• admissions,  grad school

    Grad school please take me, I’m nothing without you

    November 29, 2010
    Hey, I am a student at Mac and lately i’ve been stressing out about grad school. I’m an honor B.A in poli sci and right now i only have a B to a B+ average and i was wondering about my chances about getting into grad school at U of T or at this point anywhere. I have to do one more semester but right now I cant think of a future outside of school.
    Thanks and all the best Aska.

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

    Yo yo Gangsta (I’m just assuming you’re a thug as you go to school so close to the Hammer)

    Here’s the little bitch about applying to Grad school (and Undergraduate for that matter), the entry grades change from year to year based on the amount of people applying and their grades. Damn that competition, but really what would the world be without it.
    Here’e what the U of T Poli Sci website states:
    “For admission to the MA program, we normally expect a B+ cumulative GPA or above. We take into account improvement over the course of your undergraduate career.”
    Meaning that I would still apply because it could be one of those years when he GPA is a little lower OR kill you next semester and raise it to a firm B+ or A -.
    In anycases, it’s not a total write off … but check out this database,?it gives you the entry requirements for each graduate school in Canada. Click on the program name?of each school to see the details.
    I’ve seen some as low as 73 (University of Northern British Columbia) … probably because they feel bad for making their school name so long.

    So … yah, your life?is?not over yet. And I’m sorry it could never work out between the two of us, all I cant think about is a life after school. I just wasn’t meant to be.

    Until we can be together again,
    Aska

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  • grad school

    Sleepless in Toronto

    November 22, 2010

    Hello,

    I have been having sleepless nights about this as well as some depression, but I need to know how bad bleak my future is right now. By the time I graduate I will have redone close to 1 academic year repeat (i.e. I repeated about 8 courses over my time at university, in yorku a full course load is 10 courses for a school year). 2 out of 3 of my repeats were originally F’s on the first attempt and D’s on the 2nd attempt. Even though my grades are awful I still average a C+ close to a B average. My question is with these repeats and multiple failures will my chances of getting into grad school be absolutely closed for myself??

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

    Yo yo sleepless in Toronto,

    Honestly man, your life is not over. Although you may have cut off some opportunities, your life’s not over. It really depends on what Grad school and program you’re looking to get into. If your CGPA is high enough to beat out everyone else they might not look at your repeated courses.

    BUT … this is a pretty decent BUT, some programs will look at this negatively and if you’re tied with another student for a spot, they will most likely choose the one who did the courses well the first time.

    I’m not entirely sure what your situation is and if your done school … or if you currently attend York U (if so, way to come over to the dark side/u of t)… but this is what i’m going to suggest for you to do.
    First off, if your still in school, get your shit together and kill whatever courses you have left. That way you have an awesome CGPA (which is always a good thing).
    Secondly, make an appointment with your registrar as they can look at grad school business with you and see what options are still open despite your repeated course.

    And finally, you might as well make an appointment here. They can talk with you and help you find ways to deal with your sleeplessness and depression, sometimes just getting to talk about things helps relive some of that stinkin’ University stress.

    Love Eternally,
    Aska

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  • admissions,  grad school,  physics

    I want to be a billionaire … or a geophysist.

    October 18, 2010

    Hi,

    Would you happen to know the requirements I would need to do a masters in geophysics?
    A friend wants to know

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    Hi there The-Voice-Of-A-Friend,

    Shockingly U of T doesn’t offer a Masters in Geophysics. Don’t give up hope quite yet thought, read on.

    Here is a list of Graduate schools that DO offer a Masters in Geophysics.

    U of T, does however offer a Collaborate Degree in Geology and Physics

    Here is the most straight forward website outlining the requirements for the Collaborate program for Geology and Physics.

    THE REQUIREMENTS dun dun dun are:
    “Applicants who wish to enrol in the collaborative program must apply to and be admitted to both a graduate degree program in one of the collaborating departments, this being either Geology or Physics, and to the collaborative program.”

    Now saying that lets cover the requirments of all the three feilds that are stated.

    1) Requirements of the School of Graduate Studies:

    For a Masters program the website says, “an appropriate bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent, with a final year average of at least mid-B from a recognized university”

    2) Requirements for the Home Department
    Physics:
    “A B+ or better average in an honours physics program or a program of comparable rigour in a closely related field.”

    Geology:

    • A four-year B.Sc. or B.A.Sc, or its equivalent from a recognized university.
    • High academic standing, equivalent to a B or higher (equivalent to a 3.0 on a 4 point scale) at the University of Toronto, normally demonstrated by the average grade in the final year

    3) Requirements for The Collaborate Program:

    • Students must meet all respective degree requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, the home department, and the collaborative program.
    • The MSc research, thesis, and thesis defence requirements are the same as those of the home department.
    • The MSc will normally require work equivalent to 5.5 FCE as follows:
    • The core course GLG 1101H (0.5 FCE)
    • Two lecture courses in Geology (1.0 FCE)
    • Two lecture courses in Physics (1.0 FCE)
    • A supervised research project in the field of geophysics or the overlap area of physics and geology (3.0 FCE)
    • The supervised research project and associated report or thesis will be completed under the regulations of the home department.
    • Students are expected to attend the regular seminar series of both the Geology Department and the Geophysics Lab in the Physics Department and to participate in the graduate student seminar programs of both the Geology Department and the Geophysics Lab.
    • Program requirements are normally completed within 12 months of entry to the program.

    I realize that this is an alarming amount of information for your friend. So, they are encouraged to call the Geology and collaborate program (416) 978-3231 and ask them with any specific questions

    What a good little friend you are. Your friend owes you a pint, and if not the all powerful Aska will smite their geophysist butt.

    Love Always and Forever,
    Aska

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  • grad school

    bob the architect

    October 15, 2010

    hey,
    i am an internationally trained architect and need a B+ to get into the masters at U of T. i have been told to do a non degree year and get the required gpa. can i get my degree accredited and get another undergrad degree instead of doing just one year? secondly are there any counselors whom i can approach on campus regarding similar questions, as the counselors at university make me feel like i am screwed and cannot get the required gpa anyways.
    plz help…. very stressed.

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

    Hey there Architect,

    Blunty, no you can not do a second degree in one year. Only 5 credits from your previous degree can be considered for it, leaving 15 more credies to get (3 years with full course load)

    Your best bet is to apply for a non degree year and just boost your marks as your main goal is to get into the Architecture masters program

    As I’m not sure as to what your specifics are (ie GPA and what not) I would suggest contacting one of 2 places

    1) the Architecture department, here is their contact information

    2) The department for graduate studies, here is their contact information

    Don’t stress!

    Forever and Always,
    Aska

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  • americans,  grad school

    yankee-doodle-masters

    September 24, 2010

    Hey Aska,

    Do you have any idea how many U of T undergrads end up going to the US for graduate schools? I was thinking about it and thought I’d ask.

    ———————————————

    Yo, I tried fishing around for this information and came back with nothing. All I can say, is a good percentage of them? Of course it depends entirely on your program of study and what kind of school you are applying to. If you are thinking about applying to graduate schools in general, U of T holds tons of information sessions with various schools across Canada all through the fall. (A complete list of times and dates is available here.) They also hold information sessions for U of T grad schools in particular.
    Most of what I know about applying to American grad schools involves friends griping about the GRE. I assume that U of T’s Career Centre will be able to make sense of that experience and what to expect from the process. Talk to your professors and TAs about applying too! They’re the ones you’ll need to write those reference letters that will get you in at Harvard, Columbia, or my personal preference, Bowling Green University.

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • grad school

    don’t fake your interest!

    September 17, 2010

    Hi,

    I am graduating in November and I’ve decided to go to grad school. I am/was an English student and I’ve decided to look into Communications and Media.

    The problem is I’ve never taken a single course in Communications or Media at the undergrad level, and I have no idea what to write on the statement of interest for my application for grad school. I was wondering if there was a way to get past syllabi for SMC219 or an introductory course in Media so I could cast my eye over a first year textbook. Could you help? I’ve looked under all the sofas on the internet to no avail.

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

    You’re applying to graduate school and you can’t find enough information on the internet to fake a statement of interest for your application?! This does not sound good.

    Ignoring the obvious (Harold Innis, Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media), I think sifting around the departments of Book and Media Studies and the course website of famous media studies programs (such as at the New School), should yield some basic tenets of study. But if you’re already fudging your statement of interest from half assed syallbi name dropping, I’d say you’re already in trouble. Don’t you have an academic adviser or professor who can write you a letter of recommendation? I’d plan a sit down with them so you can talk about basic media theory which will give you some perspective on what’s of interest to you about the field of study. Your statement of interest is just that – a personal essay about why you want to study media and communications at the graduate level. Is there some particular facet that you would like to examine further? What can you say about your background in academics that will make you a desirable candidate? Sometimes quoting Adorno just doesn’t cut it.

    Please reconsider your approach and begin again.

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • GPA,  grad school

    “I have a higher GPA than you!” “Duh, you’re from McMaster”

    April 23, 2010

    hey Aska,

    I’ve been meaning to ask a question for a while but due to issues with open office I never could. I finally decided to use someone else’s computer and open office to ask a question. So my suggestion is maybe you could make it so that one did not need open office to ask a question. Maybe that’s already an option and I just never saw it I don’t know, just a suggestion.

    anyway I’m a 3rd year poli sci student who is considering applying to American grad schools. I’ve been told a GPA from Canada and U of T is weighted differently by American schools sometimes. Is there any truth to this? If so how can I calculate my weighted “American” gpa?

    Thanks

    ———————————

    Honey, what are you talking about? You don’t need OpenOffice to ask a question. In fact, you just need to email me at askastudent.innis@utoronto.ca. And don’t tell me you don’t have email, because if you’re a UofT student, you have to have a utoronto email.

    Maybe you’ve confused OpenOffice with Microsoft Office Outlook . Microsoft Office Outlook is a personal information manager (so like an email manager). Sure, you can email me using Microsoft Outlook, but you can also just log onto webmail and email me from there.

    Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about the GPA difference too much. Universities everywhere use different grading systems, and I’m not just talking about the US and Canadian grading systems. High schools across Canada use different grading systems, and you don’t see UofT rejecting someone from Manitoba just because we didn’t understand their grades. Even within Ontario, Universities everywhere use a different grade point scale UofT has a 4-point system, York has a 9-point system, McMaster has a 12-point system, Waterloo just uses your percentages, etc. etc. US Universities will take this into account when you apply for them; it might help your chances, or it might hurt them, but either way, there’s nothing much you can do about it. So I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you.

    And don’t forget, other important factors, such as extra-curricular activities, references, or personal statements, might play huge roles in admissions as well.

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  • grad school,  law school

    to all readers, read this post for an example of what you should NOT do

    February 11, 2010

    [first email]

    Hi Aska,

    A few questions, I will do my best to make them coherent. I am closing in on my third year with a GPA so far of 3.62- and I am worried about getting into graduate school to do my master’s.

    1. What are my chances of getting into a graduate program in human resources/management/business at UofT, York, or Ryerson?
    2. When should I begin to look into applications (ie. end of third year, beginning of fourth year)?
    3. What is the average cost of a master’s program per year?
    4. Should I take a year off to work/find internships or dive right into graduate studies?
    5. What is the difference between a B.A/Bsc and an Hons B.A/Hons Bsc?

    Thank you!!!

    [second email]

    Quick!

    1. Can I do a summer exchange with an institution that UofT is not partnered with (ie.
    University of Calgary)?
    2. Do law schools ‘look down on’ those who do fifth years?
    3. What is the best method of finding internships (cold calling/emailing/just showing up
    and begging)?

    Thanks Aska.

    [third email]

    Hi Aska,

    Do you know any internal sources of funding one can apply to for funding
    student initiatives and organizations?

    Thanks

    ——————————————–

    Oh jeez. 9 questions is NOT ?a few?. Couldn?t you at least wait until I finished your first batch of questions before you sent me the second and third ones? Failing that, couldn?t you have at least made your email a little more interesting? (e.g. you could?ve complimented me, praised me, complimented me, thanked me for saving your life, or complimented me. Did I mention that you should?ve complimented me?) I had to make format your emails and separate them using colorful text because they were so long.

    1) I understand that you are concerned about grad school, but for the last time, aska is NOT an admissions officer and he has no idea what is going on at the admissions offices. I don?t know whether you have a good chance of getting into graduate school. Obviously, it would depend on the school and field you?re applying too, except ?human resources/management/business at UofT/York/Ryerson? is a pretty vague plan, don?t you think?

    Here, I?ve done some searching and I?ve found the graduate programs page for UofT, Ryerson, and York. For UofT, you?ll need at least B in your last two years of school, although admission is probably competitive ? you might have to aim for higher than that. I don?t know what the minimum grade is for Ryerson or York. I couldn?t find it. Anyway, you can come to your own conclusions about whether or not you have a good chance of making the programs. Otherwise, consult your local stats major. On second thought, don’t. You’ll just annoy them.

    2) For all I care, you can start looking at grad school applications after they?re die. I don?t live your life and I can?t make your life decisions. Obviously, if you look into them earlier, you?d have a better sense of the amount of time you?d need to spend on them and what you?d need to do to get in… but then you?d have to stop being lazy, which is always a bad thing, right?

    3) Look at the graduate program page for UofT I gave you earlier. The tuition fee for most of the masters programs are $6121 per year (more if you?re an international student). You can look up York and Ryerson yourself.

    4) What am I, your dad? Like I said earlier, I can?t make your life decisions. This is a decision you?ll have to make yourself. Ask yourself what your career goals are ? what would benefit you more, getting some practical, real-world experience, or studying/researching your chosen subject at a more advanced level?

    5) Have you heard about the Arts and Science Bible? No? Well, about time, then. As listed in the Rules and Regulations section of the calendar, the BSc/BA degrees only required 15 credits, but they have been discontinued since 2001. The Hons. BSc/BA degrees require 20 credits.

    …as for your second email? *sigh*.

    1) I don?t think so? but you can check out ISXO yourself. I couldn?t find anything, so you might want to call them.

    2) Do I look like a law school to you? Anyway, the answer is probably not ? as long as you didn?t slack and get a C average while taking only 2 courses in one of your years or something, I don?t see what?s the big problem (and people have frequently told me that grad or professional schools don?t really care whether or not you do a 5th year). More info on law school admissions: here.

    3) Best method of getting an internship? Send them a fish. Otherwise, consider asking Google, who doesn?t mind people bothering them all the time and can give you more answers than I can. Just show employers that you are self-motivated, genuine and passionate; that you can take initative (you might need to improve on this, because surely you could?ve found out half the information I?ve been giving you on your own); and that you are open to new experiences.

    And now, *drumroll* for your last email?

    Try looking around UTSU.

    Yeah. That?s all I got for ya. This response sucked the life out of me. Next time, please don?t treat me like an admissions officer/parent/law school/search engine because I?ll be tempted not to be so nice. And for the record, ?a few? means 3 or 4.

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  • architecture,  grad school,  physics,  science

    why do i have the feeling that you’re not going to follow my advice

    January 29, 2010

    Hi Aska,I see you’ve already mentioned you’re not an Architecture major like your predecessor (I assure you, I read all the messages with the architecture tag) but I was wondering if you knew what the primary factor is in getting in to the Architecture program. I see they require a portfolio and also have some minimum marks in certain courses, as well as a required GPA, but which of those matters most? Are they all equal? I believe I can at the least attain a GPA of 3.7 or so, but I am worried about the depth of my portfolio (or lack thereof). Any tips?

    Also, perhaps the is going beyond the scope of things answered here, but I see the Masters program gives “preference” to applicants with a well-rounded set of credits from the three disciplines. Do you think it’s better to be well-rounded or have better marks? Sciences are definitely my weak point and if I take those courses they will hurt my average.

     

    Thanks for any information you can give!

    ————————————————–

    Yes, you?re right, I am not an Architecture major. I?m actually a (*dun dun dun*) Physics major. I bet you?re shocked. I know what you?re thinking: ?A Physics major who can actually write coherently instead of thinking in expressions like? 2x*exp(xyz)? LYK NO WAI!!? But then it dawns on you: aaahhh, so THAT?s the reason for all the silly alien jokes. Anyway, rest assured? I may be someone of a mad scientist… but I’m totally sane. *aska quickly sweeps up from the floor the harvested brain from last last post and throws it into a huge box containing a lot of other brains*

    Anyway, how may I help you today? Well, I got you some inside information from my architecture ancestor (lucky you) so here goes.

    First of all, you?re getting your entrance requirements mixed up. I?m going to assume that you?re an undergraduate student and that you?re talking about getting into the undergrad program, because you?ve talked about ?minimum marks in certain courses?. You don?t need a portfolio for the undergraduate program at UofT at all. So don?t be worried about the (lack of) depth of your portfolio. Your portfolio could be empty space for all they cared and it still wouldn?t matter. As for the other two requirements, GPA is definitely more important. A lot of people achieve 71% in ARC131 and ARC132, but an overall GPA that is high is rare, especially in first year.

    You do need a portfolio to get into grad school, but 1) you have four more years to complete the portfolio, and 2) if you do get into the undergraduate architectural design program at UofT, you?re going to have a lot of studio courses that would provide you with many chances to add extra pieces to your portfolio. According to aska?s ancestor, you should come up with pieces using as many types of media as you can, as it shows your creativity. 😀 If you are unable to get into the architecture design program, then you’re going to have to work on your portfolio on your own time — but this is something that you want to do in the long run if you want to be an architect anyway, right?

    As for well-roundedness giving you an advantage in graduate school, I don?t really think you have to worry too much about that either. Yes, it?s true that the architecture program at UofT does really like to take in people from every discipline (apparently, one of the master students in architecture had an undergraduate biochemistry degree). But in the end, architecture at UofT is only a major program (as opposed to a specialist), which means that you have to combine it with another major program or two minors in order to graduate anyway. As long as you don?t combine it with something like Art History, you?d probably end up with a pretty diverse mix of courses in the end. Hint: if you don?t have any other good ideas for the second major, you could try out something from the Centre of Environment. Green architecture is always in. As for the sciences being your weak point, you probably don?t have to worry about that. The admissions requirements for the Master?s program only require ?secondary calculus? and ?secondary physics?. So you only have to take calculus and physics at the high school level.

    tl;dr version (that’s “too long; didn’t read” for all you non-geeks): undergrad architecture doesn’t require a portfolio. The grad program does but you have four years to make the portfolio. So my advice to you is: Relax, go out and have some fun, and stop freaking out.

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  • film,  grad school,  international students

    UofT isn’t always the answer

    January 8, 2010

    Hello,

    I am a Chinese Senior student in Hunan Normal University, Oh, I bet you have never heard about it. Never mind, I am so happy that Innis College have such a good access for us to know more about this college, since I got so many questions in my mind to ask.

    For one, I want to apply for a M.A program in film studies. But I have no idea, what exactly a graduates’ life should be? I mean, what a graduate should do during the two years studies? Are they go to classroom everyday, and fulfill the professor’s assignment? Or they will get the chance to help their profressor to accomplish a real film? Or they just be given the topic of a paper, and then try to finish it before they get the degree? You know, cultures and policies vary from countries, I do really want to know what a graduate mean to a native Canadian.

    Another thing is that, what’s the relationship between a student and a professor in graduate level? Someone told me that what a professor to a student just like what a boss to a employee, is that ture? Is there any chance that I can contact my “future boss” before admission? Or is there any Chinese student, I mean graduate students, in your college right now is in film studies program? Can I contact to them?

    Thank you soo much and it would mean so much if you replied

    —————————————–

    My understanding is that here at UofT, at least, graduate school is often the stepping stone to a PhD degree. Currently, there’s no PhD in Cinema Studies at U of T – but that could change. If you go on to do a PhD, you’ll be doing a lot of research, not film-making. After getting a PhD, you’d probably (though not necessarily) become professor and teach and research film theory. I’m guessing that not a lot of film-making will go on in the cinema studies courses at UofT. As a comparison, take the English department. Generally, the majority of the courses offered in the English department are about literature and not on how to write and publish novels.

    Similarly, it seems that the cinema studies program at UofT will prepare you for research. I’ve taken a look at the courses, and most of them seem pretty theoretical. Here’s a list of them if you wanted to check it out.

    From your email, though, I get the feeling that you want to get there and do some film-making, instead of sitting in a classroom and doing assignments. The link I gave you says that you’ll be given a choice as to whether to do an internship or a major research paper, but I doubt that the internship will entail making a film. I’m not in grad school myself, but I’ve attended several presentations on graduate schools and have been told research is the biggest part of grad school.

    If you’re looking for a film-making degree, the Cinema Studies department suggests considering other Universities or colleges that might provide you with direct experience. For instance, York University has an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) program in Film Production in which you would tak[e] courses with [their] faculty of award-winning filmmakers, completing a thesis film or digital work, and Ryerson University has a Documentary Media degree. Check the Universities in other countries too.

    However, that’s not to say that a grad school wouldn’t help you with film-making. Just as knowledge of music theory would help someone compose music, learning the theory behind films could teach you a lot. Knowing about movies and movie history can offer some context and some inspiration. In addition, while being in grad school, you could pursue film-making on the side. For instance, there are film-making courses at Hart House (UofT’s student centre).

    I’ve contacted the film department and they have told me that you are free to get in touch with anyone in the cinema studies graduate program right now. Contact gradcinema.studies@utoronto.ca, and they will find someone who’s willing to answer your questions. Being a grad student brings you much more in contact personally with professors, because you are in effect on track to becoming an independent scholar in your own right – so you keep learning, but you also engage with the profs a lot more. You’ll write papers and present them at conferences, probably, and get direct supervision.

    Feel free to ask more questions if you have any or if I’ve been unclear.

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  • engineering,  grad school

    Who are we? ARTSIES!! What do we drink?

    November 9, 2009

    Hi Aska,
    After being an engineering student for 3 years, I finally discovered my true passion for history and philosophy of science. I would really like to get into the MA program there. How selective are they? I screwed up my first two years (somewhat) but my third and so far fourth year has been amazing. Do you have any direct or indirect understanding of the admission procedure and whether or not an engineering student who has been through Inferno can live to see her days at the lovely institute? Thank you 🙂

    ?????????-

    Well, would you look what the wind blew in. An engineering student coming to aska for help? Do you know how much time aska has spent crying in the corner of his/her room after being viciously hurt by the engineers who insist on yelling “who do we hate? ARTSIES!” at him/her during Frosh week?! Do you know how many engineers have offended aska by telling him/her, “You’re in artsci, you have it easy”?

    What’s that? You apologize? Aw, well, um, that’s okay, I guess. *blush*. That’s very sweet of you 🙂 *giggle*.

    Well, um, you should know that aska is affiliated with Innis College, which doesn?t have any connection whatsoever to grad school. So I can?t provide you any specific information on how selective the program is. Looking at the admission process though, it certainly seems quite competitive: ?Admission to the MA program requires a four-year University of Toronto bachelor’s degree, or its equivalent from a recognized university with an average grade of at least a B+ in the final two years of undergraduate work. While the majority of accepted students exceed this standard, the very broad scope of the field and the variety of fruitful approaches to it also imply that many different backgrounds are appropriate. Accordingly, grades are only one criterion by which applicants are judged. These are minimum criteria and do not, in themselves, guarantee admission.?

    Looks like you have your work cut out for you, honey. At least they don’t seem to care much about the marks you got during your first two years. In fact, they don?t seem to emphasize grades that much, so try to broaden your horizons a bit (I know engineering programs can be quite rigid), both in the courses you?re taking and in your extracurricular pursuits. Is there anything that you think will set you apart from the other applicants? ? an engineering project? A month spent volunteering abroad? Job experience that could be applied to research in history and philosophy of science?

    To become a full-fledged artsie, you have to scrape the purple dye off your toenails first (eww!). And don?t forget to pick up The Dummy’s Guide to Spelling from your local bookstore. You’re welcome :). *blows a kiss*

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  • grad school,  library,  math,  physics

    Got worms.

    July 9, 2009

    hi, sir

    ?glad that if you could receive this letter and i would be happier if you could reply me.

    ?i am an arts and sciences students and i belong to physics and mathmatics programs.
    recently i realize that maybe this major does not fit me best because i dream of becoming a librarian in the future. in that way i am thinking about change my program to another, which can help on my futuer job. but i have no idea now. but i truely believe that all science stuffs can alreay kill me. sucks. anyway. hope your reply and give me some suggestions.
    in the end, what job does this physics and mathematics programs applies for?

    Glad you asked.

    I hope I can make you happier, but first…

    How happy are you right now; on a scale of one to ten? 1? 8.5? 4ish??

    Hopefully it’s low… so my job is easier.

     

    So you think you want to be librarian, huh? Cool.

     

    Askastudent has a friend (and I swear I have ONE), who also wants to become a Librarian. She was recently admitted to the Master of Information studies program here at U of T. So, I deferred to her expertise on this one.

     

    It turns out that “Librarian” is an accredited profession (fancy!). This requires the completion of an accredited degree. This is reinforced by a fun anecdote from said friend,

     

    “I used to work at the reference library and this fact used to make the circulation desk people quite bitter because despite their years of training on the job, they would not be able to apply for librarian positions without the [masters] degree.”

     

    Doesn’t it paint a wonderfully tense imagine of the social dynamic among library staff? Who knew? Are you prepared for this??

     

    Okay. Let’s look at the Master of Information (MI) program in the Faculty of Information. Within this program you would take the Library & Information Science Path. The Admissions Requirements indicate that almost any recognized undergraduate degree will suffice, with the awkward exclusion of theology, education, and “library science” (WTF?!). Anyway, it looks like Math and Physics would be just fine as pre-Library Majors. My friend confirmed this, btw, and suspected that Majors in English, Physics, Math are all the same to the “iSchool” folk. Are they getting sponsorship from Mac? Perhaps, they’re just trying to shed the introverted, thick-lensed, church mouse look for something more hip and now.

     

    Friend-of-Aska also noted that volunteer or work experience in a library setting would really enrich your personal statement, and thereby strengthen your application. It would also be an opportunity if you to see if you really have, “a keen interest in books, how information is organized, disseminated, who gets access to information.”

     

     

    Moving on… What jobs do Math and Physics prepare you for???

    Uhhhhh… Teacher… umm… Mathematician… Physicist…?

     

    Well, for one, the statement, “I have an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto,” will get you farther than those who can’t say that. This is true whether not or not the job has anything to do with numbers.

     

    Also, the mental faculties that these disciplines develop are transferable to many many professions. Think about it. You’ll be good at counting, writing in pencil, pronouncing Greek letters, and using a calculator. You might need some work in the “talking to people” department… juuust kidding. Unless, of course, you prefer to converse with inanimate objects – in which case you will make a swell Librarian. !!!!!

     

    Finally, even if you choose to ignore all of my blabbering, please READ THIS!!! (this link is now defunct; it was a page about choosing your career. i’m sure you can find similar ones around if you have a google – aska 2014)

     

    The Careers Centre is well-equipped to answer questions like yours, and I imagine they are an under-utilized resource. The “Careers by Degree” listing is totally fun (I just blew a good 15 mins on it). Making an appointment sounds like a good option too.

     

    Did you notice the stat that 46% of graduates are not employed in a related field?! That is either depressing or encouraging… I’m not sure (says the architecture kid).

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  • GPA,  grad school,  grades,  med school,  St. George

    or in other words, i don’t know

    May 8, 2009


    Hi there.

    I recently got admitted to UTSG for Life Science. As of now, it pretty much looks like I’m going to end up studying there. I was just wondering what your opinions are regarding the whole ~UTSG is a GPA raper thing~ and all that jazz. I’m sure that a student’s response (hopefully one who is currently in the LifeSci program) will enlighten me a little.

    The reason why I’m asking is that I want to keep my options open for medical school. I’m not entirely sure whether or not I want to go into medicine but hopefully my undergraduate studies will clarify my uncertainty. I know that medical schools across Canada require a high GPA and I’m sure that I can get decent grades if I study hard enough but is U of T really as hard as it is cut out to be? Would my chances to get into medical school be greater if I did my undergrad in another university, say York, Queen’s or McMaster?

    Thanks.

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