• enrollment,  ROSI

    aska reporting for duty at oh nine hundred hours!

    July 22, 2013

    Hello! I think the ROSI times are messed up. I have to enroll tomorrow at 12:15 but ROSI is only open tomorrow at 6am-11:45pm?? Which time do i actually enroll? I tried to contact them a few days ago and got no response.

    ———————————————

    Hey hey

    Okay so I got your email on Sunday, meaning you think your enrolment is today but…

    Well, there is no course enrolment today.

    So I’m going to just go ahead and assume you’re going into second year and that you’re actually waiting for July 24?

    Anyway, ROSI assigns start times based on a 24-hour clock. So if you were given 12:15, that means your start time is 15 minutes past noon. Make sense now?

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • economics,  math,  repeating course

    extra work for economics

    July 19, 2013

    Hey!

    This is the first time I’m writing to you and I guess I have a little problem. I’ve just finished my first year at UofT St. George and although I struggled a bit, I know where I went wrong and I’ve kinda figured out what i have to fix to do better academically. However, I did not get into the Subejct Post that I wanted: Economics. I want to Major in Economics but i didn’t get the required math grade as I took MAT136H1 and barely passed. I’m thinking of repeating the course again this fall, but my question to you is do you think its possible for me to take MAT133Y1 instead? I know that MAT133 is an excluded course if a student has received credit for MAT136, but I think i’d have a better chance of making the grade if I took MAT133 instead. I know a lot of people would say that maybe Econ just isn’t for me because I’m not good at math, but i think last year was more down to me being lazy and not having the foundation that I would have liked. So yeah, basically what I’m asking is: is it possible for me to do MAT133 instead of repeating MAT136 having passed MAT136?

    Regards,
    Regretfully-motivated.

    ———————————————

    Regretfully motivated,

    It is possible for you to do MAT133Y, but the credit WILL be counted as extra, meaning it won’t contribute to your cGPA, and on your transcript it’ll just say “EXT” (for extra) next to it.

    However, the grade you get will still be considered for a program requirement.

    And, lucky for you, you won’t have to go through the trouble of bugging your college to enrol in the course for you since technically you’ve never taken MAT133Y before.

    Just note that with MAT133Y, you need to get at least 63%.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • first year,  psychology

    the freedom of first year

    July 19, 2013

    Hello, there!

    I’m going into the Life Sciences major with psychology, in which PSY100H1 is the only prerequisite for first year. It seems odd that the entire course would be compressed into one half course. Are both the fall and winter PSY100H1 half courses meant to be taken to receive the full credit? Or, are they exactly the same course, and I only need one of them? This question is quite silly, but I’ve been over thinking it!

    Also, I know it is based upon ones major (prerequisites), and personal interests, but I have to add more courses to my timetable in order to be a full time student. There’s so many choices! Do you have any suggestions of first year courses that are generally good to take?

    Thank you very much!

    ———————————————

    Hey hey

    For psych, you just have to take PSY100H1 once. So you can take it in the fall or you want take it in the winter. Your choice!

    As for what else to take… well everyone’s going to have an opinion on that one, so I fully expect an array of comments telling me my rather generalized picks are flawed.

    But what do I think you should take?

    Well…

    1) INI103H Writing Essays or INI104H Writing Reports

    In university, being able to write is an essential skill. University is for research, but your research is pretty damn unbearable if you can’t convey it coherently. This course might not contribute to any future POSt, but it’ll benefit your general skill set, that much is for sure!

    2) A first-year seminar!

    Seminars are great and the 199 ones can only be taken by incoming students.

    They can be such a relief against the massive lectures you’re going to eventually attend. Likewise, they have the coolest topics, making them a super fun way to get that unwanted breadth requirement out of the way. 😉

    So for example, as someone who dreads science, I took a first-year seminar on Biology in Film to get my science credit out of the way — granted this was back in the day of distribution requirements. Don’t worry about those. Totes irrelevant to you.

    Anyhow, if you know one of those five breadth requirement groups is going to come back to haunt you in fourth year because you avoided it like the plague, take care of it now in a less than agonizing way.

    3) Some language course.

    Because you can. There’s Spanish, Korean, Arabic, Polish, Japanese, French, German, etc. Soooo many. Try one for fun if you’re up to it@ Naturally, they WILL require a lot of dedication from you, but they’ll definitely benefit you in the long run.

    But take a gander at the calendar and pick and choose.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • dropping out

    farewell forever, uoft!

    July 19, 2013

    how does one drop out? are there fees involved?

    ———————————————

    Nope, no fees! 😀

    Dropping out is actually incredibly simple: you just don’t enrol in classes.

    After that, you’ll eventually become “financially cancelled” for the fall/winter session since you haven’t technically paid your fees, but by that time you’ll be elsewhere giving absolutely no shits about university.

    Now I assume you’re talking about dropping out for next year, so note that although ROSI has automatically charged you $7000+, as long as you don’t enrol in anything, it’ll eventually go away.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • ROSI,  subject POST

    rosi is just misunderstood

    July 18, 2013

    Hi there,

    I’m currently enrolled in a double major at UofT. I looked over my courses and see that some courses over lap the required courses for two other minors. If I just complete a few more courses, I could fulfill the two other minors. Yah! But apparently, ROSI will not allow you to add anything more than two majors or a specialist. It seems like ROSI is never in my favor. Is there a way to add one or two minors? Will my registrar add more?

    Thanks in advance!

    ———————————————

    Hey hey

    This is one of the times ROSI actually holds up the stop sign. Did you know you can go into an exclusion of a course or a course without having its prereq? ROSI is actually pretty damn lenient. It even lets you stay in overlapping courses all the way until the end of the course. ROSI likes to let you do things like that so it can laugh at you when half way through the course, you get kicked out of it or something by the program.

    Anyhow, you’re allowed to be active in three POSts, but only two of them can be a major and/or specialist.

    If you want an additional minor, you can ask the department to write you a fancy letter stating you’ve completed their requirements.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • psychology,  subject POST,  UTM

    psyched out over psych

    July 17, 2013

    Hey aska!!

    I asked a question not too long ago, titled “how to get through summer without going full douchebag”, and i agree, i was a douchebag 🙁 but i require your assistance once more!! I have the prerequisites to switch into the Psychology program of study, but i am on academic probation! Can i still switch into psych/ how would i do that if i could?? And if i could, when would it be done?? Bless your soul aska, i love you, thanks for answering!! 🙂

    ———————————————

    Hey hey

    Lol I’m sorry I indirectly called you a douchebag.

    To be clear, I was referring to your ACTIONS, but…Ahem.

    Anyhow, the second round of POSt requesting at UTM last June 17 to August 30, so get on that now!

    All you do is go on ROSI, request the psych major or specialist or whatever, and then await a response which probably won’t come until September 9. If you met the required grade or whatever and were invited, just accept the offer and become active. 🙂

    And yes, you can still go into psych even if you’re on probation.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • GPA,  grad school,  graduation,  jobs

    gotta keep your head up…

    July 16, 2013

    Hi Aska!

    I just discovered your site and I have serious issues. I am currently going into fourth year with a 1.85 cGPA. (I know I’m such a failure at life). Do I have any options for having a stable career at this point? I’ve calculated it and it would take me 4+ years to achieve the B average every educational institution is looking for. What should I do? Should I finish my poorly sought degree in the fourth year because I can? Should I strive to raise my GPA before I graduate? Is it too late to transfer and more importantly will anyone take me with my GPA? Any advice will help.

    Thanks,
    Dazed and confused

    ———————————————

    Dazed and confused,

    For starters, maintain that cGPA. Don’t forget that you need a minimum of 1.85 to be able to graduate. If that doesn’t happen though, if you’re lucky, you’ll be allowed to graduate — but with a regular B.A. or B.Sc., as in without Honours.

    Now do you have options for a stable career?

    Well duh!

    Fine. You spent the past four years partying it up and forgetting that your primary goal was to be a student and now your cGPA is shot to hell. You can still work with that!

    So you can’t get into grad school / law school /teacher’s college / whatever. Even people who DO meet that sought after B average don’t get in to said schools. At least you uh… know where you stand.

    You just need to work with what you have.

    Not ALL potential employers want to take a look at your transcript. I highly doubt a lot of them do. Just get your degree from the best university in the country and then apply for entry-level jobs in whatever places and work up from there. Take a look at the Job Search function the Career Centre offers — there are tons of really amazing opportunities to be found there.

    Right now, personally, I think you should finish your degree because well… you’re RIGHT THERE. You’re at the end. But really, that’s up to you.

    Now you should always try to raise your cGPA (or at least maintain it), but there’s hardly any point in lingering for another four years just to bump it up. Likewise, transferring to another university isn’t likely to get good results.

    Just… finish up.

    Your registration was yesterday if you’re going into fourth year, so I assume you enrolled. If you can afford it, just do it, and then since the concern here seems to be finding a job, keep in mind that not all jobs require you to have done some sort of post-grad degree/certificate/whatever.

    But that’s just MY opinion, okay? Think about your situation and make good choices. 🙂

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • hard,  life science

    i’ve got 99 problems and university is all of them

    July 15, 2013

    Hello again,

    I was talking to a girl on the weekend who just graduated from UofT, but she kind of scared me, basically saying that all the rumors I’ve heard are true, and Life Sciences at UofT is brutal. She told me that Life Sciences is not a good path for me to take at a school that is so big and then she just wished me luck.

    She that the readings they assign are really long and the work is really difficult and she had a hard time keeping up.

    She said that it was so competitive that people would purposely mess up labs just so that you wouldn’t do well. Or they wouldn’t help you out if you needed notes or needed help understanding something.

    Is UofT so competitive and huge that I will not be able to do well? I did pretty good in high school, but everyone going to UofT did – that’s why they’re there.

    Also, I know being in university will not be a walk in the park, but is it really as difficult as they say?

    And on another kind of related topic, if I schedule lectures back to back, I’ll be able to get from one to the other, right? Even if one is Central and the other is West? I’m just worried that there will be so many people in my first year classes that I won’t be able to get through the crowds to get to my next class in 10 minutes.

    Thanks in advance for your answer, your website is perfect for a person like me who’s always worrying.

    Madeline

    ———————————————

    Madeline,

    For your sanity’s sake, I’m going to be very blunt with you.

    Stop talking to upper years.

    We enjoy making newbies squirm.

    Just sit back, have a margarita and some nachos, and enjoy the rest of your summer. Stop thinking so much about university because I swear you’re on the verge of an ulcer right now and you’re not even enrolled in courses yet!

    Yes, university is competitive — but that shouldn’t be something you just allow to affect how “well” you do.

    And, naturally, its “difficulty” is all up to you.

    If you decide that hanging out with your friends the night before a midterm is a good idea, well of course it’s going to be pretty difficult. But even if you don’t spend your entire life in the library, as long as you at least do the readings and pace through things, you should be able to get by.

    But for now, you need to stop dwelling on a level of difficulty you won’t even be able to test for another three months because you’re probably just going to make yourself sick.

    As for crossing from west to central…

    Eh, well, as much as possible, try not to make things back to back. It’s kind of a huge pain the ass, even if you have two courses that are considered “west,” the whole north and south parts of it aren’t considered.

    Again, Madeline, calm down and enjoy your summer.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • grad school

    gearing up for grad school

    July 15, 2013

    I’m a first-year student, and I’m wondering which programs to take next year.

    I plan to go to graduate school (although I haven’t decided to stay at U of T or not), so I’d like my program choices to look good on papers. For my career, I intend to be a Math or Computer science researcher working with humanities/ssc researchers.

    Q1. which would be the best (i.e. appeals to graduate school) program choice?

    – one Sc Specialist + lots of HUM & Ssc courses
    – one Sc Major + one HUM minor + one Ssc minor
    – one Sc Major + one HUM/Ssc minor
    – self-designed

    Q2. what do graduate schools look at? (eg which programs I took, which courses I took and what my grades)

    Q3. From your personal experience, how many courses would you take at most, if you wanted to enjoy ULife? (be active in groups, have fun with friends)

    and not be crammed in the library all day?

    Q4. What is a self-designed program anyway?

    I asked the Office of Registrar, and they told me it was a combination of courses that are substantially different from preexisting programs. But this was a bit too abstract for me; can you give me an example of a self-designed program?

    Thanks in advance.

    ———————————————

    Hey hey

    Q1. I personally think a specialist would be best for someone trying to get into grad school. Why? Because it shows that you have a lot of experience with your program and an incredibly in depth insight into it.

    (Also, what the heck is “self-designed”?)

    Q2. Grad schools look at EVERYTHING.

    Ahem. Sorta.

    Depends on the schools and programs, but criteria can include things like set CGPAs, transcripts, letters of reference, statements of interests, writing samples, resumes, CVs, portfolios, some kind of essay, yada yada yada.

    Take a look at the specific schools’ requirements.

    Q3. My experience… do a full 5.0 FCE course load. Just do it. Having a full load forces you to prioritize and set time aside for things properly.

    Actually, the term I did the best, made the most money, and still managed to see all my friends is the one where I did six courses!

    But start off with five though and see how it treats you. If you find you can’t handle it, then maybe drop down to four. But do be careful! I’m not too sure what you’re applying to, but there are certain schools that actually want you to have taken 5.0 FCE per year (e.g. law schools).

    Q4. K looked it up!

    According to the calendar, a self-designed program is:

    Students may design their own Programs, which must be substantially different from any Program in this Calendar. Such a Program, if formally adopted by the student’s College on the basis of its academic rigour and coherence, and if approved by the Committee on Academic Standards, will be accepted as fulfilling the degree requirement for certification in a Program (transcripts indicate only Completed Self-designed Programs approved by X College). Since the approval process is necessarily a long one, students following this alternative must discuss this process with their College Registrar immediately after completion of the fourth course in the Faculty.

    So that.

    But according to one of my sources, this “self-designed program” thing isn’t really good for someone trying to get into grad school. I mean programs here are designed to give you a good education in x field, so just… don’t try to stray.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • one programs

    polygamy between colleges

    July 15, 2013

    Hey,

    I’m entering Innis College for first year in 2013. I’ve accepted my place at Innis College and the Vic One foundation year program. I’d like to confirm that these won’t conflict with eachother.

    Thank you,
    John

    ———————————————

    John,

    No, these won’t conflict with each other.

    Students can be enrolled in one college and be in another college’s One program.

    xoxo,
    aska

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  • enrollment

    how to go about enrolment with as few tears as possible

    July 12, 2013

    Hey hey all~

    So if you’re lucky, this is the last time you’ll have to deal with ROSI for course enrolment. Yay you.

    But the day still looms ahead of us, so here are some tips on how to make Monday’s enrolment at quick and easy as possible.

    ?????????

    TIP 1: Check the mothereffing enrolment indicatiors!

    Like I swear to Lucifer, this is everyone’s main problem.

    While being an upper year means you’re probably taking courses that give you priority, if you’re a Psych major who suddenly decides she has a fancy for Shakespeare and wants to take ENG220Y, you’re going to find yourself at a bit of a roadblock.

    A roadblock that says “please contact your registrar’s office.”

    And then your registrar’s office is going to ask you “Well, do you have priority for the course?” with something of a sneer, and then you’re going to feel like a moron. Do you want to feel like a moron? Nah. No one likes that.

    So heed the enrolment indicators. Please.

    Basically if you’re not in x program, you probably can’t sit with the people that are.

    ?????????

    TIP 2: Realize the university is huge.

    Sometimes you won’t get the course you want. I know. I know it really sucks. I waited three years to finally take INI311Y. Like I barely got it for my last year guys.

    It’s really, really unfortunate, but sometimes you won’t get the course(s) you want.

    But take that as some good preparation for real life.

    Sometimes you don’t get the job you want. Or the man you want. Or men. Or woman. Whatever. Sometimes you won’t get a pony or an orca or a panda. All you can do is move forward and make sure you have a back up plan.

    ?????????

    TIP 3: Make sure you have your Subject POSts!?

    Now this is mostly a second year student problem, but it applies to anyone with 4.0 FCE or more.

    To go through with enrolment, you need to be ACTIVE in one specialist/two majors/one major+two minors.

    This means that you have to accept the invitation the program you accepted might have sent you.?This also means that even if you didn’t get into the programs you wanted, you still will need POSts!

    So how do you get by even though the Cinema Studies specialist rejected you in the first request period?

    First, you cry. Second, you cry a bit more. Then after that, you settle. You join some combination of Type 1 programs and then you enrol.

    Now relax, you’re not married to those programs — but you DO need them.

    Think of it as a happy compromise.

    The best thing you can do in that Type 1 settling for sort of situation is go into a program at least somewhat related to your program of choice, or a program that gives you priority into courses that will also be related to your program of choice.

    ?????????

    TIP 4: Use an order.

    You can check how many spots are in a course on ROSI if you go to the “View Timetable/Spaces” tab.

    There, note how many spots are in each of the courses you want.

    Then rank said courses.

    Naturally, enrol in the class that has 25 spots before the one that has 140.

    ?????????

    TIP 5: Enrol in courses YOURSELF.

    If you’re getting a parent/friend to enrol for you because you’re off planting trees in the middle of nowhere or something and they botch things up, accept your fate.

    That’s on you.

    If your account gets locked because they mess up your password, no one is going to fix things for your parent/friend. So if you don’t get the courses you want because we all had to wait for you to come back from your vacation in Neverneverland, again, that’s on you.

    ?????????

    TIP 6: Have a contingency plan.

    Always always ALWAYS have a contingency plan.

    As I pointed out a few points ago, you won’t always get the courses you want, so make sure you have some other courses in mind!

    ?????????

    And remember…

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • admissions,  colleges,  subject POST

    starting to keen for 2014

    July 12, 2013

     

    Hello,

    I’m currently doing my GCE A-levels and I have a few questions because I’m quite baffled at the moment ; I was hoping you could answer them all.

    1- My main choice for the colleges right now is Innis ; I’m intending to pursue a specialist in immunology which is sponsored by Trinity college. Can I still do the specialist even though I’m not a student at Trinity ?

    2- I’ve been looking up the residences and Innis again caught my eye ( its the cheapest lol ) ; so does being an Innis student increase my chances of getting into their residence or the whole process in unbiased giving no priority ?

    3- I’ve read on the UofT site that immunology specialist is a type 3 program with a limited student capacity . Since I intend to apply to medical school , if I do not get accepted into the immunology program , will a neuroscience specialist suffice the requirement for medical school ? And if so , do any of their requirements coincide ? The immunology program wants two bio , two chem and one calculus course ( I have their codes written down but I didn’t memorize them )

    4- Whats the difference between an 0.5 FCE course and a 1.0 FCE course ? Is it the length of a course or the content of it ? Simply put , summer school is not an option for me and my wallet so I need to get at least 5.0 FCE finished by first year .

    5- I’m applying for the 2014 fall term ; when exactly are the deadlines ? ( International student deadline if it makes a difference )

    Thank you so much for your time and sorry I asked a lot of questions !

    Cheers

    ———————————————

    Hey hey

    I love that you numbered these.

    Q1 – My main choice for the colleges right now is Innis ; I’m intending to pursue a specialist in immunology which is sponsored by Trinity college. Can I still do the specialist even though I’m not a student at Trinity?

    A – You can take any program within the Faculty of Arts and Science regardless of what college you’re from. Just make sure you check out the requirements!

    Q2 – I’ve been looking up the residences and Innis again caught my eye ( its the cheapest lol ) ; so does being an Innis student increase my chances of getting into their residence or the whole process in unbiased giving no priority?

    A – Naturally, you have to be an Innis student to get into the Innis residence.

    There are a few spots tucked away for engineering and architecture students, but if you’re in Arts and Science, you have to be an Innis student. But entry into the res is a biiiiit competitive since it’s so small, and that’s based on your grades, so make sure you keep those up.

    Q3 – I’ve read on the UofT site that immunology specialist is a type 3 program with a limited student capacity . Since I intend to apply to medical school , if I do not get accepted into the immunology program , will a neuroscience specialist suffice the requirement for medical school ? And if so , do any of their requirements coincide ? The immunology program wants two bio , two chem and one calculus course ( I have their codes written down but I didn’t memorize them )

    A – I don’t know. You’d have to ask the med schools. 😉

    But yes, immunology and neuroscience would have a number of similar requirements. Most life science programs do! There’s the bio and the chem and the… other usual courses. Yeah. Pretty damn close.

    Q4 – Whats the difference between an 0.5 FCE course and a 1.0 FCE course ? Is it the length of a course or the content of it ? Simply put , summer school is not an option for me and my wallet so I need to get at least 5.0 FCE finished by first year .

    A – It’s the length, really.

    So 0.5 FCE is a half credit that you can finish in one semester. 1.0 FCE usually takes two semesters (a.k.a. inaccurately enough, a so-called “year”). But sometimes, if you’re unlikely, your Y-course (y = year!) worth 1.0 FCE can be shoved into just one semester.

    But 5.0 FCE is the usual load for students, so if you just stick to that, you can graduate in four years without having to fork over some extra money for summer school.

    Q5 – I’m applying for the 2014 fall term ; when exactly are the deadlines ? ( International student deadline if it makes a difference )

    A – Sadly, the 2014-2015 dates have yet to be released, but check out the super informative Admissions website in a few months and hopefully they’ll be out then.

    Cheers!

    aska

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  • art,  book and media studies,  breadth requirements,  transfer credits

    transferring terrors

    July 11, 2013

    Hi,

    I am coming from a CEGEP in Quebec for my first semester this upcoming fall. Meaning I transferred 5 credits. I am double majoring in Book and Media studies and Art History. I have no clue what I’m supposed to sign up for. What i’ve heard is 3 book and media studies and 2 other courses. But does that mean I take no art History courses???

    What should I take, how do I make my schedule, what is a breadth course?! HELP

    Sincerely,
    SOS

    ———————————————

    SOS,

    Don’t freak out. You’re fine. Sometimes it can be hard to manage all the freedom you’re allowed to have and the discipline you’re expected to have.

    Sooooooooooooooooo:

    Question 1: “What should I take?”

    Things related to your program, of course!

    The Art History major is quite lenient in letting you take whatever courses you’d like here and there, and they all sound pretty interesting. Now if you don’t have some sort of “Intro to Art History” transfer credit coming over, you should definitely take FAH102H The Practice of Art History. But aside from that… just heed the major’s requirements and go crazy!

    Now I consulted another student who took a good chunk of Art History courses for what he thought would be super interesting for you and got:

    FAH246H Art Since 1900 – “Because you have such a short span of time to go over, memorizing all the dates is a lot easier. Also, it’s pretty fun to see the art’s influence on pop culture today. And lastly, if you ever want to sound like a pretentious art snob, this course will definitely set you up for it.”

    FAH230H Renaissance Art and Architecture – “It gives a whole new meaning to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But it’s just a little bit church-y.”

    FAH252H Intro to the History of Photography – “This one is new, but it sounds soooo interesting!”

    And his last comment: “Minimize the number of medieval courses you take.”

    As for your major in Book and Media Studies, I have a feeling you won’t have gotten any transfer credits for that one, so you’ll just have to take a good look at the requirements list.

    You’re going to have to take SMC219Y Mass Media in Culture and Society, SMC228H and SMC229H, so I’d recommend getting those out of the way.

    Question 2: “How do I make my schedule?”

    Step 1: Make a chart going hours of day by days of week.

    Step 2: Consult timetable.

    Step 3: Make sure nothing overlaps!

    Step 4: Enrol on ROSI and pray you get your courses.

    Question 3: “What is a breadth course?”

    So a breadth requirement is the university’s way of making sure you’re like cultured and stuff and that you’ve taken courses in a variety of topics. There are five “groups” that you need to work with. You need to either get 1.0 FCE in four of the five groups, or you need to 1.0 FCE in three of the five groups and then 0.5 FCE in the other two groups.

    Since you’re double majoring in two humanities, I’m going to assume your difficulty will be fulfilling groups 4 and 5, so take a look at this post for some ideas on how to conquer them.

    Annnnnd I guess that’s that.

    Cheers!

    aska

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