subject POST - askastudent

credits, subject POST, summer

another day, another POSt

April 12, 2019

Hi! I took the min amount of courses a full time student can take so I should have 3.0 FCE at the end of the year right? So I can’t apply to a POST? What happens then? I have to wait until next summer or will I have to apply in the coming fall semester as soon as I complete 1 more FCE to make 4 total? Also I want to major in sociology but I didn’t take perquisite course (took a different soc course) & I can’t take it in the summer so do I have to apply to random programs then just switch later?

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hey there,

if you took the minimum amount of courses to still qualify as full-time, you should indeed have 3.0 FCE by the end of the year. you’re correct that this bars you from applying to a POSt right now, and unfortunately there’s no POSt application period in the fall. it only happens in two periods once a year, generally beginning near the end of winter semester and in the middle of the summer semester.

this puts you in kind of a weird place.

my recommendation to you depends on your plan going forward. there are two possibilities:

1.you’re taking summer classes and will have another 1.0 credit once the first summer semester is up

there’s a rule that prevents students from enrolling in courses once they reach 4.0 credits and aren’t registered in a program. if you are taking enough summer classes to have 4.0 by july, i’m worried that this will kick in for you before course reg, and you’ll find yourself unable to come back for fall/winter next year. what you’ll want to do with this case is request programs during the second request period. this request period depends on what program type you’re going for, and you can find those dates here. i dunno if you’re well-versed on program types, so if you’re not you can read up on them there as well. to check what kind of type your programs are, ctrl+f them on this page.

yikes, i feel like one of those automated phone lines you call and have to press 5 buttons before you can speak to a real human being. press 8 for more information. press 9 to repeat this message. press 0 to revive aska-with-a-personality from the hellhole that is exam szn :(( my apologies for being as dry as a piece of two-week-old bread.

… i don’t know what i’m throwing this gif in for. it serves no purpose other than making me a lil uncomfortable.

since you won’t be able to get your soc prereqs by then, what you should probably do is pick placeholder programs. this’ll ensure you’ll be able to register in courses, and they’re easy enough to drop at the end of next year if you still want to switch to soc. i’d go for random type 1 programs, as they don’t ask anything extra of you. it’s basically just so your acorn continues to function and treat you as a student following the rules. loopholes!

2.you’re not taking summer courses/enough summer courses to have 4.0 by july

with this, i’m relatively confident the no-course-enrollment rule will not affect you. what you’ll have to do in this case is just wait til next year’s program enrollment period. this, thankfully, gives you time to complete your soc prerequisites without having to throw placeholders into your ACORN.

hope this helped! best of luck with what exams you have left, and feel free to shoot me another question if you run into any trouble with this.

over n out,

aska

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PSL, subject POST

psl pLS

April 11, 2019
Hi aska! I’m a 2nd year Health & Disease Specialist but want to switch to a double major in H&D + Physiology or Immunology, and have a couple questions: 1) when I apply to the PSL/IMM majors do I need to check the box that I’m switching out of H&D spec. or can I just apply for the majors separately & drop out of the specialist on ACORN if I get accepted? 2) PSL rejected me last year but my marks in PSL courses/overall are way better this year – will they consider 2nd year marks? Thanks so much!!

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hello hello!

this definitely undermines my credibility, but i only found out what psl stood for … four days ago. BUT now that i’m armed with that elusive! knowledge! i think i can help ya out here.
1. don’t drop your H&D right away! what you’ll want to do here is apply for the majors first. then, should you get in, you’ll need to indicate that you’re switching out of H&D in order to accept
  PSL/IMM. as far as i know, ACORN will let you add up to three programs at a time, so there’s no good reason why you should take the risk and sweep H&D off the table before you know if your admission to PSL/IMM is secure.
2. some programs have specific second-year admissions criteria, and some don’t. PSL is one of the latter; the calendar indicates that they base admissions on those 3 first-year required courses. however, there are departments that will still look at your second-year grades, and if they find you’ve made a significant improvement, this will be factored into your decision. now, i’m not sure if PSL is this level of gracious, so unfortunately i’ve gotta redirect you to the department for this one. give them a call or a visit, and find out if it’ll work out for you. you can find the undergrad assistant Eva Eng in medsci 3209, or call her at 416-978-5077.
off you go, then. best of luck getting in!

cheers,

aska
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english, programs, subject POST

what is this, valentine’s day?

March 22, 2019

Hello again!

I just had a few quick questions regarding program enrollment. So, for my english major and creative expression and society minor it says that I can apply from March 1-September 18th 2019 and then for my book and media studies it says March 1-May 12 2019 but to check for results on July 2nd 2019 and enroll by August 7th 2019. Does this mean I can apply for it now for my second year beginning in September? Because I went to enroll in acorn and it said that the “start session” begins Summer 2019 but am I not enrolled nor do I want to enroll in summer school. I’m just confused on what this means.

Thankyou!

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hi again and welcome back!

lot of dates you got there. not all of us can relate.

SORRY anyways, all this info you’ve got boils down to yes, you can apply to your programs now for september. that summer start session thing just means hypothetically, if you DID want to start courses for your program in the summer, you’d be able to.

this is the statement the registrar put out about start sessions, that does a way better job of explaining things:

Heads up: If you have just enrolled in a program and the Start Session says 2019 Summer, that’s normal! It doesn’t mean you need to start taking courses this summer. The purpose of the Start Session is so you know which year you added the program, and which calendar’s requirements you will be following in order to complete the program.

hope this helped!

over n out,

aska

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arts & sciences, cinema studies, english, subject POST

aaaaand it’s that time of year again

March 19, 2019

Hi!

This may be a completely dumb question but, I am currently in my first year at UTSG and am deciding on what I want to major and minor in. I know for sure that I want to major in english and minor in literary studies but I am currently stuck on what to pick for my second minor. I wanted to do film studies but I haven’t taken the introduction to film studies this year and I heard that you can’t apply to be in film studies unless you have taken the intro course first. But, my question was if this is true or not and if I am able to apply for film studies and take the intro class in my second year. I have a back up plan to choose book & media studies as my second minor if film doesn’t work out. But, I was also wondering (this may sound really stupid so sorry!) if we apply for our programs at the end of our first year or the end of second year and when we are to apply. Also, one final question, can I apply for my major and then three minors in case one is difficult to get into and I don’t get into one (because film & book and media studies are more difficult). For example, if i apply for my major as english and then my minors as literary studies, film studies, and book & media studies, and if i get into all then I just pick the two minors I want the most.

Sorry if this was really long and makes no literal sense!

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hello n welcome!

i don’t believe in dumb questions. i’ll answer anything. your confusion is valid, the school’s system can be difficult to navigate and that’s why i’m on here, running this world-class (lmao i wish) blog.

so i’ve looked it up, but i can’t find any mention of… literary studies at u of t? so for the purposes of this post, i’m just gonna assume you mean literature and critical theory, or what i really wanna call lit&crit. if i’m wrong and literary studies is an actual program, feel free to correct me with as much salt as you’d like.

according to the cinema studies minor page it is true that yeah, you need the intro class CIN105Y1 in order to get into the program. you’ll need at last a 70 percent in the course to be competitive for admission. if your heart is set on studying the art of the silver screen, then what i’d recommend you do is register for the course in your second year and try to apply for the minor at the end of next year. you won’t be able to register and then take the intro course, as they require a final mark in that class to let you in.

that’s a good transition into your next question, about when to apply for programs. technically, you’re allowed to apply for a program at the end of your first year. this program request period has already started, and the dates vary by program type. you can check them all out here, which i would recommend doing just so you know what your deadlines are. however, there’s nothing stopping you from engaging in this program request period in later years, as well.

the only thing you really should know is that once you hit your second year (complete 4.0 FCEs), you’re required to be enrolled in programs or else you’ll be blocked from course registration.

for your last question, how it works is that you can apply to multiple programs as long as they’re not all type 1 programs. i’m not sure how familiar you are with the system, so i can give you a quick rundown of the program types. type 1 programs have no restrictions on enrolment. as soon as you request the program, you’re automatically added to it– english and lit&crit are both type 1. type 2 programs generally require a specific grade threshold in a specific course to be met– for example, a 70 percent in CIN105Y1. type 3 programs essentially add extra requirements, like auditions and essays, on top of what a type 2 asks.

at the end of the day, you can only be enrolled in 3 subject POSts at once. that’s why you can’t pick four type 1s, but you can request two type 1s and two type 2s. if you did get admitted to both the type 2 programs you requested, you’d only be able to accept one in addition to your two other programs.

if that’s too confusing, just know that in your case, theoretically you would be able to request that combo of programs (eng, cin, lit&crit, book and media). however, as you haven’t taken the cin intro course, i guess it’s not as relevant?

what you can do if you don’t get into book and media is request a placeholder minor. this is any type 1 minor that you can easily drop at the end of the year, and replace with something you like more– like cin, if you take the intro course!

hopefully this was helpful to you! in other words, i really hope i didn’t just make your head spin even more with the long post. comments section is open for complaints if i did. i know it’s tough juggling all that comes with march (wrapping up midterms! quickly approaching finals! tackling assignments like you’re putting out lil fires!) on top of figuring out how the HECK programs work.

all the best,

aska

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CR/NCR, subject POST, switching

new GPA, who dis?

May 7, 2018

Hello! I am currently pursuing an Accounting Specialization and have decided to switch programs. By switching programs, does my GPA reset if I don’t use any of my past credits in my new program? Thanks.

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hi!

so i’ve scoured the internet, looked through every u of t-sanctioned website, and basically the answer is… no. your GPA doesn’t reset if you switch programs.

according to the faculty of arts and sciences’ calendar, your GPA is the weighted sum of all the courses you’ve taken at the faculty of arts and sciences. this means that every course you take in the faculty, regardless of whether or not you switch programs of study, counts towards your GPA. bummer, i know.

however, there are certain marks that aren’t included in your CGPA (though you probably know this already!) this includes any courses that you take CR/NCR, transfer credits, credits that you took at another university on a letter of permission or on exchange, and any courses designated as “extra.”

the only way that you would be able to “reset” your GPA is if you transferred to another faculty, campus, or school. so, if that’s your case, congrats! your GPA is reset! if that’s not the case then, sorry, you’re stuck with your old GPA.

if there’s any confusion or you have any other further questions, you should get in contact with your registrar’s office, who’ll be able to answer this question (AND SO MUCH MORE!)

i hope this helps!

xoxo,

aska

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subject POST

subject post blues

July 21, 2017

hey hey! I just need some clarification. So lets say I met all the requirements of a subject post but get rejected because its competitive. Doing better in my second year won’t improve my chances of getting into the program if I dont retake the prereq courses (and try to get better grades in those courses) correct? thank uu

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hi!

unfortunately, you can’t enrol in a course that you’ve already taken and passed without the permission of the department. if you want to retake a course for your subject POSt, i would go to the department and ask if it’s possible.

i would also make an appointment with your college registrar to discuss next steps or alternatives for the upcoming school year since you didn’t get into the subject POSt you wanted. they might also be able to help you with the next steps that you need to take if you want to retake a course you’ve passed.

i hope this helps! good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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subject POST

s’all good baby baby

July 12, 2017

I realized that I don’t really want to pursue the major that I applied for anymore, so I’m considering changing my major. However, the major that I’m interested in, is in another department. How difficult is it to change departments?

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hi!

well, you can change your subject POSts up until you want to graduate, as long as you have what is needed to enroll in the POSt.

as for how “hard” it is to change departments, it really shouldn’t be an issue. as long as you have the prereqs for the major (ex. any GPA threshold or required courses) you should be able to enroll. however, if the switch is drastic, you might need to catch up on your new major’s required courses. this isn’t a big deal, you might just not be able to finish in 4 years. but again, this is NO BIGGIE AT ALL!

if you’re going into your second year and you’re applying for your subject POSts for the first time right now, it shouldn’t be an issue at all. again, as long as you have the prereqs for the program.

i hope this helps! good luck on your new endeavor.

xoxo,

aska

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ACORN, admissions, subject POST

acorn, you good?

June 14, 2017

Hello,

I’m going into my second year studying life sciences and have applied to several type 3 programs. I got invited to a program a few days ago on Acorn and there was orange text saying “accept your invitation” and an accept button but being the indecisive person I am, I decided to wait to see if I got anything else before accepting. I checked back today and there was another program under “invited” on the enrol & manage –> programs page on Acorn however both now only have a reapply button. What does this mean? There’s no option to accept or decline the invitations, and clicking reapply just makes an error message pop up saying that the request period is over??? I’m worried and confused, pls help!!

From,
Confused student

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hi!

as far as i know, you can’t start accepting invitations for programs until july 3rd. i don’t think ACORN will let you accept before that, but you can view your acceptances before that. you can check out more of the dates here. so yeah… not really sure what’s happening with your ACORN and all those weird buttons, but i wouldn’t worry about it too much if i were you.

if you’re worried about the offer disappearing, i would check with your college registrar as they have access to more information than i do as a student blogger.

hope this helps! good luck m’dude!

xoxo,

aska

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subject POST

not immune to having a subject post

June 5, 2017

Heyy

I didn’t do too well in my first year life sciences courses and so I didn’t meet all of the requirements for some majors (ex. Immunology) that I was interested in. I already missed the deadline to apply for summer courses. What do I do now? I’ve applied to some programs for my subject POSt but what if I still want to get into the programs that I haven’t reached the requirements for??

To add to the problem, I finished first year with only 4 credits (I sadly failed a Y course). Can I still “catch up” on my credits if I retake CHM135 and CHM136 during my second year?

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hi!

though people usually apply/ get into their desired subject posts at the end of first year, you can still change your post afterwards! just don’t forget to apply to a placeholder subject post for the upcoming school year so that you can actually enrol in courses. oh! and make sure you look at the prereq courses for immunology and make sure you have those completed before you reapply.

you could also speak to the undergraduate advisor/ coordinator of immunology. they’ll be able to give you so much more information that i cannot as a humble student blogger.

it’s no biggie that you finished first year with only 4 credits, you’ll still be counted as a second year student come september. as for taking CHM135 and 136 during your second year, you need special permission from the department to retake the course- you can’t retake a course if you passed it.

unless you have some kind of time limit on when you want to finish your degree, you don’t have to worry about not taking summer courses. if anything, you could always take summer courses next year to “catch up” if finishing in four years is really important to you.

good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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GPA, probation, subject POST

it’s not you, it’s me

June 5, 2017

This might seem like a weird question, but I just spent an additional year
trying to get into a type 3 specialist POSt. I’m sitting at a healthy 3.15
CGPA right now, but economics scares me and it will probably drop. At what
gpa/cgpa does the university kick me out of a program? Don’t get me wrong,
I’m still going to work my ass off, haha, but I really would appreciate the
piece of mind of knowing the very edge of my acceptable limit.

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hello,

holy crap. a 3.15 CGPA is so healthy yo.

in regards to your question, you’re in luck. once you’re in a program, you’re in it for good.

the program can’t break up with you, but you can break up with the program.

even if you go on academic probation, get suspended, or take 10 years off, your program will stay the same unless you change it or remove it yourself.

even though you aren’t going to get removed from your program, you should still set an “acceptable limit”. i would recommend that you try to stay above a 1.50 CGPA in order to remain in good academic standing. once you go below a 1.50 CGPA, you will be on academic probation which has a lot of not-so-fun consequences attached to it. if you want a good scare, look here.

you should definitely continue working your ass off! (oh no, i said ass!!! but you said it first!)

you’re doing great so far, so keep it up!

peace and love,

aska

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computer science, subject POST, UTM

there’s always next year!

May 18, 2017

Hi there,
Im currently enrolled in UTM and I really want to enroll in the computer
science major. However, I currently have a 1.67 gpa due to my poor study
habits and over confidence in my abilities (bad habit that carried from
high school DX). I’d like to ask, If i do exceptionally well while taking
second year compsci courses (like getting over 3.0 in most of the courses),
will they consider me for admission? If not, what the options laid out for
me?

Thanks and have a nice day!

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hello,

dude, i’ve been there. poor study habits continue to haunt me everyday. just last night i fell asleep on my bed while doing readings for class and then in the morning, i completey slept through my class. it happens. i hope things will be better for you next semester!

if you successfully completed CSC108h5 and achieved a minimum of 60% in CSC148H%, MAT102H5 and one of either MAT134Y5, 135Y5, 137Y5/157Y5), you can try getting into the CSC major after you complete your second year. make sure you pay attention to when the program request period would be and make sure you request during the appropriate time!

it states on the calendar that you will also need to meet the CGPA requirement, which changes every year. you’ll have to check if you meet that requirement yourself once it become available. sometimes, even meeting the minimum CGPA requirement won’t guarantee you a space in the program, but if you do want to check your chances of getting in, you could contact the program’s undergraduate advisor. when i was concerned about my chances of getting into my program, sitting down with my undergraduate advisor was really helpful because she helped me figure out what i needed to do in order to get into the program.

if in second year, you get grades in: [CSC207H5, 236H5, two of (CSC209H5, 258H5, 263H5), 290H5; MAT223H5/240H5; STA256H5]… that bring you up to the CGPA requirement of the year, it would at the very least make you eligible for entrance into the program.

the question of whether or not you would get into the program is one that i wouldn’t be able to predict simply because program admissions are solely based on the discretion of the department.

since you’ve already completed 4.0 FCE’s, you would have had to enrol in a program (any program) as a placeholder. if you haven’t already, selecting a random type 1 subject POSt (a specialist, 2 majors, 1 major and 2 minors) will allow you to continue enrolling in courses at UTM.

if you don’t get into the program after second year, you can try to get in after third year! you just might have some trouble enrolling in specific courses those courses offer priority enrolment to compsci majors. another option may be to switch programs. maybe compsci isn’t for you! again, speaking to your undergraduate counsellor or registrar’s office will be super helpful in terms of exploring other options!

hope this helped!

good luck and i hope you get into the program that you want to get into!

peace and love,

aska

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arts & sciences, programs, St. George, subject POST

not so easy as 1- 2- 2L- 3

May 15, 2017

When is it time to choose programs? And what are the different types of programs (Type 1,2,3)? Thank you!

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hey,

ah yes, it’s that time of year again. i really hope that in the time it has taken me to respond to your inquiry, you’ve tried googling this yourself…

…but if you haven’t, that’s fine, i’ll answer your question anyways! all of the below information applies to the faculty of arts and science at UTSG.

this information is illustrated really nicely in this link right here but i’ll reiterate it for you and all my wonderful readers because that is what i do.

behold.

when is the subject POSt enrolment period? depends on your program type. (fyi: i am using program and POSt interchangeably.)

how do you check what type of program you want? you use this handy little (or not so little) list.

type 1 programs: the period to enrol for type 1 programs is april 1st to september 20th (a.k.a. now) there are no enrolment restrictions on type 1 programs. if you have completed 4.0 FCE’s you will be able to enrol into any type 1 program. all you have to do is go to ROSI or ACORN and enrol yourself. (just plunk the code on the left side of the column into the subject POSt module, et voila!)

type 1S programs: these are basically the same as type 1 programs except the enrolment period is different and students in these programs pay higher fees. there are no restrictions or applications for 1S programs and the enrolment period of july 3rd to september 20th (a.k.a. later).

type 2, 2L (the L just means limited), 3 programs**: this is where things get a little funky. read carefully.

there are two request periods for these types of programs because the first period is if you completed the program requirements by the end of the 2016-2017 fall winter session, while the second period is if you are hoping to have completed the program requirements by the end of the 2017 summer session.

the first period to apply is april 1st to may 17th. you will need to apply during this period, check your result on june 30th, and then if you have been invited to enrol, enrol by august 2nd.

the second period to apply is july 3rd to august 27th. you will need to apply during this period, check your result on september 15th, and if you have been invited to enrol, you’ll need to enrol by september 20th. be sure to check your ROSI during this period (put it in your calendar!) because you don’t have much time to enrol!

**type 3 programs: these differ slightly from type 2 programs because program enrolment is limited and you will require an application. some applications do not accept applications from the second request period. if that is the case, it will say 3-no.

again, the steps to applying and enrolling are all outlined nicely in the link i attached above!

***something important to keep in mind is that if you’ve completed 4.0 FCE’s, you won’t be able to add any courses until you apply to a program. if you are applying to a type 2 or 3 program where it is possible that you may not be accepted, it is very important to secure a backup POSt so you can continue to enrol in courses. my advice to you would be to enrol in a random type 1 specialist program simultaneously along with your type 2/2L/3 program applications just in case you don’t get into to the type 2/2L/3 programs. don’t worry, you won’t need to have taken any courses in that department, pretty much any type 1 POST will do. that being said, you could also enrol yourself in 2 type 1 majors/ one type 1 major and two type 1 minors as place holders, but that just overcomplicates everything once you need to drop them. it’s better to just use a type 1 specialist as your placeholder because if you do end up getting into a type 2/2L/3 program, you’ll only need to drop one POSt (your random type 1 specialist) as opposed to two type 1 majors/a type 1 major and 2 type 1 minors.***

does that make sense? are you one of these flamingoes?

that’s okay! i realize this post may be a little convoluted and wordy but if you need more clarification, please comment below!

good luck and i hope you get into all your desired programs!

peace and love,

aska

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averages, failing, sociology, subject POST, summer

i just want to know what i’m up against

April 26, 2017

Hi, I’m a first year student at UTSG and I’m worried that I might fail a course (even though I put it down as credit/no credit) I obviously want the credit cuz it’s a full year course but i worry I might fail. I don’t want to spend this summer in school obviously, but I’m thinking of making up for it next summer. I was wondering how does summer school work if I take one full year course? Do we meet every day? Are lecturers typically 2hrs? Are there tutorials? How many days a week would we meet?

Also I’m thinking about majoring in sociology, It says u need a combined mark of 65% for SOC102 and 103. I severely underestimated first semester and got a 64 in 102 and I’ll probably finish in 103 with around 75. Do u think I’ll be admitted into the program with a 70% overall? How competitive is sociology? I can’t find this info anywhere!
Thanks!

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hello,

first of all, i hope you didn’t fail the course! we’ve all been there at some point in our undergrads, so don’t sweat it too much. you’re only in first year and you have plenty of time to catch up if you do end up failing. fingers crossed!

i actually prefer summer school to fall/winter school (?) because i feel that i have more energy to get up and go to class when it’s nice outside as opposed to when its dark and gloomy. it’s not the worst thing! a summer of relaxation can get boring! might as well do something productive!

*my most sincerest apologies if this information is completely irrelevant at this point in time- i’m really bad at getting to time-sensitive questions on time*

every summer Y course is different. i’ll show you different examples of what to expect. since you’re pursuing an arts degree, let’s go with something like anthropology. as you can see below, you’ll have 2 two hour long lectures and one hour long tutorial per week,

but for another Y course in arts, let’s say cinema studies, you’ll have 2 four hour long lectures and no tutorial. (the lectures are usually very long because they sometimes include screenings)

if we look at yet another example coming from east asian studies, you’ll have 1 two hour long lecture and 1 hour long tutorial per week.

so you can see that it really depends on what course you decide to take. some classes come with tutorials and others come with screenings. there’s no set amount of class time that all Y classes have per week.

a question about sociology, yay! you’re talking to someone who just completed their sociology major! (humble brag, but hey, it was a lot of work and i’m glad to be done)

there really isn’t a way to find out how competitive a program is, (trust me, i even asked the registrar) but at least you know you’re above the minimum average needed and that you’ll be considered. it does say on the calendar that getting a combined average of 65% will not guarantee entrance into the program, but really, it varies every year depending on how the averages are skewed each year. maybe you’ll have a lot of overachievers this year which will bring the entrance standard up, who knows?

anyways, i hope this helped a bit. i’m sorry that i wasn’t able to provide you with any concrete answers.

i hope you have a wonderful summer and that all your exams went well!

peace, love and hope,

aska

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