Sup Y’all, I enrolled into a minor program (EAS) in order to get priority enrolment for a first year language course. Now that I’m two months into the course, is it safe to drop the minor program and still retain my spot in the course?
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hello,
**fyi there is one aska at the moment so as much as i wish we could be considered a “y’all”, “we” is only me 🙁
after taking a look at all the first year language courses available for EAS, it seems like none of them require you to be in an EAS subject POst to stay in the course, so i would say that it’s safe to drop to retain your spot in the course.
keep in mind, you’re only allowed to change and delete your subject POsts during specific periods. these vary depending on which type of subject POst you’re adding or deleting, but you can check all of that at this link, right here and right here.
hope this helped!
peace and love,
aska
Yo aska! I’m from utsc and would like to take arabic as language citation, sadly my campus doesn’t have the course :’( Can I take it @ the other two campuses? Love ya! – J
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hey there J,
this is a great question, and the reason i know that is becausei asked a whole bunch of Professional People TM who didn’t know. thankfully, the lovely folks at the UTSC registrar’s office were able to confirm that YES, you can use courses from other campuses towards a language citation on your home campus. the registrar’s office did note, however, that those courses have to be within the 5.0 FCE limit that you have on courses you can take at other campuses. also, they urged you to verify that the courses actually count towards the language citation. I’m not 100% clear on how to do that, since it seems like you can only really submit the assessment when you’re about to graduate. however, as long as you take 1.0 FCEs at the introductory level and 1.0 more at a more advanced level, you would be following all the requirements published by UTSC. the best place to go with further questions, though, would probably be whoever’s behind this e-mail: language-coordinator ( at ) utsc ( . ) utoronto ( . ) ca.
thanks for that humdinger of a question!
love ya too, stranger,
aska
Hello!
I’m a UTSC student studying political science and linguistics, and am looking to eventually earn language citations in Russian and Japanese, both of which only have advanced level courses at St. George (the courses required for the citations). I already spent my first two years of university in another program at UTSC, so once I get past 10 credits this semester I won’t be able to transfer. However, I would be fine with a UTSC undergrad and 2 citations, as long as I end up with a high proficiency in these languages. But I’m sort of unsure how to go about this process…
Should I graduate first and then pursue the citations? As a non-degree student I would be placed behind everyone else during course selection, so wouldn’t that basically make taking the courses virtually impossible?
If I take the courses during my undergrad, I would still be behind St. George students during course selection.
You seem pretty knowledgeable and not entirely devoid of human emotion, do you have any recommendations for me on how to study these languages at U of T? Are there more paths available to me that I haven’t mentioned? Any help would be appreciated!
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hey there,
so, i would recommend talking with the registrar’s office about this, because the language leaves a little bit of room for ambiguity.
the official rules as they’re written in the calendar say, “The Citation may be earned in any language, modern or ancient, in which there is sufficient advanced training at UTSC.” i ASSUME that what that means is that if there is not sufficient advanced training at UTSC, as in the case of Russian and Japanese, you wouldn’t be able to complete a language citation.
however, it may be possible for you to complete some of the courses for your UTSC language citation at another campus, so i would recommend that you just ask your registrar.
as for doing language citation when you’re a non-degree: not only would it be very hard to get into courses with your late start date, but – as with subject posts – it’s not something non-degrees can typically do. noting things on transcripts (like subject POSTs, language citations, etc.) only really happens while you’re in school for a degree, and retroactive adds are rare.
the only thing that automatically gets updated for non-degree students is GPA. you’re never safe from a low GPA. NEVER.
peace,
aska
Hi!
I’m an American freshman in high school, and my parents are already urging me to research colleges that I’d like to apply for. U of T has been on my list for a little while now. I absolutely love Toronto- I go there every summer, and the people seem great. I’ve also heard that it is among the top list of schools in terms of language programs. (The US News website ranked University of Toronto as #7 on their list of language schools :D)
Specifically, I’m interested in education and language studies. I’m hoping to do something with either Spanish, French, Russian, or German (Can’t decide!) I’d also love to be a schoolteacher someday… I was also thinking of combining the two and teaching English abroad, or another foreign language back in the States.
In your opinion, how well is your language program? And will I be able to pursue a major/minor in education?
Thanks! (And sorry for being a clueless American minor…)
-Maddie 🙂
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Hey Maddie!
I’m glad to hear you love Toronto. Toronto rocks!
Now what do I personally think of the language program? I think it’s great! UofT is extremely supportive of immersing oneself in different cultures. I mean, we are located in the middle of Toronto, a highly diverse city, so there ya go! 🙂
But to be completely honest, I’ve never taken any language courses (aside from like… Old English), so I asked a few people that I know who have and here’s what I’ve basically gathered:
That’ll all I’ve got! I hope that helped.
And as for a minor in Education, we offer a minor in “Education and Society,” but that’ll be open only to students in the CTEP program, which you can learn more about here.
Cheers!
aska
HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!
I am a first year student and plan on majoring in sociology and French (leaning towards the language & linguistics programme). However, I have minimal knowledge of French and was placed in FSL121Y1 after taking the placement test. I logged into ROSI and attempted to enrol in the course but am on the waitlist. I was advised by the registrar that I should consider taking an equivalent course at Athabasca University. I do not want to study a language online, so I tried to get into a similar course at UTM, UTSC, Glendon, and Ryerson to no avail. Also, this course is usually not offered in the summer session and I cannot take this course in the 2nd year because it means I’ll be taking FSL22Y1 during 3rd year and will not be able to complete the program requirements by the time I graduate. What am I supposed to do?? Since FSL121Y1 does not count towards any French programme, can I study privately at another Alliance Francais or with a tutor and the retake the placement test or enrol in FSL22Y1 in second year? I don’t care about getting the credit for FSL121Y1; I only care about being prepared to take FSL221Y1 in 2nd year so I can complete the program by the end of 4th year.
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Hey there. Considering your situation, I think that taking a language placement class at the Alliance Francais (so conveniently close to campus!) is a swell idea. You will just have to make sure that it checks out alright with the French department, not your registrar. I understand that being on the waitlist has messed up your class schedule and plan for your studies. You can try to get into FSL 121Y1 after the first week of classes (when the waitlists are dropped), or you could try to do the course equivalent in person at the Alliance Francais. The only potential problem is that U of T will not accept your class there as a credit.
The website says this in regards to transfer credits from accrediated universities:
Students may receive transfer credits, by means of a request placed through their College Registrar, for language courses taken at any accredited or degree-granting university in Canada or abroad. In order to be recommended for transfer credits, students should arrange, before returning to Toronto, for the other university to send an official transcript of their results. The transcript should be sent directly to the address indicated on their Letter of Permission (if they have one) or to their College Registrar.
If your French improves thanks to your studies at the Alliance, it’s possible that you might get into FSL 221Y1 irregardless and not have to worry. But if you don’t pass the placement test and U of T doesn’t accept your Alliance year as a credit, you might have to end up taking FSL 121Y anyways.
I would talk to the French department before you decide what you are going to do. Maybe you will get into FSL 121Y anyways!
Bonne chance,
xoxo, Askastudent
Helloo,
I’m just wondering, is it a common practice at the UofT to not let students take courses that they despirately need to continue with their programs due to “limited space”? And also, how much should I be outraged about not being able to take “the structure of modern French”, which is a core course in my program, despite getting an 83% in French during my first year, becoming successfully enrolled in the French linguistics program and paying the $6000 or so to register for this year?
Do you think It would make sense to go and beg the French department to let me take that course (i’m 5th on the waitlist for a total of 100 spaces, but I don’t think anyone will be dropping out of such an important course). Or am i just going to make an idiot of myself? Also, do you know if they will make me pay yet more money to take this course in the summer eventhough I was already screwed over because they couldn’t accommodate me this year? Thanks for reading, i’m just a little freaked out that I will have to do an extra year because UofT says so.
Thanks.
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Don’t you mean, “bonjour”?
I’m sorry that being on the waitlist has screwed your plan up. If you are in your final year of graduating, you can use U of T’s guarantee clause that you need the course to graduate. But if you are in an earlier year, you will have to stick out the waitlist and wait to see what happens. After the first week of classes, the waitlists will dissolve and it may be easier to get into the course if someone drops it. You could totally try and contact the program, but I doubt it will make a difference unless you are in your graduating year.
Sorry about everything. It’s just like a Godard movie!
xoxo, Askastudent
I have a couple of questions I wanted to ask, but sadly, I have no one to ask so I was wondering if you could help.
I have been accepted into UTSC and will start classes this fall. I really want to take a Japanese and/or Arabic language course in my first year, but a friend of mine told me that there are some forms you must fill out before you can apply for the course.
Is there too…and if it is, is it to late fo rme to take it this year.
Also, if I am in second/third year etc, it is possible to take a first year course if I choose to do something different, but need a prerequisiste that is a first year course.
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Hey there. Let’s answer your second question, first – not just because I’m a kooky columnist with my own agenda, but because it’s an easier one to tackle.
You can totally take first year courses in whatever year of study you are in, as long as you don’t max out on taking more than six 100 credits. You can take more than 6 100 Y courses, of course, but they won’t count towards your degree.
As for the language classes, I looked up the Department of Humanities at University of Scarborough (ha! Just kidding!) and here’s what the website says about how to register:
Current offerings in languages include Arabic, Hindi, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Sanskrit, Spanish and Tamil. Registration in all language courses is subject to the approval of the instructor. Students will be assessed, in a manner to be determined by the instructor, at the beginning of the course. Students whose level of proficiency in the language is inappropriate for the level of the course will not be approved for enrolment. Students’ status will be listed as ‘interim’ (INT) until they are approved (APP) for enrolment by their instructors.
For information about Mandarin, contact Prof. Helen Wu at helenxu@utsc.utoronto.ca. For information about Spanish and other LGG courses, contact Prof. Tamara Al-Kasey at talkasey@utsc.utoronto.ca. For information on Linguistics, contact Prof. Ron Smyth at smyth@utsc.utoronto.ca.
Here’s the detailed information on how to register:
Spanish LGGA30, Arabic LGGA40, Sanskrit LGGA54, Hindi LGGA70, Japanese LGGA80 and Tamil LGGA74 are designed for students who have no prior study of the language in question. To enroll, you must complete the following steps:
1. Request the course on ROSI. Your status will be INT. You will not be officially enrolled until you complete the remaining steps (below). If you are on a waitlist, you must also complete these steps to be admitted to the course.
2. Download the student questionnaire (below) for your language, indicating that you have no prior study of the language. Sign the form and turn it into the Language Coordinator, Tamara Al-Kasey, HW425 or via email to language-coordinator@utsc.utoronto.ca by May 1, for summer term, September 1 for fall term and December 15 for winter term.
If you have prior language experience, you must detail this on the questionnaire. See below under “Students with prior language experience?
3. Check your status on ROSI. Your course status on ROSI should be changed from interm (INT) to approved within one week of turning in your completed questionnaire.
All the questionairres and additional info can be found on this website.
So basically, register for the class, fill out the questionairre, email it to the person by September 1st and check your ROSI status. Domo Arigato, much?
xoxo, Askastudent-san
Hi aska,
I’ve got a few questions, so I’ll keep them short and simple.
1. I’ve just applied for a BA(Humanities) majoring in Spanish at U of T St George. My current average is an 87%. Should I be panicking about being accepted?
2. I’ve been told that none of the Spanish profs are native speakers. I’d like to know if this is true or not. I’d prefer to learn from a native speaker because I am already a bilingual speaker.
3. Is there a club for French Canadian students? Im French Canadian. I’ve been told various times that people in Toronto really, really don’t like us. At all. Is this something that could hold me back socially or is it just some sort of friendly rivalry caused by hockey? Is there a French Canadian student association?
4. I’ve been looking into sororities. Judging from their websites, they seem like a good idea. However, my boyfriend is in a fraternity and says that most of them are bad and cult-like. Could anyone help me out with this?
Cheers
M
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Hi M, sorry about the extremely late response. I totally missed your post for some reason. Anyway, hope the reply makes up for it.
1) I wouldn’t panic if I were you. Just try and keep your marks up, but make sure to enjoy your last year of high school too!
2) Check out this webpage. In the FAQ session, it says ‘Our instructors come from different regional origins, and our curriculum is inclusive, so you will hear different accents and be exposed to a variety of texts. Our basic courses emphasize the common structure of the language and no particular accent or dialectal usage is preferred over another. As you progress, you will become exposed to the richness of Spanish across the world.’
Glancing over the staff listed in the departments webpage, at least two of the professors did their degree in Argentina. Another was born in Dominican Republic and grew up in Puerto Rico. Another was born in Brazil – at least that’s a neighbour of a Spanish-speaking country. If that’s not good enough for you, then you’re just being picky. Instead of being hell-bent on being taught by a native-speaker, why not embrace the diversity of the professors at UofT? After all, not all English professors have English listed as their first language, and physics professors certainly dont start out doing quantum mechanics as babies. Even though some of your professors may not be native speakers of Spanish, it doesnt mean you won’t learn anything from them. In fact, it might, as the FAQ says, ‘expose [you] to the richness of Spanish across the world.’
If you check out the anti-calendar, youll see that all the Spanish classes are very small compared to many of the other classes at UofT – ITA251 had 23 students and ITA355 had 21 and so on. If anything, youll enjoy the personal attention that the professors will be able to offer you.
For more information, you may want to check out the courses offered and/or email the department. For opportunities to actually practise speaking in a Spanish setting, you may want to look into an exchange program to Spain or Mexico or another Spanish-speaking country.
3) I’ve browsed through ULife and I cant find one, though I did find a French Club that seems pretty active. You can also try asking the French club if they have events specifically for French Canadian students. I haven’t really had a problem with prejudice against French Canadians, but then again, I’m not French Canadian. At the end, though, I think Toronto really is an extremely diverse city. I suppose it’s possible that you might meet a bigot, but the chance is probably less than that of most other cities… most people are pretty open here.
The French Club probably has some French Canadian members. How about emailing the club and asking to speak to one of their French Canadian members? They might be able to give you a better perspective about life in Toronto as a French Canadian than I am able to.
4) The past responses in the fraternities and sororities category have been very negative, but being objective isn’t really a requirement of aska’s job. But anyway, the sororities page has some information that pertains to UofTs sororities directly that you might want to read up on. Apparently, they have no hazing rituals, so thats good for you. They don’t seem to be on the radar of most UofT students, from my experience, but perhaps the average UofT student avoids them because they are ignorant of them and the only thing they know about frats/sororities are the stereotypes they have. Stereotypes shouldnt dissuade you from joining one, though. One of my friends supports them whole-heartedly… while another one says that there hasnt been any bad press about them for years. Still, you should note that the sororities at UofT are not recognized as official clubs, unlike they are in the US.
If you are interested in sororities, then you should go to the ‘rush’, their recruitment period. There you’ll be able to meet with other people from each sorority and see how you get along with them and see how you feel in that certain sorority. It might give you an idea of whether or not you’d like to join, just like touring a University would give you an idea of whether or not you’d like to attend it. At the end, joining a sorority is not signing a contract. If you join a sorority and then find that they are actually obsessed-with partying or they offend your morals (or whatever), you can always ‘depledge’ and withdraw from one. Also, if/when you get into UofT, your local college registrar is just a call away and may be able to give you more information.
No one can tell you whether or not to join a sorority but yourself. Personally, I would never join one but hey, I’m more of a person who likes to talk with people on a one-to-one basis. If the panhellenic lifestyle (yeah, sorry, I just had to post something stereotypical … like I said, being objective is not part of aska’s job. Oh, and don’t watch that movie. It’s terrible.) appeals to you, then by all means, go for it.
I’m (hopefully) going to UofT next year and I’m not really sure whether or not to continue French. I also want to take Mandarin and I thought you couldn’t take two first year language courses. Since I will have grade twelve french do I get to skip right to FSL 221Y? Thanks.
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As a matter of fact, you can take two first year language courses. The only restriction that you have on first year courses is that no more than 6 first year credits will count towards your GPA. If you do get into FSL221Y, though, it wouldn’t actually count as a first-year course.
If you’re passionate about languages, I would suggest that you give a French course a try. You don’t have to continue on with a French program if you find that you don’t like it. You’ll find that many people in University will change majors so you don’t have to decide what subjects to continue in right away.
As for which French course you will be placed in, I actually just called the French department and they told me that the course you take depends on the your results on the placement test only, and that there is no general “trend” as to which course Grade 12 students are placed into. And the test is mandatory, so you might as well wait until you get into University before trying to figure out which course you’ll be placed in! Slow down there, eager beaver.
Hey Aska! Glad you’re back! 🙂
Anyway I’d like to ask if it was possible to get a minor in French in the Management program at UTSC! I know it’d be hard to fit in a major, so that’s why I was thinking of a minor. I asked the representatives and they didn’t answer my question, they just told me how they were going to build a pool…I don’t even swim!
Oh and how does the Management program at UTSC compare to Schulich or Rotman or Western…etc? I’m planning to do the co-op management program there if I get in.
Thanks 🙂
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Wait, which co-op management are you talking about? I just checked out the UTSC calendar and there seems to be many management programs: specialist in management, specialist in management and economics, specialist in management and accounting. well, I’m gonna go ahead and assume that you’re going into the specialist in management program, since you’ve never mentioned anything about economics or accounting or management and what not. I guess they are pretty similar anyway. Unfortunately, it seems that there previously existed a specialist in management and humanities at UTSC, but that program’s been phased out as of this year.
Okay, I’m trying to count the number of FCE credits required for the specialist in management program but it’s like next to impossible. Let’s see.
First try: 14 credits.
Second try: 14.5 credits.
Third try: 13 credits.
Fourth try: 14.5 credits.
Okay. I’m going to go ahead and say that it is 14.5 credits (What do you mean it’s a good thing that aska’s not in management himself/herself!). Friend of aska just counted it, and he also counted 14.5 credits. You can try to count it yourself if you want to be more confident with my answer (or if you’re interested in a program other than specialist in management). Each half-course (the ones that end with an ‘H’) counts as 0.5 credit and each year-course (the ones that end with a ‘Y’) counts as 1.0 credit.
Oh, but what’s this? Apparently 2.5 credits required for the Management specialist are just ‘non-management/economics’ courses. Your French courses can certainly count towards those. In fact, the French minor requires only 4 credits in total, and you’ll be taking around 20 credits in your entire degree. With the overlap taken into account, you only need 16 credits in total, so taking a French minor is totally doable!!
I totally don’t blame you for not figuring this out yourself though. The UTSC website sucks. *shakes fist at computer*
If you’re passionate about doing a French minor, do it. It’ll broaden your frontiers and give you a lot of valuable skills that you wouldn’t get from just a management specialist alone, as well as improves your marketability (if that’s what floats your boat). Don’t let those old dreams die.
As for how the management programs at each campus are different, I don’t really know. The types of your courses seem pretty similar. Anyway, there are other issues to consider – have you visited each campus? Doing that might give you an idea of which campus’s environment you like more. There might be other considerations, such as how far you live from each campus, whether you plan to live on residence, and so on. Oh, and of course, UTSC has co-op, if that’s important to you. The closest thing UTM and Rotman have is the PEY (Professional Experience Year), which is open to all undergraduate students. You may also want to check the fees for each institute, since cost may also be a factor in your decision. For instance, commerce students pay elevated fees in Years 2-4 at Rotman, and I believe the fees at UTSC/UTM are handled similarly. You can find more information on fees here (warning: prepare yourself for yet another confusing webpage).
As for Western and Schulich, they probably have different fees — you might want to check them up. Another thing to note is that you only enter Western’s Ivey program after 2nd year. The first two years are taken with another faculty, so it might give you the chance to explore another subject (like French!). On the other hand, if you want a more business-intensive program, you might feel like you are wasting your first two years away, so it might not be for you.
…I hope that post was long enough for you, because I’m exhausted from thinking too hard. Jeez, the things I do for you people.
Hello, im taking GER100Y1 and im wondering if its a hard or easy course. i really dont know what to expect. any insight for the course?
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Hello. You’ll notice on the Arts and Science calendar that the course description says that the course will be intensive. Now obviously there is some subjectivity in how intensive the course will be for everyone, but I’m guessing you’d need to put in a substantial amount of work into the course. According to the syllabus, you can’t even skip a lot of classes because you’d be given a participation mark. 🙁 What a bummer.
Still. I would say if you have a genuine passion to learn a new language, do it. The results will be rewarding and the classes will be fun and immersive. You’ll have a lot of opportunities to speak the language during your classes and perhaps experience some German culture first-hand (maybe some German films, music, and the like). And the interest in the language that you share with your classmates will probably net you a few close friends or two. Besides, you’re in University why not give it a try? University is not all about marks; it’s also about taking risks, exploring new areas, and trying new things. If you don’t like the course or it turns out to be too hard, you can always drop it.
Oh, and check out the anti-calendar. The course seems to have pretty high ratings, so if I were you, I’d give it a go. On the bright side, the “difficulty” rating seems to hover around 3-4, so maybe it’s not as “intensive” as they claim.
Hey, what would be the best courses to take in first year if I am applying to International Relations, I don’t really want to take calculus because I am afraid it will lower my average. Also, what mark would I need to ensure acceptance into the program?
My advice will assume that you are interested in the International Relations Specialist Program, cause it covers all of the Major requirements too. So, what should you take? Let’s start by combing through Calendar (pg.498)…
1) ECO100Y or 105Y. Considering your distaste for Calculus, I’m guessing you would prefer 105: “Principles of Economics for Non-Specialists” (a.k.a. for NON-Commerce/Eco kids).
2) HIS103Y or some random Trin and Vic One courses. If you aren’t from either of these Colleges, then your decision is pretty easy. If you are… you have a little more option.
3) Calculus or an introductory modern language course
I can think of very few reasons why anyone would take Calculus on their own free will. I never took I.R., but I seriously cannot figure out how Calculus would be as beneficial as a language in the pursuit of International Relations. Doesn’t it seem arbitrary that they threw that one on the list? Perhaps they just wanted to inflate the apparent credibility of their program (…they ARE from Trin). Then again, I suppose math is a more universal than any spoken language. What about art? Isn’t that ‘the universal language’? Or is it just dance? What about love?!! Hmmm…
Maybe it’s a trap!! Those who are foolish enough to choose Calculus will get a GPA $h!t-kick and resultantly never make it into the I.R. program in the first place. Damn they’re good…
So, what was the question? Oh yeah. So, take a ‘modern’ language. I’ve ranked the hypothetical possibilities here, according to their global popularity:
Mandarin, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi, Portuguese, Bengali, Russian, Japanese, German, French, Korean, Tamil, Italian, Persian, Turkish, Swahili, Ukrainian, Polish, Serbian, Czech, Hebrew, Croatian, Finnish, Macedonian, Estonian, Welsh, Irish
a) You have no idea how long that just took me.
b) I didn’t even know that Irish was a distinct language. Isn’t it just a thick accent?
c) Estonian?! Come on U of T. It’s the 243rd most popular language in the world. Priorities people, priorities.
d) I contacted the I.R. Program Officer (and they got back to me with great haste!). I was informed that IR traditionally considers a “modern language” as Western European, with languages such as Mandarin and Arabic becoming acceptable pre-requisites in more recent years.
This irritated me at first, but now I suppose “modern language” should be defined by its relevance to contemporary International Relations, e.g. Hindi over Polish, Spanish over Welsh. You get the idea. I am devilishly curious to hear if anyone has been refused on the basis of not having an acceptable “modern language.” Speak up people!!
4) The website recommends taking a Poli Sci course, and suggests POL103 or 108. I can attest that POL108Y: Global Networks is many kinds of awesome. The Profs, Stein & Deibert, are legends.
5) For your (potential) fifth credit – you can take… anything. Try to open up doors for potential subject POSts if I.R. doesn’t work out. Maybe you want to take a first-year seminar. Maybe you wanna get that nasty science distribution requirement out of the way. Whatever.
Finally, dear asker, if you make it out of first-year with a CGPA of 3.0, including at least a 67% in the required courses (1-3 above), then you will be considered for Phase 2: The Interview (!). And for that, you are on your own. Or… maybe watch this in preparation.
