• architecture,  grad school,  physics,  science

    why do i have the feeling that you’re not going to follow my advice

    January 29, 2010

    Hi Aska,I see you’ve already mentioned you’re not an Architecture major like your predecessor (I assure you, I read all the messages with the architecture tag) but I was wondering if you knew what the primary factor is in getting in to the Architecture program. I see they require a portfolio and also have some minimum marks in certain courses, as well as a required GPA, but which of those matters most? Are they all equal? I believe I can at the least attain a GPA of 3.7 or so, but I am worried about the depth of my portfolio (or lack thereof). Any tips?

    Also, perhaps the is going beyond the scope of things answered here, but I see the Masters program gives “preference” to applicants with a well-rounded set of credits from the three disciplines. Do you think it’s better to be well-rounded or have better marks? Sciences are definitely my weak point and if I take those courses they will hurt my average.

     

    Thanks for any information you can give!

    ————————————————–

    Yes, you?re right, I am not an Architecture major. I?m actually a (*dun dun dun*) Physics major. I bet you?re shocked. I know what you?re thinking: ?A Physics major who can actually write coherently instead of thinking in expressions like? 2x*exp(xyz)? LYK NO WAI!!? But then it dawns on you: aaahhh, so THAT?s the reason for all the silly alien jokes. Anyway, rest assured? I may be someone of a mad scientist… but I’m totally sane. *aska quickly sweeps up from the floor the harvested brain from last last post and throws it into a huge box containing a lot of other brains*

    Anyway, how may I help you today? Well, I got you some inside information from my architecture ancestor (lucky you) so here goes.

    First of all, you?re getting your entrance requirements mixed up. I?m going to assume that you?re an undergraduate student and that you?re talking about getting into the undergrad program, because you?ve talked about ?minimum marks in certain courses?. You don?t need a portfolio for the undergraduate program at UofT at all. So don?t be worried about the (lack of) depth of your portfolio. Your portfolio could be empty space for all they cared and it still wouldn?t matter. As for the other two requirements, GPA is definitely more important. A lot of people achieve 71% in ARC131 and ARC132, but an overall GPA that is high is rare, especially in first year.

    You do need a portfolio to get into grad school, but 1) you have four more years to complete the portfolio, and 2) if you do get into the undergraduate architectural design program at UofT, you?re going to have a lot of studio courses that would provide you with many chances to add extra pieces to your portfolio. According to aska?s ancestor, you should come up with pieces using as many types of media as you can, as it shows your creativity. 😀 If you are unable to get into the architecture design program, then you’re going to have to work on your portfolio on your own time — but this is something that you want to do in the long run if you want to be an architect anyway, right?

    As for well-roundedness giving you an advantage in graduate school, I don?t really think you have to worry too much about that either. Yes, it?s true that the architecture program at UofT does really like to take in people from every discipline (apparently, one of the master students in architecture had an undergraduate biochemistry degree). But in the end, architecture at UofT is only a major program (as opposed to a specialist), which means that you have to combine it with another major program or two minors in order to graduate anyway. As long as you don?t combine it with something like Art History, you?d probably end up with a pretty diverse mix of courses in the end. Hint: if you don?t have any other good ideas for the second major, you could try out something from the Centre of Environment. Green architecture is always in. As for the sciences being your weak point, you probably don?t have to worry about that. The admissions requirements for the Master?s program only require ?secondary calculus? and ?secondary physics?. So you only have to take calculus and physics at the high school level.

    tl;dr version (that’s “too long; didn’t read” for all you non-geeks): undergrad architecture doesn’t require a portfolio. The grad program does but you have four years to make the portfolio. So my advice to you is: Relax, go out and have some fun, and stop freaking out.

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  • urban studies

    the truth about aska?

    January 28, 2010
    Dear Been There Done That,

    I applied online at UOAC website to Social Sciences/ Urban Studies Program at Innis. I thought I read that Urban Studies is very competitive and you can’t actually apply until your second year. Is that right? If it is, what should I have applied for on the UOAC site. Sociology? Economics?

    Thanks for your help.

    ———————————————

    Dear Haven’t Been There, Haven’t Done That Yet,

    You don’t choose a POSt – that’s Program Of STudy for you high school folks – until you have completed 4 full-course equivalents. The mysterious “POSts” that I’m referring to in this post refer to all of the specialist, major, and minor programs offered at the Faculty of Arts and Science, including Urban Studies (which you can either take at the specialist or the major level).

    What you ended up applying for on OUAC doesn’t matter, as long as it’s in the same “stream” of study as your intended POSt. By “stream”, I mean whether you’re generally planning to study humanities, social sciences, life sciences, computer sciences, or physical sciences. Urban Studies is in the social science stream (as are sociology and economics) so you’re FINE.

    Besides, you can change your major until you graduate anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were people out that applied to “Pharmacology” or something complicated like that on OUAC but ended up finishing with a double major in English and Geography or something.

    And yes, it is spelled OUAC, not UOAC. Come on. Even I remember that and it’s been a few years since I’ve graduated from my uh………….high school. What did you say? No, I’m not an alien… where did you get that idea? *nervous laughter*

    Make sure that you enroll in your first year courses as soon as you can though, because some of them can be extremely popular and fill up quickly, and you would not want to be locked out of the program just because you neglected to enroll in your courses at the first possible chance.

    You can apply to the Urban Studies major at the POSt-requesting period near the end of first year. If it’s the Urban Studies specialist that you’re looking for, you’d have to apply to the major at the end of first year, and then apply to the specialist at the end of second year.

    Think you got that? Good. Ask me if you have any more questions. Now I’m going to go back to my ship to res… uh……………. darn… wrong picture… look… at… this… one…

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  • admissions,  friends

    yes, aska does have friends!

    January 26, 2010

    Hi,

    I have applied to U of T St.George for Life sciences program, and I will be
    finishing grd 12 Adv. Func, Eng, Calculus in this semester. My best friend
    who applied for the same program took Eng and Calculus in private school,
    and he is so worrying about if there is any preference given to those taking
    courses in home schools. Also, will he, with high marks in prerequisite
    courses taken in private, get the offer earlier than me?

    Thanks a lot!

    ———————————————-

    *sits on a hamburger*

    Geez. Couldn?t you have asked your school?s guidance counselors instead? Admittedly, my old school?s guidance counselors weren?t very helpful, but I had to suffer throughout my teen years, so why should you get it easy, hmm? Why should I just give you the answers without you having to work for them?

    Okay, I just asked someone for you (*grumble*), and no. There is no preference given at all to those taking courses in home schools. As for whether he?ll get an earlier offer than you, it depends on HOW much higher his marks are. If it?s just one or two marks per course, it probably wouldn?t make a difference. If he got 95 in English and you got a 75 though, that might warrant the University giving him an earlier admission than you. Aww, don?t be sad. If he?s your best friend, I?m sure he?ll still love you, even if you get a few bad marks under your sleeve.

    And you’re making me extremely sad. Aska and aska’s best friend were once in the same program, but then we both switched to different programs. Now he’s devoted his life to flip-flops and he doesn’t understand my non-nerdy jokes anymore. I’m jealous. I still love him though. Here?s to friendship!

    Okay, now stop giving me that questioning look. Yes, I do have emotions, thank you very much, and yes I do have real friends that I haven’t brainwashed!… …… …… … …… …… … …… ……… ………… ………… … … …… …… …… …… …… …… … …… … … … …… … …… … … …… … …… … …… … … …… … …… …… … …… … …… …… …… …yet!

    Oh cheeses. Did I just tell you that? You know too much. *leads you into the brain harvesting room*

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  • colleges,  trinity college

    are you being serious, or are you a philosophy major making fun of me?

    January 25, 2010

    Okay, so I read through http://www.utoronto.ca/askastudent/aska2_colleges.htm and I still have a question. You said that Trinity is not for everyone, what do you really mean by that??

    ——————————–

    You know, I was really tempted to reply, “I dunno dear, why don’t you tell me what does your question REALLY mean?” But then I considered the possibility that you might actually be — Heaven forbid — serious. So I guess I have to answer your question.

    The post you linked was actually written by one of aska’s great-great-ancestors, but I can take a guess at what he or she meant when they said that Trinity college is not for everyone.

    Trinity is not for everyone, just like Innis, St. Mike’s, or New College are not for everyone. The fact is, there is no college that is a perfect fit for everyone. With any college, there may be some factors (for example, the social atmosphere or the location or the architecture) that cause incoming students to feel uncomfortable and out-of-place in their own college. For Trinity, some issues that could bug incoming students might be the “elitism” (whether imagined or real), the traditions held there, or small even things like the size of the college or the fact that their friends went to other colleges.

    The only way to really know if a college is ‘for you’ or not is to 1) visit the college and talk to the students there and see if you like the atmosphere, and then 2) actually make the decision to go there. I was just as confused as you when I made my decision; I decided to come to Innis – and it’s not always a perfect fit for me, but I’m enjoying my time here nonetheless. Should you discover that the college you initially chose isn’t the one that fits you, dear reader, you can always, always try to transfer colleges in second year. Got it? Good.

    For more info on picking colleges (and more specifically, Trinity), consult one of my more recent posts.

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  • switching

    UTORids seem to be written in cyber-stone

    January 25, 2010

    Hey Aska!

    I have to state right off the bat that you are absolutely awesome!! (I am so not trying to suck-up, purely an honest comment.)

    I am currently enrolled at UTM as a first year student and I am planning to transfer to St.George campus for my second year. Also on my agenda is a legal name change, which I am doing so that I can take on my grandfather’s name, but more importantly because I do not want any ties to my father’s name which carry now. My problem is that my utorID and my utormail are composed of my current last name, and seem to follow me everywhere I go (at least as far as my university life) squashing my attempts to completely disown it. Through my own research I found that UofT will not change either of these, even in the event of a legal name change.

    What I am wondering, is if my utorID/utormail will change when I transfer campuses. I’m sure you have masterfully already arrived to the correct conclusion that in that situation I would change my name before transferring and will not have to live with my current last name haunting me for the next 4-5 years or God forbid, longer. As you can see I am very determined and this is quite important to me. I would greatly appreciate your help in finding an answer to my question. Oodles of thanks in advance.

    ———————————————

    Hmm, well, I’ve looked at the information commons webpage, and I found these two webpages. The first one says that, unfortunately, you cannot change your UTORid, even in the event of a legal name change. I’m not sure how strict information commons is about that, but you could try emailing or calling or going to see someone there and explaining your situation, just to see if they could make an exception to the rule. I can tell that this issue is important to you, so try your best to impress upon them that you have a really, really important reason to change your UTORid. However, be prepared for possible disappointment — aska also tried to change UTORid’s once, and was told that it could not be changed. Still, my reasons for changing my id were much more trivial than yours; I was just wondering if they could’ve changed my id so that it showed my whole name instead of a third of my first name.

    The good news, though, is that you can change your email. The second page that I’ve given you says that you should contact your registrar when making a name change. Thereafter, you should be able to change your email address on the UTORid change your email address webpage.

    Finally, I have asked the Innis registrar and they have told me that transferring to the St. George campus will not affect your UTORid nor your email, so changing your email/UTORid is probably something that you should look into doing now as opposed to later. However, again, you may want to talk to Information Commons and see if they could make an exception for your case and allow you to change UTORid’s when you transfer from one campus to another.

    By the way, this is a link to all of UofT’s current policies. I’ve scanned the list multiple times and haven’t found anything that might help you, but if you find a policy that says you’re allowed to change your UTORid, then you’re in the game — information commons cannot refuse your request.

    I hope this helps. Unfortunately, UofT seems to etch our UTORids in cyber-stone.

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  • residence,  victoria

    joy in solitude? not at Vic

    January 22, 2010

    Dear Ask A. Student,

    I am a prospective student who is currently debating between Vic and Trin, and I was wondering what you knew about the possibilities of a first-year student getting a single room at vic. That seems to be the main tipping point for me, as I prefer the arts orientation to the law/ethics one of Trinity, but I don’t want to go there if I can’t get a single room.

    Thanks!

    ——————————-

    Hi. I just looked at Vic residence site, and they say that ?Most first year students are assigned to shared double rooms.? I?ve also had a couple of friends who lived at Victoria and all of them had double rooms, so this seems pretty truthful. (You may want to email or call Vic College if you want more concrete stats). Guess all the lone wolves go to other colleges.

    Then I checked Trinity?s site, and they said that around 50% of their students get single rooms.

    It sounds like to me that you?d have a higher chance of getting into a single room at Trinity. However, even if you go to Trinity, you?re not guaranteed a single room by any means.

    Still, don?t be dismayed if you don?t get a single room. Some people who I?ve talked to who have lived in single rooms actually wish they?d lived in a double room, just to get the ?traditional dorm experience?. It?s always possible that you?ll get a terrible roommate, but on the other hand you might also meet a lifelong friend ? so don?t feel too sad if you don?t end up getting that single room.

    Oh, and one other good point was brought up by a commenter. ?Trinity doesn’t really have a law/ethics bias; rather, the Ethics, Law, and Society program is just one program that Trinity hosts. However, students don’t even have to be from Trinity to be enrolled in that program. Similarly, Innis College hosts the Cinema Studies program, but a lot of people who major in Cinema Studies are not part of Innis College, and the majority of Innis College students are not Cinema Studies majors. In fact, you can probably expect a pretty diverse mix of majors at any college – they’ll probably be lots of life scis and commerce students, but then you might also meet an occasional archaeology, astronomy, zoology, equity studies, or Portuguese student here and there.

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  • trinity college

    should I go to Trinity? version 102 (now with monkeys)

    January 22, 2010

    You despise receiving the same questions, but bare with me. I’ve been reading everything I can come across about the colleges, and I’m still left utterly confused as to where I’d like to go. Since I want to study International Relations and apply to Trinity One, Trinity seemed like a good option. Then, I started reading different forums and even your answers simply to discover that it’s full of rich assholes who think they’re better than everyone else? I don’t consider myself to be an elitist dipshit and having to spend the next four years of my life with such really doesn’t constitute a good university experience for me. Obviously, i’ll meet a wide range of people and personalities at such a large university and city, yet I’m still concerned with living in a hostile environment like what I’ve read many believe it to be. Also, do you know where I could find pictures of Trinity residence? Since I’m from Norway, I don’t really have the opportunity to go on tour and see for myself. The only other residence I really like is Woodsworth, but I much prefer what Trinity offers, except for the nauseating thought of wearing a gown to dinner. If I choose Woodsworth I can’t be a part of Trinity activities, correct? Thank you!

    ——————————–

    Bare with you? Okay. *aska’s shirt comes off*

    What do you mean that’s not what you meant? Oh. You meant bear with you.

    Honestly, I think you’re making too big a deal out of the whole college thing. The college that you choose does not dictate the life you’re going to life for the next 4 years. You don’t even have to make friends from your college. You can *gasp* hang out with people from other colleges. Yes, it’s true that residence will affect a lot of your first-year experience, but if you don’t like your residence or college, you don’t have to take part in the activities that are there. Honestly, I don’t think living in residence is necessarily for everyone, anyway. I lived in residence in first year, but moved back home this year, and I’m still having a blast in University. Another thing to consider is that residence is impermanent and if you after a while, you find that the rez life (and the campus food) is not for you, you can always live somewhere else in second year – maybe you could rent an apartment in the city.

    What the college system does do is effectively split up the huge population of Arts and Science students into 7 main groups, so that the administration can provide you, me, and everyone else with more personal attention and help. Students are immature and vain creatures who think the world revolves around the courses they take and the marks they get, so more personal attention from staff = happier students.

    As for Trinity college being elitist, I can’t give you an honest opinion, because I am not a part of Trinity college. I have a few friends that belong to Trinity, and if the ‘elite attitude’ does exist, they don’t really seem to mind it much. I really doubt that everyone in the college is elitist and snobby, though. It’s just a stereotype. There has to be some people you can get along with.

    This is a webpage with good advice with choosing the colleges, and it even has links to 7 other articles, each with an independent review of the college and an interview with the students who live there! You might want to read some of those interviews; (especially the Trinity one). They’ll give you some good opinions and information.

    Also, you can check here for a virtual tour of Trinity College… enjoy! As well, here‘s another good site with virtual tours of several of the other colleges, too. You’ll have to use Internet explorer to view it though (I used Firefox and it didn’t work for me until I changed Internet browsers).

    If you choose Woodsworth, you can probably still attend some of the Trinity College events. I know my friend at Woodsworth College was part of Trinity One and even went to some of the Trinity dances. But of course, you won’t be able to attend events that are restricted to Trinity college students only.

    As far as the gown thing goes, I agree with you that it’s a nauseating thought, but at the end, it’s just a tradition. Be thankful you don’t go to a private university (ew). If you decide to go to Trinity you’ll honestly just have to suck it up. If that thought doesn’t sit well with ya, I suggest you go to another college. Anyway, if you find after first year that you made the wrong choice, you can always try to apply for a college transfer.

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  • admissions,  engineering,  transfer credits

    did you read the sign over there that says “artscis only”

    January 22, 2010

    Hello,
    I came upon your site while googling “transfers to UofT”. My question is am i able to transfer to UofT’s faculty of applied science and engineering? I am currently in my 1B (second) term at the University of Waterloo, and I am enrolled in the honors civil engineering co-op program. I applied and was accepted to UofT’s track one and civil engineering programs last year when i was still in highschool, and i feel that i should of accepted UofT’s offer instead. My 1A term average is 64%, and I am wondering if I will be able to transfer to an engineering program (electrical engineering) at UofT, and if any transfer credits will be accepted, and if i will have to repeat first year at UofT?

    Thank you for answering my numerous questions

    ————————————

    You know that aska is part of the Faculty of Arts and Science and so is not affiliated with engineering in any way, right? Okay, just wanted to make that clear. It’s too bad engineers don’t have their own askastudent – I guess it’s because they’re “so smart” that they’ve forgotten how to write properly.

    Just a heads up: there is no guarantee that, just because you were accepted into a UofT program last year, you?ll be accepted again this year. Spaces for transfer students are a lot more competitive than spaces for incoming high school students, especially in engineering. With a 64% average, that might be even harder. The bottom line is, UofT is interested in how its prospective transfer students are doing at the University level. If you had any extenuating circumstances, then perhaps you could write a letter to UofT explaining how your high school marks are more indicative of your performance, but it still feels like a long shot to me. The admissions office at the Faculty of Applied Science might be able to give you more information on your chances of getting into their faculty.

    The best you can do is 1) try to achieve higher marks for second semester, and 2) apply for transfer before the deadline. Note that the deadline to apply on OUAC is February 1st for transfer students, so you better apply right away.

    As for transfer credits, you can worry about that after you apply. If you apply and get in, the Faculty of Engineering will then follow-up with you on the issue of transfer credits. You?ll probably receive some transfer credits, but you also might have to make up some credits. They?ll also let you know, after they?ve accessed you transfer credits, if you?d have to take an extra semester or extra year. Again, though, you won?t find out whether you?d have to do an extra year or not until after you apply, so if you really want to come to UofT, just apply now.

    If you don?t end up getting in, unfortunately you?d have to either stay at Waterloo or go somewhere else. In that case, you might try transferring to electrical engineering at Waterloo. It?d be a lot less paperwork, and UofT might not be what you?re imagining it to be, anyway. On the other hand, if the learning environment at Waterloo is seriously putting you off, maybe you could apply to some other schools in addition to UofT. A lot of people change programs or schools after first year (aska did), so do yourself a favour and figure out where you really want to be.

    By the way, to any prospective engineers reading this post, the title’s just a joke. Send in your questions. I’m happy to answer them… I mean, I get paid to do it.

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  • courses

    stop fueling my google addiction…

    January 19, 2010

    Hi aska,

    I’m an arts and science student and I would like to get an idea of the required course work for my winter courses. In the past I have been able to google courses and somehow stumble across the course website to view the syllabus, but the switch to portal is making that less effective this year. Is there a collection of old course syllabuses somewhere?

    I just heard that if you are applying to Grad school you may need a copy of the syllabus from every course you have ever taken. This makes me think it would be beneficially to most students if ASSU or UTSC was able to get and hold onto a copy of most syllabuses. Is something like this already in effect? If not, is there any rule against this and who should I be bugging to make it happen?

    Thanks.

    ——————————-

    If there is a collection of course syllabi available somewhere, I haven?t stumbled across it, and you should know that aska spends a lot of time googling (it?s an occupational hazard… you get addicted).

    You could still try googling the course codes and adding ?Toronto? to your search or something. Some professors still prefer using websites (as upposed to portal), and you can find the old syllabi on their websites. For instance, I was looking up the syllabus for MAT257 the other day and I typed in “MAT257 Toronto” and there it was. I searched “CHM328 Toronto” and also scored a hit (there are even some past problem sets there… hint hint nudge nudge for anyone taking the course).

    Otherwise, you might try searching for the department?s website for a list of syllabi. I?ve located several old syllabi this way– for instance, here?s one for Sexual Diversity Studies.

    As for whether there is a rule against against? a site that compiles course syllabi, probably not. Perhaps you could bug ASSU ? I mean, they do the anti-calendar anyway.

    I?m like 99% sure that you don?t need to show graduate schools copies of your course syllabi. Otherwise, no one would get into grad school because as far as I know, people don’t generally keep their course syllabi… I mean, grad schools might ask you to give descriptions of courses ? but syllabi? Come on.

    If I?m wrong and keeping copies of course syllabi is indeed a secret requirement of grad school that I have never heard or read of before, you can laugh at me later when I’m applying and I l00k lyk dis: I threw out my first-year physics syllabus and it?s probably half-way around the country by now, with the used condoms and what not.

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  • architecture

    askagrandpa/grandma

    January 19, 2010

    Hello,

    I’m a first year undergraduate student at UofT and am hoping to go into an Architecture major while minoring in Art History and Physics. So, I’m not so sure how my final went for the ARC131 course and I was just wondering what course of action I would take if I ended up not meeting the requirements to enrol in Architecture by the end of the year.

    Thanks!

    ——————————-

    Hi. I’m late. Sorry. Aska was on a roll on the first week back to school in January, writing several posts in one day, when he/she was struck by the flu. Aska suffered several days of fever and cough, vomited around 4 times, and had a sore throat and an eye infection. Yes. Now aska is feeling a little better and is going to answer some posts despite feeling a little dizzy and not being quite able to open his/her eyes fully. (Have you ever known a more selfless person?)

    Anyway, a good place to start is searching the past posts on askastudent. This is a really good post written by aska?s great-great-ancestor, who was a caveman. Did I really just say that? I meant architecture major. He (or she, I can?t tell anymore) also applied to architecture at the end of first year, but did not get into the program in first year. The comments on the bottom also might help and you might want to read them over.

    If really find that you do not even meet the requirements to enroll in Architecture by the end of your first year though, you should talk to your college registrar. They?ll give you some advice, which (depending on how close you were to meeting the requirements) probably involves you retaking some of your architecture courses and then trying to reapply at the end of second year. I don?t really have enough information to give you any further advice, but feel free to ask me again if you find out that you really did not meet the requirements for entrance into the program.

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  • admissions

    *cough* Ivy Leagues *cough*

    January 18, 2010

    Hello,

    I am currently thinking about taking Grade 12 English in Summer School instead of in day school, next year, when I reach Grade 12 (I’m currently in Grade 11).? This way I can reduce the workload in Grade 12 which would allow me to achieve higher marks. Would U of T “Look down on me” for doing this?? Should I take it in day school instead? I eagerly await an answer.

    Thanks

    ————–

    It really depends on which summer you?re talking about. If you?re talking about the summer after your Grade 11 year, it probably doesn?t matter very much. A bunch of my friends did it and they still got accepted into UofT, Waterloo, Queen?s, Ryerson, York, McMaster? you name it! I actually planned to take it in the summer too, except I dropped the course after a few days because I just felt too unmotivated and took it in day school instead. It worked out for me in the end, because I probably would?ve felt so unmotivated in the summer that I would?ve gotten a lower mark. But hey, whatever works for you.

    UofT won?t ?look down on you?? we?re not ?elitist? and ?exclusive? like certain US Universities which I will refuse to name here. In fact, UofT has *gasp* summer courses itself. Looking down on high school students with summer courses would be hypocritical, wouldn?t it?

    If you?re talking about taking courses the summer after your Grade 12 year, then yes, that would not be a great idea, because University acceptances happen in May or earlier — and if you take English in summer school, they would receive the mark at the end of July or so, which would be too late. And most (if not all) Universities require Grade 12 English, so you’re better off taking it earlier so that the mark will appear on your application to the University. But I?ll assume you?re smarter than to waste your last summer before University on summer school anyway. I mean, you could be getting a tan or something.

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  • choosing,  GPA,  philosophy

    the GPA is just a number

    January 18, 2010

    I just found an open space on the PHL217 class and I registered for it, what do you think about the general workload for this course (the amount of reading is what I need to know, I know that Continental philosophy is not easy to understand) and not having taken the PHL100 or any PHL course before (I’ve read books by Nietzsche, Sartre, Freud, Marx and others before), should I keep the course or not? I also have the option of taking a FAH course, I’m studying ARC so art history is a much easier subject for me. I do enjoy reading about continental philosophy in particular, but I’m also intending to keep my GPA at around 3.7-4. So is low to mid 80’s achievable in PHL217 with a descent effort?

    Thanks in advance,
    cheers

    ———————————————

    Have you read the anti-calendar? I know it’s an underground publication and all, but reading it won’t make you a bad student, you know. Professor Comay is teaching this year’s class and taught last year’s class as well. Here’s what the last year’s students have to say about her and the course.

    Comay was described as a beautiful speaker with a high level vocabulary, which at times, could overwhelm students. The course was hard at times since typically continental Philosophy is difficult to understand. Although, tutorials were well designed to help understand the concepts and arguments in the readings.

    The workload of the course was rated a 4.2 (which is pretty average). The difficulty of this course was listed as 5.0 (out of 7.0), which is higher than that most of the other courses I’ve skimmed across – they usually average around 4.5 or so. The retake percentage was 75% though, which means a lot of people did enjoy the course.

    I emailed the philosophy students’ union, and they’ve told me that the toughest thing you’ll face is probably learning how to write a good, proper philosophy paper. They also said that 200-level philosophy courses usually have readings ranging from 20-40 pages a week. However, as with most philosophy texts, the readings can be difficult to understand.

    I really think you should go on with the course though. Don’t be too bummed out if your first few essays don?t score too high. After all, University is about trying new things! I think that?s more important than maintaining a 3.7-4.0 GPA, but that?s just my opinion. Having read books on it before, you seem to have a genuine interest in philosophy, and I think sometimes spontaneously trying out new electives can make your semester just that much more exciting. If you’re maintaining a 3.7-4.0 GPA, you’re probably a good student anyway and have a good chance at excelling in your philosophy course. Besides, if your mark really turns out to be unbearably low, you can always just drop the course before March 7th and there will be no academic penalty.

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  • film,  grad school,  international students

    UofT isn’t always the answer

    January 8, 2010

    Hello,

    I am a Chinese Senior student in Hunan Normal University, Oh, I bet you have never heard about it. Never mind, I am so happy that Innis College have such a good access for us to know more about this college, since I got so many questions in my mind to ask.

    For one, I want to apply for a M.A program in film studies. But I have no idea, what exactly a graduates’ life should be? I mean, what a graduate should do during the two years studies? Are they go to classroom everyday, and fulfill the professor’s assignment? Or they will get the chance to help their profressor to accomplish a real film? Or they just be given the topic of a paper, and then try to finish it before they get the degree? You know, cultures and policies vary from countries, I do really want to know what a graduate mean to a native Canadian.

    Another thing is that, what’s the relationship between a student and a professor in graduate level? Someone told me that what a professor to a student just like what a boss to a employee, is that ture? Is there any chance that I can contact my “future boss” before admission? Or is there any Chinese student, I mean graduate students, in your college right now is in film studies program? Can I contact to them?

    Thank you soo much and it would mean so much if you replied

    —————————————–

    My understanding is that here at UofT, at least, graduate school is often the stepping stone to a PhD degree. Currently, there’s no PhD in Cinema Studies at U of T – but that could change. If you go on to do a PhD, you’ll be doing a lot of research, not film-making. After getting a PhD, you’d probably (though not necessarily) become professor and teach and research film theory. I’m guessing that not a lot of film-making will go on in the cinema studies courses at UofT. As a comparison, take the English department. Generally, the majority of the courses offered in the English department are about literature and not on how to write and publish novels.

    Similarly, it seems that the cinema studies program at UofT will prepare you for research. I’ve taken a look at the courses, and most of them seem pretty theoretical. Here’s a list of them if you wanted to check it out.

    From your email, though, I get the feeling that you want to get there and do some film-making, instead of sitting in a classroom and doing assignments. The link I gave you says that you’ll be given a choice as to whether to do an internship or a major research paper, but I doubt that the internship will entail making a film. I’m not in grad school myself, but I’ve attended several presentations on graduate schools and have been told research is the biggest part of grad school.

    If you’re looking for a film-making degree, the Cinema Studies department suggests considering other Universities or colleges that might provide you with direct experience. For instance, York University has an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) program in Film Production in which you would tak[e] courses with [their] faculty of award-winning filmmakers, completing a thesis film or digital work, and Ryerson University has a Documentary Media degree. Check the Universities in other countries too.

    However, that’s not to say that a grad school wouldn’t help you with film-making. Just as knowledge of music theory would help someone compose music, learning the theory behind films could teach you a lot. Knowing about movies and movie history can offer some context and some inspiration. In addition, while being in grad school, you could pursue film-making on the side. For instance, there are film-making courses at Hart House (UofT’s student centre).

    I’ve contacted the film department and they have told me that you are free to get in touch with anyone in the cinema studies graduate program right now. Contact gradcinema.studies@utoronto.ca, and they will find someone who’s willing to answer your questions. Being a grad student brings you much more in contact personally with professors, because you are in effect on track to becoming an independent scholar in your own right – so you keep learning, but you also engage with the profs a lot more. You’ll write papers and present them at conferences, probably, and get direct supervision.

    Feel free to ask more questions if you have any or if I’ve been unclear.

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