• courses,  other schools (boo!),  part-time,  switching

    poke your professor

    July 16, 2010

    I’m considering living outside of toronto this fall and i was wondering if U of T offered
    online courses? Or an alternative such as online courses through other campuses or
    schools that allow credit transfer.

    ———————————————

    So you’re thinking about doing U of T long-distance, eh girlfriend? Unfortunately I’ve checked out the school’s options, and other than some “web option” online courses offered through UTSC, you’ve got to do something in person to fulfill the credit. (And even though UTSC has taped lectures, they force you to write the test and exams in person.)

    Have you thought about doing an independent study for a class? You’ll have to put in a little face time every now and then with your professor, but this hands off approach lets you build your own syllabus and assignments. It might be your best option short of transferring to another school, and battling it out with the Transfer Credit Office to make your credits work.

    If that’s what you’re thinking, I’d strongly recommend booking an appointment with your college registrar to make sure everything will correspond properly. Let me know what happens!

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • first year,  grades,  switching

    don’t fly a-way / from your G-P-A

    April 27, 2010

    You’ve probably gotten this sad question from many students before, hahaha, but anyway, I pretty much bombed first year, due to my own stupid, stupid, procrastination. I probably won’t fail any courses, but my estimate of my GPA this year is 2.8 (and that’s being optimistic). Well, now I’ve learned my lesson. Even if I were to get a 4.0 in every single course for the next three years, which is nearly impossible, I’d end up with a 3.7, which isn’t high enough for my ridiculously ambitious goals. So, before I kiss those crazy dreams goodbye, is there any way I can just… completely redo first year and have this attempt forgotten? Even measures as drastic as changing to a different school in another country. Or do I just have to suck it up and take as many extra courses as possible to average it out?

    ———————————————

    Transferring to a different school will, in some cases (not all!!), reset your GPA. What this means is that they may accept transfer credits from your old University, but they won’t use the marks you received in their calculation of your GPA. So while it’s a drastic idea, it might not be so terrible (in theory). But you’ll have to deal with a whole slew of issues again: adjusting to a new environment, making new friends, having to take new courses to make up for the credits you’ve lost, and so on. Also, if you’re a Canadian student, you’d have to pay fees for international students in other countries and international tuition is EXPENSIVE. And what if you don’t do well in your first year at the new University? Are you going to transfer to yet another University?

    Moreover, your academic past isn’t really something you can escape. Even if you transfer, your new University will still have access to your old transcript, and you might have to submit both transcripts when you apply for grad school or med school or whatever. Unfortunately, there’s no way to redo first year, though transferring might in some ways allow you to turn over a new leaf. I think the question of what to do really depends what you mean by ‘ridiculously ambitious goals?.’ For instance, if you’re planning to go to grad school, transferring may not be worth your time and energy because many grad schools only look at your 3rd and 4th year marks. Other programs, like Medicine at UofT, drop your lowest first-year, second-year mark, third-year, and fourth-year marks in their GPA calculations.

    Furthermore, there’s still a lot of time for you to fix things. One of my closest friends did really poorly on his first year (he had a GPA lower than yours), but he’s picked himself up and is now getting A’s and B’s. Another one of my friends failed two of her classes in chemistry, but switched to biology and is now attaining excellent marks. And it’s not like my two friends don’t have ambitious goals of their own. If by ‘ridiculously ambitious goals’ you mean places like law school, Harvard, Yale  *ahem* the places where boring and pretentious people go *ahem* I’ve heard a lot of people who went to grad school and got a good GPA, and ended up going into law after that. So you don’t necessarily have to kiss your dream goodbye. However, that’s a long way down the road, and there’s a lot of time for you to see the light and reject the idea that Harvard is WHERE EVERY STUDENT SHOULD GO, or that you MUST MUST MUST MUST, UNDER ANY AND ALL CIRCUMSTANCES become a doctor.

    Whether transferring is worth it or not – that’s something you’ll have to decide yourself. But personally, I’d rather see students attending a school they like and studying something they’re passionate about than taking drastic measures to get a higher GPA. It’s great that you have ambitious goals, but sometimes you also have to take a step back and think about how realistic they will be. The bottom line is: do your best, and be happy with what you can attain.

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  • engineering,  first year,  switching

    waiting on the world to change

    April 23, 2010

    Currently I’m finishing up first year in computer engineering. All throughout high school I pretty much wasted my time due to a lack of inspiration. The first day of class in second semester grade 11, me and my computer engineering teacher had a long conversation about where my life was going. Although a quite inspirational moment, I didn’t realize how much he was stressing the fact that I need to find a passion. So I passed grade 11 with an average somewhere under 60. After that my parents bought a new place, so I switched schools. Due to the lack of friends, in the beginning, I started studying. After a long and tiring while of catching up, I started getting A’s and at the same time make a lot more friends. So the second half of grade 12 I managed to balance partying and studying quite well. Got in U of t for engineering. Got my own place. School starts. I knew that first semester was going to be pretty bad. As anticipated, it was. I kinda moved along like everyone else and finished with a not so nice GPA. Second semester comes around and every day I went to school, I hated it even more. I’ve seen some pretty depressing places, but Engineering Library is by far the saddest place I’ve ever seen. Everyone’s veins are popping out. The fact that I can’t balance my social life and my academic life has put me in the position to reconsider majors. I have no idea what I’d switch into. In a sense I really don’t want to, but I just don’t think I can put up with the workload. I guess I’m waiting on some inspirational story or some good advice, but how do I get motivated to move forward?

    ———————————————

    I can relate to you, because I’ve also had personal experience in the Faculty of Engineering (I switched out after first year). The ‘Should I transfer? Should I stay?’ question can and will drive you crazy. I’m glad you sent me an email, and I am sorry I took so long to reply. Unfortunately, I don’t work fast enough because I only have 8 hands and 14 brains.

    Guess what my advice is going to be? Bingo. Go talk to your registrar or your departmental counselor and tell them about your situation ASAP. It’s possible that they won’t be as kind or sympathetic as you’d like, but at this point I really think you just need someone to bounce ideas off of. They may ask you the standard questions (‘what courses did you like in high school?’ or ‘where do you see yourself in the future?’), and these might seem silly to you, but perhaps thought-provoking questions such as these ones are EXACTLY what you need to get yourself back onto the path for self-discovery.

    Also, ask them what your options are. It is too late to transfer to the Faculty of Arts and Science, but it may still be possible to apply for transfer to the Scarborough campus or the Missisauga campus (the deadline is April 30th). Or maybe it’s not ONLY engineering that’s draining your energy – maybe it’s UofT. Would transferring to a different school help?

    What about taking a year off from school and just working or volunteering? I’ve met some people who’ve taken a year off, and they’ve all told me that they’re really glad they made that decision. Sometimes, when you’re unsure of what the future holds, it really helps to throw yourself into the working world to get a taste of what’s out there and the role that your education will play in your life; that way, when you come back to school, you’ll appreciate your education more.

    I’m just firing off ideas, but how do these sound? I understand that they may not appeal to you though (or maybe your parents wouldn’t agree with me). Either way, I just think you should really talk to your registrar, if you haven’t already. I’ve been to the engineering registrar a few times and they’re nice people; don’t worry, they want to help students achieve their best too, so I’m sure they won’t ‘try to keep you in engineering’ just so they won’t lose a student.

    Let me just say that it is possible that transferring from engineering will not end your academic worries (though depending on how you work, you might find Arts and Science a little easier). No matter what program you’re in, sometimes at University, you’ll have to compromise your social life, at others, you may have to compromise your academic life. The way I see it, the ones who achieve good grades at University usually have a lot of self-discipline and know when to work and when to play. I think this is true whether you’re in engineering or in another program. However, I don’t think you should be too harsh on yourself yet: you’ve only been through one year, and you probably had a hard time adjusting to University because it’s just so different from high school. But eventually, you will have to find a way to reconcile your academic and social needs.

    Yet, sometimes, all you need to move forward is a leap of faith. In my opinion, you do sound pretty unhappy in engineering, and I’m saying this because I think I felt the same way that you did. I transferred, and it worked out for me; it might work out for you too. If you find that you’re constantly drained and depressed in engineering, and find yourself struggling to get through each hour-long lecture, there’s no reason to continue. It’s not worth it to sit through 4 years of lectures that you will not enjoy only to get a degree that you do not want. Life is too short, and time too valuable.

    I know this is probably overwhelming, and that you probably feel very confused about your career path. If all this is getting to your head, you may want to have a talk with the people from CAPS. It’s free (well, you’ve paid for it in your tuition). I’ve been there, and they’re quite attentive to student needs. If you just need someone to talk to, the counselors at CAPS may be a good choice.

    Motivation and passion may arrive spontaneously. There are times during your University career when your motivation will be rock bottom. I felt that way when I transferred here initially, because I was more confused about my career path than ever. During those times, you’ll have to stick it through and hope for the best. It’s great that you realized your need to be passionate about what you study, but you might have to wait a year or three to hear that inspirational story. In the meantime, dare to make changes, stay positive, don’t be afraid to accept help, and take courses that interest you and that you’ll find enjoyable. Let me know how things are going, because I worry about my dear readers.

    Just in case you didn’t get the message: talk to your registrar!

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  • switching

    UTORids seem to be written in cyber-stone

    January 25, 2010

    Hey Aska!

    I have to state right off the bat that you are absolutely awesome!! (I am so not trying to suck-up, purely an honest comment.)

    I am currently enrolled at UTM as a first year student and I am planning to transfer to St.George campus for my second year. Also on my agenda is a legal name change, which I am doing so that I can take on my grandfather’s name, but more importantly because I do not want any ties to my father’s name which carry now. My problem is that my utorID and my utormail are composed of my current last name, and seem to follow me everywhere I go (at least as far as my university life) squashing my attempts to completely disown it. Through my own research I found that UofT will not change either of these, even in the event of a legal name change.

    What I am wondering, is if my utorID/utormail will change when I transfer campuses. I’m sure you have masterfully already arrived to the correct conclusion that in that situation I would change my name before transferring and will not have to live with my current last name haunting me for the next 4-5 years or God forbid, longer. As you can see I am very determined and this is quite important to me. I would greatly appreciate your help in finding an answer to my question. Oodles of thanks in advance.

    ———————————————

    Hmm, well, I’ve looked at the information commons webpage, and I found these two webpages. The first one says that, unfortunately, you cannot change your UTORid, even in the event of a legal name change. I’m not sure how strict information commons is about that, but you could try emailing or calling or going to see someone there and explaining your situation, just to see if they could make an exception to the rule. I can tell that this issue is important to you, so try your best to impress upon them that you have a really, really important reason to change your UTORid. However, be prepared for possible disappointment — aska also tried to change UTORid’s once, and was told that it could not be changed. Still, my reasons for changing my id were much more trivial than yours; I was just wondering if they could’ve changed my id so that it showed my whole name instead of a third of my first name.

    The good news, though, is that you can change your email. The second page that I’ve given you says that you should contact your registrar when making a name change. Thereafter, you should be able to change your email address on the UTORid change your email address webpage.

    Finally, I have asked the Innis registrar and they have told me that transferring to the St. George campus will not affect your UTORid nor your email, so changing your email/UTORid is probably something that you should look into doing now as opposed to later. However, again, you may want to talk to Information Commons and see if they could make an exception for your case and allow you to change UTORid’s when you transfer from one campus to another.

    By the way, this is a link to all of UofT’s current policies. I’ve scanned the list multiple times and haven’t found anything that might help you, but if you find a policy that says you’re allowed to change your UTORid, then you’re in the game — information commons cannot refuse your request.

    I hope this helps. Unfortunately, UofT seems to etch our UTORids in cyber-stone.

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  • subject POST,  switching

    The little engine that could.

    May 22, 2009

    I was wondering if it is possible to switch POSts after second year; perhaps to a POSt that had rejected me previously.

    The required courses would still be fairly similar as I’m not planning to switch out of lifesci and most of the courses overlap.

    ———————————————

    Do you have commitment issues?

    Are you afraid of being type-cast??

    Were you refused by the POSt of your dreams, and won’t settle for a NO?!

     

    I’m here to tell you, friends, that YES you may change your subject POSts (right up until you graduate). Understood?

     

    And if that Department refuses you again in the second round of POSt enrolment, try again in the following Spring… and again… and again… until they let you in. If that doesn’t work, make yourself a permanent fixture in the Departmental Office. Visit the secretary. Inquire about last year’s cGPA cut-off. Ask irritating questions like “What are my chances?” (ooh, they’ll hate that!!!). If they still say no… tell them Aska sent you.

     

    The general rule for changing subject POSts is: once you have completed 4.0 FCEs you can enjoy almost unrestrained addition and removal of Type 1 POSts, and more restrictive access to Type 2 & 3 (Timetable pp.17-21).

     

    Much like heroine, or ebay, modifying your POSts can be terribly addictive. So, be prepared to harness all of your self-restraint. Luckily, ROSI limits POSt activity. Subject POSts can only be changed until Sept 22. After that, you’ll have to go to your Registrar’s to take care of it, or just wait until the following Spring.

     

    During the permissible periods, you can add up to 3 POSts at one time, but they can’t all be the same kind (e.g. can’t take just 3 minors or 3 specialists). Whenever you’re done altering the course of your life on ROSI, make sure that you are ACTIVE in the minimum combos of POSts (1 specialist, 2 majors, 1 major + 2 minors). When you can, use the “CHANGE” feature on ROSI, rather than “DELETE” then “ADD,” just to be on the safe side.???? ?

     

    Also, all of the courses you take to satisfy your POSts must represent 12 distinct courses. That just limits how inbred your brain gets.

     

    First-year LifeSci courses are basically universal, so you shouldn’t run into problems with pre-req’s when you cross over.

     

    Go nuts!

     

    *a note of caution: while ROSI may enable you to erase that Physiology major, the emotional scarring of mammalian endocrinal secretion will haunt you every night.

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  • commerce,  innis,  residence,  switching,  woodsworth

    see ya there

    April 24, 2009

    Hi,

    I have just received acceptance from UT Commerce Innis College, but I wasn’t guarenteed in the Innis Residence…I looked at some of the posts and I saw some guy last year had same situation as me. Anyways, I did contact the Innis Residence by email by the way even though I didn’t get a response yet. Oh yeah, Do you know why they send response so late? I have been waiting 2 days now with no response.

    Also, Is changing college (like right now) possible even though I am already accepted? because I would like to change it to Woodsworth college since Woodsworth residence also has single rooms for every students.

    Other than that, Is UT Commerce a difficult major to deal with? I had head from others, the class average is somewhere from 50% to 65% which seems very low.

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  • St. George,  switching,  UTM

    everything’s waiting for you!

    April 3, 2009

    im battling with the idea of transfering downtown or staying at utm and taking courses downtown.
    i know that utm students cant register for utsg courses until august. Im worried ill get stuck on a waitlist and wont get into the courses i want.
    I live in Mississauga and i like the idea of being able to take the shuttle bus back and forth.
    but is it worth it?
    should i just transfer to utsg?
    i figured that by taking some courses downtown next year i could see if its worth transfering. but i heard its harder to transfer after 2nd year (im first year now)
    the deadline for transfers is this sunday, so i need to make a decision quickly.
    i originally wanted to go downtown, but my parents talked me out of it. now i really regret it.
    any advise would help!

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  • admissions,  arts & sciences,  engineering,  math,  switching,  transfer credits

    doozer blues

    April 3, 2009

    Hi, I’ve been browsing through this site and it looks great.
    But there’s a question that I haven’t seen.
    I’m in second year engineering (computer). But as I have found out, I’m not cut out for the engineering life. Which is why i want to transfer to Arts and Science for a Math Major.
    I was wondering, will I get the transfer credits required, and is engineering math on the same difficulty as a math major program? I took MAT196/MAT 197 and looked at the math course website, and there are equivalent for some first year courses.
    Sorry, One more question, I have a CGPA of 2.52, what are my chances of getting in?
    Thanks

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  • St. George,  switching,  UTM

    i think i’m running low on funny

    February 4, 2009

    i was wondering how/ when one would go about switching from one u of t campus to another. more specifically, i am currently at utm but would like to transfer to the st george campus for fall 2009. i have spoken to a few people who have done this but all have gone about it different ways. is it as simple as filling out a form from the registrar or do i need to go through ouac?

    thank you

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  • housing,  residence,  switching

    “Parents Just Don’t Understand.” – Will Smith

    May 18, 2008

    Hi, i’ll be coming to UofT from out of town and my parents have been pressuring me about money, loans, etc. i know things change every year, but i’m wondering if some of the residences are more “thrifty” or less expensive than others?

    i’ve gotten my ‘residence reply form’ for New College, and noticed that their res fees have gone up since last year. would it be a possibility for me to switch to a residence that’s a bit cheaper, or is it too late now? Thanks!

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