate? Thank you so much! You’re an amazing resource.

    hi there and congrats!

    although i can’t speak from personal experience (i took a nap in the daniels building once, does that count?), as a daniels student you are definitely allowed to enroll in other arts and science programs or electives and there are certain pathways that allow more flexibility to do this within your degree requirements. computer science and rotman commerce are the two main exceptions though – they have higher “deregulated” program fees and are basically gatekept from daniels students and also all the other artsci students, so you’re really not missing out on anything overall. all the typical artsy (and science-y) courses will be available to you.

    in terms of scheduling different courses and programs, as you may know, you need 20 FCEs (“full course equivalents”, which are essentially full-year courses or credits) to graduate. architecture studies students have to do a specialist in architecture studies, which is like a major but more intensive, with more courses. the comprehensive stream of the architecture studies specialist (a mouthful, i know) is a good option to complement a second major because it only has 10 required FCEs, essentially taking up half of your degree courses. the other streams are more specialized, but would require 13 FCEs. for example, the art history major requires 6 FCEs, and you also have breadth requirement courses which are required for graduation and can include up to 4 FCEs of courses from different subjects, which all starts to add up.

    depending on the number of required courses you end up with, you might have space left over for other electives too. as far as i know, you can add any electives you’re interested in during course selections as early as your first year. the only potential limitation is that some courses may have priority enrolment for students in a specific program or stream, so it might be harder to get into really popular ones, but most of the more intro-level courses that people usually take for electives are pretty open.

    as for your last question, rotman does offer a “certificate in business fundamentals” for all artsci students (including daniels i assume) which requires 2 FCEs, so you can totally tack that on. like, when uoft said you can build your own degree, they meant it.

    Possibilities GIFfrom Possibilities GIFs

    it gets pretty hectic trying to keep track of all the different programs and courses you want, so i’d recommend keeping everything organized on degree explorer. also i will say, while it might be tempting to do ~all the majors~ it’s definitely not required and depending on what you find interesting/useful, it might not even be the best way to go about it. electives can also give you a way to dive into different fields with more flexibility. although having a fancy title on your transcript also is kinda cool, too, so there are advantages either way i suppose.

    good luck!

    aska

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  • admissions,  prospective student,  science,  St. George

    hope in the face of gr 12 calculus

    March 19, 2023

    Hi! So, my top 6 average before I took calculus was a 91, then I got a 60 on my midterm and now my average is an 86. Overall, I took 8 courses this year and most were low 90s with the exception of an 85 and an 88. I’ve completely given up on being accepted into material sci because I doubt they’ll accept me because of my calculus mark, but do I still have a chance for LifeSci? This is about stg campus btw. Please help!!

    hello there!

    a stem kiddo — we love to see it. i gather that your top six average is 86 now including calculus, which was a 60. it’s a tricky situation because your average is technically still in the running for both programs, but they both require calculus.

    just so you know, you won’t actually be admitted for specific programs like material sci in first year, btw. you would have to enter the physical and mathematical sciences stream in the first year, and then apply for the material sciences POSt (specific majors, minors, stuff like that) afterwards. complicated, i know.

    physical and mathematical sciences requires a top 6 average of mid to high 80s, including grade 12 english and calculus, and so does lifesci. they do both recommend mid to high 80s in english and calc though, and it’s kind of hard to say how strict the admissions office is with that requirement.

    i know a few friends who’ve gotten into lifesci with a few marks in the 70s, so i’d say you’ve still have a shot, especially since you did well overall and in your other courses. lifesci is also known to be a huge first year stream, which does improve your chances.

    Doctor Who Dw GIFfrom Doctor Who GIFs

    if you do end up getting into lifesci, a cool thing about utsg arts and sciences is that you can apply to pretty much any program in the faculty for second year. there are some exceptions that are much more competitive, like computer science or rotman commerce, but as long as you take the high school prereqs and do well in the required first year courses, you can still get into materials science or any other program that you might find interesting!

    good luck! hope that helps!

    aska

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  • admissions,  prospective student,  repeating course

    second chances: technically possible, probably hard

    March 5, 2023

    So I failes my advanced functions class and I am retaking it. Am I still gonna get accepted if I have a repeat? I know that Rotman does not count MHF4U but how about Scarborough and Mississauga. Will they accept?

    hello hello,

    so from the utm, utsc, and utsg admissions websites it looks like all of them have the same somewhat vague stance against repeated courses, which is basically that generally they’ll allow it but “urge you to do as well as possible on your first attempt” (and that’s word for word on all three sites — a lot of repetition there, ironically).

    Mr Bean Copy GIFfrom Mr Bean GIFs

    so while a repeated course won’t take you out of the running, it’ll probably be an uphill battle especially for more competitive programs, and students without repeated courses might be given greater preference. to be honest it’ll be really important to try and ace the course this time around to show that ultimately you can do well (yeah i know, no pressure or anything…)

    utm was also kind enough to specify that they’ll only take the highest grades of the repeated courses, but the others weren’t as clear, so as with many admissions-related things, it’s kind of a black box.

    Wnyx News Radio GIFfrom Wnyx GIFs

    you could also apply for special consideration if you have proof of any extenuating circumstances that affected the first time you took the course. no, i’m not gonna link all that for all three campuses but i promise it’s out there and it’s a thing. google is your best friend 😉

    oh also, interestingly, rotman allows repeated courses too, though i was under the impression that they didn’t for some time. like all the others, they also “urge you to do well on your first attempt” and all that, and they do prefer candidates without repeated courses. but as you mentioned they don’t require advanced functions, just calculus and vectors, so hopefully that all goes well in case you’re interested in applying.

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • prereqs,  prospective student,  psychology,  subject POST

    throwback to the psych major era

    February 20, 2023

    hi aska, i’m a grade 12 hs student who got accepted into uoftstg for social science. i’m looking to major in psych, and i failed to realize that uoft doesn’t offer a psych BA. my problem is is that i don’t have the gr 12 prerequisites of calc or bio. my question is: uoft’s social science page they state, “at the end of your first year, you can combine programs outside of your own admission category” does this mean i can double major and enrol in the psych program despite of my missing prerecs?

    hello there young one,

    congrats on your acceptance! so after the barrage of psych major questions we got last semester, i’m prepared — this post from december is all about high school prereqs for psych at uoft and pretty much answers your question i think… (done. that’s it. that’s the post. do i just… go now?)

    but in the spirit of recycling, lemme hash out some of the main things about high school prereqs here… and some other things. basically, after first year, you’ll have to apply for your POSt, which is just uoft’s fancy name for your specific program, which doesn’t have to be within your admissions stream. you can definitely mix and match and jump around different majors/minors/specialists in all different areas of uoft arts and science. but preqrequisites are prerequisites, and the psych programs all list gr. 12 calc and bio as prereqs so chances are you’ll have to get those credits in order to be accepted. you should definitely email the psych department just to check (psy.undergrad@utoronto.ca) with them first, though.

    if you do have to complete those prerequisites, you could try to take them in the summer before university, or through night school/online options if they’re offered by your school board.

    You Thought GIFfrom Swag GIFs

    they should be completed by the end of your first year at the latest, because that’s around the time you typically apply for POSt — although you should also confirm that with the department just in case they ask for the prereqs following a different timeline. hope that helps!

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • admissions,  cegep,  prospective student

    r score why r u so confusing

    February 7, 2023

    Hello! Im currently a quebec cegep student looking to go into life sciences / animal physiology at U of T and would like some advice on admissions. I struggled quite a bit in calculus this year and my cal 1 grade is only a 72… I was wondering if this is way to low for getting accepted and if its recommended that I retake this course. I’m very worried about this right now so any advice on this or admissions in general is greaaaatly appreciated!!

    hey there,

    i’m so sorry for the long wait on this one, but hopefully this still helps.

    according to the admissions website, cegep students need an r score of mid-20s or higher – specifically, utsg arts and science has an r score cutoff of 26. it does mention that they will see your full transcript with the actual percentage marks, but i’m not sure if there’s a specific cutoff for that.

    you’re probably familiar with the cegep r score, so hopefully that magic number 26 means something to you because frankly after digging around a bit i still don’t really know what it really translates to in terms of a percentage. i mean, you got a 72, but did you really, compared to the course average and then comparing your school to all the other schools… quebec really went all out with this whole scoring thing and tbh it’s just too much stats for me.

    Confused Confused Math GIFfrom Confused GIFs

    hopefully you already know your r score by the time you apply, which will give you a much better idea. if not, it might help to generally follow the recommended grades for the equivalent grade 12 high school subjects? it’s not a perfect comparison since cegep courses might be harder (?) but uoft life sciences recommends mid to high 80s in high school english and calculus.

    based on that, i’d say the safest plan is to retake calc if possible, and aim for a higher mark in the 80s just in case. but then again, if all of your other marks are in the 80s-90s and you are generally at or above the course average, it also doesn’t hurt to try and apply. although 70s might be on the lower side for calc, i don’t think it’s necessarily a dealbreaker, especially if you have a good average overall.

    Just Try It Imane Anys GIFfrom Just Try It GIFs

    best of luck!

    aska

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  • computer science,  programs,  prospective student

    where do all the cs rejects go

    December 14, 2022

    What happens if you don’t get accepted into the computer science program after first year. I’m asking this question for all three branches of uoft.

    hello,

    you get banished. forever. or what i’ve heard is that you go into math/cogsci/*insert cs-adjacent program*.

    i’m just kidding. (don’t come for me, math/cogsci majors.) the reality is kind of like a mix of these i suppose, and it depends on the campus you’re at.

    at utsg, if you don’t meet the requirements for first year cs stream students (cmp1), you can re-apply from the regular artsci stream, but it’s a lot more competitive. if you just haven’t had the chance to take certain required first year courses, you’ll get until the end of your first summer term to complete them. otherwise, they don’t really give you much leeway for the requirements.

    at utsc, you’re allowed to retake all of the first year required cs courses once, except for MATA31, if you need to get a higher mark to pass the cs stream requirements. after that, if you still don’t meet the cutoffs, you’ll have to apply for a non-cs backup program to enter in second year. you may be able to apply for the cs post as a non-cs stream student but again, spots will be limited and it’ll be a lot more competitive.

    with utm, you’d pretty much be banished, actually. utm only accepts cs majors and specialists that entered the stream straight out of high school and passed the first year cs requirements. if you don’t make it, you could still go for a cs minor, which seems to be open to any student regardless of stream. utm may rule with an iron fist, but they’re also kinda considerate in a way — they’ve put together a list of backup programs that are similar to cs or other competitive programs, which might be helpful. you can check them out on page 4 of this document.

    anyway, hope that helps, and best of luck on your future cs endeavours.

    Hacker Pupper Dog GIFfrom Hacker Pupper GIFs

    aska

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  • bba,  co-op,  co-op management,  prospective student,  tuition

    co-op tuition: bba-lling on a budget (yes this is the best i could come up with)

    October 23, 2022

    Hi everybody! I am a prospective BBA Co-op student. I am supposed to take three study terms the first year. What would I be charged for it? The website says that the annual fee is 60,000 CAD. Now is that for two terms or three terms?

    hello!

    unfortunately, i’m not a bba co-op student — but lemme try to give you some advice anyway.

    i’m looking at the bba co-op websites for utsc, and yes, the international bba co-op tuition seems to be about 60k for first year. from what i understand, each year in the co-op program has three terms: fall, winter, and summer. it’s a bit different from programs without co-op, which don’t usually include a summer term. this makes me think that your 60k per year tuition probably includes all three terms in a year. but again, not a bba co-op student! so take this with a grain of salt. many grains of salt.

    the other thing you might have to watch out for is the co-op fee, which is paid on top of your tuition, apparently. for example, for a typical bba co-op program at utsc, you’d have to pay about $500-600 in co-op fees at the start of each term, for the first 8 terms of your degree — and that’s regardless of whether you’re doing a work or study term in that period.

    Paragon X GIFfrom Paragon X GIFs

    i hope my absolutely 100% accurate and factual information clears things up 😉 but do confirm this with your registrar and/or department. they’ll definitely be able to help more and could probably even give you other advice and resources!

    good luck,

    aska

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  • admissions,  grades,  prospective student

    grade 11? i don’t know her

    September 16, 2022

    hi, i just finished grade 11, and i ended with mid 70 to high 60 for my courses. i recently moved here from alberta and in albertian uni’s, they check both gr11 and 12 marks, but here, i’ve been told that they dont look at gr11 marks as much. i was wondering if that was true, like if they dont really care about gr11 marks unless you pre-enroll(which i am not). also, is there like a certain average i should have in gr12 to sort of ‘cancel’ my gr11 marks? the course i wanna get into is bio-med, ty

    hey there,

    welcome welcome! yes, it’s true. most ontario unis only care about your grade 12 marks, not grade 11. each uni posts their own admissions requirements (the uoft one is here) but they usually only judge you on six of your grade 12 courses, which include any required courses for the program you’re applying for, and other electives where you got the highest marks. pretty sweet, i know.

    Bless You GIFfrom Bless GIFs

    grade 11 marks only really matter for early consideration, if the marks for your required grade 12 courses aren’t available yet, and scholarships. even for really competitive programs, i’ve rarely seen ones that use grade 11 marks for admissions (at least for regular acceptance).

    the admissions averages can vary for different programs and unis but if you’re interested in something like uoft life sciences (biology etc), you should be aiming for at least mid to high 80s, which is pretty similar to biomed type programs at other unis from what i remember. so don’t sweat it, just focus on working your ass off this year because the past is (mostly) in the past.

    Were Past It Lets Move On Danni King GIFfrom Were Past It Lets Move On GIFs

    good luck,

    aska

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  • life science,  prospective student,  rotman

    the elusive rotman transfer

    September 14, 2022

    I am a prospective UTSG social science year 1 student. I am interested in Rotman commerce(accounting) and life science(biology). Is taking both programs’ required courses too overwhelming? If I only take RC’s required courses in year 1, I have 2-2.5 credits left. Any recommend courses that is helpful for me to enter for RC? If i failed to enter RC, can I still take ls’s required courses in year 2? If so, then I will be enroll in year 3 in ls? Any drawbacks except delay graduate?

    hi there,

    i’m assuming that you’re in year 1 of the social science stream and planning to transfer into rotman. if you’ve got your sights set on rotman, i’d recommend really focusing on the 2.5 credits of 1st year rotman prerequisites that they list here and making sure to get good marks in those courses and a high gpa overall.

    Exams Exam Memes GIFfrom Exams GIFs

    i’m not personally in rotman, but usually gpa is king when applying to programs, and even students who are already in the rotman stream need to maintain certain marks in the prerequisites to stay in the program. not to stress you out or anything! gpa isn’t everything — but it can definitely help your chances.

    in terms of courses, i’d recommend trying to play to your strengths. ‘bird courses’ can be different for everyone depending on what you’re interested in or good at, so while it’s nice to get some reviews from people about different courses, i would take it with a pinch of salt and also consider what you’re most interested in/confident with. if you’re good at bio, you could try bio120 or bio130, which can be used for lifesci programs. 1st year seminars are also another way to take some more interactive, fun courses (which are often mark boosters). picking ‘easier’ courses can also hopefully take off some of the stress from school and leave you with some time to do extracurriculars that might add to your rotman supplementary application (yes, you need that too…).

    if do you get into rotman, i’m not really sure how manageable it’d be to do a biology program too because, well, again, i’m not in rotman. technically it’s doable, but you might have to opt for a bio minor to fit all the required credits. you could also take more than 20 credits (possibly taking longer to graduate), or just take some bio courses as electives.

    luckily, the bio programs are all open enrolment, meaning that anyone with 4.0 credits completed can enrol in the program — you just have to apply at the end of first year. apparently rotman transfers are really rare though (again, don’t let that scare you! still give it a shot) so if you don’t get into rotman it’s good to have a backup, and there are a ton of other programs to choose from in artsci. you can apply to any other combination of programs in artsci in your upper years, including lifesci, social sciences, or economics if you’re still interested in something that’s kind of commerce-related.

    So Many Possibilities Lily Collins GIFfrom So Many Possibilities GIFs

    btw, if you’re worried about upper year courses and being able to fit all your program requirements, i’d recommend using degree explorer to plan things out!

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • admissions,  business,  economics,  prospective student,  rotman

    let’s get down to business

    August 30, 2022

    hi! i was wondering what the business course is like? stuff like what subjects are required in high school to be able to take business as a major, how big the classes are and what other courses i should take alongside business

    hi there,

    so uoft doesn’t actually have a ‘business major’ — if you’re interested in business you’re gonna have to be more specific than that, because there are a bunch of different business-related programs.

    for example, utsg has the rotman commerce program, and the application requirements are listed here. you’ll need to take grade 12 english and calculus, and also submit an supplemental application.

    utsc offers business administration (bba) programs under their department of management. if you’re wondering about the difference between “commerce” and “business administration”, this is a pretty good breakdown.

    but get this, utm has a bba program (under their department of management) and a commerce program (under the department of commerce). to make things more convoluted, utsg, utsc, and utm all have their own economics programs, which are offered as part of bachelors of arts or bachelors of science degrees.

    i honestly couldn’t tell you the difference between all these business-esque paths, so you’re probably better off just searching for key words of programs you might be interested in on uoft’s website.

    the admissions requirements do vary depending on the program so definitely check for the specific ones that you end up applying for, but they seem to all require grade 12 english, and in some cases, one or two grade 12 math courses.

    class sizes can also vary depending on the specific program you go into, but classes are generally larger in first year where there may be several hundred students in a class, and tend to get smaller in upper years. if you’re looking for some cold hard numbers, this 2012 report from uoft actually breaks things down and shows how over 50% of first year classes had 200+ students, while over 80% of fourth year classes had less than 50 students.

    the exact class sizes for business programs might differ, but there’s not a lot of info out there on the specifics — utsc management is the only program that actually gives an estimate of their class sizes in their faqs, rotman mentions that their upper year courses are capped at 55 students, and utm’s info on this is dissapointingly nonexistent. just don’t be surprised if you end up in first year classes with hundreds of students, especially in courses like calculus which are prereqs for a lot of different programs.

    alright, now to wrap up this very long post, let’s talk about other courses/electives. honestly, it’s really up to you to choose!

    Gordon Ramsay Choice GIFfrom Gordon Ramsay GIFs

    i know it’s kind of a drag and hugely overwhelming to sift through courses in the uoft calender (the utsg artsci one is linked here) until you find the ones you like, but i mean… that’s just what you gotta do. if i’ve learned anything about courses at uoft, it’s that people’s experiences can really vary. a bird course or an interesting course for one student might be absolutely horrible for another, so don’t be afraid to try out anything that interests you. also, uoft’s course evals page and ratemyprof are some handy ways to double check the courses on your list for any red flags or really poor ratings, which can be a legitimate reason to avoid a course.

    outside of your program requirements, you can choose pretty much any electives you like, or even do a major or minor in a completely different field, if that’s what you’re into. uoft’s pretty great that way because there are just so many different courses and programs out here. for example, you can use your electives to just chill and learn things for interest, or go for classes that might complement certain aspects of business you’re interested in. or maybe you just want to double down on more business courses, which works too!

    Mr Krabs Rich GIFfrom Mr Krabs GIFs

    hope that helps, and best of luck in your business endeavours!

    aska

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  • colleges,  prospective student,  university-college

    commuter’s guide to colleges

    July 22, 2022

    sorry if you’ve been asked this before, but I just got accepted to University College (Humanities) does the college mean anything if you’re a commuter? like how does it work? can I still use services like libraries at other colleges? does the college actually mean anything i’m kinda confused?

    hi, hello and welcome!

    ah yes, the age-old question of “i’m a commuter and does college actually mean anything”… (and also on that note, does anything even actually mean anything? but i digress.)

    as a commuter, your college doesn’t really matter as much but it does come in handy for some admin stuff, student life, and pretending you’re in a hogwarts house.

    Harry Potter Excited GIFfrom Harry Potter GIFs

    it’s not really a restrictive thing, but more like a way for uoft to somewhat organize the absolute barrage of artsci kids here, imo. you’ll get access to pretty much all the other college libraries and buildings on campus, except for some dining halls which have been restricted to their own college’s student during covid. fun fact, uc also has their own commuter student centre with a kitchenette and lounge. i’m not sure how much people actually use these student centres, but i did drop by once for an event and there were free donuts, so that’s one positive review.

    Boy Kid GIFfrom Boy GIFs

    your college registrar is also pretty imporant (the uc one is here!). they would be your go-to for admin things like academic and financial advising, getting transcripts, paperwork, stuff like that. other nice college perks include writing centres, mentorship opportunities, and some scholarships and awards (uc has a bunch of annual writing awards which are pretty cool). uc is also one of the colleges which offers independent research courses for their students, if that’s something you’re into.

    there are also lots of college-based clubs and events. most are open to all students, except for frosh, which is organized by college and also basically the loudest, most obnoxious poster child for “college things”. but honestly, if you’re not staying on res it’s really up to you how much you’d like to get involved with your college. you can parade around campus bleeding uc red and chanting to your heart’s content, and you’re also free to just… not (i mean, there’s nothing stopping you from literally just leaving). or, more likely, it’ll be something in between, and you’ll get to know your college in a way that works for you 🙂

    hope that helps,

    aska

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  • admissions,  criminology,  prospective student

    the psych/philosophy to criminology student pipeline??

    July 5, 2022

    Hi! I am considering pursuing the criminology program at this university. However, I have questions about the prerequisites. I took 2 psychology courses and a philosophy course. Do they take the marks of the 2 psych courses to make one average? Also could we, for instance, use our marks from one psych course and our marks from one SOC class to calculate an average with the other psych? course?

    hi there,

    well first of all, that’s a lot of psychology courses! at least for high school, which i assume that’s what you’re talking about, but then again that was a while ago… anyway. the first thing i do have to kind of clear up is whether those courses you’ve listed are from grade 12 or previous years.

    that’s because uoft usually calculates your average from your top grade 12 courses, including any mandatory required courses for your admission category. in ontario, for example, that would be your top six grade 12 courses. for criminology, you’d be applying for the sociology admissions category, which just lists english as a required course.

    the courses are all treated separately, so if your philosophy and two psychology courses were taken in grade 12, and were among your highest marks (other than english, which has to be included), then they would all be included as individual courses to calculate your average.

    so to be clear, your admission average is going to end up being the average of a bunch of your top grade 12 courses, which may or may not include all your philosophy and psychology courses, although english would be mandatory.

    anyway, i hope that helps and wish you all the best in your future criminological endeavours.

    Bye Wave GIFfrom Bye GIFs

    aska

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