• applying for U of T,  colleges,  engineering,  friends,  getting involved,  hard,  partying,  residence,  scholarships/bursaries,  St. George,  studying

    6 responses + a rant

    January 18, 2017

    Hey Aska! I’m a Turkish student and I’m in grade 11. I’m filled with
    so many questions because I whole-heartedly want to study at UofT. I
    researched a lot of things and still have tons of questions. So yeah,
    let me begin 😀

    My first question is about admissions. With %86-87 average in grade 11
    and %93-94 in grade 12, would I be able to get into mechanical
    engineering? (Also consider that I have decent SAT scores ad medium-
    to-decent extracurriculars.) I really want to know if I even have a
    chance.

    +What about scholarships?

    +Does Innis collage and UC require anything when applying? (I know
    that Innis should be ranked 1st if you wanna be accepted there.) Which
    has a better community in your opinion? And which should I choose as a
    newcomer?

    +Is it that hard to get good grades at UofT? I personally love
    studying but I don’t know if I’ll be overwhelmed.

    +Are international students treated differently really?

    +What are the parties like?

    +It is a very big school, will I be able to form close relationships?
    If so, how?

    Thank you soooo much in advance, and sorry for mixed questions. I
    sincerely hope that I can be a part of the community. Take care!

    ———————————————

    hello!

    first of all, you’re adorable and i love your enthusiasm. you’ve asked a lot of good questions and i commend you for taking the initiative to reach out so early! this is probably the longest post i’ve ever written so bear with me.

    on getting accepted into mechanical engineering

    at this point in time, the website says that you need a mid 80’s average to get into the mechanical engineering program, but it would be best to check the updated average when you actually apply in 2 years. engineering programs are competitive and it is very likely that these averages will change by the time you apply, since they tend to fluctuate from year to year.

    with your awesome grades, you definitely have a chance of getting into the mechanical engineering program, but keep in mind that this is just a general cut-off guideline for this year’s applicants. by saying you have a chance of getting in, i’m not saying you will get in.

    on scholarships

    scholarships are described at length in this link where you will also see a complete listing of all the scholarships available at u of t. keep in mind, since you will be an international student, you will only be eligible for a small number of scholarships. if you scroll to the listings at the bottom of the page, under availability, if there is a blank in the column instead of the words “domestic students”, that means international students are eligible. there are also admission scholarships (which you are eligible for, yay!) which you will automatically be considered for when you are admitted to the school.

    on UC and innis

    university college is large and old whereas innis is small and new. to get into innis, you are absolutely right, you do need to rank it first (good job!) but UC does not require you to rank them first. innis requires you to rank them first mostly because they are so small in size and very popular.

    which one to pick? that’s the ultimate question. there are many factors that you should consider, for example: are you going to be living in residence? what kind of residence style are you looking for? do you want to be part of a big college or a small college?

    i’m not exactly allowed to tell you which one i like more (and believe me, there is one) because i’d probably get destroyed, and it’s really up to you to do your own research and decide which one is better for you. i can provide you with the resources, but the rest is entirely up to you.

    on getting good marks

    is it hard to get good marks at U of T? yes. very hard. i have yet to get good grades at U of T. don’t slack off, study hard, and go to class. i made the mistake of not doing any of those three things in my first three and a half years and have paid dearly (emotionally and monetarily). we have a scary reputation for a reason. if you’re thinking of coming here, be ready to work your ass off.

    on the treatment of international students

    *disclaimer* aska rant on international student culture and discrimination

    i thought a lot about how to answer your question about the treatment of international students. on one hand, i wanted to answer: international students aren’t treated differently! it’s love love love all around! but i would be lying. the aska motto is to deliver the cold, hard truth, so here goes: (it might seem a little controversial and blunt, but that’s askastudent for ya!)

    international students are treated in the same way they treat other people. as i’m sure is common at every university, there are groups that i will refer to as ‘cultural cliques’. cultural cliques are groups of students who stick together because they come from the same culture, usually when english is not their first language. i’m not saying this is a bad thing. it’s actually great that these students can find friends who speak a common tongue! how awesome! however, sometimes, students will ignore everyone else outside their clique and as as a result, they get ignored back. this is perfectly fine if neither groups want to mix and mingle, but it does sometimes result in some differential treatment. the most common thing i see is people getting mad about international students speaking their native tongue instead of english.

    as someone who was not born in canada and can speak a second language, i can sympathize with both sides of the story. an international student might have a difficult time with english and find it easier to communicate in another language, yet a domestic student, might find it rude that other students are speaking in foreign language. often, this stems from the domestic student’s insecurity that the international student might be crap-talking them in a different language. of course, this isn’t always the case, but it does happen! heck, it’s happened to me before! someone tried bad-mouthing me when they thought i didn’t understand the language. well, joke was on them!

    many will also argue: “you’re in canada! speak english!” but this argument isn’t exactly valid. i’m sure lots of people who go to countries like japan don’t spend years learning japanese before they decide to go. canada is known as one of the most multicultural countries in the world, and it’s truly unfortunate that not all cultures are as widely accepted as canadian culture.

    bottom line, discrimination can happen, but i guarantee that it won’t happen if you treat people like you want to be treated. my advice to you is to keep an open-mind. be friendly and warm to people if you want them to be friendly and warm to you. if you find people from turkey at U of T that you want to be friends with, that’s awesome. if you want to form a turkish clique, even better! make the most of your university life and spend it with people you care about.

    *aska rant over*

    on partying

    i’m not much of a partier, so i can’t reveal too many juicy details about that. just based on the parties i’ve been to, they can definitely get pretty rowdy at times, but also be super lame. a gathering of people involving beverages and loud music usually constitutes a party at U of T, and i imagine, everywhere else! sometimes there’s dancing and sometimes there are games. sometimes ambulances are called, and sometimes the paramedics get a night off. sometimes people fall asleep and sometimes people stay up all night. hope that answers your question!

    on forming close relationships

    i have hit the 1300 word count so i think it’s safe to say that we, in some way, shape or form, have formed somewhat of a close relationship. U of T is ginormous. you are again, absolutely right.

    you can definitely form close relationships at U of T. in addition to studying your ass off, you should be making time for late night mcdonald’s runs, jam sessions and spontaneous city explorations along with friends. again, treating people like you want to be treated applies here. treat someone like a friend and chance are, they’ll treat you like a friend and then BOOM! you’ll have a friend. that’s how you make friends. how nice. you’ll meet people in your classes, in residences, and at various events on/ off campus! everyone else will be looking to make friends as well, so don’t sweat it. some of my closest friends have been people i met at school, so you’ll be fine. trust me.

    did i answer all your questions? if not, comment below and i’ll do my best to get back to you.

    good luck, chill out, and may the odds be ever in your favour.

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • applying for U of T,  engineering,  grades,  repeating course

    don’t forget to drop your courses when you move

    January 16, 2017

    Hey I failed grade 12 calculus, chemistry, physics, and biology. All uni level. This was because I only attended the first week and then moved kinda far away, but I FORGOT to drop the courses! I retook them all achieving high marks:

    SBI4U – 84% (failed first time)

    MHF4U – 85% (passed first time)

    SPH4U – 99% (failed first time)

    SCH4U – 98% (failed first time)

    MCV4U – 99% (failed first time)

    ENG4U – 73% (this one sucks, passed first time)

    GPA: 89.6%

    My question is, do the courses that I failed, due to the reason stated above (moved away), count towards my GPA? Or do the higher, newer marks count towards my GPA? I was wondering because uoft doesn’t use repeated marks, so do my new ones count as repeated, or not? What is the procedure if you failed a course and then retook it? Which number do they use for GPA admission?

    And will my average be high enough to have a good chance at being accepted for mechanical engineering, physics, computer science, and engineering science? I haven’t decided which one yet lol.

    Thanks so much!!

    ———————————————

    sup,

    this is quite the predicament that you’re in! can’t say i’ve ever heard of anyone else doing this.

    arts and science has a blurb in their policy which states the following:

    “The Faculty of Arts & Science does not recommend that students repeat courses and reserves the right to give preference for admission and scholarship consideration to students whose marks are the result of a single attempt at each course. Students with extenuating circumstances requiring them to repeat such courses should send an explanation to Enrolment Services at the time of application, i.e. prior to the admission decision.”

    long story short, you might be able to attach some sort of an explanation to your transcript. it does say in the FAQ for engineering admissions at UTSG that it is their policy to only count the first attempt, but it also says that you can provide documentation to explain any extenuating circumstances.

    perhaps something along the lines of:

    “i moved and foolishly forgot to drop my courses lul so i failed but it’s k cuz i did them for real and i got good grades, see?”

    since you haven’t indicated which campus you’re planning on attending, i’m going to assume you’re referring to UTSG, since UTSC and UTM don’t offer engineering courses. here are the averages that you would need to get into engineering (below), and physics, and computer science at UTSG.

    Low 90’s Engineering Science
    High 80’s Chemical, Computer, Electrical, and General First Year
    Mid 80’s Civil, Industrial,  Materials, Mechanical and Mineral

     

     

    hope this helped,

    good luck with your application!

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • applying for U of T,  engineering,  english

    shakespeare ex machina

    November 4, 2016

    Greetings, I’m in a predicament and I need some enlightenment. I applied to the Eng program for 2016 but didn’t get accepted so I decided to try applying again. Do you think its worth applying for a second time? Signed Confused Me

    ———————————————

    hello,

    first of all, a little more info would’ve been helpful! i appreciate your efforts in trying to be concise, but do you mean eng as in english or engineering? help me out here!

    giphy-2

    if you didn’t get accepted it may be because your high school marks weren’t high enough, but again, i have no idea, mostly because i don’t know what program you applied for, nor do i know you personally.

    if you want more information on this matter, it may be worth it to contact your department (whichever it may be) to see how you can boost your application. not sure if this a thing they do, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask!

    i obviously can’t speak on behalf of enrolment services, but chances are, if your marks are still the same as they were the when you first applied, it’s likely you’ll get the same answer. it also depends on the applicant pool that you were in- maybe the averages were particularly high that year and you didn’t meet the cut-off. these are just examples, of course, and i hope you know that i am in no way assuming that your grades were too low. there are plenty of reasons why someone might not get in and low grades is just one of them!

    i know this probably wasn’t the most encouraging response, but hopefully you now have some more things to think about. i wish there was more i could do!

    but hey, be careful what you wish for. school may not be for you! my sage advice would be to make sure it’s 100% what you want.

    best of luck!

    signed,

    an even more confused aska

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  • arts & sciences,  engineering,  exams,  important dates

    google is a great tool that some of us use from time to time

    September 23, 2016

    What month do undergraduate students go on semester break and when do they return back to university?
    ———————————————

    hi,

    kudos to you for taking the extra effort to send us a question when it probably would’ve required less effort to just google it!

    the december exam period is for this year (2016-2017) is from december 9th to 20th, which means everyone will be done exams by the 20th of december and the university will be closed following these exams.

    classes start up again on january 5th for arts and science students and january 9th for engineering students.

    information regarding engineering and arts and science sessional dates can be found here!

    for future reference: feel free to google the following words: “u of t sessional dates” to find what you’re looking for!

    u of t is a great place to learn how to google things- you’ve come to the right place.

    cheers and #sorrynotsorry for the saltiness,

    aska

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  • degree requirements,  engineering,  graduation

    i feel bad for engineers, i do

    August 15, 2016

    Dear ASKA,

    If you stop taking courses mid-degree to do other stuff, perhaps for years, can you come back and finish university?

    The APSC faculty has this time limit in which you have to do all your courses:

    “To qualify for a degree, a student must complete a full undergraduate program as outlined in the Faculty Calendar within NINE calendar years of first registration, exclusive of mandatory absences from his or her program.”

    There doesn’t seem to be anything relevant in the A&S calendar besides this:

    “Re-Registration in the Faculty Students who were previously registered as degree or non-degree students in this Faculty, who have completed at least one course in the Faculty, and who wish to return after an absence must submit a “Request for Re-registration Form” (charge $25) through their college registrar’s office. Re-registration is necessary for students who have not registered in this Faculty within the previous 12 months.”

    So, what is the expiration date on taken courses? Or do all art-scis have all the time in the world?

    This is the only concern I could think of – if there are others, please let everyone know!

    (Category: degree requirements)

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you’re right, arts & science students have no time limit on their degree. they can take off as much time as they want, and come back to complete a degree at any point. if they are away for more than a year, they just have to pay a $25 fee to get re-registered.

    as far as i can tell, the information you found is correct. looks like engineers only have nine years to complete their degree. so, you can take time off, just not an indefinite amount. i guess it’s more important for an engineer’s knowledge to be fresh in their mind than it is for me to clearly remember the finer points of Bezukhov’s character in War & Peace on convocation day.

    so there you go! one more thing engineering students can add to their ‘woe is me’ repertoire. you’re welcome, nerds.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. i know how to categorize posts, my dude. i appreciate the help, but there’s no need for backseat blogging here on askastudent.

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  • courses,  engineering,  first year

    just go with it

    June 7, 2016

    hiya

    i applied and somehow got into materials engineering for 2016, i was just wondering if its possible to take courses that are focused on other core 8 majors outside materals eng, kinda like a personalized general first year experience that focused on the materials eng (the program i’m in) or electrical eng (the program i’m sorta in to but not really sure about) without having to take a course more geared toward something like industrial that i’m not terribly interested in, uoft’s website doesn’t say much about priority or open slots or taking courses that are only for kids in core 8 programs you aren’t in or transfers other than…have good marks. the courses in first year are pretty similar across the board to deal with people like me but i want to take all the specialty courses you get to take when your in a core 8 programs for 2 possible majors, not the general ones that are less particular. is it even possible to just take any engineering first year course anywhere regardless of your designated program to explore another program more in way kids  actually majoring in that program get to?

    thank you,

    T-T

    ———————————————

    hello T-T

    i have to admit, T-T was the face that i made when trying read and answer this question. the working title of this post was “k wut” for a while.

    the calendar has a list of all the specific courses you have to take for materials eng and it looks like you have to stick with them. your only other options are the approved course substitutions listed under each course list. they have every course for every year written out for you and you’re kinda supposed to just go with it.

    you're jenn aniston and u of t engineering is adam sandler.

    we recommend that you take these courses for now and if you aren’t happy with them, you can consult your engineering registrar’s office or the undergrad student counsellor. honestly, the registrar’s office is super helpful with any kind of academic concern you have. i feel like every time i visit them, i feel a lot better about moving forward in my program. if you’re really confused or not happy with what you’re studying, you should definitely make an appointment to sit down with your registrar. good luck!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • engineering,  new college,  residence,  trinity college

    i’m an alien, i’m a legal alien. i’m an engineer in trinity

    June 15, 2015

    Hi, so I’m going to be starting at U of T as an engsci in September. As such, I have to rank my residence options. I had also received an offer from Trinity for artsci, but I declined this in favour of engsci. However, I’d still quite like to live at Trinity. My concern is that if I do manage to still get residence at Trin, would I be kind of isolated from the rest of the engineering faculty? Would it be a better idea to put somewhere like New College as my first choice, and be in residence with more engineering students? Thank yooouuu

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    living in engineering’s living learning community at new college is a great idea. engineering is pretty gruelling, and living with a whole bunch of people – including your don – who understand what you’re going through is probably a very comforting and supportive residence experience.

    you’ll always have people to study with and people to vent with. people will be by and large on the same schedule as you are – so when you’re buckling down, everyone else will be too. when you have some time to wind down, you’ll have people to enjoy it with.

    so yeah, living with engineers could be great. but it could also be not so great.

    think about it this way: you love your mom, right? of course you do. you and your ma are the tightest. you would do anything for her. but do you want to live with her? see her day in, day out?

    of course you don’t – that’s why you’re moving out.

    a living learning society has the potential to be kind of like that. engineering is pretty intense, and you might find yourself?wanting a break from it when you come home from class.

    living at trinity could provide you with that break. no matter where you live, you’re not going to be isolated from your engineering peers – so don’t worry about that. firstly, you’ll be spending too much time in class together for that to ever be possible, and secondly, most people commute anyway, so living on res won’t exclude you.

    but what trinity can give you that engineering can’t is a community outside your studies – friends from other programs, with other perspectives.

    there are only 425 people living at trinity, and trinity, more perhaps than some other, newer colleges at uoft, has a very strong sense of self (dressing up in black robes every wednesday evening can do that to a group of people).

    being a part of the trinity community as well as the engineering community might give you a nice balance between engineering and, well, something else.

    ultimately, there’s no right answer. residence is very largely a non-academic experience, and different people will prefer different kinds of communities. just try to go with whichever option you feel more excited about. if you can, book a residence tour at each college. then just feel it out.

    best of luck, and see you in september!

    aska

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  • admissions,  engineering

    “graduate school in engineeri – ” nope. nopity nope.

    June 10, 2015

    Hey!

    I recently decided to attend UofT for computer engineering and I was?wondering if the 3.6 GPA requirement is as strict with engineering students as it is with other (because you know, it just aint easy being an engineer)

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    why tell aska whether you’re applying to undergrad or grad studies? she doesn’t need to know! that would’ve just been just TOO EASY for her, huh?

    my HUNCH is that you’re applying to grad school, both because of the GPA requirement and because of your cynical, embittered use of the word “ain’t.” that cold, hard cynicism is usually underdeveloped in 17-year-olds. though not always.

    engineering tends to be one of the more no-nonsense disciplines at uoft – and at most universities, acutally. i guess spending a life around gears and wiring requires being absolutely wrung out at school.

    point is, if they say a B+, then they mean it.

    in addition, ECE specifically states that you need at least an A- to be competitive. i doubt they’re joking around about that, either. also, “[s]tudents with academic records equal to or below the minimum eligibility requirement are strongly discouraged from applying.”

    if they wrote that in bold on their admissions page, it’s probably there for a reason.

    however, if you’re uncertain about how your qualifications match up, you can always use their international degree equivalencies tool. you can also just call them up, because sometimes departments are willing to chat with people about where they stand, admissions-wise.

    good luck with grad studies in engineering. like, seriously. i hope you enjoy the gears and wiring and stuff.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions,  engineering

    who appeals to engineering?

    May 28, 2015

    Hi 🙁 If i am refused admission to an engineering program, what are the chances of me being reconsidered after my final marks of the semester are out, if they are much higher? To whom may I write an appeal to? (I called the engineering office and they encouraged me to write an appeal) And what do you recommend I write?
    Also, on my rejection e-mail, it says that after June 4, OUAC will list the programs that have space remaining in UofT. How likely is it that engineering programs will be on this list?
    Thank you aska, i’ve asked u a lot of questions in the past and u always come through. Thank u <3 hopefully i can be at uoft starting next year and continue to pester u with questions lmao

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’ve never heard of any faculty at uoft considering an admissions appeal, so i’m surprised that anyone at engineering told you to write one. it’s not mentioned in engineering’s explanation of appeals and petitions, and appeals tend to be for current students.

    if they were to accept it, though, feel free to ask enrolment services who you can address it to, and how you should structure it. i don’t think i can give much advice on how to write it though, since i didn’t even think it was possible.

    i have no idea if engineering will be on that list. it’s possible you might get an alternative offer in engineering – track one instead electrical, for example. however, since i don’t know what your grades look like and i don’t know how engineering handles admissions, i can’t say how likely that is. you might get an alternate offer from the faculty of arts & science. you might not receive an alternate offer at all. i’m not sure.

    it’s possible that you’ll be reconsidered for admission when your final marks come out. decisions are being made on an ongoing basis, so you may still hear something; again, this is something that’s decided internally by admissions and i have no way of knowing when the last batch of decisions will be made.

    i realize that i pretty much just gave you three paragraphs saying ‘i don’t know’ in different words, and i’m sorry about that. i’m sorry i wasn’t able to come through with such great news this time; unfortunately, admissions is just one of those things that the university likes to keep under lock and key. and then put in a box. and then lock that box. and then throw the box in a river.

    the best thing you can do is keep in communication with enrolment services and the engineering undergraduate admissions office with any of these questions. they will do everything they can to answer your questions and help you out.

    best of luck, and i hope it works out,

    aska

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  • engineering,  probation

    probation station 2: engineers gone wild

    May 26, 2015

    Hello, I’m a second year ece student. I was not able to get a 60% average this semester so I became a PRO2 student. So sadly I cannot continue to 3rd year and I’m supposed to withdraw for 8 months (I can start again in the winter term). So I lose a year. My question is what would be the most beneficial path to take?

    I filed a petition so uft would let me take those electives required by my faculty. I started looking for jobs and I applied to IBM. My cgpa is really low 1.77 so I doubt I’ll get in. What do you suggest I do? I don’t have any real work experience. I’m gonna list the options that I see right now and you can add to them or alter them.

    1) If the petition is granted, I can take the elective courses and make 3rd year and 4th year a bit easier.

    2) Work in an engineering company to get the 600 hours done (the problem with this choice is I’m not sure if its realistic, If I can use the 3 summer months to gain enough experience or to do beneficial things to make this choice possible, then I would do it, Sub questions: is it possible for me to get an engineering job? What would be a better alternative? What other ways can I finish my 600 hours without losing more time? I was planning to do a pey year but now I don’t want to because my degree will?take (4 + 1 repeated year + pey year = 6 total years) instead of (4 + pey year = 5 total years). If i can finish my 600 hours I can still finish my degree in a total of 5 years. Does it have to be an engineering job to receive hours? Where can I find work in this area (I looked at some
    websites that uft provide, any more you know of, other options etc)?

    3) Work in a retail/fast food to gain work experience

    4) Take training courses so i can be a better candidate for engineering jobs

    Any advice is appreciated, there are many choices and I don’t know which one to focus on and which one is realistic.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    1) if your petition is granted, then yeah, it would be nice to take some electives and make things a bit easier on yourself. on the other hand, if you fail to get a above a 60% average in the next term, you won’t be invited for readmission. meaning that the next term you take is going to be absolutely crucial.

    i’d strongly consider talking to your registrar’s office for advice before you make a decision – about your petition, about jobs, about school in general. they can help you figure out your next steps.

    that might include visiting the academic success centre, or CAPS, or any of a myriad of other resources available on campus. however, i cannot overstate how important an academic advisor is in helping you plan those next steps.

    all in all, you want to work on making your situation as optimal as possible for when you come back to school. your registrar can help you do that.

    2)/3) from what i can tell, it looks like the 600 hours do not have to be in a job specific to engineering. in all the descriptions i’ve read, they’re very careful about remaining vague about the type of job that’s allowed.

    as long as the job “contain[s] a good measure of responsibility (e.g., management of programs, systems, equipment, personnel or finances), sound judgment and effective communication,” it should be fine. that’s an exceptionally vague description, so i’m sure lots of non-engineering jobs qualify. the site even specifies that “[w]ork in many facets of industry, government or public service would be acceptable for this requirement.”

    so there are probably some non-engineering jobs that will qualify – though i’m sure not all of them will. you may want to double check any likely candidates with the engineering career centre.

    as for where to look: CLN’s job board is pretty good – so is its engineering counterpart. linkedin is another great resource. then you’ve got your general job posting sites like indeed, monster, etc. if there are any specific companies you’re interested in, you may want to keep a tab on their careers page in case anything comes up.

    i can’t tell you which jobs you should be applying for – i’m afraid i just don’t know enough about the field. however, this is another thing that would be great to bring up at a meeting with your registrar. they can take a look at your transcript and discuss what would be feasible/beneficial for you right now.

    4) maybe, but i have no idea what courses would actually be useful. the way i see it, your academics are the most important thing right now, and planning out a road map with – you guessed it – your registrar, is the absolute best next step.

    best of luck with all this. i know how tough this must be; engineering is no walk in the park, regardless of your GPA. don’t lose hope, though. you’ll get through it, and you’ll end up with a solution that you’re happy with and excited about.

    all the best,

    aska

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  • engineering,  Transferring

    love that engineering fear

    May 8, 2015

    hey,
    okay well i guess i don’t have one particular question but more of a range of annoyingly (i’m sorry) broad questions asked as statements and the need for a bit of guidance about what i should do based on some facts: i finished my first year at uoft in 2013-2014 and then i left because i got really anxious. i was in the art and science stream for IR at trin and when i started i thought i knew what was happening at 17 and then i got really sad about how much i disliked my program because i’ve always been a sciency person with parents who want a lawyer. my college councilor recommended i apply for eng. and see what happens. my original high school pre-req average is in the low 90’s but i got a bad bout of anxiety and didnt apply for sept. 2015 and my average for my uni courses of first year is 3.52 so i was afraid of getting rejected because they are all artsci courses which i’ve been snooted at for. i’ve heard some bad stories about eng acceptances and was thinking about applying for sept 2016. i’m afraid that my first year marks and my original high school marks are not good
    enough (not too many extra-currics.) because everyone i’ve spoken to about uoft eng said their requirement for acceptance information page is full of f**kery (sorry) and the cut-off is actually unimaginably high. i am worried about wasted application money or to fail in first year which means wasting 10 000 of my own dollars. i’m currently retaking the major math and science pre-reqs to brush up and prevent failure because its said uoft does not take second attempts seriously. i don’t know how honest the requirement page of the eng department is and i heard people have gotten rejected with 88’s and 89’s and i’m pretty much at that. i was wondering if i could take some eng courses in 2015 as i do have the the pre-reqs with recommended grades despite not being in the faculty and the eng. site didn’t really help. i’m also wondering what taking another year off until i apply to eng will mean for my record and whether i can. the possibility of failure is frighteningly high but i don’t want to scoot around my butt crying forever and i need a little wisdom before plunging in or a warning not to.
    thanks aska.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    so i took a look at the transfer students admissions page for the faculty of applied science & engineering to see for myself this f**kery you speak of. as i suspected, it was just as typically vague as it has to be.

    the thing about these admissions info pages is that they can’t be too specific about their info because they actually don’t know how high the admissions average will be, since it all depends on the applicant pool.

    that said, there are trends, and after a bit of digging, i found that the admissions average of high school students entering uoft for engineering was a 91.7% in 2013, with only 30% of applicants admitted (see page 13 of the faculty’s annual report).

    unfortunately the report doesn’t mention transfer applicants, but given that they will look at your high school transcript when considering you for admission, those stats might come in handy.

    in terms of your university grades, if you’re at a 3.52 now, you’re above the minimum for consideration (a mid-B average). the higher you can get above that, the more likely your chances.

    and if you’ll be spending next year getting your science prerequisites, you’ll likely do a lot better than you did while in IR. if you got a 3.52 in a program you don’t like, imagine what you can do in a program that you do.

    all in all, it’s not hopeless. just because you’re transferring from the faculty of arts & science, doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance. despite the fact that engineering students often treat FAS students as slightly better than a pile of dirt, you’re not worthless if you’re transferring from artsci. so do your best to ignore all the snooting.

    as for taking eng. classes while you’re taking your prereqs, i doubt they’ll allow that. certain departments will allow you to audit a course, but it’s quite a process; you have to pay and apply and yada yada yada. these professional faculties tend to be pretty guarded, to be honest. you can always call and ask, though.

    finally, i doubt taking a year off will impact your admission. you can definitely talk to your college registrar’s office about it if you’re unsure, but i think that as long as your high school marks are still within 5 years ago by the time you apply, you should be good.

    take the year if you need it. rest. cry a little bit, if you need to – it’s good for you. work. goodness knows, the engineering faculty’s tuition could use some saving for.

    all in all: admission is definitely competitive, and probably even more so for transfer applicants. however, if it’s something you really want to do, i say go for it. you can always switch into a science POSt in the faculty of arts & science if you don’t get in, and you’ll regret it later if you don’t at least apply.

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • admissions,  engineering

    i just love mac n cheese. better than engineering, definitely.

    March 26, 2015

    hey aska
    im extremely upset today because i just did very poorly on a very important test and midterm marks are due in about three weeks. basically im a grade 12 student. i know u guys hate admissions questions but please try to answer me truthfully so i can mentally prepare myself for failure if it’s to come. i was sure that i can get low 90s in physics and calculus but i think i’ll be getting high 80s (like around 88) in both of them (this is the most likely case, there is a chance of me getting a 90 on the dot). i had a low 80 in advanced functions so i was trying to make up for it with my calculus and physics marks but that’s not happening. i had a low 90 in chemistry and biology and have high 90s in english and my elective. what are my chances of getting into uoft engineering (chemical or civil)? my average should be around 89 at the lowest, 91 at the highest. i would say i did well on my video interview and i have very strong extracurriculars – i think i have a strong student profile form.

    please help me sorry i cant sound happier

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    aww man – we don’t actually hate admissions questions, y’all. it’s just a bit of teasing. if you guys stopped sending us questions, where would aska be at home in a big t-shirt and no pants, probably, eating mac n cheese and watching totally spies on netflix.

    which, yes, sounds pretty great, but it likely wouldn’t be good for my general well-being in the long run.

    firstly: i can’t guarantee that you’re going to get in. i can never guarantee that, especially for engineering, which just gets more and more competitive every year.

    however, there is really not that much difference between an 89% and a 91%. like, regardless of how good those marks are, 3% is not going to make or break your chances. secondly (and most importantly), that’s a very good average. that is a competitive average, no question about it.

    like i said, i can’t guarantee admission because i have literally zero influence on anything that actually happens at this university, BUT i do know that an 89% is nothing to panic about.

    “but aska,” i hear you saying, “you have no credibility. all your posts are in lowercase and you started your answer by talking about wearing no pants while eating mac n cheese. you’re constantly talking garbage and it rarely makes sense. why should i trust you?”

    well, you can take a look at the admission grade range for engineering students in 2012 for proof. the admission grade range then for chemical and civil engineering was low-80s. granted, that number may have gone up a little since 2012, but not by much. so you’re solidly above the grade range of students who are accepted. that doesn’t guarantee you will be accepted, but it bodes well.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • engineering,  GPA

    the status of failed courses

    March 9, 2015

    Hey I’m a first year engineering student that really messed up, I was wondering if first year marks count towards cGPA, I know they don’t use first year when considering you for honours standing, but does the same apply for cGPA? Also when calculating averages for awards that require you to take a ‘full course load’, are failed courses still counted as part of a full course load?

    Thanks
    EFTW

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the ‘c’ of CGPA stands for cumulative, so yes, it includes every year you’re at school, including first year.

    ‘full course load’ implies that you took a full course load, not that you passed your full course load. so whatever marks you got in your failed courses will be counted as part of your average, and you will be considered as having taken a full course load.

    try not to be too bummed about it. first-year engineering is almost mythical in terms of how hard it is. you have three more years to slowly build that CGPA back up to something you can be happy with, so don’t stress. if we all just focus on getting through the rest of the year alive, then there’s always next year to do better.

    good luck!

    aska

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