• admissions,  residence,  subject POST

    application for what

    August 5, 2015

    hi aska! I want to know when is the exact date when application starts?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    application for what, my friend? there’s about a billion things you can apply for at this university. there’s so much stuff you can apply for that the institution is grinding out these obsessive, application-writing machines, people who are never satisfied and are always looking for new things to add to their resume. it’s like school creates within you this pathological dissatisfaction with your current situation, so you always want more, NEED more –

    but i digress. here are a few common application timelines:

    application for admission to the Faculty of Arts & Science: unfortunately, i can’t find a specific opening date for this one. it opens in the Fall (that’s as specific as the uoft admissions website gets, but OUAC’s 105 applications open in mid-September and you can take a look at the timeline for 101 applications on page 3 of this document), and closes January 30th (in 2015).

    application for residence: opens when you receive your JOINid (shortly after you apply) and you can log into MyRes, and closes March 31st (in 2015).

    deadline to apply for a type 2/3 subject POSt: opens April 1st, closes August 30th.

    deadline to enrol in a type 1 subject POSt: opens April 1st, closes September 27th.

    deadline to bring aska snacks: never. always feel free to bring snacks. aska accepts donations year-round.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    what an intriguing proposition

    July 28, 2015

    First year question – is there a resource where I can input all the courses I want to take, and find out what POSt’s the majority of those courses fill?

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

    hey there,

    no, there isn’t. but who knows, maybe someone at the Faculty of Arts & Science will read this post and a lightbulb will appear over their head, cartoon style. but for now, no such tool exists.

    in most cases, the department where you’re taking the most courses is probably the most likely candidate for the?subject POSt for you. for example, if you want to take a boatload of philosophy courses and not much else, you probably want to be in a philosophy specialist.

    however, that’s not always true. some POSts – like immunology, for example, require a whole bunch of courses from different departments.

    i think this is a case of putting the cart before the horse. the best way to go about choosing POSts – in my opinion – is to think long and hard about what interests you. then look for a POSt that will let you study those interests using the calendar.

    if you’re feeling really lost, wait until you’ve taken some first year courses. figure out which courses you like best.?then go back to the course calendar and find a POSt (or POSts) that will let you take as many of those kinda of courses as possible. you don’t need to pick a POSt until after first year, so this is a totally legitimate way to go about it.

    honestly, it can be kind of fun to peruse the course calendar and explore all the cool and quirky POSts out there. who knows, a bit of digging might even unearth an unknown passion.

    gold panning

    if you’re lucky, you may find a scintillating nugget of enjoyment among the dirt and sludge of university life!

    good luck with navigating the arcane and outdated piece of HTML that is the calendar!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • exclusions,  subject POST

    bribing departments for credits

    July 22, 2015

    hello aska!

    i am a statistics major and this year i decided that i want to minor in geographic information systems. last time i checked sta220 is an exclusion to ggr270 but i’ve already taken sta220… is it still possible for me to take ggr270 or do i have to give up my dream of minoring in gis forever because of this one course???

    thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    two things might happen, neither of which would mean that you have to abandon your minor.

    1) you go and talk to the geography department. you are super nice to them. you bring chocolate AND flowers. you put on your brightest smile and puppiest puppy eyes, and you ask if it would be possible to use STA220H1 towards the geographic information systems minor instead of GGR270H1. they say yes. wahoo! you don’t have to take GGR270H1.

    2) you go to the geography department. you do the chocolate, flowers and puppy eyes. the absolutely HEARTLESS person you speak to says that unfortunately, STA220H1 cannot be used towards the GIS minor.

    HOWEVER, you can still do the minor. you just have to take GGR270H1 as an “extra,” meaning a course that doesn’t count towards your degree credits or GPA, but will count towards your program requirements for the GIS minor.

    either way, you can still do the minor. it’s just a question of whether you’ll have to do the extra course or not. do make sure to speak with the department to find out (you don’t actually have to bring chocolate and flowers. but it would be nice to smile).

    cheers,

    aska

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  • law,  polisci,  subject POST

    i can polish off one specialist a year. just watch me.

    July 9, 2015

    Hi! I am going through a rough time with picking subjects posts. I really like Peace, Justice and Conflict, Criminology. Ethics, Society and Law and Political Science. I want to study all of them, but I know that is not realistic. Is there a way I could combine these majors. Which one is higher in ranking or better for maybe pursuing law school/graduate school. Thanks a lot and Happy Canada Day!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’ma get the easy question out of the way first: there is NO PROGRAM out there that is going to “prepare” you for law school.

    pretty much every law school across the continent prides itself on accepting students from all academic backgrounds. yes, the “rigour” of a certain program can sometimes give your application an edge, but the best thing you can do is go for a program (or programs) which give you the best chance of doing well.

    bthe difference between criminology or political science is not going to make or break a law school application.

    as for graduate school: it depends on the graduate program. if you’re thinking about political science, then a poli sci undergrad would be the best idea. if you want a master’s in crim., then you should probably go for – you guessed it – criminology major.

    think seriously about what kinds of graduate programs you might like to pursue, and then you can figure out which programs would best prepare you.

    k, now about your POSts:

    you’re right, there’s probably not a way to study all those POSts, because you can only have a maximum of three POSts active at any time. HOWEVER, you can do three out of four. ethics, society & law, peace, conflict and justice and criminology are all only offered as majors or specialists. so, if you wanted to, you could do a double major in two of those and a minor in political science.

    as for which POSt you should drop – i would go through the program requirements for each program and highlight which courses you feel most excited about.

    make a hypothetical plan for your whole degree and figure out which combination of POSts will allow you to take the maximum number of those courses. (not that you will or have to stick to this plan for your whole four years, but it’s a good way to make decisions based on concrete FACTS).

    at the end of the day, they’re all pretty similar programs, so there will be overlap between required courses. singling out the unique courses – like ethics or criminology courses – that you might be especially excited about is a great way to figure out which POSts to prioritize.

    good luck with it,

    aska

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  • subject POST,  UTM

    have you considered: being an underachiever

    July 9, 2015

    Hey Aska, is it possible to do two specializations or one specialization and a major etc. I’m looking towards forensic psych specialization and a biology/health sciences major, or forensic psych specialization and microbiology specialization. Thanks for all your help (:

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

    hey there,

    UTM, eh? yeah, i can read y’all like a map.

    well, you can enrol in up to three subject POSts, only two of which can be majors or specialists (see page 3 of this guide). so if you wanted to do a specialist and a major, or two specialists, that would be fine.

    i mean, i’m not sure it would be?fun, but it’s allowed.

    peace & harmony,

    aska

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  • criminology,  subject POST

    Ethics & Society & Law & Criminology

    June 25, 2015

    Hey! I am invited for the Criminology and Ethics, Society and Law major. I have not applied for any minors other than just majors. What do you think about a double major in Crim and ES&L. Is it doable? Are there any resources where I can get more information on these majors. Do you know any other students who are doing the same thing as me? Thank you so much for your help 🙂

    ———————————————
    hey there,

    sounds totally doable to me! criminology and ethics, society & law are both areas in social science which complement each other nicely. i can’t think of anyone off the top of my head who’s done it, but i’m sure it’s a common combination.

    both POSts have broad requirements including courses POL, PHL and/or ECO, so you’ll probably be able to use some of the same courses to fulfil requirements in both POSts – which is a bonus. gives you more space to take obscure interest-based courses like basket-weaving and visual arts.

    ethics, society & law requires 7.0 FCEs, and crim requires 8.0. assuming no overlap, that’s only 15.0 required courses, which is pretty typical for a double major. keep in mind that you would’ve completed some requirements in first year already, so doing the rest in three years is 100% feasible.

    as for the level of difficulty, you’ll either like it or you won’t. both POSts deal with similar subject matter, so if you enjoyed/did reasonably well in your first-year POL, SOC, or PHL courses, then you’re likely on the right track.

    and hey, it’s better than signing up for a philosophy specialist, right? at least you might actually get a job with these POSts.*

    all the best,

    aska

    * i’m just KIDDING. none of us will have jobs. we’re all screwed. thanks a lot for this wonderful economy, baby boomers.

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  • subject POST,  UTM

    “programs”

    June 2, 2015

    Hi! I accepted my offer to utm for the psychology program, but I want to transfer to the life sciences program to major in biology. To do so would this be after first year? And I would need to have a minimum of a B average? Thank you in advance!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    honestly, i wish the university would stop admitting people into “programs” right out of high school, because it just creates unnecessary confusion for everybody. do they enjoy it? DO THEY LIKE TO WATCH US STRUGGLE?

    everything they told you has been a lie.* you’re not really in a program. you may have been admitted to the general area of psychology, but you’re still going to have to apply to your subject Program(s) Of Study (or “subject POSt(s),” i.e. your actual programs) after first year, anyway.

    lucky for you, even if you’re not in life science, you can still apply to their programs.

    as long as you complete 4.0 credits including BIO152+5 (MAT134 is recommended) and finish with a 2.0 CGPA during your first year, you can apply to the biology major program after first year.

    also, you’re going to need to accompany that biology major with either another major or two more minors (learn more about acceptable combinations of subject POSts and how/when to sign up for them here).

    so yeah. first year is all just a program-less lie. fortunately, a general first-year means that you have some room to make mistakes and reinterpret your entire life and have an existential crisis or two. so at least your inevitable confusion is all built into the framework of your degree.

    i hope you have a wonderful first year. try to enjoy getting confused.

    xoxo,

    aska

    * well. not?everything. that would be?melodramatic. and aska is?never?melodramatic.

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  • subject post spotlights

    subject POSt spotlight: FOREST CONSERVATION

    May 28, 2015

    forest conservation is one of those programs that you only know about if it’s something you’re already interested in. however, such a dynamic program as this one shouldn’t be as niche as you think it?is. you don’t have to be a farm boy from northern ontario to pursue this degree.

    with applications in environmental, political, policy-making and scientific careers, forest conservation can lead to a host of exciting opportunities.

    what is this program?

    exactly what it sounds like. you learn about forests, from every angle and discipline: ecology, science, urban planning, and biology. forestry combines “traditional ecological (biology, zoology) and physical (soil science, hydrology) sciences with social sciences.”

    it’s a truly interdisciplinary program, one that will prepare you for “[r]esponsible stewardship of our forests.” which sounds a little bit like you’ll be some kind of benevolent tree god after completing this program – and what’s not to like about that?

    does this program have any prerequisites?

    most of the forest conservation POSts recommend?you take BIO120 and a smattering of other courses?in your first year to stay on track.

    however, all the programs are type 1’s, so as long as you’ve completed 4.0 FCEs, you can enrol in?any forest conservation program instantly.

    what kind of a degree do i get with this program?

    an H.B.A. or an H.B.Sc., depending on which POSt you go for. the forest conservation science programs will be – you guessed it – an H.B.Sc., and the forest conservation programs will be an H.B.A.

    from the calendar: “The arts program focuses on communal forest management, development of forest policies, forest economics and forest product trade, with electives in social sciences, while the science program concentrates on forest biology and ecology with electives in life and physical sciences.”

    either way, both the science and arts?programs are super diverse and super relevant, especially in a Canadian context.

    what jobs/opportunities are available for this program?

    the faculty of forestry also offers a Master of Forest Conservation (MFC), Master of Science in Forestry (MScF) and PhD program. the master’s program incorporates a three-month internship into its course structure.

    graduates are employed in a diverse number of positions, from park planning to wildlife protection to international development. take a look at some alumni profiles here.

    now go hug a tree, forest nymph,

    aska

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  • near and middle eastern civilizations,  subject POST

    crossover POSts

    May 20, 2015

    I have a younger sister who got accepted to both Scarborough & St. George campuses (yay her!) for Linguistics. She REALLY wants to take Arabic courses at St. George (& follow in my footsteps lol), but would like to participate in Co-Op at Scarborough since they accepted her & it’s a nice opportunity. She knows she can still take Arabic courses at UTSG if she is at UTSC, but can she select the Near & Middle Eastern Studies as a minor as well? Or can she at least get a Language Citation? Thanks 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    according to #10 of the UTSC course calendar, “only UTSC programs may be used to meet degree requirements” at UTSC. so no, your sister can’t enrol in an NMC minor at the St. George campus if she’s enrolled at UTSC. unfortunately, you have to stick to POSts on your own campus, because we live in a SEPARATIST and DIVIDED university.*

    HOWEVER. the language citation exists at all three campuses, and if she was willing to take a language citation in Arabic at UTSC, she could do so. the minimum number of courses you need for a language citation is 2.0 FCEs above the introductory level, and UTSC offers enough Arabic courses to make that possible. whoo!

    an african studies minor at UTSC is another possibility.

    if she really wants to do her Arabic studies at UTSG, continuing education offers a number of arabic language courses, too.

    cheers, my multilingual friends,

    aska

    * i’m joking. imagine if all three campuses were combined into one. just imagine how big that campus would be. oh man.

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  • subject POST

    subject POSt spotlight: EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS

    May 13, 2015

    the time has come. no, your pizza pizza flyers haven’t arrived in the mail. it’s something ALMOST AS EXCITING: subject POSt spotlight #3 is here (go here for the post that introduces subject POSt spotlights)!

    this time up is the mysterious employment relations program:

    what is this program?

    employment relations is “an interdisciplinary learning opportunity in which to study the employment relationship in a Canadian and global context from the perspectives of economics, history, law, management, political science and sociology.” the best way to understand that, in my opinion, is to look at all the other fields used to describe it: law, political science, economics, etc.

    if you like those fields and you like the idea of studying them all BLENDED TOGETHER, then employment relations might be for you!

    does this program have any prerequisites?

    both the major and specialist are type 3 programs, meaning you need to use an application external to ROSI to apply to the POSt. for both the major and the specialist, you need to have completed ECO100Y1/105Y1 and SOC101Y1/(or 1.0 from 102H1, 103H1 and PSY100H1), and you need to have achieved a certain mark in each to be considered.

    (note that if you want to apply after second or third year, the requirements are different).

    what kind of a degree do i get with this program?

    employment relations is a social science, so you would be graduating with an H.B.A. (yes, even with that required math you have to take).

    what jobs/opportunities are available for this program?

    employment relations grads have the opportunity to complete their Certified Human Resources Professional designation if they complete certain courses during their undergrad.

    employment relations grads can also work as employment relations/HR consultant ?(here’s an example job posting), continue on to government positions, or become lawyers.

    if you’d like more info about employment relations programs (both undergraduate and graduate, check out the Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources.

    until next time!

    aska

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  • subject POST

    subject POSt spotlight: CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS & SOCIETY

    May 11, 2015

    it’s time for subject POSt spotlight NUMERO DUO (go?here to find out what the heck that is)!!! are you excited? i’m excited. i love series. series of any kind are my absolute favourite.

    this time, we’ll be talking about vic’s creative expressions & society program, which is really a mouthful, but it’s WORTH IT.

    so what is this mouthful of a program??

    creative expressions & society is a minor program offered by victoria college that “allows students to develop creative and communicative proficiency by taking part in one or more workshop-style courses in fiction, non-fiction, or poetry writing and/or creative expression through aural and visual media. Students will also explore the reciprocal relationship of the creative arts and society.”

    some of the courses you might take include photojournalism, creative writing and a critical history of listening.

    basically, you get to make?stuff, and you get to study how other people who make?stuff interact with the world. pretty great, huh?

    any prereqs for this program?

    this is a type 1 POSt, so there are no prerequisites. as long as you’ve completed at least 4.0 FCEs, you can enrol in it.

    what kind of a degree do i get with this program?

    creative expressions & society is only a minor, so your degree will be determined by your other POSts, and whether they’re arts or science programs. however, creative expressions & society is an arts program.

    what jobs/opportunities are available for this program?

    like i said, this is just a minor, so this program probably won’t determine your career. however, it could be a nice complement to specialists or majors like english, book and media studies, architecture or visual studies, cinema studies,?history of art, or any other POSt your heart desires.

    many creative expressions & society classes focus on an interdisciplinary survey of a certain genre of art, like pop music?(YES, pop music?is totally art), holography?or the body?(after reading the description i still have no idea what this course is about, but doesn’t it sound so cool?).

    this minor will give you hands-on experience in creating things, and in strengthening your writing?and artistic capabilities.

    ta ta for now! see you on the next one,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    the combinations are infinite! (well, not really)

    May 7, 2015

    hey! is there anywhere I can find out about what combination of POSTs I can do? like how many specialists/majors/minors I can put together?

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

    hey there,

    there are actually quite a few different combinations you can pull off. the standard ones are:

    1) a specialist

    2) two majors

    3) one major and two minors

    but you can also do things like:

    1) a specialist and a minor

    2) two majors and a minor

    3) a specialist and a minor

    basically, you can do whatever your heart desires with subject POSts as long as they follow these rules: you can’t be enrolled in more than three subject POSts total, and you can’t be enrolled in more than two majors or specialists.

    now go forth and follow your heart.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • course overload,  subject POST

    MANAGING some POSt BUSINESS

    May 7, 2015

    Hey so I’m currently in first year and I’m trying to get into the management program for next year. I ended up doing really bad in mgm 101 and Eco 100 because of problems at home and I’m taking them again in summer school meaning I have a full course load for summer. I currently have 3.5courses and in orderto apply for the management program I need4 courses.I tried to get a course overload but it was denied because I didn’t have a full course loadduring the fall/winter session? What should I do?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    unfortunately if you already tried getting a course overload, there aren’t that many more options available to you. the only thing you can do now is wait until next year to apply to management and sign up for a filler POSt (after completing 4.0 credits) while you work on getting enough credits to apply next year. type 1 subject POSts (see page 1 of the registration guide) would be ideal for that.

    otherwise, i’d encourage you to talk to your registrar’s office for more advice about what to do next.

    best of luck,

    aska

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