• engineering,  suspension

    engineer out of water

    January 13, 2015

    Question: Any academic / life suggestions for a engineering student on 1 year suspension? I really feel now there’s nothing I can call hope now. I cannot face my friends and also it’s a shame to my family. Also how can a person make decent friends in their age while he is out of school?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    your friends and family can think whatever they want. if they think it’s shameful to be suspended (despite the fact that many engineering students are suspended/put on probation every year, many of whom continue on to successful degrees), that’s their prerogative.

    fact is, only you know what engineering at uoft is like, and only you can decide how you want to feel about being suspended. obviously, no one wants to be suspended, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend the whole year feeling gloomy or beating yourself up about it.

    suspension is a year-long opportunity to figure out 1) why you were suspended 2) what you want to do next and 3) how you can go about doing whatever that is. if you take some time to think about 1) and 2) and decide that you really do want to come back to engineering, i would recommend looking into these resources.

    it might also be a good idea to get a part-time job or do some volunteer work. sometimes you can have the clearest thoughts about something while you’re away from it. do something different from engineering, and see if you miss it or not.

    getting a job or volunteer position could also help a lot with making friends. i’ve made some of my best friends through extra-curriculars or jobs i’ve held. charity village is a great site for looking up volunteer opportunities in the city, and you may want to take a look here as well.

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • engineering,  grad school

    engineering your acceptance to grad school

    December 18, 2014

    Hello Askastudent!

    I graduated from UTM with a HBSc degree in Chemistry and Mathematics and have attempted to apply to graduate school. I was rejected unfortunately, which made me question my choice to even attend graduate school even if I do eventually get in. I have a 3.0 CGPA and a 3.4 GPA for my last two years, so with more volunteer experience and possibly a college post graduate diploma, I would be able to get in. I have since been looking for other options in order to either increase my chances or find another career path. Two of the choices were an Advanced Lasers program (graduate certificate) and a Chemical Engineering Technology program (fast track diploma). I would like to ask you if you think it would be possible to complete the Chemical Engineering Technology program and be accepted into a master’s degree in chemical engineering.

    Thank you.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    alright, i’m gonna preface this by saying that you should definitely, definitely follow up on this with the department of chemical engineering and/or the school of graduate studies. grad schools operate kind of on their own, so it’s hard to know what the best move would be in terms of trying to get accepted. even aska, in her infinite knowledge and wisdom*, doesn’t know the inner working of every graduate program admissions committee at this school.

    i think the major problem here is that you have a Bachelor of Science instead of a Bachelor of Engineering, or a Bachelor of Applied Science. because of that, there may not be much you can do to affect your chances – however, you should run it by the department to see how much of an issue it is.

    let’s just assume for now that the degree isn’t an issue.

    since GPA and references are the only things that’re used to determine admission, there’s a limited amount of things you can do to boost your chances. i’d recommend thinking about taking another year and taking some courses to boost your GPA.

    if your third year wasn’t as strong, you can increase your chances by taking another year. that way, your admission this time around will be based on your fourth and fifth years, instead of your third and fourth.

    i don’t know whether having a diploma would help you much. however, like i said, it’s worth asking chem eng. about it. ask about doing an extra year, ask about how helpful the certificate and diploma programs would be, and if there’s someone you can talk to about what specifically was weak about your first application, that would probably be the most helpful thing.

    good luck!

    cheers,

    aska

    *and charm and beauty

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  • admissions,  engineering,  grad school,  international students

    a very exhaustive examination of admissions to grad school (whoo!)

    September 29, 2014

    Hey aska! I’m very keen on getting into either Mengg or MS in CS at UofT. I’ve done my Btech in electrical and electronics with 66.76% from a tier 1 college of India. I have a 1.3 year work ex with a big data analytics firm. What are my chances of getting into the program. Gre 312. Toefl 104+ expecting.

    ———————————————

    Hey there,

    so. you’ve got a Bachelor of Technology and now you want to continue the roller-coaster ride that is engineering at UofT. great!

    admissions says that you need a four-year Bachelor’s degree, which you have. You also need to have attended a 1st. div. college, which you did. finally, your TOEFL score is comfortably above the minimum requirements for admission.

    the only thing i’m not sure about is your average. to get into engineering, you need to have completed your degree with at least a B or B+ average in the final two years of your degree.

    i’m not sure whether that 66.67% you mentioned is a) reflective of your four years, instead of just the last two, and b) works on a different GPA system than ours.

    the uoft website doesn’t allude to any different GPA scale in Indian universities, so i would contact the faculty of applied science & engineering to ask them whether your GPA scale matches theirs. also, make sure that the average you’re using to calculate your likelihood of admission is the average of your last two years of school.

    if that average is at least a B+, then you’re an eligible and competitive applicant.

    finally, make sure that you check the admissions requirements for the specific department you’re interested in within the faculty, because some of them have extra requirements like letters of reference (that’s where your work experience could come in handy).

    the M.Sc. in comp. sci. also requires a B+, but only in your LAST year of study.

    the TOEFL requirements are the same as those for engineering, and they don’t specify a preferred GRE score.

    the GRE actually seems like an asset rather than a requirement, because they say that “[a]pplicants from outside Canada are encouraged to submit scores from the GRE General Test, and are encouraged to also submit scores from the GRE Subject Test in Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related discipline.”

    the one thing that might complicate your admission to the M.Sc. is that “[p]reference will be given to applicants who have studied computer science or a closely related discipline.”

    i don’t know how closely electrical and electronic engineering is related to computer science, but it may be something you can ask the department of computer science.

    and that’s it! sorry for the information dump – i hope it all makes some sense. best of luck on your application!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • engineering

    *sidles up to you and slips a hard hat out from under my jacket*

    June 9, 2014

    what can you tell me about the U of T engineers?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i like how you worded this question. it makes me feel like you whispered it from underneath your cowboy hat, after coming up to me in a smoky bar. “what can ya tell me ’bout these engineers?”

    “nothin’ i ain’t said before,” i mumble back, taking a puff.

    “nah listen,” you say, grabbing me by the lapel, “you tell me what i need to know, or i’ll kick ya so hard you’ll land back in ya mother’s womb.”

    maybe that’s how it went down in an alternate universe. i hope so, though in our reality it’s probably closer to this. either way, i’m gonna answer your question, because i’m a pansy who can’t deal with being beaten up – in any dimension.

    uoft engineering’s academics are something you can and should definitely read about to get a feel for what engineering is like for students. however, i think what you’re asking is what the students themselves are like.

    well, engineering students- i’m assuming you’re talking about the students, even though you just said “engineers” in your question – are pretty isolated at most schools, and uoft is no exception. engineering is in its own faculty separate from artsci (the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering), which means you take different courses from most uoft undergrads. engineering also has its own clubs and student society separate from artsci.

    this, plus the general first year in which all engineering students take the same courses, and the fact that you’re in these classes together for 30 hours a week, means that most engineering students* develop a really strong relationship with their program/faculty.

    in the best cases, this relationship results in camaraderie and a sense of solidarity among students. in the worst, you come off like a self-absorbed cactus to everyone else not a part of your little nucleus of supersaturated engineering culture.

    but you, i can tell, are not a self-absorbed cactus. you’re here at the Askastudent Saloon, after all, and only the classiest of the class come round these parts! so if you don’t want to get lost in engineering’s (only sometimes) elitist atmosphere, then the solution is very simple – just don’t. if you can, try to participate in communities outside the faculty, and always make sure that you’re actually enjoying everything engineering has to offer, and not just following the herd of hard hats ahead of you.

    engineering is so intensive because it should be – in my opinion, it’s the way all programs should be. you learn a lot, you prepare for the working world, and along the way the school provides a supportive community for students. if you actually want to be an engineer – if physics and math make you feel that special tingly sensation in your chest – then uoft is a great place to be. if you cling to the school’s/faculty’s reputations just to make yourself feel better about a life choice you didn’t really want to make, then you will turn very prickly very quickly. but you don’t have to be that way, my friend. as long as you’re doing it for the right reasons, you’ll have a blast.

    cheers,

    aska

    * #NotAllEngineeringStudents

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  • engineering,  subject POST

    let the record state that i love engineers and think they are fab

    March 28, 2014

    Dear aska,

    I’ve noticed that engineers can take an arts and science minor, does that work both ways? I’m almost done my 2nd year and I double major in chemistry and physics but I’ve been thinking to switch into engineering, but that seems to be a painful process so minoring seems like the next best thing.

    Sincerely D

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it looks like only people pursuing a BASc can take engineering minors. sorry, man. curse those engineers!* maybe you could take a minor in math or computer science? i know they’re not exactly the same, but beggars can’t be choosers, y’know.

    cheers,

    aska

    *If there are any engineering students reading this: i’m kidding. please don’t ruin the structural integrity of my house.

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  • admissions,  engineering

    an ingeniousely engineered engineering science safety net

    January 30, 2014

    Hey there!
    I’m a high school student in an Mississauga high school, and I’m hoping to get into the Engineering Science program…which as we all?know means 4 years of weight loss and no sleep. Its a really tough program, and I am going to try my hardest but what I want to know is,?supposing I don’t get good grades in that program, can I tranfer to one of the core 8 eng programs after 1semester/year or will I just get?booted out?
    On a side note, just wanted to know, does the student profile form really make a difference on the application?
    Thanks a lot!
    Avi

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

    hello. this is an old question. if you?d like to see why i am answering these BLASTS FROM THE PAST, please go?here! thanks!

    aska

    ???????????????
    Avi,

    You just might be the first person to make this stone cold soul laugh … ever, with your weight loss comment. I have noticed the skin and bone appearance on those engineers. that said, it seems like the faculty itself has noticed the same thing, because they actually have instructions on how to transfer?out of engineering science in the first year.

    basically, if you get at least a 60% in the fall term or 55% in the winter term, then you can transfer after either of those terms into any engineering program you want. which is good news.

    as for the student profile: yes, it does matter. it wouldn’t be there if it didn’t make a difference. so don’t slack on it, ya hear?!

    best,

    aska

     

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  • engineering,  grad school

    this person thinks i’m a creep or something gosh

    January 24, 2014
    Hello I am an undergraduate student at University of Waterloo and got some bad marks at Waterloo I am looking to improve all my marks for the last two years (5 year program). I am really hopeful about U of T Graduate Studies in Electrical Engineering as it is a well known university but another reason is that it close to my home.I have read online that U of T looks at the last two years GPA to be above 75% (?). I know this is a minimum requirement but what are my chances if I apply with letters of recommendation and internship experience? Should I also do a GRE? Please let me know.Please also keep my email id confidential.Thanks

    ———————————————

    hello. this is an old question. if you’d like to see why i am answering these BLASTS FROM THE PAST, please go here! thanks!

    aska

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    firstly, i RESENT the implication that i would do anything irresponsible with your e-mail address! i’m not some kind of CREEP who, like, writes all the e-mail addresses i get on little pieces of paper and then bathes in them at midnight, or something. HMPH. i’ll have you know that askastudent is 100% normal and conforms to social standards, THANKS VERY MUCH.

    as for your question, uoft “strongly discourages” those with a mid-B or lower from applying, which is polite, university-speak for “there is no chance we’ll ever consider you if your mark is under a 75%, ever. EVER. case closed.” such is the way of the world, unfortunately. babies cry, old people trip, and undergrads with B averages don’t get admitted to electrical engineering.

    however, you have 2 more years (hypothetically speaking; this question’s already a coupla years old) to get your marks up to something that’ll give you a bit more of a chance, so make sure to focus on that.

    as for letters of reference and internship experience, both are necessary parts of your application. so yeah, they’ll increase your chances of getting in. i mean, think of it this way: you won’t be considered if you DON’T include those things. snark aside though, if you graduate with like an 80% average or something, especially strong letters of reference and CV will definitely give you more of a fighting chance.

    they don’t require you to do the GRE, but if you want to, you can submit your scores. that seems kinda weird to me, tbh. it doesn’t seem like something that really influences their decision, but they still let you submit it, for some reason. maybe just to make you feel like writing the GRE wasn’t a MASSIVE WASTE OF TIME. anyway, if you haven’t written it yet (hypothetically speaking), i wouldn’t bother. it doesn’t seem super-important.

    sorry about the belated advice, and i hope you got in, man. hope you’re doing some super cool things now, somewhere in the wide world. let me know, eh? cool.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • engineering

    chemical engineering: yay or nay?

    January 14, 2014

    Hey Aska!

    First, I enjoy the Dan Howell gifs on the prospective students page and Jon Snow as well…I like you already. Anyways, I’m one of the many anxious high school students coming to you for advice! I’m currently in Gr. 11 and have been looking at universities for years (because I’m a massive nerd yup). I’m planning to go into Chemical Engineering and know that tons of schools offer great co-op programs so how does the PEY program do next to integrated co-op like other universities have? Also is the ChemEng course load as tough as everybody tells me? Sorry for dumb questions from a dumb nerd. Time to go back to being emotional over fictional characters.

    Thanks!

    – #1 Nerd

    ?????????

    hey there,

    well first, congrats on your a+ taste! dan and jon also happen to be two of my favourites, and they’re especially convenient because i get to watch them without having to waste time interacting with them as humans! that brings me on to chemical engineering.

    i’m gonna answer your second question first because i think it kind of precedes the question about PEY. first, you have to be sure engineering is what you want to do. then, you can start working out the details. so. is it as hard as everyone says? well, yes and no.

    i’d say that, out of any discipline in at uoft that’s a first-year entry program, engineering has the most intense workload. the general rule of thumb i learned is that arts programs are 10-15 hours of class time a week, science programs are 20-25, and engineering are 30-35. which is why i say that in an engineering program, you can often feel like you have no time to interact with other humans. also, engineering deals with higher level mathematics and physics than any life science program, so it’s just tougher academically. it’s a big step up from whatever it is you did in grade 12, i don’t care if that was ap or ib or whatever. it’s a different environment, and that at least is bound to throw you off.

    however, it’s definitely not impossible. i think (and this is just my humble opinion yadda yadda) that you need two things to do well in engineering: 1) you need to be good at math. obviously.

    2) (spoiler: this one’s more important than the first one) you actually need to LIKE math (and chemistry and physics) – not just what you think you’re going to get out of the degree. if you’re not super great at math but you REALLY LIKE doing it, then you can gain a lot of ground that other people who hate every second of it lose in first year.

    ok, next up: the PEY Internship Program. alright, so the main difference between uoft and other universities is that – big shocker, clue’s in the name – uoft offers an internship program, while other universities offer co-op. that means that instead of doing certain semesters at a co-op job and then coming back to school for a couple of semesters on and off throughout your degree, you do one 12-16 month chunk of work after 2nd or 3rd year. this is good because you get to see what, essentially, working full-time as an engineer as like. it also means that you get paid a lot of money in one go.

    however, you do have to wait longer in the uoft programs than in some co-op programs to actually get a job, and often, your marks etc. will get in the way of you actually qualifying for the internship (no one thinks it’ll happen to them until it does). i don’t say this to SCARE you, just to INFORM you. ultimately, you need to make a choice between an academic program that offers a year-long internship, and a program that incorporates multiple work terms into your studies. capice?

    ok great, well, that’s your crash course on engineering. hope it gave you summat to think about.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • engineering,  probation

    need to get on that life (read: work) experience

    December 2, 2013

    Hey Aska,

    So I’ve got a bit of a doozy for you here. I’m an engineering student, who, after a horrible first year, is currently stuck with a repeat probation academic status.? Now, in order to graduate, I need to get 600 hours of engineering work experience, and as far as I can tell, my two options are the PEY program and the summer internship program. In order to apply for either of these programs in my 2nd or 3rd year, I need to be in good academic standing. To get on good academic standing, I need to get a 70% average for the next two semesters, which will upgrade me to a probation status, and then I need another two semesters of 70% average to get me to a good academic standing. That, however, means I can in no way be in good academic standing until the end of my 3rd year, assuming I can pull off the 70% averages. By that time, it will be too late to apply for or even fulfill the PEY or summer internship programs.

    What then am I supposed to do to get my 600 hours?

    I had a rough 1st year because my program choice, TrackOne, ended up with me taking courses I absolutely hated. I am now going into the only program I loved in TrackOne, but the repeat probation status, of course, still applies. I believe I can be much more successful now in this program, but these 600 hours are a big concern.

    Best regards 🙂

    ?????????

    hey there,

    that is a tough situation, i’ll give you that. before i go ahead and give you my advice, i’m going to let you know that if you’ve not done very well in first year, maybe you should consider that engineering might not be for you.

    i know you’re going into a program you like, but consider how many of the courses in the rest of the program you’ll like just as much. take a look at the courses you’ll be taking in 2nd, 3rd and 4th year. do you like them? do they sound exciting, or will the majority be mind-numbingly dull? don’t rush ahead into this decision, trust me, because it just gets harder as the years go on.

    that said, if you really are sure about going ahead with this program, then you will need to complete those 600 hours. like you said, the university’s internship opportunities won’t be an option for you, but you don’t have to complete them through the school. you can, but you don’t have to. so what i would do in your shoes is cast a wider net.

    start looking for other internship opportunities that aren’t monitored by the school. is your dad’s friend brothers with an engineer? great, ask him if you can tag along and do your hours with him one summer. or, if you’re like me and have no contacts whatsoever and need to push and shove your own way through life, go online?and see if there are any internships out there. look, here’s one. they will also probably favour people with higher marks, but there are a lot of jobs out there and i’m sure, if you’re persistent, you’ll find someone among all those rejections. heck, that’s how i got this job.

    best of luck friend,

    aska

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  • engineering,  grad school,  masters

    beating the system

    November 29, 2013

    I applied to a masters at UofT in Cities Engineering and Management. i then realized they need a one year experience for the program which I do not have. Would I have a chance in getting in if not a lot of people have applied ?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if they require 1 year of experience, then you need one year of experience. they wouldn’t put that as a requirement if they were willing to accept people who do not have 1 year of experience. sorry to break it to you. if you really want to enter that program, why not try getting that one year of experience and then applying a year later? that way you’ll have a chance of being admitted and you’ll gain valuable work experience! hope that helps.

    xoxo,

    aska

    P.S. “one year of experience” don’t sound like real words anymore. one year of experience. one year of experience. *shudders*

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  • admissions,  engineering,  grad school

    Engineering admissions woes

    October 28, 2013

    Hi! 🙂

    I am an international student and I really really want to attend Uoft engineering ece grad school. I am currently in my last semester and my cgpa will be 3.5-3.6 ish.

    Its a big dream of mine to get into uoft (follow in my dad’s footsteps) but i hear uoft is very competitive and they won’t even?look at anything less that 3.8. Should I just give up and not apply at all? I mean do I really have a shot at getting in?

    Thanks a lot :))

    -Worried Undergrad

    ———————————————

    Hey there,

    So basically, the cut-off for a master’s in engineering is a mid-B – that works out to a 3.0 in your final year. You’ve decided to go for one of the more competitive engineering streams, meaning you should have as high above that average as possible, but fortunately, I’d say a 3.5-3.6 qualifies as well above the 3.0 minimum, enough to give you a shot.

    Also keep in mind that for ECE, GPA is not the only consideration. They also look at references, so the better your references, the more likely your chances of getting in even if you don’t have a 3.8 GPA or higher.

    If you’re concerned about how your school matches up with uoft’s, or if your degree is an appropriate preparation for uoft’s grad program, you can also take a look here.

    Finally, I’m gonna go ahead and say what I always say: don’t pay attention to what you hear from other people. If you have the time and money, go ahead and apply – it’s always worth a shot if you really want it. Also, I get that you want to come here because your father did and it has sentimental value, but I’d also encourage you to apply to other places as well; uoft’s great, but it’s not the only option!

    Best of luck, and try not to worry TOO much 🙂 I know it’s tough.

    aska

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  • engineering

    senioritis strikes back!

    June 14, 2013

    Not sure if this is the right place to be asking a question but…

    My U of T admission says that I must maintain “consistent” grades. In my last semester of senior year my grades dropped by around 0.1 GPA (stupid senioritis). Should I be worried or is U of T (engineering) really strict in this matter?

    We go by a 4.0 unweighted GPA scale. (4.0 = A = 92.5-100, 3.67 = A- = 89.5-92.4, 3.33 = B+ = 87.5-89.4, etc). Basically in the last semester of my senior year, my physics? grade dropped from an A to a B- while my other grades stayed the same.

    ?????????

    Hey hey

    If it’s only one grade that fell, I don’t think you should be in tooooo much trouble.

    Granted, if you have time left to boost your grade with, say, exams, don’t screw around! Engineering is super competitive, even if you’re just applying to ones like Chemical or Civil that seem to require lower grades than Engineering Science.

    Screw around when you’re 100% in. 😉

    But to be completely honest, I do find that UofT is quite strict with their conditional offers. It’s okay to drop a percentage or two, but if you do anything substantial… yeah. Don’t do that. Just don’t.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • engineering

    there can only be only one aska

    April 18, 2013

    Dear Aska,

    I am a fans of Askastudent. However, I am in UT Engineering and I have many questions about how …engineering. May I ask you to send me a link of Askastudent-engineering??

    Thanks:)

    -Angel

    ?????????

    Angel,

    The best I can do in terms of giving you a link to some sort of “askastudent: engineering edition” is send you over to the engineering category.

    I won’t tell you where my super secret lair is based, but I will tell you I answer questions about UofT, UTSC, and UTM alike and all their faculties and departments, so feel free to send in whatever you’re confused about.

    I shall research your research for you to the best of my abilities. 😉

    Cheers!

    aska

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