• chem,  first year,  grades

    Stinkin’ Chemistry

    November 5, 2010

    Hi aska,

    So I’ve just gone through the first 2 months at utm, and I failed my first Chem mid-term test worth 7% of my final mark, which I’m not too proud of. My goal is to graduate with a CGPA of 4.0 in 4 years time (doing a Physics Specialist). So my main question would be what is a general formula for one to tackle the insane first year science courses to squeeze out a 4.0 while staying sane in the process (e.g how to be more efficient, how to maximize my resources) 😛 . Thanks xoxo

    ———————————————

    Hi there poor, poor Chemistry Student,

    There’s a few things that you can do.
    1) Time management is a huge, HUGE aspect of doing well. Make sure you allot more time for things that are going to give you some trouble.

    2) Connect with a Physics Major – ask a 4th year student how they possibly managed to survive 4 years of hell. You can probably go to one of your profs and they can recommend someone for you.

    3) Surround yourself with people who have the same goals as you – its easier to be a study bug if the people around you are also in a study cave and not out at a rave (a little Dr. Seuss moment for you there)

    4) Study snacks (they seriously keep you going)

    5) Coffee and Baileys (Caffeine and good taste)

    6) Have dancing, video gaming, beer ponging breaks so you don’t completely lose your mind

    7) realize that you’re not the only one in this position (take for example the kid in the post below your … also thinking that Chemistry is being a little bitch)

    8) apparently you can’t have an eight with a bracket without it becoming a cool dude face, BUT WHATEVER, we like sunglasses

    UTM has Chemistry department advisers and i BET they love helping you develop a good work ethic.

    9) St. George offers seminars on time management, developing study work ethics, how to be more effecient etc. So I would suggest looking into the UTM academic Learning Center as I’m sure they will offer help in similar topics

    Good Luck!

    Love,
    Aska

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  • awkwardness,  grades,  transfer credits

    paranoid android

    July 30, 2010

    Hi, I was just wondering if prof’s and TA’s have full access to your transcript? I’m a transfer student and I can’t even view my marks from my old school, so I’m assuming they might only be able to view the marks I get from U of T? My concern is that they might look at your old marks and grade you within a certain range – based on your previous record? I also think they might judge you, and only think you’re capable of achieving to a certain level. Anyway, I hope you can address some of my concerns. Thanks!

    ———————————————

    Whoa, how much paranoia have you been smoking, pal? Your transcript and academic history are for college registrars, only. (Plus nobody can get on ROSI without the super secret access code that kind of makes you feel like James Bond.) Your past marks are none of your TA or professors business, and they won’t be able to find them out unless you tell them. I’m also certain that they won’t care. Consider your new year of school a fresh start and a chance to improve upon your past years by working hard and delving into your studies. Lay off the paranoia. That stuff will kill you in the end.

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • GPA,  grades,  tests

    regrade me! regard me!

    July 7, 2010

    Ive never felt the need to contest a grade for a test/paper till now. I recently got a test back and I felt like the comments on it did not correlate with how much marks were taken off (one of the questions actually had no comments).

    I havent done this before and I an anxious about to possibility of my mark being lowered (even though I truly dont see why it would be). How do I go about this?

    ———————————————

    U of T is a bureaucratic monolith specifically designed so that students do not usually contest their marks. Fight the power!

    My friend Wyndham recently contested a mark on one of her assignments. The first step is to go to The Department in which your course is affiliated. They will usually want you to work it out with the person which marked your test originally. If you can’t come to an agreement, you will have to return to The Department with a copy of your graded test (if applicable, also your ungraded paper), which will be submitted along with your request to have your assignment re-marked. An impartial third party will re-mark it.

    An important note is that you’ll have to accept whatever grade the second marker gives you, whether higher, lower, or the same. If you think it’s worth the risk, go for it. A list of departmental contacts can be found here.

    xoxo, Askastudent

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  • first year,  grades,  switching

    don’t fly a-way / from your G-P-A

    April 27, 2010

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

    ———————————————

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

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

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

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

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  • grades,  studying

    mirror, mirror on the wall…

    February 16, 2010

    Hi, simple question which may or may not make sense to ask.

    I’m borderline passing 2 courses only out of horrible work ethic which until now I didn’t know I had. However I’m too lazy to fail so I do plan to bounce back. Basically lets just? say I got 55% on 2 term tests so far for each course, what are my chances of passing with a B in general if I was to, let us assume, ace the next term test and final? Or, an A? I’m aware there are course factors but just in general, would you consider it possible, and how possible? Basically, have I already screwed myself over completely or not?

    Thanks

    —————————————————-

    You know, you really haven?t given me enough information here. How much are each of the tests worth? If your tests were worth 10% each, then sure, it?s definitely possible to pull up your mark. If your tests were worth, say, 30% each, then it would probably be mathematically impossible to achieve an A.

    The real issue herehttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bOFhWdGnm_A/R4fgAu-tvyI/AAAAAAAAAQg/zJYDWszx74c/s320/magic_mirror_on_the_wall.jpg though (in my opinion) isn?t really whether or not it is mathematically possible to pull up your mark. I think you really have to reflect on what?s happened so far and ask yourself why you have been getting these marks. It?s easy to say ?I?ve been lazy, so I?ll work harder in the future and get better grades?, and I?ve heard many a student say that. But realistically, students rarely go from D’s to A’s in a short period of time. I really think you have to go one step further and ask yourself what you can do to turn things around.

    If you?re a first year student, is it because you?re having a difficult time adjusting to the fast pace of University courses? One of the things that people often say about University courses is that unlike high school courses you have to not only know the material, but you have to understand it well. You have to practise a lot and develop intuition for it. If your low marks are because you haven?t been understanding the course material well, can you do something to change that? For instance, perhaps you could start doing more practice exercises. Also, it might be a good idea to set up an appointment with your professors (be polite!), tell them frankly that you haven?t been doing well in their courses, and kindly ask them what they think you could do to improve.

    If you don?t think that?s the problem you have, then is it because you?re not getting enough out of lectures? If that?s the case, how about seeking out a note-taking workshop from the Academic Success Centre?

    If all else fails, you can always drop the courses and make them up in the summer, but heads up ? 1) not all courses are offered in the summer, and 2) you?ll still need to find some way to improve your work ethic, because summer courses are quite demanding. The deadline for dropping courses without academic penalty is March 7th, but be sure to make an appointment with your college?s academic advisor before you do anything hasty.

    Well, that?s my advice to you, really: take initiative, and don?t be afraid to use the resources that you?re entitled to, as a University of Toronto student (your professors, your academic advisors, the success centre, ?).

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  • grades,  keeners

    omg, only an 86?!

    November 17, 2009

    Hey aska,

    im a grade twelve student who’s been going through a rough start to my year. Due to some personal reason, the first half of my math and physics marks are low.
    I’ve recently overcome my personal problems and have started to get my regular marks again.
    Re-encouraged i went to talk to my teachers and see what they had to say about me.
    My physics teacher said that if i continued the way i was going i would probably end up with an 86 by the end of my semester.

    However, my math teacher said that i would only be able to get an 82…
    Now math is my average booster as u usually get 90+ in it, however this year, im actually doing bad at it…
    I planned to redo so that i can get a higher average.

    I then heard a rumor that none of the UofT campuses look at retaken courses… discouraged i tried googling this rumor for about a week with no avail. However i did stumble upon this site which has relieved alot of other stresses but not the main one.
    I was hoping you could help me and anyone else in my situation by answering these questions:

    a) Do the UofT campuses consider at retaken courses?

    b) Would it be better to retake a course in second semester night school or summer school?

    c) Does UofT even look at anything like UWO’s Special Consideration Profile?? (my reason for doing poorly during the first half of my first semester)

    Eagerly(Desperately) waiting for a reply,
    Me

    —————————

    This post reeks of of ?overachiever?. Who retakes physics when they already have an 86% average?

    Sorry to hear about your personal problems, though. Hopefully, they?re not troubling you anymore.

    Anyway, the answer to your question is? it depends. What program are you applying to at UofT? If you?re applying to a program within the Faculty of Arts and Science on the St. George campus, then yes ? they do accept repeated courses. However, this might not case for some of the other Faculties or campuses at UofT, such as engineering (not sure if you were considering engineering at UofT, but if that was the reason you wanted to retake your math and physics courses, well, there?s your reason not to do it). Commerce will let you repeat courses, but will need you to give a valid reason. UTSC doesn?t seem to like people repeating courses, though (?the University reserves the right to give preference to students whose marks are the result of a single attempt at each course?). I couldn?t find anything about UTM, but you should really stop using Google as your main source of information. Searching on the web will only get you so far – all you?re gonna get is more rumours, and we all know how true those are. Go phone or email them instead. You?ll need to get used to doing a lot of phoning and emailing for information after you get into University anyway.

    Uh, as for whether it?d be better to retake a course in night school or summer school, definitely night school. Universities won’t have time to look at your summer school marks – and by the time you finish your course, decisions will already have been made. Overloading yourself with night school during the semester is a little risky, though.

    There are for student profiles Commerce and Engineering programs, but not for the Faculty of Arts and Science (again, not sure about UTM and UTSC; it probably depends on the program you apply to). However, don?t forget that even if there is no student profile, you can always write a letter to admissions and awards explaining your personal circumstances.

    You should really get used to doing your best on your first try, though. That?s not to say that you won?t be given a second chance, but you probably won?t be retaking that many courses in University and the pace will be a lot faster than what you?re used to in high school.

    Hey aska,

    im a grade twelve student who’s been going through a rough start to my year. Due to some personal reason, the first half of my math and physics marks are low.
    I’ve recently overcome my personal problems and have started to get my regular marks again.
    Re-encouraged i went to talk to my teachers and see what they had to say about me.
    My physics teacher said that if i continued the way i was going i would probably end up with an 86 by the end of my semester.

    However, my math teacher said that i would only be able to get an 82…
    Now math is my average booster as u usually get 90+ in it, however this year, im actually doing bad at it…
    I planned to redo so that i can get a higher average.

    I then heard a rumor that none of the UofT campuses look at retaken courses… discouraged i tried googling this rumor for about a week with no avail. However i did stumble upon this site which has relieved alot of other stresses but not the main one.
    I was hoping you could help me and anyone else in my situation by answering these questions:

    a) Do the UofT campuses consider at retaken courses?

    b) Would it be better to retake a course in second semester night school or summer school?

    c) Does UofT even look at anything like UWO’s Special Consideration Profile?? (my reason for doing poorly during the first half of my first semester)

    Eagerly(Desperately) waiting for a reply,
    Me

    This post reeks of of ?overachiever?? I?m sure there are many people who wished they could get 86 in physics?

    Sorry to hear about your personal problems though. Hopefully they?re not troubling you anymore. Anyway, the answer to your question is? it depends. What program are you applying to at UofT?

    If you?re applying to a program within the Faculty of Arts and Science on the St. George campus, then yes ? we do accept repeated courses. However, this might not case for some of the other Faculties or campuses at UofT, such as engineering (not sure if you were considering engineering at UofT, but if that was the reason you wanted to retake your math and physics courses, well, there?s your reason not to do it). Commerce will let you repeat courses, but will need you to give a valid reason. UTSC doesn?t seem to like people repeating courses, though (?the University reserves the right to give preference to students whose marks are the result of a single attempt at each course?). I couldn?t find anything about UTM, but you should really stop using Google as your main source of information. All you?re gonna get is more rumours, and we all know how true those are (oh wait. You?re still in high school, so I guess you wouldn?t know). Go phone or email them instead. You?ll need to get used to doing a lot of phoning and emailing for information after you get into University anyway.

    Uh, as for whether it?d be better to retake a course in night school or summer school, probably night school. I don?t think Universities even look at the marks you get for the courses you take in summer school after Grade 12.

    There are for student profiles Commerce and Engineering programs, but not for the Faculty of Arts and Science (again, not sure about UTM and UTSC; it probably depends on the program you apply to). However, don?t forget that even if there is no student profile, you can always write a letter to the admissions people explaining your personal circumstances.

    You should really get used to doing your best on your first try, though. That?s not to say that you won?t be given a second chance, but you probably won?t be retaking that many courses in University and the pace will be a lot faster than what you?re used to in high school.

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  • admissions,  grades,  new kids

    …when we’re cruisin’ to geth er.

    June 29, 2009


    Hi there! I have accepted my offer from University of Toronto – St. George Campus (Innis College) for life science. The letters I have received states that I must maintain a good academic standing, in order to keep my acceptance. Other universities have provided a specific average that I must maintain (for example, Waterloo mentions that I must keep an average of 75% or above). I was wondering what final average would I need to maintain; also, if my final average goes below a certain range, will I be rejected?

    Waiting your earliest reply:)

     

     

    I’ll give you the bad news first.

    YES, it is possible that your offer to U of T will be withdrawn should your final transcripts not be up to snuff.??? (who/what/where?IS snuff??)

    It is also possible that your offer will stand, but you would?be admitted on academic probation (i.e. must achieve C- average in first year).

    The good news is that?the ominous statement in?your offer?letter?is pretty much intended to prevent grade 12’s from accepting their offer of admission and then throwing in the towel for the rest of the school year. Much to your chagrin, there is no hard-and-fast rule as to what the conditional high school average is. Rather, it is relative to what your transcript said when you applied. So, the evil marks police are really looking for a drastic drop in your average.

     

    There are also some individual subjects that are scrutinized more heavily than the others. For all new admits to Arts & Science, your English marks should not take a drastic fall. For Life Science students (like you) your high school Maths, Chem, Bio (and sometimes Physics) marks should stay relatively similar as well.

     

    Your Parenting class mark matters less. That is, unless you actually killed the creepy robot baby, in which case you’re out.

     

    Is “drastic”?fall too ambiguous for you?

    How about a “dramatic” fall?

    Not good enough?

    An “embarrassing” fall?

     

    Now I know your type. So I know that you won’t be able to sleep until I tell you an actual number between 50 and 100. Right? Alright… twist my arm… I’ll tell you. It’s 78%.

     

    That was a lie. I just made that up based on being better than Waterloo.

     

    But what if U of T DID give a definitive minimum average, like 75%? Wouldn’t that just enable students to calculate the bare minimum effort they needed to get by? What kind of academic mentality is that?

    (Engineering students’ ears are ringing everywhere right now).

     

    I’m gonna go on a limb and guess that you are a keen life sci kid, who wouldn’t just call it a day after getting your offer from U of T anyway. So, don’t worry.

     

    But if you are still worried, you can try contacting your College Registrar’s Office and annoying them directly with your question. They will be able to check out the situation, contact Admissions & Awards, and then get back to you on your prospects. But seriously people, only do this if your grade 12 marks really took it in the teeth.

    Should your original offer be withdrawn (and you will find out sometime in the latter half of the summer), then you can submit a statement to Admissions & Awards explaining why that happened, which ‘may’ save your –––.?If, after reading this, you’re lower back is?perspirating profusely, perhaps you?will pro-actively issue a letter to Admissions;?just?a little something extra for?your file.

     

    After all that, I guess I didn’t really answer your question. It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that I can’t.

     

    Good luck!

     

    Aska

     

     

    P.s. I will congratulate you on choosing U of T over Waterloo. Was it the stale smell of pickled cabbage that turned you off? Or are you just a chorizo (over bratwurst) kinda girl/guy??

     

    P.p.s. That chorizo joke was kinda deep. Check out the disproportionate number of Portuguese speakers around the St. George campus: http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/pdf2/cpa79.pdf. Love ?em!!

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  • exams,  failing,  grades,  late withdrawal

    Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.

    June 1, 2009

    i really need help figuring out about this new policy about dropping courses after you’ve sat for their exam… apparently you can drop 2 credits worth of courses and the grade you recieved in them will not appear on your transcript nor will the effect your CGPA the catch is that the course will still show up on your transcript showing that you did take that course and that you have dropped it.
    now alot of people have told me there is no such policy but i clearly rememebr one of my professors telling us about it before a lecture.
    ANY ONE WHO KNOW’S FOR SURE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!

     

    I hate to be considered part of “a lot of people” (sounds too commonplace for Aska). However, dear asker, I am about to tell you the same thing everyone else has: NO, that policy does not exist.

    Now, I wasn’t satisfied with simply telling you no. So, I’ve been investigating with ‘the authorities’ on what actual policies the Prof/you may be misinterpreting. I feel like a much less cool Sherlock Holmes.

     

    1) What you are describing sounds a lot like the NEW policy for “Late Withdrawal.”

    You may classify up to 3.0 credits as Late Withdrawal. This means that the course will appear on your transcript with LWD in lieu of a grade. As such, it will not affect your CGPA. In order to classify a course as LWD, you must get this approved by your College Registrar’s Office by the last day of classes. Yes, I said APPROVED. This means that you can’t just bail on a course because you don’t want that nasty A- on your transcript (nerd), or because the exam is on the same evening as the American Idol finale. You will have to demonstrate that you may fail the course, or that it will significantly degrade your CGPA. It is intended for scenarios in which students are seriously overwhelmed by their coursework.

     

    2) Secondly, your inquiry has hints of a “Petition for Late Withdrawal” without academic penalty.

    This is a formal petition process reviewed by the Faculty of Arts & Science. You may be granted withdrawal from a course after the final drop date, and technically for 6 months after the course has finished. If this is approved, WDR will appear on your transcript in lieu of the grade. These do not count against the 3.0 LWD credits that you are entitled. Obviously, the grounds for getting a petition approved are MUCH stricter than Option 1. We’re talking about serious unforeseen issues (e.g. medical). Petitioning for a WDR after you have sat through the exam is even tougher – because you made the decision not to take advantage of the LWD previously. I suppose you would need to demonstrate that your judgment in deciding to stay in the course and sit through the exam was, in the first place, compromised or something like that.

     

    Make sense???

     

    Although this query-response combo is a bit of a dud, there is an important lesson to be learned here. Our Western pedagogical structure inflates students’ perceptions of their Professors to the highest tier of wisdom and significance. Profs deliver their knowledge, through one-way means, down to students. This allows an imbalanced power dynamic to permeate the University. It is a social norm that denies opportunities for dialogical and experiential learning. It also precludes the idea of Professors as students themselves, and their ability to learn from students.

     

    So, what’s the point of my rant? Believe it or not, I’m not just typing to read myself write. Rather, I’m trying to illustrate that Profs don’t know everything, they are often out of touch with academic policies and make things up, and just because they said it – doesn’t mean that it’s right.

     

    P.s. Vive la revolution!!

    P.p.s. Aska is still known to gaze, enamored and starry-eyed, at a Prof from time to time.

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  • bad times,  courses,  grades,  registration

    acting your get together

    May 8, 2009

    I’ve had a rough two years in terms of personal life and only passed 2.5 credits in my first year. Now, in my second year, problems at home have continued to build up and stress me out. I tried taking a lighter course load this year but it was still too much. I dropped my last course of the school year in time for the S-course drop date. Now that I have no credits for this year, will I be able to take courses in the summer and fall?

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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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  • admissions,  english,  grades

    like, how particular is particular?

    March 20, 2009


    So, I stumbled across this website while Googling (Google is your best friend…sometimes) and found the answers to my questions. Well, most of them anyway. There is just one thing I want to clarify. I applied to the Humanities Program at UofT. The Viewbook says that the university pays particular attention to my English marks. Now, I ended up with an 82 in the course (bear with me, I know you don’t like to hear about marks), and with my teacher that is about the best mark ever (according to my guidence councilor). With a different teacher, I could have ended up with a 90. So, what are my chances? Is 82 considered scratch-my-eyes-out horrible or passable? I know that it isn’t spectacular, so I’m not even going to go there. I have exhausted all possible resources available to me. So, please help me out. Before I hemorrhage out of sheer anxiety.

    Thanks much.

    Cheers.

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  • grades,  law school,  St. George

    citric acid

    March 13, 2009


    I know you (usually) give witty and/or useless and acerbic responses. But bear w/ me on this one! I’d like to go to law school (not Dalhousie’s) and my grades are steady 70s. While I’ve done everything in my power to improve them (i.e. writing centres, editing, turning essays in on time etc.) they have simply not budged any higher. All the while I’m being told idiots from UTSC/UTM are going to get the same degree as I do at St. George for less effort and that UofT bell curves like it’s a fetish. So my question is this: What on earth could I possibly do (other than dropping out) to do better and stay sane? MERCI BEAUCOUP!

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