• breadth requirements,  easy,  first year,  math

    not good with numbers…

    August 30, 2010

    Hello –

    I’m coming to U of T this autumn & I was wondering if you knew if the first year seminar *PMU199H1 F *”mathematical explorations” is difficult? Or anything about the course? The “not for calculus students” could be deceptive, and I’m really, really bad at math. I’m taking it to fulfill my BR=5 requirement but I’m a little apprehensive.

    Help is much appreciated!

    ———————————————

    Hi there and welcome to the amazing and fantastic University of Toronto! While your class doesn’t seem like it was offered last year (and therefore wasn’t reviewed in the anti-calendar), many classes that seem similar to it were reviewed favourably. Essentially by taking a first year seminar to fulfill your BR=5 requirement, you are going for the easiest and best way possible to obtain that credit. First year seminars are notoriously easier, with more attention paid to students. The course description definitely makes it sound like it will be easy for you, and the small class size will make it easier to ask questions. If you take a look at the anti calendar, you’ll find favourable descriptions for all the 199y classes in terms of easiness and engagement with the subject matter. Math is super boring and hard to do (FYI: I am an arts student), but if you’ve gotta do it, a first year seminar is the best way to go.

    Best of luck!

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • math

    aska exclusive: two classes that are exactly the same!

    August 24, 2010

    Hi

    I was just curious about HPS390 and MAT390.

    One has 100 available spots, the other has 50.? Both are exclusions to one another, but are offered by the same teacher and exactly the same time in the winter.? This implies to me that they are exactly the same course.

    I am from the distant school of Scarborough Campus and can’t see which one is full, but if they are exactly the same and lets say MAT390 was full (the one with only 50 spots)…could I not just take HPS390 if it has open space and have it count as MAT390?? How many spots are left for MAT390 anyways?

    Course selection is always the most stressful thing for me haha… I really appreciate any help you can provide.
    Thanks,
    Franklin

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

    Hi Franklin!

    This question took me a long time to answer, thanks to fighting through the interminable U of T bureaucracy. Here is an example of what happens when you call the Math department:

    Aska: “Hey I’m calling from the Innis College registrar about HPS 390 and MAT 390…according to their course descriptions and the timetable, these classes sound exactly the same and are offered at the same time. Could this be true?”

    Math lady: “I dunno, you will probably have to call (this person who will never return your phone call) and (wait forever and ever).”

    Anyways, finally someone did call me back from the Math department, a representative in charge in fact, and it’s true – these courses are exactly the same! They are offered by the same prof, at the same time, in the same place and for some unknown reason are labeled under two separate course titles in two different departments. U of T is so crazy!

    So if you register for HPS 390, you will be taking MAT 390 and it should be good for the same. Currently HPS 390 has 16 spots available, while MAT 390 has 7 spaces available.

    Another mystery solved. Aska is like Agatha Christie, no?

    xoxo, Askastduent

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  • math

    if course a cancels course b, can aska take a nap now?

    August 9, 2010

    Hi again!

    This is the third question I’ve asked in the span of about three weeks? – you are just too great a pool of information to not make use of!? I’ve searched your site and I haven’t found an answer to this question so I will go ahead and ask it:

    During first year, I was planning on going into Commerce and therefore took MAT133. Since then I’ve changed my mind and I am now pursuing a double major in Psychology and Math instead. To fulfill my math major,? I need to take MAT135. However, MAT133 is listed as an EXCLUSION to MAT135 so I’m wondering what exactly this means.

    I’m pretty sure that this means MAT135 will only serve to satisfy my? prerequisite towards getting a major in math but it won’t count? towards my CGPA or towards the 20 credits I need to graduate. To my? understanding, the grade I received in MAT133 will be the grade that? is used to compute my CGPA (not the grade I will receive in MAT135).? Is this correct? Technically, will the grade I get in MAT135 (as long? as it meets the minimum requirement to move on) even matter?

    All in all, can I still take MAT135 even though I’ve taken MAT133?

    Thanks!

    Amanda

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

    Dear Amanda,

    I’m glad you find Askastudent a valuable resource, but please, don’t take advantage. Aska might be a lean, mean answerin’ machine, but leave some questions for someone else, eh?

    Just playing.

    I talked to a college registrar at Innis about your situation. Essentially (and according to the calendar) for a double major in math and psychology, MAT 133 is useless to you. So is MAT 135 (as your MAT 133 course essentially cancels MAT 133 out) – but don’t despair, you can still take MAT 137 or MAT 157 – and this is coming from someone who hates math!

    Psychology only requires statistics classes, not math. So take either MAY 137 or MAT 157 and you’ll be in the clear, darling for your first year requirements for the major. Don’t forget your protractor!

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • courses,  history,  math,  wait list

    w-w-w-waitlist

    July 19, 2010

    Hi there,

    I’m a UTSC student who wants to take the odd course downtown at St. George.
    However, ROSI will not let me see whether the courses I want are already full
    since it won’t let me register until August 13.

    This might sound like a silly question, but I was wondering if anyone from
    downtown could let me know if the following courses:

    MAT390H1 S
    HIS343Y1 Y

    are full or how many spots are still available, just so I can see what the odds
    are for me to get in.
    I thank you for your time,

    Katherine

    ———————————————

    Hey Kat! Can I call you Kat? Or Kitty Kat? How ’bout I stop right there…

    As of today (4:55, July 19th, EST) the availability in your desired courses are as such:

    MAT 390H1 – S

    Currently registered, 39 students. Total spots, 50. THERE ARE 11 SPOTS LEFT IN THE COURSE.

    HIS 343Y1 – Y

    THERE ARE 43 STUDENTS ON THE WAIT LIST.

    So while you may be bummed, you may also be enthused. Remember that the waitlist drops after the first week of classes, when you will be able to apply to courses, hoping that someone has dropped it. Best of luck to you!

    xoxo, Askastudent

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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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  • math,  PUMP,  stats

    Get your booty on the floor tonight…

    May 25, 2009

    Hi there,

    I have a question regarding major/minor requirement/admissions.
    I am a SOC major and a PHL minor student – hence needing another minor.

    I really want to take Statistics as my 2nd minor, which I’ve read has no minimum GPA requirement. I recently e-mailed the stats dept to double-check and received the following reply from a very helpful individual: “I am not aware of any restrictions on enrolment in the stat minor.” Not satisfied with such reply I did some more research and found out that I need some grade 12 high-school math for Stats(or something along those lines).
    The things is – I am a 3rd yr student, simply neeing another minor and really want to do STATs the only problem is that I never took math in gr. 12 high-school. I’m good at math I simply have not taken it in my last yr of high-school because I wanted to do Humanities in University. HELP! Can I even do a STATs minor now without some high-school gr 12 math? Or, does that matter?

    ———————————————

    Hi.

    That “very helpful individual” (not sure if you were implying sarcasm there) at the Statistics Department did NOT lie. Nor did they give you the whole truth given your high school circumstances. You do not need a Grade 12 math course to enroll in the Stats Minor. However, taking either MAT135 or MAT137 is required to complete that Minor (Calendar, page 493). On page 342 you will find that you need Gr.12 MCV4U (Calculus & Vectors) or MHF4U (Advanced Functions) as pre-requisites to enrol in either of those 100-level math courses.

    Whew! That was fun! It was kind of like a “choose your own adventure novel,” except that you don’t have to sell your soul to the bank to buy a paperback.

    So, the question becomes: how can I enroll in MAT135/7 without the Gr.12 math pre-requisite?

    There are a few options.

    • a) Enrol in a high-school summer course. I’m not sure where you are living during the summer, but this link from the Toronto DSB Continuing Education (esp. page 7) may be useful.

    http://www.tdsb.on.ca/wwwdocuments/programs/continuing_education/docs/SummerCredit.pdf

    • b) Enrol in the Preparing for University Math Program (P.U.M.P.) offered by the Department of Mathematics here at U of T: http://www.math.utoronto.ca/pump

    This is a preparatory course that students may take in order to ease the transition from high-school math to uni math, or as in your case, to catch students up on pre-requisite high-school coursework. They say that homework and assignments are minimal, and examination is based on tests and quizzes. It costs 600 bucks, and you can register right up until the course begins on 06 July 2009. It ends on 21 August.

    Now, your bizarre and masochistic desire to slap a Stats minor onto your plate suggests to me that you would see no problem with something like P.U.M.P. However, as a humanities student with an energetically critical view of the world, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about P.U.M.P., the acronym.

    PUMP?!? Really Mathematics Department? PUMP?!

    I think I can swallow the intended connotation of “pumping up students’ math abilities for first year.” However, to reveal the dirty thoughts that flew through my mind when I first came across the website… let’s just say I would be straddling the already fuzzy threshold of professionalism.

    No, I won’t go there. Instead, I will leave you with my vote for PUMP’s new theme song.

    P.s. I hope it’s still stuck in your head when you wake up tomorrow morning.

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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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  • math,  subject POST

    calculicious!

    January 9, 2009


    hi…i relly want to know if mathematics and statistics can be my two minors . because? these two programs require the same courses often… my major is linguistic so my major and minors don’t have overlapping courses..thanks! i really want to study math and statistics.

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  • commerce,  grades,  math

    Math, the hidden language of the soul

    December 24, 2007

    i’m a first year commerce student and i’m doing horrible in calc right now.. its
    the night before test 2 and i’m freaking out cuz i don’t know anything.. i was
    wondering if its possible to drop calc and take it again in 2nd year..
    otherwise my only other option is the reprise program – any thoughts regarding
    that? any help is much appreciated, thanks.

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  • math,  psychology,  subject POST

    blame your highschool math teacher for being the chupacabra

    July 31, 2007

    Hi Aska! This site has saved me from many, many anxiety attacks. I am going into
    second year and recently re-read my offer of admission. It says Congrats! You
    are in Humanities and Social Science! Only I just realised that Psychology, my
    specialist of choice, is considered Science. Yet I have 80% in PSY100H.

    The real issue: I do not have any high school math after grade 10 college math.
    Apparently calculus is required as of 2006 for admission into any minor, major
    or specialist PoST in Psychology.

    Questions:

    1) Do I have to go back to high school to get calculus (I don’t mind, I’ll just
    go to a semestered night school and bribe a tutor with ridiculous amounts of
    money)?

    2) If not, does U of T have a foundations course that I can take to satisfy the
    MCB4U high school pre-req? If it’s a review course I can’t take it, I’d fail.

    3) Is begging to waive the high school pre-req an option? I feel confident I
    can take statistics (a pre-req for psych) with no math background because I
    have access to many tutors and a lot more motivation now than I did in grade
    10. I just want the specialist in Psych, not admission into med schooL!

    Thanks a million!

    ~Cursed by Calculus

    jumphoop

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