• grad school,  law school

    i’m a puBLISHED AUTHOR

    September 25, 2015

    Noticed numerous people who had a lack of any significant EC’s during their UG state that publishing of a paper looked fairly good on their CV while applying to law school or grad school. Just something I noticed; so I was curious what aska’s opinion about this? ( I know aska isn’t on the admissions board or anything – but y’know; aska’s opinion’s are always insightful and valuable) Also – how can I get a paper published at U of T (Note: I’m a UTSC student)

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i love how you referred to me in the third person throughout this whole question. makes me feel like a famous person.

    anyway – yeah, as you all know, i’m no expert on this stuff. also, there is a HUGE difference between law school and grad school. the admission requirements for grad school vary widely depending on what program you’re attending, whereas law school has its own individual breed of application.

    generally speaking, if an application includes any kind of personal statement or CV, then including published work is definitely beneficial – though not, typically, a requirement. especially if your grad program is an academic or research-based degree, as opposed to a professional degree, published work in academic journals or magazines can be a huge plus.

    law school is a bit different. most law schools require some kind of personal statement in addition to transcripts and LSAT scores, but it differs from most grad school applications. law school statements are all about spinning a narrative about yourself.

    according to uoft’s Faculty of Law, “[s]uccessful statements tend to be those that feature clear and authentic writing…There is no template to follow as the statement serves as the means for self-expression and self-description.”

    you can take a look at some examples of successful personal statement for uoft law here.

    so – yes. published work can only ever be a positive when it comes to applications. it’s rarely a requirement, but i’d say it counts just as much – not more or less – as extra curricular involvement.

    cheerio,

    aska

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  • grad school,  grades

    can’t get away from your GPA

    September 24, 2015

    The grad school I wish to apply to requires a course and they need the grade from that course, I’m worried that the course will affect my GPA. So my question is, once I graduate, can I come back and take undergrad courses without them affecting my current GPA/transcript? or will they affect my grades irregardless of taking the course after graduation or before.

    As the school said I needed it done before matriculation, not stipulating whether it had to be done at UofT.

    Regards.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    good question. unfortunately, courses – and their grades – are always noted on a transcript and will be factored into your CGPA, regardless of whether they’re completed before graduation or after graduation.

    chin up, though! i know you can do it! uoft isn’t…that hard…

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • grad school,  psychology

    the answer is yes. and no.

    September 18, 2015

    Hi Aska! I have a question regarding the psych graduate program. In order to get into the psychology graduate program at uoft do you need to major in psych or do a specialist in it?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    not necessarily. however, if you are interested in uoft’s master’s program, for example, you would have to have completed at least 6.0 credits in psychology (including statistics and lab work) – which may as well be the psychology major.

    however, you don’t actually have to have ‘psychology specialist’ or ‘psychology major’ noted on your transcript, as long as you do the courses.

    also, the department of psychology at uoft notes that “[s]tudents with a strong background in mathematics, physical or biological science, neuroscience, or computer science are especially encouraged to apply even if they have fewer than the suggested number of psychology courses.”

    so basically, you do have to have a strong background in psychology, but you don’t have to be a psych major or specialist. as always at uoft, the answer’s always more complicated than a simple yes or no.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • grad school

    grad school, sad school

    August 21, 2015

    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.

    ———————————————

    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

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  • grad school,  non degree

    approaching profs doesn’t get easier with age

    July 17, 2015

    Hi Aska,

    I recently graduated from St. George with a BA, but I wasn’t really sure at the time where I wanted to go from there. After giving it some thought, I’ve decided that I’d like to try for an MA and apply to grad schools for the 2016/2017 school year. My biggest concern, however, is not having the academic references for my applications; I’ve always been a shy person and thus haven’t really connected with my profs in as meaningful a way as other, more outgoing students. I don’t want this to be a hindrance, however, so I’m seriously considering registering for a few more courses as a non-degree student so that I can build more contacts and thus have the requisite number of referees when I’m prepping my applications. I’d also like to take courses outside of my usual comfort zone in order to have the breadth of knowledge that grad schools like to see, so it’s not all about the profs.

    I’m wondering how the non-degree enrollment process works, which is why writing and seeking your sagely wisdom. If I were able to get into a 400-level seminar come mid-August, would the prerequisites that I accumulated from my BA carry over so that I wouldn’t have to worry about being removed? Will I be able to take whatever courses I’d like from the department of my old major, provided there is space in them? Or do I have to start from the drawing board and abide by the same prerequisites that first-year students are faced with?

    Also, how many credits are non-degree students allowed to take in a given year? Full-time degree students take five, but is this different for non-degrees? I personally don’t know how many courses I want to take, as I have to wait and see which ones will be available in August, so I’d like to
    know whether any limitations exist beforehand so I can conduct my planning accordingly.

    P.S. Do you have any tips about building up relationships with profs so that they could serve as potential grad school referees? I’ve only ever gone out of my way to do this for one prof because that prof taught material that I really loved, and so it was easy for me to engage with them about it. Obviously, though, I’m going to have to get to know profs whose interests don’t necessarily align with mine if I want to have a shot at grad school, so it’d be super helpful to have some advice as to how I could go about doing that successfully. I’m determined not to let my social inhibitions get in the way of my goals, so I’m going to try very hard to make my return to the classroom worth it this time around.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    whoo, that’s a bit of reading right there. keeping my mind sharp for September, huh? i love it.

    coming back as a non-degree student is super easy. if you’ve been away for less than a year, you can just sign up for courses on August 14th, make the minimum payment to register, and you’re all done! well, except attending the classes. and passing them. all that fun stuff.

    if you’ve been away for at least a year, you would have to go to your college registrar’s office, fill out a form and pay $25 to get your account reactivated. then you could sign up for courses, make the minimum payment, attend classes, etc.

    if you already took prerequisite courses for the courses you’re interested in, you won’t have to take them again. all courses you take at uoft work the same way, regardless of whether you’re a degree student. they show up on your transcript, even if you’re non-degree. they affect your GPA, can count towards program requirements, all that stuff. you can also take as many credits as you like in a year.

    now, about graduate school: you DO NOT need to be best buds with professors to ask for an academic reference.

    bffls

    there is no need to feel this way about a prof. you’re asking for a letter, not a diamond ring

    stay away from me

    in fact, it’s okay if you feel this way about the prof, as long as you are nice and you did well in their course

    in fact, if you’re looking to do non-degree just to get closer with a professor or two, you may want to reconsider and save yourself a bit of money.

    in fact, profs don’t have to remember you at all to write you a recommendation letter. as long as you can prepare a really solid e-mail, you’re good. the important thing is that you ask professors in whose class you did well, and where the class is reasonably relevant to the master’s program you’re interested in.

    as a general guideline, this is how you should go about crafting a request for a reference letter:

    start off by introducing yourself, in case the prof doesn’t remember you. they’re busy and important! they don’t remember you! and if by some chance they do remember you, they will feel flattered by the fact that you thought they were busy and important enough to reintroduce yourself. make sure to include your name, the course you took for them, and a bit about the program you’re applying to.

    then, make your request. try and be as concise as possible. explain exactly what they’ll have to do, and when. let them know why you’re asking them specifically. it’s a good idea to remind them what mark you got in the course. then, upload a copy of an assignment you completed in the class that you did really well on. that way, they have a refresher on the kind of academic work you do, and they can write a more accurate letter.

    make sure to follow up with reminders (but don’t nag), and then maybe get them a box of chocolates after to thank them for taking time out of their busy busy professor life for you.

    this is a lot to think about, so if you ARE still thinking of re-registering, you may want to make an appointment with your college registrar’s office to make absolutely certain, before you shell out the $25.

    best of luck and i hope you get into grad school!

    aska

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  • grad school,  physics

    even the physics WEBSITE is complicated

    July 3, 2015

    Hi Aska! Under the physics major there is a note which says “The Physics Major program is not designed primarily for students intending to pursue graduate studies in Physics. Such students should consider the Physics Specialist or one of the joint Specialist programs.” and I was just wondering if doing a physics major rather than a specialist would impact my chances of getting into grad school? And why is this the only major I’ve come across which states this? Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    obviously, there are lots of physics graduate programs at many universities across the world. i can’t analyze how appropriate uoft’s major program might be for every one of them, so i’m just going to use uoft’s M.Sc. in Physics program as an example – even though their website is BASICALLY USELESS.

    the only thing the whole physics site really has to say about admission requirements for the M.Sc. program is this: “A B+ or better average in an honours physics program or a program of comparable rigour in a closely related field.”

    despite the fact that there is not nearly enough information in this sentence, it’s also a very confusing sentence. and the confusion starts with the word “honours.”

    most people outside uoft – hell, most peopl inside uoft – have no idea what the word “honours” actually means. so strap yourself in and get ready for a crash course in uoft history.

    before 1992, uoft offered two bachelor’s degrees: a three-year degree, and a four-year honours degree (see “Discontinued Degrees and Upgrading“). not everyone did the honours degree. it was only for the super-special smart cookies of the university. everyone else moved to the suburbs to get their 2.5 kids and white picket fence, or whatever it is they did back then.

    nowadays, there is no more three-year degree. everyone’s degree is four years long (unless you started before 1992 OR you’re graduating with a GPA under 1.85), which means everyone gets an honours degree. no one is special anymore.

    so that’s what “honours” REALLY means. however, i have a feeling that that’s not what the physics department means by the word “honours.” i’m thinking they’re probably using it in the traditional sense, to mean a more specialized or intensive degree, like in the pre-1992 days of yore. and the reason i think this is because they say “honours physics program.” not degree, program.

    AND NOW we FINALLY get to the point: given their probable use of the word “honours,” a major program from uoft in physics, requiring as it does only 7.5 physics FCEs, is probably not rigorous enough as preparation for a master’s program. if you think about it, 7.5 FCEs is less than half of your degree, and so it might not be enough preparation for a graduate program dedicated entirely to physics.

    the specialist programs, meanwhile, require nearly double that amount of credits. they also provide more opportunities for academic research, which is invaluable for someone preparing for a graduate degree. finally, in the natural sciences (as opposed to the humanities or social sciences), there tends to be a more marked difference between majors and specialists. specialists not only require more courses, they tend to require different and more rigorous courses as well.

    of course, not all graduate programs will require this level of preparation. if you’re interested in a graduate program other than physics, or at another university, their requirements may differ, and i would urge you to research those so you have a better idea of what they’re looking for.

    i’d also highly recommend you consult with professors or administrators from the program you’re interested in. however, GENERALLY SPEAKING, natural science graduate programs tend to require or prefer what they would call an “honours” program; that is, a specialist.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • grad school

    working socially

    July 2, 2015

    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

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  • failing,  grad school

    …another clever idea to get us killed – or worse, EXPELLED

    June 17, 2015

    Hi.

    I’m an international student at uoft. I finished two semesters. In first sem I failed 2 courses and was told by my graduate coordinator that I’ll be expelled if I fail one more course. But in second semester I ended up failing one course. Will I be expelled?? Is there a rule that permits that?

    Being an international student, is there anyway I can drop out and get a job in Canada? I have a complete masters with distinction from India.

    Thank you.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    without much context about your program or academic history, it’s hard for me to predict how your academic standing will be affected. however, it’s definitely possible for you to face consequences for failing a course (or courses) in graduate school.

    the School of Graduate Studies states that “[i]f a student fails to complete a graduate course in a satisfactory manner (i.e., receives a grade report of FZ or NCR in a course or receives a grade report below the minimum acceptable by the graduate unit), then the graduate unit in which the student is registered may recommend to the School of Graduate Studies the termination of registration and eligibility of that student.”

    so right off the bat, i’d say the school does permit it. HOWEVER, i’d recommend you talk to a student services officer ASAP to see if there’s anything you can do to avoid it.

    if you have the appropriate work permit, it’s possible for you to work in Canada (speak to someone at CIE if you have any questions about work permits).

    however, i have no idea how easy it will be for you to get a job. that all depends on what your master’s degree from India is in, and on what kind of job you’re looking for.

    it’s hard for everyone to land a job these days, and what’s even harder is to land one with a liveable salary. but it’s possible, if you do everything right and you’re lucky. if you need help with the job search, you can always find it at the career centre.

    a lot of this is way over my head, to be honest. i’d really recommend that you talk to a student services officer at the school of graduate studies about next steps, whether you want to try to stay on at school or start looking for a job.

    all the best,

    aska

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  • grad school,  late withdrawal,  law

    blah school

    June 9, 2015

    Hello,
    I desperately want to get into grad school/law school but I have a cGPA of 3.42 and two LWD on my transcript. The LWDs were probably a bit stupid, they were in my 2nd and 3rd years and due to getting 60s in two mandatory classes. I retook one and didn’t do much better – got a B. I’m redoing the other LWD class again as I go into my 4th year. I also had medical reasons for the LWDs (because I got them after the deadline had passed) but obviously it does not say that on my transcript. I’ll be graduating this year and I don’t plan on getting anymore LWDs. My question to you is: how badly do these LWDs affect my chances of getting into grad school/law school? Is it too late for me? With these grades and the two LWDs, how likely/unlikely will I get accepted into grad school? (The programs I’ve been looking at has a B- cut off and A- admission average).
    Thanks,Desperate Student

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    asking me whether you’ll get into graduate school without specifying which program or university you’re interested in is like asking whether you can afford a meal without specifying the meal or how much money you have.

    but aska is a trooper, and i’m gonna do the best i can.

    if the programs you’re looking at have a B- cut-off, and you’ve got a B+, then yeah, your chances are good. the LWDs aren’t great, but if the courses aren’t related to your program of interest and they were in second and third year, then they’re not the end of the world.

    not much more i can say about that. but you can always call the admissions committee at the school in question and bug them about it if their website is especially cryptic.

    generally speaking, graduate schools tend only to look at your grades in third/fourth years – though you’ll have to check the specific requirements of your program/school to make sure. so if you’re calculating admissions averages, make sure only to include the years they’ll actually look at.

    easy peasy, right? you didn’t even need me for that. look, i’ll even give you a tool that will calculate your GPA for you.

    that’s graduate school. law school is a whole ‘nother thing.

    i don’t really feel like looking up admissions averages for every single law school in the English-speaking world, so i’m just going to focus on Canadian schools in this answer. schools elsewhere might operate differently, so make sure to check that before applying willy-nilly.

    i’m gonna be straight with you – a 3.42 falls beneath the minimum CGPA for every law school in the country. putting the LWDs aside, the CGPA in itself is concerning.

    the ghost of Law School Future is dark and damning, but there is still hope at the end of this dream.

    law schools in Canada typically look at your three best years, and sometimes only your best two. that should bump your admissions GPA up a little. and hey, if your worst year has an LWD in it, all the better.

    the LWDs on their own won’t be a death sentence on your application, as long as your GPA is within the realm of interesting to the admissions committee. you can also always write a letter as part of your application explaining why those LWDs are there.

    finally: you’re going into fourth year! you still have one full year to absolutely KILL IT before you start applying. you can do a lot in your final year if you put your mind to it. competitive LSATs can also make up for small weaknesses in your GPA, so do your very best to give that your all.

    good luck with your applications, dude,

    aska

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  • grad school

    post-post-secondary education

    April 14, 2015

    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

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  • grad school

    i’ve never heard of like half of uoft’s grad programs

    March 10, 2015

    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

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  • grad school

    gotta love that graduation crisis

    February 24, 2015

    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

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  • grad school

    so shall work, so shall grades

    February 23, 2015

    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

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