engineering - askastudent

admissions, applying for U of T, engineering

young engineer will not go crazy today, no siree

August 6, 2024

Hey, I want to get into mechanical engineering in uofstg and I’m grade 11 (well going into grade 12 since it’s summer) and in ontario with a 87 average. I’m in HOSA but didn’t make president (I thought I would). My school doesn’t have many clubs but I want to be more involved with stem club next year. I just wanted to know how competitive my program is and my chances of getting in regardless of grade 12 (I am hoping to do better next year). I’m shaking in my boots because I really really want to get in. I keep pretending like I won’t go crazy if I don’t get in but I just might.

hey there,

i get how stressful it can be during this stage of high school, right before university application season starts! “shaking in your boots” is such an accurate description of that time.

but,

i’m not an engineering student so i can’t speak from experience as to how competitive admissions is. to be honest with you, all you can really do to figure out your chances of getting in is to do some casual internet sleuthing (aka research) on U of T websites.

so you want to get into mechanical engineering. well, engineering programs are definitely among the more competitive programs at U of T. but, your 87 average does fit within the range listed on the FAQ page of the engineering website — here, they say the grade range that you need to be competitive for mechanical engineering is high 80’s to low 90’s. keep in mind though, being within this range “doesn’t guarantee admission”, as they’ll always say.

on this page, it also says that your admission average is computed based on a select group of pre-requisite grade 12 level courses. under the ontario school system, those are english ( ENG4U), advanced functions (MHF4U), calculus and vectors (MCV4U), chemistry (SCH4U), and physics (SPH4U). this tells you that you’ll want to especially do well in these courses, since admissions will definitely be looking at them.

meanwhile, you’re right that your extracurricular activities matter too — for both admission and scholarship consideration.

the engineering school’s admissions requires that you submit an online student profile, through which you’ll input your grades, describe your extracurriculars and send in some “get to know you as a person” video responses. you’ll have access to this though the engineering applicant portal once U of T receives your initial application on OUAC (ontario universities’ application centre).

keep in mind though, that your extracurricular activities don’t need to be engineering-related. they can also include athletics, arts, community involvement, and paid or volunteer employment. for this section, i think it’s great that you’re a part of HOSA and that you’re gonna get involved with stem clubs!

anyways. it seems like that’s it. these are just the admission areas you’ll want to make yourself as competitive as possible in. to directly answer your question, i can’t really tell you

“congrats, you’re competitive!”

or

“man i’m sorry you just won’t cut it”.

because like, i’m not an admissions officer, nor have i applied to engineering myself.

but it seems to me like you’re in a pretty okay position right now. engineering is very hard to get into, but i think you are able to craft a strong application from here on out. i think just work really hard in grade 12 to get the highest marks you can, and really sell those extracurriculars in your student profile.

all in all, i believe you’re fully capable of getting in if you set your mind to it and really commit yourself during this last home stretch. lose that fear of failure, you’ve got this!

over and out,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
admissions, engineering

once again, may i present… your registrar!

June 21, 2024

Hello,

I applied as an early consideration for EngSci program at UofT. However, I have received an email in mid April that I have been placed on the waitlist.

Till now I have not received any updates and my engineering portal account gives the same message that I’m still under consideration.

Someone asked here about the latest response date which turns out to be June 7th, but I haven’t received either an acceptance or rejection till now (June 18th)

What does that mean? :’))

hey there,

man, that is a bit confusing to have not heard back for so long. first, props to you for checking my previous answers before asking!

buut, it’s good thing you asked because i’m not sure that answer would be applicable to your exact situation.

that question i answered last month was asked by a first year student enrolling in their program of study for second year. the latest response date of june 7th was pulled from the arts & sciences “important dates” timeline. but this date wouldn’t be relevant to you since you’re in a different faculty, the faculty of applied science and engineering. these faculties operate under different timelines and have different academic dates!

anyways, based on what you’ve said, i’m assuming you’re applying to your engsci major as you go into third year. here’s the thing with that — i can’t seem to find an exact date or timeline for engsci major acceptances like there is for artsci programs. and even if i got your situation wrong and you’re in the other engineering track (core 8), i also can’t find a program acceptance timeline for that.

the world wide web has failed me today i guess. but it’s fine, i’m fine.

fear nOT, though. while i am not an engineering student, i know there is someone out there who actually knows the dates when you should get a definite answer. the most reliable source i can guide you to is the… can you guess what i’m gonna say? the… engineering registrar!

literally just shoot them a quick email at registrar@engineering.utoronto.ca . ask them something along the lines of, “is there an estimated timeline for acceptances to roll out?” they’ll be helpful, you can do it!

in the meantime, june 7 is an irrelevant date for you, and your engineering portal says you’re still under consideration. so i would say, consider yourself under consideration and not rejected for now. but, the best thing you can do is really just to reach out to your registrar.

anyhoo, good luck with everything, i hope this somewhat helped!

over and out,

aska

Read More

aska 2 Comments
admissions, engineering, grades

wait for me

May 16, 2024

I’m currently in grade 11 and have a 85 average and in HOSA (and going to be president in my club soon), I want to get into uoft for mechanical engineering, I want to try to get higher grades for grade 12, but will my grade 11 marks be considered a lot for my admission or will they wait for my grade 12 marks?

hey there,

ok, right now, i think all you can do is just stick to your plan and try to get higher grades for grade 12. because, the weight that your grade 11 marks hold against your grade 12 marks just depends on a whole bunch of factors.

first, i’d recommend reading through this faq page, which details a lot of important need-to-knows about admissions! i’ll be drawing some info from there.

as you can see on this important deadlines page, there are two rounds of admissions decisions: students who submit their OUAC application by nov 7 and their engineering application by dec 1 are considered under round one (aka. early consideration). meanwhile, those who submit everything by jan 15 are considered under round two.

the answer to your question depends on which round of admissions you’re considered under, and how soon your school releases your grade 12 marks. in my experience, it makes a difference whether you go by the quarter semester system or the three term system. if you’re considered during round one, there’s a chance you won’t have many grade 12 marks released yet, so they’ll mostly look at your grade 11 marks and whatever grade 12 marks are available. so basically, from the way i understand it, it all really depends on your school’s term system.

however, it is all going to be okay if you’re not admitted under round one due to unavailable grades. you will just be considered again in round two as more of your grades come out.

nothing is really set in stone, but ultimately, you don’t have to worry about applying early if your grade 11 marks aren’t as high as you’d like them to be. after all, the admission committee say they “may hold applications to wait for more information” if you applied early. so overall, yes. they should wait for your grade 12 marks to be released ~~from depths of the underworld~~.

(if you don’t get this reference, you are simply uncultured)

also, i found on this same page that canadian students’ admission averages for mechanical engineering is within the high 80s to low 90s. i think you have a good chance if you succeed in getting those good grades in grade 12! they also say that extracurriculars are considered, so good on you for being extracurricular-ly involved! that will help you out.

sooo good luck with everything, reach out if you have more questions!! you’ve got this.

over and out,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
engineering, internal transfer

how to get your steps in (towards a biomedical engineering degree)

June 6, 2023

Good afternoon. I have been admitted to Life Sciences to start in fall 23. I would like to proceed to Medicine after graduating but I find Biomedical Engineering also interesting. Please advise what steps I should take to keep my options open (and strong) to be able to transfer to Biomedical Engineering after the first year. Many thanks in advance.

hi there,

congrats, and welcome! just one clarification: are you trying to take Biomedical Engineering for your undergraduate or graduate degree? i may know everything at U of T, but — and i say this with love — i have questions about y’all’s questions sometimes.

in the case that you’re asking about being admitted to the Biomedical Engineering undergrad program, the application requirement is that you have to be in the Engineering Science program. in order to apply to the Engineering Science program, select the application option that matches your academic history on this website, and go through the steps it provides. once you are admitted, declare the Biomedical Engineering major by adding it to your program planner through degree explorer.

so you’d essentially need to transfer from Life Sciences to Engineering Science. this is not simple and will entail undergoing an application process for an internal transfer to the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. with transfers between faculties, admission is based on your overall academic record and is a rolling basis — so you would want to apply early, even though your deadline would be Nov 7. you should definitely talk to an academic advisor at your registrar about this application process to make sure you aren’t missing anything important.

if you’re asking about doing Biomedical Engineering as a graduate degree: what you’ll need to do to prepare for a potential Biomedical Engineering graduate degree depends on which specific program you have in mind. but it’s also unclear if you want to take Biomed Engineering at U of T or elsewhere?

either way, i’ll give you some advice based on U of T. you can read about the Master of Engineering program on the departmental website. here, it tells you about the application process and important details, such as what the prerequisites for the Master of Engineering program are:

a four-year bachelor’s degree in engineering, or its equivalent, with an average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 grade point average scale (i.e., mid-B) in the final two years of study from a recognized university.

proof of English-language proficiency is required for all applicants educated outside of Canada whose native language is not English. view the BME English-language requirement policy to determine whether you are required to take a language test and for a list of accepted testing agencies and their minimum scores required for admission.

according to that, it looks like you’d need an undergrad engineering degree to do grad studies in Biomedical Engineering. basically, your key takeaway here is: if you don’t transfer into engineering during undergrad, your options for biomedical engineering unfortunately will not be kept that open.

best of luck in everything, friend!

over and out,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
engineering, Transferring

so you wanna be an engineer

November 10, 2022
I’m a utsc student in my 2nd year (social science), i wanna transfer to engineering at St. George, how hard would that be? Is it possible to still graduate in 4 years if I do that? What would the process be? Really appreciate the help!

hey there,

so the good news is, it’s definitely possible to do that, and you might be able to get some transfer credits too, especially for electives.

Sheldon Bigbangtheory GIFfrom Sheldon GIFs

the kinda bad news is that since you’re not in engineering already, you’d have to transfer into first year engineering (more info here), so unless you’re really keen, it’d be really hard to graduate in four years total.

in terms of the process, since you’re already a uoft student, you’d have to apply for an internal transfer on this portal. it looks like your application is based on your transcript and a supplemental application for things like extracurriculars, and apparently you need:

a mid-B average (around 3.0+ gpa)

high school prereqs for engineering (or university equivalents)

unfortunately i don’t have personal experience with transfering, but engineering is a pretty competitive program and transfers can be especially hard to get. if you really want to get into the nitty gritty, a bit of snooping around led me to this report where you can see the number of applicants and offers for uoft engineering undergrad each year (pg 8-9 of the pdf) and it does not look pretty. if you’ve got the prereqs, a good gpa and extracurriculars, it’s definitely worth a shot, but you could also look into alternatives like eng programs at other unis to get some more options.

Good Luck Cheers GIFfrom Good Luck GIFs

good luck!

aska
Read More

aska No Comments
chem, engineering, grad school

i had to google submatriculate, but i think i’m still qualified to run this blog

April 11, 2020

Hi! I’m a (possibly) incoming UTSG artsci freshman who has too many academic interests. Firstly, would it be possible to do a 2nd major (or minor or 2nd degree) in biomedical engineering? Secondly, is there a way to submatriculate into an MSc program from chem/biochem specialization? Lastly, is there some way for me to skip the introductory courses (apart from transfer credit)? Sorry for ruining your day with a barrage of obscure questions! ?

——————————————

hey hey,

lmao i feel like 40% of the people on this site are in some kind of serious academic trouble, and 20% are keeners like you (very kind, apologize too much, interested in literally everything). don’t worry, you’re not ruining my day with a barrage of obscure questions. i thrive on obscure questions. we cool.

i’m not aware of any option to take biomedical engineering in conjunction with an artsci program. to even be eligible for biomedical engineering as a minor, you need to be in one of the core 8 engineering programs or in engsci. the biomedical systems engineering major, meanwhile, has hella requirements. you only get to enter it after two full years of engsci foundational courses. i can’t imagine an artsci kid juggling that on top of another major, even if it were allowed. i suppose you can get in contact with the department if you really wanna know for sure, but i think the answer is unfortunately no on this one.

to address the lil’ musing about second degrees you seem to have thrown in…. i’m not really sure if a second degree is really what you wanna do, even if you’re super thrilled about everything. i have a feeling your first degree will tire you out a lil, or at least enough to make you wanna reconsider. especially doing a second degree in engsci, i dunno man, it seems like a lot. and then when you add the amount of student debt you’d be carrying after one degree, let alone two… yikes. just some things to consider, yknow? hang on to the second degree thought until you’re close to doing your first degree. then, if you still want to do a second degree, talk to the academic advisers at your registrar and get a lil guidance on it. that would be my take.

as for the submatriculation thing… i was unable to find any info on this via the big ol’ world wide web. so i reached out to someone who’s pretty well connected in the chem department, and they told me that they’re not aware of any submatriculation options within chemistry. even if you’ve been working underneath the same supervisor for a long time and hope to do a phd with them, you’ll still need to actually apply to admissions to do so. i’m not sure if it’s different in biochem, but like i said, there doesn’t seem to be any readily-available internet info on this, which suggests that the answer is no submatriculation. once again, i would reach out to the department if you want a super solid answer, though. chem contact info linked here, biochem info linked here.

in terms of skipping required introductory courses without transfer credit… i would say the answer is also probably no, otherwise a ton of people would be doing it. i’m assuming you’d be wanting to do this in order to take a wider breadth of courses, or something? introductory courses tend to have some pretty important information, and even if you could skip out on them i wouldn’t recommend it– the foundation you get in those huge first year courses tends to be quite important for the academic work you’ll be doing later on in your degree.

but once again, you could contact the department running the course and ask, if you have a super duper legitimate reason to be skipping an intro course.

this whole post has been an enormous “pls ask someone else” but i hope my insights have at least been… insightful! keep that excited, i-love-everything energy. it’s refreshing, and makes my brain feel a little less melty. wishin’ you all the best as you weigh your options for next year!

be Boundless and stay healthy,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
engineering

engsigh

June 23, 2019

I’m a soon to be first year for eng, and I’m not sure what engineering strain I want to do anymore. I’ve been thinking of switching to engsci(I know that it’s going to be tough – by the way, what’s the typical average I need after first year to be successful?), but I’m afraid of doing horribly in physics – I’ve had absolutely awful physics teachers for all of high school. how screwed am I if I manage to transfer? does the first year curriculum allow me to explore(most of) every strain?

also, pertaining to physics – what’s the general consensus of physics in the first year of eng? do the classes have a high failing rate? is it generally considered one of the hardest courses?

——————————————

hey there,

congrats on your eng admission! it’s understandable that you’re unsure what you want to go into at this point– and you’ve certainly got some time left. plenty of eng students go in not really knowing what strain they’re interested in.

as far as i know (and maybe you know this too), transferring into engsci is harder than transferring out of engsci. according to the university, you can only do so after first year, whereas you could transfer out of engsci right now. the website only specifies that you’ll need a ‘superior academic record,’ which i suspect is vague on purpose — they don’t know what kind of transfer room there will be year to year, and what your competition will look like.

in terms of how screwed you are if you manage to transfer, this blog post compared first year engsci to ‘drinking out of a fire hose.’

so, assuming you decide to go ahead with the transfer, you’d be going into second year engsci without having had the same intensive foundation as your peers. you can check out all the first-year engineering curricula here, which might give you a more accurate (and concise) look into first year than i can offer. the idea of first year, though, is that you do get a feel for each strain so you know what you wanna pick later on. with that said, i dunno how good of a job track one is gonna do regarding engsci strains.

the post is actually pretty illuminating regarding the differences between engsci and track one, so i’d suggest giving it a look.

what i’ve heard about physics is that there is some overlap with high school and AP physics. i’d suggest you check out forums and see what others say, as well as take a look at the course descriptions. this is track one’s first year physics req, and engsci’s is phy180, which i can’t find any working pages on. it’d probably benefit you to have a solid high school foundation for things like kinematics, but if you’re worried about it and enough of a keener, you can definitely pre-study to prep yourself.

anyway, since none of this info comes from firsthand experience, i’d recommend you hit up the engineering registrar and speak to them as well. they might be able to advise you on what your gpa will need to look like to transfer into engsci, as well as what first year physics is really like.

best of luck!

be Boundless,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
admissions, engineering, wait list

still wait-eng

June 11, 2019

Hi, I am on the waitlist for engineering at UofT, I was wondering of I could get an offer in late August (if enough people decline their offer). Thanks!

——————————————

hey friend,

according to the lovely engineering admissions office, august would be pretty late for an offer as typically programs are all filled up by then. they aren’t able to give a specific date/time frame as to when the latest offers are sent out, as they’re continually sent until programs are filled. so unfortunately i can’t give you any specifics.

the only time offers might still be moving around in late august is for postsecondary transfer students undergoing transfer credit assessment, apparently. if you’re applying straight out of high school, seems like odds are low you’d be getting an offer that late in the summer. wouldn’t give you much time to plan, either, especially if you’re from out of town and will have to worry about housing. if you’d be a commuter not so much.

hope this helped and sorry to be the bearer of non-ideal news. fingers crossed for you that an offer of admission comes sooner, but it may be best to start fleshing out backup plans and alternate routes in case that offer doesn’t come thru.

over n out,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
engineering, first year, probation

post holiday slump

January 10, 2019

Hello,

I’m a firsts year engineering student and I’m currently having a pretty bad first semester in terms of grades. I’ve already dropped 2 courses and I know that I most definitely failed one of the remaining 3. I’m guessing my overall sessional average will fall between 40 to 45 percent which I know is really bad. Although I’ve learned some useful lessons in that i need to work on my time management skills and not falling behind, I’m unclear as to whether I’m going to be able to move on to the next session. I was wondering if they’ll put me on probation or if I have to restart all together or if I’ll be kicked out entirely.

Thanks for your response.

——————————————

hi!

first of all, apologies for the super late response. it was exams and then the holiday and then the requisite two days of getting over the holidays etc etc etc. you know how it be. i’m not sure how relevant this response will be for you now that the semester is over, but hopefully this will help another student in the future or provide some clarity for you.

according to the faculty calendar, if you are a first year student with a session average of 45%, you will be put on probation and you must withdraw for 8 months. then, you will have to retake the fall session. because of my late response, you should know your session average at this point. take a look at the calendar and see which average you fall under and what your situation is.

i highly suggest that you get in contact with your registrar’s office or the engineering first year office to discuss your case. especially since this is a late response and your situation could’ve changed, i think it would be for the best if you talked with someone who can pull up your file and give you the most accurate info possible (even more accurate than me, your dear aska!).

i hope this helps!

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
admissions, americans, applying for U of T, engineering

would it be canadian american or american canadian?

December 17, 2018

hi!

im an american senior high school student that’s suuuper into attending u of t for electrical engineering. i think my case is a little different because im a canadian born citizen, but all of my education from grade 1 was completed in the usa. basically, my gpa is a 3.3/4.0 and my sat a 1300/1600 with a 21/24 on the essay, and ecs are good (fencing team captain, intern job, volunteering, etc.). my question is… 1.) are admissions harder for american students and what are my chances OR because im a canadian would i be considered domestic? (i know this is true for fees) and 2.) well… anything you can share that would be relevant to this case in general. i finished my online student portal and im gonna submit it by the end of this week. im really passionate about potentially being able to attend u of t, and id be ecstatic if i would somehow be able to be accepted.

im sorry if this is a little hard to answer!

– canadian born american

———————————————

hi!

first of all, sorry for being MIA and the super delayed response. it is askastudent after all and i had exams and finals too.

anyways…

so, according to this link from the engineering website, you will be “evaluated on the basis of the education system [you] followed, regardless of [your] country of citizenship.” meaning that yes, you will be evaluated as an international student.

that being said, i’m not sure about the specific numbers/ averages/ SAT marks you need. all they say is “high grade point average and high scores.” this link has some information about admission requirements specifically for US students as well as how you can submit your transcript.

i suggest that you get in contact with the engineering admissions office to get more information or if you have any further questions. they’ll have the most specific and up-to-date information.

i hope this all helps!

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
admissions, applying for U of T, engineering

please don’t fire a canon

July 20, 2018

Hi,

I want to apply to uoft and fall under a student that would apply using the 105D.

My college counsellor is telling me that I need to start looking at which essays I need to write and I don’t know if I need to write any essays. I’m thinking of applying to engsci. Do I need to write an essay?

Thanks.

———————————————

hi!

after checking the engineering website, i can officially say that it is VERY HARD TO NAVIGATE. engineer a better website, engineers.

ok, it’s actually not that bad. sorry, engineers. i’m still kinda mad about that time you fired your stupid canon in front of my res room in first year.

anyways, after clicking through too many links, i finally found this link with detailed information about the student profile that you’d need to set up.

while there isn’t really an “essay” you have to write, there is a section where you need to “detail” your academic history and your extracurricular involvement. i don’t know whether or not that’s in essay format or if you just fill in the blanks. maybe it might be like a short sentence answer deal?

there is also a section in the application called the “online student profile” where they ask you three random questions and you have a limited amount of time to answer them. you will need to answer 2 of them in a video (it looks like you need a webcam and microphone to do the student profile) and one of them in writing. this might be what your college counsellor means when they say “essay,” but there isn’t really anyway to prepare since the questions are random.

you should get in contact with the faculty of applied sciences and engineering and ask for more information regarding the application. check out their contact info here.

i hope this makes sense. good luck with your application!

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
engineering, first year, residence

but can you engineer a home?

February 28, 2018

Hey there,

I’ve applied for engineering at U of T and it’s my first choice. I’m also really interested in living in the Innis College res but they claim they only take engineering students with averages above 96% !! Due to some personal issues my grades this semester weren’t excellent and my final admission average will probably end up being between 92 and 93. Is it worth putting Innis as my top choice to be considered for it or is the point completely moot? If not Innis, I’m also fairly interested in Vic, or failing that New, both of which claim to only have “limited spaces” for engineers. How do they choose which engineers get to live in college res, and do I only get considered for my top choice? I would like to avoid living in Chestnut if possible.

As a backup plan to all of that, I have a friend who was slotted into SMC and did some last minute emailing and got switched to UC. Is it likely that residences might have extra space if I try something like that?

——————————————

hi!

according to the innis res website, if you want to live on res at innis, you’ll have to rank them first when you apply for res via myres (the residence portal), or they won’t consider you. i’m not sure where it says that innis only takes engineering students with averages about 96, so i can’t really confirm if that’s true or not. either way, i think that if you want to live at innis, you should rank it first anyways. if you don’t get in, it won’t be the absolute end of the world, since the magical res people will place you in your second or third choice.

that being said, i’m not sure whether vic or new also requires that you rank them first. i would get in touch with their res offices specifically to ask. here is the link for vic and here is the link for new. if they don’t require that you rank them first, then it would be a good idea for you to rank them second and third after innis.

as for your friend who switched into UC, i’m not sure how that would work. this is something that you’d have to contact the specific residence offices about.

applying for res can seem kinda confusing, especially since there is a completely different website and portal that you have to go through. you will need to log onto myres, confirm your interest in residence, and rank your residences before march 31st. for more info, you can check out this link.

i hope this helps!

xoxo,

aska

Read More

aska No Comments
engineering

if i could help, i would

March 23, 2017

Hi there. I have applied to engineering at u of toronto. Unfortunately i did not study grade 10 n just gave my Olevel exams privately without a school. They want my grade 10 results now. I emailed them explaining this but no one has replied yet.

———————————————

hi,

not sure what your question is but um… just wait?

i can’t expedite the process of them emailing you back. apologies for the less than satisfactory response, but i really can’t make them respond any faster!

so… yeah.

that’s about it.

sorry?

thank you for giving me the opportunity to use a phil dunphy gif. i love phil.

cheers and good luck with everything!

aska

Read More

aska No Comments