• subject POST

    not just first-year, ADVANCED first-year

    August 11, 2014

    Hey, ASKA!

    I’m an incoming first year at UTSG. I plan on entering a Psych POSt at the?end of first year. Thing is, I read somewhere that we apply to a POSt after?the completion of 4.0 FCEs. I’ll be starting in the fall with 3.0 FCEs on?my transcript from AP credits transferred. How does that work? I don’t take?PSY100, which is the prerequisite for applying to the POSt, until the?spring semester. Will I be able to wait and apply when all my fellow first?years are applying at the end of the year, or will they try and make me?choose a POSt already at the end of first semester?

    Thanks!

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

    hey there,

    welcome to first year! i hope you’re excited. try to use that?excitement to crush the borderline panic that threatens to overwhelm you at all times*.

    this is one of those situations where you have to read the university guidelines VERY CAREFULLY. the registration instructions say that “St. George campus, Arts & Science students are required to enrol in subject POSt(s) at the end of the session in which they complete their fourth full-course equivalent.”

    there are two sessions at UTSG: the summer session and the Fall/Winter session (September-April). even though you’ll have completed 4.0 FCEs before April, April is the end of the session, not December. also, you’re not able to add/request subject POSts until April anyway. so if you take PSY100 in the spring term, you’ll be alright to ?request a psych POSt in April-September, along with everyone else.

    don’t worry, you too can experience the magic?of stressing about subject POSts all summer when you really want to be enjoying some well-deserved time off. yay!

    cheers,

    aska

    *sorry, i don’t mean to assume that you’re panicking. maybe you’re completely cool and composed about the next major stage of your life. but, you know, that’s a much less safe bet than panic.

    Read More
  • subject POST

    i say POSt a lot in this post

    August 1, 2014

    Hi aska!? I just have a brief question about Majors with a GPA requirement! Let’s say I get the required GPA of 2.0 for the Bio major and I’ve done everything else that is needed. Is is true that there is still a chance that I won’t be allowed into it? (which would suck 🙁 ) And if there is a chance, is it a slim one or pretty darn big? Thank you aska, you’re the best! 🙂

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

    hey there!?

    it?depends on the type of subject POSt you’re applying to. POSts are either type 1, 2(/2L) or 3 subject POSts.

    a type 1 POSt has no specific prerequisites, a type 2 POSt has certain prerequisites but you’re guaranteed admission as long as you meet them, and a type 3 POSt has specific prerequisites and limited enrolment – meaning that even if you meet the prereqs, you might not get in.

    of course, your chances of getting into any program with limited enrolment?(i.e. a type 3 program) depend on the popularity of the program and the strength of your academic record, so i can’t really help you with that. i can’t read your academic past?through the screen, you know. only in person.

    the biology major is a type 1 program, so i have a feeling that you were just using that as an example. find the POSts you’re interested in on this list and see if they’re type 1, 2 or 3. that’ll tell you if you’re guaranteed admission, or if you’ll have to spend all your birthday wishes on trying?to get in.

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • economics,  subject POST

    second time’s a charm

    August 1, 2014

    i am very stressed out about this situation. im trying to get into the economics program at uoft however i repeated the eco100 and fell just below the required grade. i am not able to switch into other programs based on the courses ive taken and im really passionate about getting into economics. is there any possible way to get in the program? can i take eco100 at another campus? freaking out!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, firstly, it’s just not true that you are “not able to switch into other programs based on the courses you’ve taken.” there are a whole slew of type 1 programs which have no required marks or courses. you may be passionate about economics, but it’s not your only option.

    the university says that if you passed a course, you can retake it once if you wish, to try and boost your mark for subject POSt purposes. the university’s very strict about its wish-granting powers.

    if you were to try and take ECO100 somewhere else or take ECO105, for example, that is technically possible, but it won’t help you get into the POSt. the economics department says that “students must have a combined total of at most two tries at ECO100Y1, ECO105Y1, or any comparable course (e.g., at UTSC or UTM). No third try will be considered in order to meet the minimum grade requirement for admission to a program.”

    predictably, they leave absolutely no space for wiggle room. financial folks can be that way.

    i’d recommend taking a step back and examining why you did poorly on both tries at the course, whether this is what you really want, and whether there are some alternative options that might suit you better. as always, you might consider making an appointment with your registrar’s office to help out with that.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • jobs,  subject POST,  Transferring

    transferring, multiple POSts, working – it’s a busy life

    July 31, 2014

    Hey there!.. so I kinda need help. 🙂

    I want to know if I can do a specialist and a major. I read one of your replies to someone else about a double specialization taking like 7 years or something? I’m trying to do Biochemistry, only it doesn’t have a ‘major’ option, and I really want to do computer science as a major and I want to know if I am capable of doing both of these without having to retake my entire university experience again.

    Secondlyyyyyy I’m unfortunately a transfer student, and so I will most likely have to take courses over again because they’re not up to par with UTM. So I guess my question is whether I’m allowed to take longer than 4 years to complete my bachelors. And if I am, will it affect anything else? gpa? osap? anything? :/..

    Aaand third things third :D…. because I’m a transfer student I was made to choose courses (that didn’t really have anything to do with biochemistry) in case my transfer credit assessment didnt come back to me in time. I’ve gotten the assessment now but I still need the green light from a few professors and department heads which I haven’t gotten yet (and probably won’t get for at least another week) Which means that I’ll be a bit late in choosing my courses after the limitations have been lifted from certain program courses. Although it has nothing to do with the paragraph I just wrote^, am I allowed to apply for on campus jobs (like bookstore and such) and give them my present schedule but let them know theres been a change? I feel like I’ll be losing an opportunity if the stability of my courses is the reason I am unable to apply.

    In my head this was all supposed to be in like a single paragraph. I guess I have word diarrhea. Hey, at least you get good eye exercise.

    And thank you by the way. I find askastudent extremely helpful. It’s kind of my go-to-place. (who wants to go to the office of registrar every time)

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    1) man, did i really say a specialist and a major would take 7 years??? that is NOT true. if i did say that, i’m sorry, but i doubt i did. you CAN do a specialist and a major. it’s certainly allowed by the faculty (page 9). you may be stretching yourself a little, but depending on how much overlap you can manage between the POSts, it is possible in some cases to complete a major and specialist in four years. if it did take longer, you’d probably only go one or two terms over the four year standard. definitely not three years.

    plan out all the courses you want to/have to take for both the specialist and the major, as well as the courses you need to take to meet breadth requirements, and see how long that hypothetical schedule would take you. that’s the best way to see if something is doable.

    2) nope.

    3) there are a LOT of different employers at uoft, so some of them will have more flexible hours than hours. usually they say if hours are flexible on the job posting.

    generally speaking however, work-study positions tend to be catered entirely to a student’s schedule. if you’re not opposed to working a max. of 12 hrs/week for minimum wage, that might be a good option for you.

    and hey, i get you. who wants to be in an office full of people hired to help you out? NO THANKS. (no but really, thank you for continuing to support aska, it means the world and i would never get to do this awesome job without all your charmingly fatalistic freak-outs).

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • first year,  science,  subject POST

    “mandatory” “first year” classes

    July 29, 2014

    Hey there,
    So I got into the humanities program at U of T, however, I wanted to get into the science program. The only mark holding my back was calculus. I was wondering what courses are mandatory as a first year student and also how many courses I can possibly take as electives to transfer over if i choose to re-apply to sciences for my following year.
    Thanks a ton

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    there aren’t really any mandatory courses. as a first-year student, you’re already in a stream (life. sci., humanities, comp. sci., what have you), but you can also make drastic changes to that fairly easily.

    what i would do is figure out some subject POSts (that’s ‘subject Program of Study,’ if you’re just tuning in) that you’re interested in applying to after first year. then go to the course calendar, see what first-year courses are required/recommended for those POSts, and take them.

    just keep in mind that a lot of first-year science courses may have priorities or restrictions for life science students, so make sure to double check the ‘enrolment indicator’ column on the timetable for each of the courses you’re thinking of taking.

    otherwise, there’s nothing much that’s “required.” it might be a good idea that you start trying to meet some breadth requirements in first year, but it’s not mandatory. you’ve basically got free license to enrol in whichever courses you deem important for your second, third and fourth years.

    i know that kind of freedom all at once can be scary to the point of nausea, but trust me, it’ll be good for you. and hopefully, it’ll end with you in a program you really love. or at least one you don’t despise.

    best of luck,

    aska

    Read More
  • computer science,  subject POST

    computers are my calling

    July 29, 2014

    Hey,
    I was a part time student last year which was my first year. The program I was admitted to was social science but after this first year I decided that computer science is where I wanna be. What’s the procedure for switching from social sci to comp sci?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, it depends on the campus. i’m gonna assume you’re st. george because it’s the most likely option. see? probability and math can be used to solve real-life problems when people don’t teLL YOU WHICH CAMPUS THEY’RE AT MY GOSH.

    moving on.

    it all depends on what you took in first year. the simple answer is that you need to have taken all the prerequisites for the subject POSt (note that the prereqs for applying after first year are different from applying after the second). then apply during the correct enrolment period.

    you will also need to complete a total of 4.0 FCEs before you can apply to the comp. sci. POSt. since you were a part-time student in first year, i’m guessing you haven’t gotten there yet. if that’s the case, you can take this year to get up to the minimum requirement, make sure you’ve met all the prereqs for computer science, and then apply next april.

    best of luck,

    aska

    Read More
  • subject POST,  UTM

    lmgtfy

    July 25, 2014

    Ok. So im currently enrolled in the forensics program at utm. My question is for forensic science specialties subject post prerequisites. Do I have to take physics before applying for forensic subject post or it can be done after first year. Plus if I change my mind and apply for other biology and chemistry related subject posts do- which classes are required in the first year for applying into the post. For example in comparative physiology program- what are the mandatory prereqs before applying in subject post. Besides bio, chem and math.
    Thanks – I hope u understand my question.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i understood your question; you’re basically asking me to read the course calendar for you and spoon-feed you the information. well. you can probably guess how i feel about that.

    i’m not sure exactly which POSt you’re talking about. the Forensic Science (Science) POSt is only offered as a major, but it is also the only Forensic Science program which requires physics. you don’t have to do it in first year, but you do have to do it at some point, so you may as well.

    the rest of the specialists require a certain number of ‘science credits’ which are either unspecified or don’t include physics. you can see all that on the course calendar.

    for comparative physiology, “[s]tudents wishing to enrol at the end of the first year (4.0 credits) must obtain a grade of at least 65% in both CHM110H5 and CHM120H5 and a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.50 to qualify.” you should probably also complete BIO152, 153, MAT134/5/7, and 1.0 FCEs from either CLA201H5, ENV100Y5, ERS120H5, PHY136H5, PHY137H5, PSY100Y5, WRI203H5, or WRI307H5 in order to keep up with the pace of the program, though you don’t have to do it all in first year.

    i hope that helps. i’ll give you a pass this time because you’re a first year who maybe doesn’t know about the calendar and the world is bigger and scarier than ever and life is rough for you right now – but please don’t ask me to do that again.

    ttfn,

    aska

    Read More
  • art,  degree requirements,  subject POST

    the times (and subject POSts) are a-changin’

    July 24, 2014

    Hey aska, how much credit should I give to what the degree explorer says. Would you happen to know if it’s supposed to take into account exclusions? For example It has my art history major listed as incomplete because I haven’t taken VST101, but I already took the exclusion FAH105 in my first year before they got rid of it. Should I be worried or is it just a glitch type thing?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the mystery student strikes again, giving me NO INDICATION that you’re at utm except oblique hints to courses and programs. it took me 20 minutes to figure out you weren’t on the downtown campus. anyway…

    i guess you must have entered the POSt in the 2010/2011, when FAH105 was last offered, or earlier. at that time, it was a requirement for the major. you’re only expected to meet the requirements of any subject POSt as explained in the course calendar, and in fact, there should be a time stamp on your degree explorer that shows when you enrolled in the subject POSt.

    however, when courses start being cancelled and new courses start being introduced, it can be really tricky for degree explorer – and the department – to figure out what they’ll allow and what they won’t.

    i think this is a case where you have to call the department (the undergraduate counsellor will be your best bet) and ask what, if anything, you need to do. you might be fine, but just in case you need to take another bridging course or even VST101 itself, it’s safe to call the department, especially if you entered the POSt before Fall 2003.

    best of luck,

    aska

    Read More
  • 12 distinct credits,  subject POST

    filling some program req’s

    July 21, 2014

    Hello

    Who makes the choices as to which courses get used to fulfill the program requirements. I do not want one course to be used for both programs as that will go over my maximum overlapping limit but one degree explorer it shows this. Do I need to contact the program admin?

    thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    ultimately, the department that administers the program is the one that gives you the OK when you want to graduate, so yeah, they’re the people you’ll want to speak to first.

    however, if you’re having trouble determining whether you’re following the 12.0 distinct credits rule, then that’s the domain of your college registrar.

    sooo, department first, then the registrar. then out for ice cream, ’cause that stuff’s stressful.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • enrollment,  subject POST

    subject LOSt

    July 18, 2014

    Hey aska,
    I’m returning after a one year suspension from UTSG, during which I completed a certificate in Media at Humber college (awesome btw). Now that I know what I like, I requested Book & Media Studies Major and Cinema Studies Minor (Type 2 Subject POSts). My Creative Expression & Society Minor Subject POSt is active.
    On ROSI it says I am a 2nd year student so course enrolment starts towards the end of the July. However, I read my Subject POSt results won’t appear until September 13 because I applied during the second round…
    Will I still be able to enrol in courses, and if so, how??
    Thanks for your help!
    p.s. you rock 🙂

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

    hey there,

    that sounds like quite a journey – it’s nice to have you back.

    you’ll still be able to enrol in courses (on july 24th), but you may not get the ones you want. if you’re not in the enrolment category for a course, a few things might happen.

    if the course has a ‘P’ indicator on the timetable, you’ll have to wait until?August 8th at 6am to enrol in it. if it has an ‘R’ indicator, you won’t have access to the class. you can read about the other, more exotic indicators here. if a course doesn’t have an indicator and you meet any prerequisites, you should have no problem.

    also, you should add an acceptable combination of type 1 subject POSts while you wait on Book & Media and Cinema Studies to get back to you – some POSts that’ll get you into courses you’re interested in would be ideal, but it doesn’t really matter. just add some so that you can enrol in courses while you wait on the results from the type 2’s.

    also,?well done on the witty e-mail subject line. it was so good i had to use it as a title for this post, which may not seem like a big deal, but you saved me 10 minutes of staring vacantly into space?trying to think up come clever pun or one-liner related to enrolment indicators, so thanks.

    best,

    aska

    P.S. you sediment 😉

    Read More
  • subject POST,  UTM

    I Don’t Mind waiting to get into IDM

    July 18, 2014

    Hello,
    So, I’m going into third year starting September, in CCIT. With this program (major) I am allowed to choose either another major, two minors, or a specialist (DEM or IDM). Right now I’m enrolled in the major, and two minors (SOC and VCC), but I want to take the IDM specialist. In the first and second years I did not meet the requirements to enrol in the specialist, but since then my GPA has increased and now does meet the minimum requirement.
    Is it too late to apply for the specialist now? I completed the required first year courses, and 2nd year courses were exclusive to those enrolled in the specialist. Can I still get into the specialist and catch up?
    Please let me know, thanks a lot!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    firstly, thank you for using all acronyms that i am not familiar with. i really love when students do that. (also, who knew interactive digital media was a program? i interact digitally with people all the time! i should receive an honorary degree).

    i doubt you’ll be able to get in after now. according to the calendar, “[s]tudents may apply to enrol after having completed this program’s requirements in the first year with a grade of 65% in both CCT109H5 and CCT110H5.” the fact that they specifically said “in the first year” means they probably don’t accept people after second year. but the wording is ambiguous, so i wouldn’t give up just yet.

    departments sometimes make exceptions for a few upper-year students, depending on the program. i’d give them a call and explain your situation, just in case they’re willing to consider you. all the department contacts are here.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • enrollment,  subject POST

    but i FEEL like i should be in a higher year

    July 17, 2014

    Hi! I have 2 questions. Im starting my third year from september and I want to enroll in a course and it says the prerequisites are? 2.0 ENG FCE and any 4.0 FCE. Does this mean from first and second year or? just second year?Also, although I am in my third year, on Rosi, it says Im in second since I am 0.5 credit behind. Does this mean I’ll have to mainly select second year courses? I’m assuming that most third year courses will be full since I will have a later date to pick courses than third year students.

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

    hey there,

    guuuUUUUURGH i wish you’d told me what course?it was so i could just look it up.?ah, well. time to whip out the thinking cap.

    if it says ‘any 4.0 FCEs,’ then it just means that you need to have completed 4.0 credits. any 4.0. that prerequisite is?typically a baby-proofing measure used to prevent first year students from taking a course. the fact that it requires at least 2.0 ENG FCEs makes me feel like that’s almost definitely the case here.

    you’re only a third year student if you?”expect to complete 9 to 13.5 credits by the end of the 2014 summer session.” if you’re under 9.0, then you’re still considered a second-year student, meaning you’ll have to enrol along with the second year students, on july 24th (you can check your start time on ROSI on july 18th).

    you may be able to enrol in some third-year courses though, as long as you can get in and you meet the prerequisites. yeah, a lot of them will be full by the time you enrol, but you might be able to waitlist your way into some, if you’re dedicated enough.?i wish you luck with it!

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • subject POST,  UTSC

    applying late, testing fate

    July 9, 2014

    Is there a deadline for current students wanting to apply and switch into a limited program, such as Computer Science or New Media? To clarify, if I am in my third or fourth year, is it too late for me to get into one of these programs? I am a 3rd-year student in Mathematics who wants to get into one of these programs. I know I will be held behind by some terms, but I just wanted to know if there’s still a chance.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    based on that exotic program i’ve never heard of, i’m gonna guess you’re a UTSC student? my detective skills are really starting to approach master level with you guys leaving all these SUBTLE HINTS about where you go to school instead of just saying it outright. is it a test, i wonder? should i be getting ready for the final showdown? or are you all running from the law and you don’t wanna reveal your campuses to me? you’re damn miscreants, every single last one of you. i just know it.

    anyway.

    the new media major had a May 1st deadline for its supplemental application this year, so it looks like you missed the boat on that one. also, they specify that “[a]dmission is by competitive application at the end of a student’s first year,” so it’s unlikely that they accept people after second year.

    the deadline to apply for computer science is august 2nd, but the department states that “[s]tudents are admitted to the second year of the program,” which, again, probably indicates that they don’t accept people after second year.

    sometimes, if you beg and bribe and cry-scream into their faces enough (read: call the department and politely explain your situation), it’ll turn out that they’re?willing to consider accepting a handful of students after second-year. obviously it depends on the program, but you’ve got nothing to lose by contacting them (here’re the contacts for computer science and new media).

    good luck and i hope it all works out, chum,

    aska

    Read More