• biology

    sometimes the hulk gets mad at course equivalencies too

    Hi Aska,

    I’ve just been accepted into Humanities and Innis College! I live in British Columbia and apparently Math 12 here is not equivalent to “Calculus and Vectors” in Toronto. I applied for Humanities but I also want to take Life Sciences courses. I would have applied for Life Sciences, but I didn’t take Calculus in BC so I didn’t have the prerequisites. Will I be able to take Biology courses if I haven’t taken Calculus and Vectors? And if not, can I take some sort of calculus course in my first year so that I can take Life Sciences next year? Or if I take a year of Humanities is it easy to transfer into Life Sciences?
    I know that at UBC it is hard to transfer from the Arts Faculty to Sciences but since Arts and Sciences are one faculty at U of T, will it be easier?

    Thanks!
    N

    ———————————————

    <virtual fist bumb with explosion> Congrats N!

    Switching around programs at U of T is relatively easy as long as you are remaining in the same faculty. You are correct that Life Sci and Humanities are in the same faculty, so that portion of your academic life in working in your favour.

    The first year at U of T is a little bit of a place of limbo. You are in the school but you do not declare a Subject POSt (which is a fancy term for your fields of study) until you have completed 4.0 FCE (full credit equivalents) after your first year! So you may have applied to Humanities, and been accepted, but you can just as easily choose a field in Life Sci as your Subject POSt. Saying that, there is obviously complications. You must take the required courses, and obtain the required marks for the program you wish to enter in your first year.

    I won’t go fully into the complex ways of Subject POSts but know that a Biology Major just requires you to take specific courses, and not obtain specific marks (other than obviously passing the course).

    This is where you run into some brick walls. The first year Bio courses do not require Calculus and Vectors (quiet yaaay), but to apply for a Bio Major you will need some courses that do require the MCV4U. Here is a chart (**cough** bottom right) that tells you the equivalencies for the qualifications. Meaning that you need to take Calculus 12 or Calculus AP before you can take the Chem courses for the Bio major. You can take some sort of calculus course, but some sort has to be the specific highschool sort. You have to obtain the high school requirements before you can take the course! It’s been done, so contact your registrar or Bio department to look at ways of doing that.

    This is one of my pet peeves, not the kind that gets me hulk green angry but makes me have internal eye rolls, why Canada, why can’t you have one uniformed highschool classes game plan. Also, when the opening of the coffee lid falls on the cup fold and you end up spilling with every sip … but that’s besides the point.

    good luck young mountaineer,

    aska

  • biology,  chem

    up, up and away … to summer school

    Awhaddup, AKSA?!

    I am a grade 12 student and have been accepted to U of T’s faculty of Social Science! I applied to social science with plans to study economics, but have discovered that I still want to do science courses. Basically, I planned my grade 12 courses around a social science application but still want to do science. I’ve taken chem, advanced functions and calculus & vectors, but left phyiscs out. As a result, I’m going to be taking the full course this july. Apparently OUAC knows that I’m registered for my summer course and will pass on the good news, but when do I select my courses for next year? will I be able to choose ones like chemistry and physics even though I’m in social sciences?

    Many thanks!

    ———————————————
    No matter how many times I’ve been asked what’s up, I always firstly think of what is literally up.

    Side Bar Ted

    Five things that are currently “up”

    – gas prices

    – the sun… moon … other solar thingers

    – tuition

    – keener’s hands in class

    – 15 year old boys looking at a photo of Megan Fox

    You will likely choose your courses in late July. This summer, first years found out their start times on July 15th and their course enrolment was on July 25th. So, it is likely that similar dates will apply for next summer.

    You don’t actually declare your subject POSt until you have completed 4 full credits (so after first year). Most first year courses then, are not restricted. However, they have ‘priority’ indicators on the courses. This means that certain students get first dibs, but if there is still space you can still have chance to get in.

    You can look here to see the enrolment indicator.

    The fact that you’re taking the course in the summer won’t effect you being able to take courses in the fall.

    snuggles and whisky,

    aska

  • biology

    you know, the easy biology

    Hi there,
    Love ur blog, im sure you’ve helped countless helpless fools out there, so how about helping this one?? I was wondering if the preference in College will affect my chances of? getting through UoT. I am currently studying in grade 12 in India and wish? to apply for a course in Biology.
    How do I get to know which course is practical for me to apply for, what I? mean to say is that I love biology but since my transcripts are not
    sky-high, I want to apply for a course in Bio that will be comparatively easy for me to get. I know that I wont have a problem in adjusting to any of the seven colleges as I come from a? boarding-school and I went through a previous post of yours where u were saying that good people and bad people will be found in every college, it just depends on how you handle the situation. I just want to get trough UoT cause ive heard its the BEST!!!

    cheers,
    sid

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

    Hi Sid,

    Your college selection doesn’t affect your admission to the university. You are first admitted to the university?and then considered for the colleges. There are endless Biology opportunies for you at U of T.
    The St. George campus offers major in Biology. It also houses Life Science which has various biology streams. Life Science is an incredibly competetive program, so your better shot would probably be with the Biology Department.

    In addition both UTM and UTSC offer degrees in Biology. The unconfirmed word on the street is that those two campuses are easier to get into than St.George.

    <high five > for being one of the few students not terrified about being able to cope with residence!

    from near and far,

    aska

  • biology,  commerce

    managing the human centipede

    Hi,

    Is it possible to do double major in human biology and management? (accounting/finance) If so, what should I do?

    ———————————————

    Hey man,

    Im going to Side Bar Ted before we even get started here:

    When you type the word “human” into the google search, the movie “The Human Centipede” is the first thing that comes up. REALLY folks … that’s what our google mind as come down to? Please note the 4.7/10 rating on that bad boy on imdb. I stand strong on refusing to see that movie … my gag reflects have been in hyper mode lately.
    No, is the main answer to your question.

    ….

    BUT

    There are other similar paths that you can take. Management is only offered through Rotman Commerce and only as a Specialist.

    You are going to have to further look into the specific credits that you will have to take, but a Management Specialist and a Biology Major looks like an option for you. You need 12 full credits for Management and 8 full credits for Biology, equaling the 20 you need for graduation.
    You are going to have to sit down with a piece of graph paper and an HP pencil and see if you can meet all the degree and graduation requirements in those 20 credits.
    If it doesn’t work out, we have yet another possibility … Management Specialist and a Biology Minor. The minor is only 4 full credits and leaves more room to grab those degree/graduation requirements.

    <high five>

    aska

  • biology

    B.I.A – Biology Intelligence Agency

    I’m in my second year now in lifesci, I never completed my ochem credit and need it this year for bio230. I told the bio dept I’d take chm151 at the same time as bio230 and I really feel like dropping it right now. I would prefer to take chm138 later on.
    Would the bio dept find out and take back the credit?

    ———————————————

    yo yo,

    I can’t imagine that they would keep tabs on something like that. Once they’ve checked the prerequisite and then waved it, I’m sure they don’t round back and check again … but who knows.

    If it’s something that you have to take anyways, and there is the chance that there could be repercussions for your bio class, I would try to finish it now if you can.
    If you are looking to definitely drop the course you are going to have to make an appointment with an academic advisor because you are looking to do a Late Withdrawal now. I would actually call your registrar’s office, well, now! The last day to do a late withdrawal is Wednesday, Decemeber 7, the last day of classes. From what I understand, the offices are in quite the frenzy trying to fit all the appointments in.
    holiday cheers,
    aska
  • biology,  choosing,  courses

    a course with no name

    Hi Hi,

    I’m guessing the over excitement of going university got to me and now I’m in a dilemma. I prepared my schedule weeks before and I wanted my schedule to be perfect despite a not so great starting time. D:

    I’m going to be going to UTSc for Bioloigcal Sciences and I wish to go into pharmacy in the future. I had just found the course requirements on UTSc admissions site rather then UT’s Pharmacy site which only listed UTSG course requirements. This was frustrating as I only found out recently that the MATA35H3 S course I applied for was not accepted. Since course selection has passed a while ago, all the spots may have begen filled up for the MATA36H3 S course I’m really unsure of what to do. Please help me out. T~T

    ———————————————

    Hello there. I am confused about your question! What course are you applying to? Your course code is scrambled gibberish and is hurting my soul.

    I can’t help you until I know what the hell you are applying to, and since all the enrollment controls have been lifted, you could easily try applying now! If the course is full, you will have to get on the waitlist to pick up your additional course. If you are going into your first year, your situation has no “pull.” Try getting in, or applying for the course at a later date?

    Best of luck to you.

    xoxo, Askastudent

  • biology

    Oh, so you mean this isn’t the youth activist meeting? Silly me!

    ?Hi there, I have finished my first year as a part time student and Im thinking of going into ecology program once I have finished 4 credits.I had not taken biology in the last 2 years of high school and because of that I took bio grade 12 in the last year in a private school.There,my teacher recommended me to attend bio150 lectures in the summer even though I wont be officially taking it.I couldnt go to the lectures until now ,do u think it would be of my advantage if I attended them from now on considering I have to take the course in the coming school year?

  • admissions,  biology,  science

    wasn’t that in a Jack Nicholson movie?

    I am a first year student here at the St. George Campus. I am hoping to go into
    the neuroscience program offered here. I wanted more info so I looked through
    some websites and couldn’t find the minimum GPA in first year required for that
    POST. Since it is a type 3 POST I know that there is a limited amount of seats
    available. Any info on admission requirement will be appreciated. Thank you

    ?

  • biology,  courses,  science

    yes, “pre”requisite really does mean before!

    Hi! I am wondering…….I don’t have any OAC sciences because the teachers at my school were retarded. So, I ended up applying for humanities and social sciences at U of T and was accepted. Now I want to do sciences. How can one switch from humanities to life sciences after one’s first year? (because i don’t expect to be able to change anything in my first year) I did take calculus and all of that delicious math in highschool-but no sciences.
    I don’t know what to do-I was planning to take BIO150 in my first year anyway (and consult the zoology undergrad department, as they said….although I emailed them weeks ago and got no reply-do i actually have to go see them!? i don’t get it) but how do i switch? and what would my second year end up being like? oh bother I am confused
    (BTW I GOT INTO INNIS RES WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!)