I’m thinking about coming back for another year (5th year) to upgrade my GPA primarily. I also want to earn more experience to increase my social skills and gain something more than academic.

I have a problem (many actually) and that is expectations. From my parents, according to graduate school and of myself.

I have failed one course in my first year and second year. This was major downfall for me, and I’ve never truly recovered from that despite doing very well in other courses.

I’ve also never fully taken a full course load. Which is a minimal expectation for graduate school. I have taken opportunities outside academia to mentor, volunteer and this year I plan to get in contact with professors that are researching in something I’m interested in. I also plan to be an ambassador and work at the library.

But I know what is done, is done. I’ve browsed many forums and talked to people that have said that Graduate school is not for me.

That may be, but my parents, my upbringing culture , the cousins and people around me that have snagged the best schools and gone on to become doctors really make me ashamed of what I am.

As a student in undergraduate life science, I feel there’s nothing out there for me. Beyond the completion of this degree…there’s nothing. I don’t know how to move past certain piles of failures in my life. I did have emotional burdens and had experienced relocation from one city to another that increased my commuting distance that did factor in impacting my GPA. But every reason I come up with sounds pathetic and its really taking a toll on everything.

My heath, my confidence, my self-worth. I don’t know what to do.

People say College is better for these kind of people but can they really expect me to drop out and walk away from getting a degree when I’m almost at the finish line?

Please help, perhaps a reality check is in store for me.

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hey there,

there weren’t actually any questions in this e-mail (except from the rhetorical one right at the end there), so i’m not exactly sure what you want to know. but hey, sometimes you gotta just vent your problems to an anonymous person on the internet, and that’s totally cool.

not knowing your GPA, what you’re studying, or which graduate programs you’re interested in, it’s hard for me to judge the likelihood of your being accepted to graduate school – let alone the fact that there’s no way of knowing how well you’re going to do in your fifth year, if you decide to come back.

but i’m not in the business of making judgements. i’m more in the “barfing-out-thoughts-in-the-hopes-of-occasionally-striking-on-something-helpful” business…Ltd.

in regards to the failed courses: it happens. your past does not define your future. we all fall down. be the person who gets back up again, because that’s what makes people exceptional. trust aska – you can do it.

as for meeting your parents’ expectations: i understand that parental pressure can be enormously limiting and difficult to break from. it’s natural to want to make your parents proud. besides that, parents are often our financial lifelines, and for that reason, you don’t want to piss them off.

however, if you can’t go to grad school – either for personal or academic reasons – you may as well come up with an alternative plan that will make you happy.

if you have a college program in mind that makes you feel more alive and excited than any graduate program, then that is what you should pursue. and NO, it does not make you a less successful, less special, or less valuable person.

also: your reasons for having a low GPA are not pathetic. they are circumstances which will affect any person who experiences the external world, and may affect you more or less based on who you are and your experiences.

coming back to school for a fifth year to upgrade your GPA for grad school is something a lot of students do, and may be a great idea for you. however, before/if you decide to come back to school, i would recommend talking it over with a few people who can help to make sure you’re ready.

Good2Talk is a helpline geared specifically towards college and university students. they can help you talk about what you’re feeling in a productive way, so you’re ready to face school, or whatever may come next in your life.

Counseline is even more specific – they provide phone and face-to-face counselling for Faculty of Arts & Science students (just keep in mind that you could only use this service once you were officially registered). CAPS is another uoft-specific alternative.

if you’re saying you feel like there’s nothing for you after this degree, that’s something you should talk about with someone. i’ve given three recommendations that i personally really like, but you should reach out to anyone you’re comfortable with.

before coming back for a fifth year and shelling out half your savings for tuition, it’s also a good idea to talk to your registrar’s office about coming back. they can talk with you in more detail about grad school, or any other plans you may have.

and if there’s anything else you want to talk to me about, i’m always here to help.

cheers,

aska

Hi,

I’m in my second year but I just switched to a sociology major and I hope to get into the UofT Masters of Social Work program after my undergrad. The sociology program requirements are SOC200H1 and SOC202H1. In summer school, I’m taking? SOC200H1 and SOC202H1. Would I be able to NCR SOC202, or no because its a program requirement?

Also, M.S.W admissions requirements say that candidates for admission to the Two-Year M.S.W. Full-Time Program shall have achieved at least a mid-B or better in the final year of full-time study or equivalent, in senior level courses (300 or 400 level). Does this mean that they will only look at the courses I take in fourth year, whether they be 300 or 400 level? Or will they also look at courses that I have taken in 3rd year? If I dont take a full course load in fourth year will they look at my 3rd year marks? And it says that I need a half-credit course in research methodology as well- do SOCC200 and SOC202 count as research methodology courses?

Thank you.

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

hey there,

you CAN’T cr/ncr any course that’s a program requirement, so you best leave SOC202 alone if you want it to count towards your sociology major.

the only reason we could cr/ncr program requirements?last semester is because of the?awful fever dream that was the T.A. strike; but now we’re?back to normal, kids. back to the absolute delight that is taking courses in the summer. yay.

as for your second question, the wording there seems intentionally ambiguous to me.

i’m going to GUESS that they said it that way so that they have a bit of wiggle room. ’cause on?the one hand, it seems to mean pretty clearly that if you took any 100- or 200-level courses in your last year, they won’t consider those; they’ll only look at the senior courses you took in?your last year.

but i ALSO?have the feeling?that if you didn’t take enough?300- and 400-level courses in your fourth year, they might resort to your third year to get a better idea of your academic performance. keep in mind that students applying in their fourth year haven’t completed all their fourth year courses yet, so admissions committees?may have no choice but to use their third year in making an initial admission decision.

tl;dr: whatever 300- or 400-level courses you take are likely fair game for consideration. if you don’t take many in fourth year, then they may look at the ones in 3rd year.?this is something you’re more than free to ask someone at the faculty, by the way. they don’t have to answer, but you also have every right to ask.

if you’re considering not being full time (that’s less than 3.0 credits) in your final year, i would recommend talking to someone at factor-inwentash about how that might affect your application.

and i’m almost positive soc200 and 202 count as research methodology courses.

good luck with your application. i know you’ll do great. hope it’s not too gruelling.

ttfn,

aska

Hey Aska,
Is it impossible to get into grad school with below 3.0 CGPA? Cuz I’ve been hearing people say that in grad school, they only look at your 3rd and 4th year courses as the basis for your qualifications. What about CR/NCRs? LWDs?
Thanks!

———————————————

hey there,

you’re right, most grad schools only look at your last year or last two years to determine admission. however, it all depends on the grad school, and you should definitely look into that for the grad school(s) you’re interested in.

CR/NCRs don’t tend to be too much of a big deal. they tend to be more of a problem if you CR/NCR’d courses that are relevant to the grad program you’re interested in, but the fact that you’re not allowed to CR/NCR program requirements usually takes care of that.

LWDs are a little bit more tricky. one LWD won’t make a whole lot of difference, but more than one will probably impact your application. again, this also depends on what course(s) you LWD’d, how many, and which graduate school you’re applying to.

all in all, if you want specifics about this kinda information, it’s always a good bet to ask the specific grad school you’re applying to. what i’ve told you are just general guidelines.

best of luck on your grad school journey!

aska

I’m a third year student and will hopefully be graduating next year. My goal was to apply to UoftT’s epidemiology program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. I didn’t do well in my first year and was on academic probation. I’ve pretty much been recovering from those grades since, and thankfully took myself off probation. I’ve been getting A’s and B’s since then. My CGPA is 2.5, and my GPA for the past 2 years have been around 3.5. I was wondering if a graduate degree in epidemiology is just a pipe dream (since I heard its quite competitive) and whether i should look into other options? Did my first year ruin my chances?

———————————————

hey there,

like most graduate schools, the masters in public health: epidemiology program (say that five times fast) has a minimum average requirement of B+, but ONLY in your final year (or your last 5.0 credits).

obviously this isn’t the only thing they’ll look at: they’re also looking for research experience, quantitative skills, and all sorts of stuff that aska knows nothing about – all of which you can read up about on their degree information page.

but most importantly: those first year marks definitely won’t disqualify you. you are still in the running towards becoming an epidemiologist.

yay! now go out there and KILL YOUR LAST YEAR!!!

cheers,

aska

Hi!

I am in the midst of a mid life/pre-graduation crisis, and need your assistance if possible. As is the usual sob story, my marks from 1st/some of 2nd year were abysmal and have bogged my GPA down ever since, even though my marks since have been adequate. Long story short, is there any hope in hell of getting into a Masters program in the Arts (sociology maybe english or creative writing etc) with a 2.5 GPA? (I never had high hopes such as med school or an MBA, and I’m assuming I should toss out my secret dream of applying to law school.) I know they don’t only factor your GPA, but at this point I am feeling pretty hopeless.

Thanks so much! 🙂

———————————————

hey there,

the M.A. in english, M.F.A. in creative writing, and M.A in sociology at uoft all require at least a B+ (3.0) GPA to get in. in addition, you’re expected to have taken at least 7.0 credits (or equivalent) in english for the english M.A. and M.F.A., and at least 5.0 credits (or equivalent) for sociology.

however, if you really want to do one of these programs and it’s not doable right now, you can always take an extra year of undergrad studies after you graduate called a “make-up year” (read the paragraph under the heading ‘Admission of External Students to a Second Degree Program‘.)

lots of undergrad students use make-up years to boost their GPA in preparation for applying to graduate school. if you finish really strong this year and do even better in a make-up year, it is still doable!

law school is a bit of a tougher nut to crack, but if you can’t become a lawyer, that doesn’t exclude you from a career in the law. there are lots of college courses out there for aspiring paralegals, for example (plus, they’re a good deal more affordable than law school).

i know this is difficult and scary and it can feel like the whole world out there is against you, but try not to feel hopeless. there is always something out there for you. you just need to track it down.

xoxo,

aska

Hi there,

I had a question regarding UofT’s distinction policy. I’m currently in the advanced standing Master of Social Work program at UoT. It’s a one year program for me and the course load is equivalent to 8 Half-Credit Courses [H=0.5 credit; Y=1 full credit course]. So if I wanted to graduate with distinction or high distinction, what GPA would I need by the end of the year? Please let me know.

Thank you,
Sharon Philip

———————————————

hey there,

i’ve had a bit of difficulty reaching someone at the faculty of social work who can answer your question. it’s almost like university staff are super busy and important people. who knew???

the person you need is Sharon Bewell (416-978-6364), so if you can reach her, she’ll know the answer.

i’ll give you my most educated shot in the dark, but i can’t promise i’m right, so just keep that in mind.

since the faculty of social work’s grading scale is the same as the faculty of arts & science’s, and since that grading scale is regulated by the university of toronto’s policies about graduate schools more broadly, my best guess is that distinction and high distinction – if that exists at factor inwentash – follows the model set up by the faculty of arts & science. the grades are the same, so, likely, the distinction is the same, too.

again, since i wasn’t able to reach anyone at the faculty, this is just my BEST GUESS, alright? the best thing to do is try your very best to reach Sharon Bewell and confirm.

xoxo and happy day back from reading week :'(,

aska

Dear Aska,

I completed my undergraduate degree at St. George in 2013. To be honest, I was a terrible student. I eventually pulled it together enough to graduate (it took 6 years) and thought I wouldn’t have to look back.

Now, I am (a little) more grown up and after working shitty jobs for too long I have found the motivation I have been missing all this time and I want to go to graduate school. This might seem misguided but I am capable, I swear. I realise that especially for me, this will be a long process. I am interested in doing a Masters of Information at U of T and becoming a librarian in the end…so, what should I do?

I am planning on taking some courses to boost my GPA and then eventually applying for graduate school…but how are my chances? My GPA at the moment
renders me irrelevant. Less than irrelevant, even. But, if I take a few 300 and 400 level courses and prove that I can indeed work at the necessary level am I still screwed? Will my really shitty GPA render my admittance to a MI program at U of T totally impossible? Will I have to take a full 5.0 courses to prove my worth or will that be insufficient?

Please help! I am desperate to do this, I must find a way.

———————————————

hey there,

*puts on crotchety old man voice* listen here, sonny. in my many decades at this insti-too-shun we call askastudent, i have learned a thing or two. one of those things is that the questions people ask and the stories they tell are subjective. also, get off my lawn.

what i’m getting at is that saying things like “i was a terrible student” and that your GPA is “irrelevant” means close to nothing, because everyone has a different idea of what that means.

without giving me an actual number or some other kind of qualifier, i have no way of telling how reasonable a goal grad school is for you. what i CAN tell you is what uoft says.

iSchool requires that you have a CGPA of at least 3.0 and, ideally, at least a B+ (3.3) in your last year.

so, if you don’t have that 3.0 CGPA – that may be a problem. however, taking some 300- and 400-level courses to boost it, and get a really polished AGPA for your ‘last year’ could help you.

like i said, it kind of depends on what shape your CGPA is in right now. if you want some more nuanced advice, i’d recommend you talk to admissions at iSchool. they can take a look at your transcript and give you the DL on your chances.

try not to feel too desperate! it won’t help you any at bars, ygm?

cheers,

aska

P.S. “ohh aska, where can i find the song whose lyrics you quoted in the title?” i hear you ask plaintively. here you go.