• admissions,  drama,  subject POST,  UTM

    majors and CTEP and UTM, oh my!

    January 22, 2014

    Hi!

    I’m a student going into grade 12 and have two very different fields which I want to pursue, so I have some questions. Is it possible to take a major in drama and a major in math? And if so, which one would I apply with or do I apply with both, in reference to the form, essay and auditions, etc.? Does this work for the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus? And is it possible to make my math major part of a teaching degree? I also don’t really understand how choosing courses works and if you can have electives, and how many. Also, would I be limited in teaching possibilities or employment possibilities if I took math as a minor?

    Thank you,

    Ioana

    ———————————————

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

    aska

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, ioana, you’ve got a lot of questions, so i’m just gonna take them step by step, starting with the first one: is it possible to do a major in math and a major in drama?

    yes! in fact, uoft doesn’t allow you to take just one major; that would be too easy. you kinda have to supplement it with other stuff, and double-majoring is one way to do that. the mathematics major requires that you complete 7.5 FCEs and the drama major requires that you complete 8.0 FCEs. that means 15.5 out of the 20 credits you will receive for your degree will be program requirements.

    as for how you apply, there’s only one application necessary. for drama, you won’t have to go through auditions and essays and all that until 2nd year. your first year drama course, DRM100Y1, doesn’t require any kind of audition or application. same goes for math; you can enrol in most 1st year math courses from any program you want. so it’s up to you whether you want to apply through life science or humanities, though i’d say humanities is probably your best bet, because the university might decide to impose restrictions on who gets into drama, but they’re far less likely to do the same with math. so just go to OUAC or however it is you’re applying, select the humanities stream, and sit tight. auditions and picking of majors will happen at the end of first year.

    more or less the same holds true (math major program) (drama major program) for utm, except they have fewer required courses altogether for both major programs.

    teaching at uoft requires a separate application and you can enter into it starting 2nd year. you’ll get your B.Ed. essentially by taking education as a minor, and then your B.A./B.Sc. will be your other “teachable” degree that you get after four years. math can totally be part of that degree (either B.A. or B.Sc.) if you major in it, though it will be tough to do two majors and a minor (i.e. math, drama and education) – almost every single one of your 20.0 credits will have to go towards some program requirement. utm is currently in the process of renovating their CTEP program, but when it comes back in 2015, it should be similar to the uoft program.

    if you just did a minor in math, you wouldn’t be able to do UTM’s CTEP, because their only allowed areas of study are french, chem, math or physics. you’d have other options at various other institutions that are all listed on uoft’s CTEP site, but if you’re looking at UTM, i’d advise majoring in math.

    as far as i know, math teachers are GENERALLY in higher supply than humanities teachers, but honestly, that’s nothing to base a decision on. like i’ve said time and again on this site, employment possibilities change and stats for employment go up and down by the month, and it’s smarter for you to do what you actually want to and MAKE a path for yourself than to follow the numbers. however, if you really want to teach math, then go for it, dude.

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • med school

    no take backs in university

    January 21, 2014

    Hello,
    I am a first year student for the med school game. I went to an academically poor public highschool in a countryside in ontario and the transition from high school to UofT has been rather tumultuous. I have received B- in BIO120H, B+ in MAT135H, C in CHM139H, and currently have 62 in ECO100. I have not been partying or wasting any time. I didn’t even get to explore the city yet and have been stuck in the library every single day studying. I have changed my studying habits twice since I came to UofT and still seems like my habits are not working. I have figured that I will have an “average GPA” to apply to med school only if I take 22.0 credits throughout 4 years and attain 4.0 in every single course until I graduate, which seems highly unlikely based on how I?am performing right now.?Is it possible to repeat first year? Would UofT scrap my past academical history and let me start fresh??Even if I transfer to another university, attaining 4.0 every single semester is the only option to med school now.
    I need some advice,
    Steve L.

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

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

    aska

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

    hey there,

    i realize that i have already addressed this in my epigraph up there, but i feel the need to say again that while our dear friend steve, who 2-ish years ago was facing quite a conundrum with his first-year marks, has long since decided on a path for his life – whether or not that path led to med school – this is still a pressing issue for a big chunk of first years, every year. so this question isn’t addressed so much to steve as it is to the people steve represents: the questioning, the disilusioned and the panicked.

    (this part though is just for steve, in case he’s still reading: hey steve, sorry this question never got answered in time. askastudents are rotated in and out on a yearly-ish basis, and in the process of that switch questions can sometimes get lost or not transferred over. i hope the fact that your question didn’t get answered in time didn’t embitter you against askastudent FOREVER, and that you’ll allow me to use your question as a model for FUTURE STUDENTS).

    alright, so, onto the question. the title of this post is left over – if my math is correct – from one or maybe two askastudents ago, but i’ve kept it because i agree with it. and the reason i agree with it is because the faculty of medicine agrees with it – an average GPA of 3.6 required to be eligible for admission to med school, and it is based on all university courses you’ve ever taken ever.

    so once you’ve done your first year, it automatically becomes part of your application. it’ll be factored into your application GPA – no scrapping of past history, no negotiations, regardless of redone courses or bad high schools or whatever other reason you can come up with. meaning that, yes, you would essentially have to get 4.0 across the board in the rest of your undergraduate career (not to mention do great on your MCATs and the?non-academic shenanigans?which are part of your application) in order to be eligible and competitive. there’s no way to wipe first year from the record, is what i’m saying.

    this means that you – metaphorical steve – have a decision to make. do you want to be a doctor so incredibly badly that you are willing to give it 110% for 3 more years (+4 or however long it takes for you to finish your MD)? if you are, that’s great. if you like anatomy more than sleep, more than socializing, more than TV or leisure reading or drinking or being able to tack on M.D. to the end of your name – if you still like studying bones and shizzle MORE THAN ALL THAT – then i’d say, use the summer to gain some new study skills, regroup, and tackle the 2nd year with your goal in mind.

    however, if you want to become a doctor because “the economy is bad” or because “it’s prestigious,” or because “people always said i was smart enough to,” or because “M.D. really does look nice at the end of my name,” then it is not worth the mental wear and tear. the economy is bad for everyone. prestige is about doing your job remarkably, not which job you do. being smart doth not always a high-paying job equate. and Steve M.D. sounds silly as heck, with all respect. so forget those reasons and do what you WANT.

    cheers, metaphorical steve, and thanks in advance for all the help you’ve been to other first-years.

    aska

    Read More
  • colleges,  frosh

    so you wanna be a frosh leader?

    January 20, 2014

    I was wondering if you could be a frosh leader for a college that’s not yours. I’m officially a St.Michael’s College member but I really hate that college/don’t know why I picked it and I don’t spend a lot of time with SMC people and I spend most of my days at UC since I know a lot of UC students. Would I be allowed to be a frosh leader for UC although I’m from SMC??

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m sorry to hear that’s how you feel about SMC. maybe, if you feel so strongly about it and spend so much time at UC anyway, it might be a good idea to consider transferring colleges. every college is different and if SMC isn’t working for you, then maybe you should consider contacting UC in person or by e-mail to discuss transferring colleges. that way, when it comes to things like applying to be frosh leader, the path will be a lot more straightforward.

    as to whether or not UC’ll take you on if you’re from another college, it’s kinda hard to tell tbh. i haven’t found any OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS that specifically BAN students from other colleges applying, but it seems like one of those rules that goes without saying. like, they also don’t expressly ban students from other universities from applying, but i think we can agree they’re not gonna be hired. however, the people who would probably know for sure whether you have a chance are the folks at in charge of student life at uc. i’d speak with them first!

    at the end of the day, if none of this pans out, i think that being part of orientation week is awesome, no matter which college you’re a part of. maybe doing frosh with SMC might even open your eyes to the cool stuff hidden away in little corners of your college. who knows! either way, i hope you go ahead and apply, ’cause it’s a great opportunity, no matter which college you remain affiliated with.

    best of luck,

    aska

    Read More
  • subject POST,  UTSC

    shootin’ for the stars

    January 17, 2014

    Hi, can you get a major in astronomy & astrophysics at UTSC? I checked the subject post codes for UTSC, and it was only available as a minor. Are the spaces unavailable right now or can you only do minors at utsc? I’m currently doing a major in health studies at utsc but I might change it to astronomy. Thanks for your help!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    there doesn’t seem to be a major strictly called astronomy, but there is a major program in astrophysics and physics, and that, along with the specialist programs and minor program, are all under the heading of ‘astronomy.’ so it looks like you can do a major in astrophysics? i don’t know if there’s some subtle difference between astronomy and astrophysics that i’m unaware of because i am a LOWLY HUMANITIES PEASANT, but it seems to me like an issue of semantics more than anything else. either way, it’s not an issue of space*: all subject POSts are listed on the calendar, whether enrolment is limited or not.

    cheers,

    aska

    * lol, geddit? space? because astronomy happens in space? but also space as in like, space for enrolment? it’s a pun? please laugh at my jokes i’m so lonely.

    Read More
  • summer,  suspension

    summah skule

    January 17, 2014

    I’m currently a student who’s on academic suspension. Yikes! This year has been a roller coaster for me, I’ve been working and traveling a lot but I miss school and am eager to make my way back. I was thinking of applying to summer school instead of waiting to go back in September considering I’ve served my 12 months of suspension by April. Going to summer school would help me ease my way back into the habit of studying, that way when I go back in September full time, I won’t feel as overwhelmed. I was wondering if that’s a possibility? Or do I have to wait till September? Any thoughts?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    alrighty, so basically, you CAN re-register for the summer session since you’ve fulfilled the terms of your suspension. yay! all you have to do is go to your registrar’s office and register.

    HOWEVER. when you come off of suspension, your first term back you are on academic probation, meaning you need to get your marks above a certain GPA (1.70 i believe) within that session. since the summer session moves twice as fast as a regular session, it’s actually sometimes harder to keep up with a summer school course as it is a regular course. and since you need to make sure to meet the terms of probation within the first term (otherwise you’ll be suspended again for three years) it’s actually super important that you very carefully choose which term you want to come back. like i don’t wanna FREAK YOU OUT or anything, but there are some stakes attached to your first term back.

    tl;dr: you can come back in the summer, but think about it before you decide to.

    l8r dood,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  UTSC

    calculus grievances

    January 17, 2014

    Hey!

    I’ve applied to the mental health studies program at UTSC and their admission requirement is only English. Now since it’s related to psychology and the other UofT campuses require Calculus as a prerequisite for psychology, I’m worried that I’m gonna have to take Calculus in university. I haven’t taken Calculus in high school yet (I’m in grade 12) and I am not good in math. I can handle statistics but I don’t know about Calculus. So I need your help! Please let me know if UTSC mental health requires Calculus at alllllllll (even in second, third and fourth year), and also Biology for that matter.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you can take a look at alllll the classes you’ll need to take for the mental health studies specialist here (just ctrl+f mental health studies). it looks like, apart from a couple of data analysis courses, you won’t have anything too rigorous to take in the way of math. so if you haven’t taken calculus, i wouldn’t sweat it! obviously data analysis will be tough, and calculus would help with that, but don’t scramble to take it now if you’re absolutely certain that this is the program you want to do. if the program doesn’t require it, then you should be able to cope without it. same goes for biology; if it’s not required, then you don’t need it (though obviously you can take a look at how much biology is in your future by looking at the courses required throughout the course of your program). otherwise, the university would be LYING to us and that would be ANARCHY, just ANARCHY.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • colleges

    college one, college FUN

    January 17, 2014

    Hey aska!

    I was wondering how beneficial the One programs at UofT are. Is there a lot of work? Are the classes more difficult? And how exactly are they incorporated into your schedule? Do you take them along with all the other classes you have to take for your program? Thanks for answering!

    Waiting patiently, AFutureStudent

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’d say the college one classes are extremely beneficial, but probably not for ways you can appreciate just yet. firstly, they’re much smaller than a regular class, and believe me, your first year classes are more than likely going to be very, very big. this means that in a college one class, you’ll actually get to interact with your teacher! trust me, you don’t know how cool that is until you don’t have the opportunity to do it anymore.

    is it a lot of work? i’d say it’s not more or less work than a normal class. it’s just a different environment. by the same token, it’s also not inherently more difficult. i mean, you might happen to have a college one class that’s more difficult than your other classes, but it’s not like a rule or something. it’s not like college one classes are structured to be more challenging than regular classes. they’re so diverse in subject matter that you can’t really say they’re all one thing or another, except that they’re all small. they’re essentially the university trying to give you the opportunity to feel like you’re in a classroom, instead of a huge holding pen like in all your other lectures.

    they’re on your schedule just like a regular class. you enrol in the class on ROSI in like late August or whatever, at the same time as your regular lectures, and attend it every week a certain number of times, just like your other classes. i’d definitely encourage you to enrol in one if it piques your interest, or to meet a program requirement, but don’t do it just because you think it’s more prestigious or rigorous than other classes. it’s just a different format, and is not a requirement (unless you’re at vic, in which case you can use it to meet the small class requirement).

    i hope that helps!

    aska

    P.S. I realized that you are referring to College One as a program rather than a class, which makes me think that you are considering it to be like an extra thing on top of what you plan to major/specialize in. don’t think about it like that! you can take as many or as few college one courses as you want – there is no inherent benefit or disadvantage to taking all your college’s college one courses. it’s all about what you want to be learning.

    Read More
  • failing,  grades

    praying for a pass

    January 16, 2014

    Hey aska!

    Just got my final marks back and unfortunately I failed bch210 by a few percentage. I’m a fourth year student who was SUPPOSED to graduate this summer… Yeah, ouch :/
    I just needed to ask what kind of official university regulation process I should go through with in an attempt to change my mark- the recheck or remark or whatever its called. The final was mostly MC and there was a tiny bit dedicated to SA questions.
    Also, on a slightly unofficial note, do you think I’d have a chance at getting my mark bumped to the 50 I need by falling on my knees in front of the prof? (: (:

    Thanks for your helppp

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well actually, the university all but OFFICIALLY RECOMMENDS going to your professor and begging down on your knees (that’s what you meant right?? yes of course it is i know it is), but only before the exam. in the aftermath, you need to go through some extra shenanigans for a re-read (if you think it was unfairly marked) or a grade re-check (if you think there’s been a clerical error in marking), and you don’t go to your instructor right away. instead, you go to your faculty registrar’s office, pay a fee, and then your paper can get re-read/re-checked as the case may be. then you go from there.

    keep in mind though that if it’s re-read, your mark might actually go down. also it costs money that you are statistically unlikely to have. so think about it carefully before requesting a re-read/re-check!

    best of luck with it,

    aska

     

    Read More
  • admissions,  colleges,  OUAC,  trinity college,  UTAPS

    applying to uni sure is fun

    January 16, 2014

    Hi there!

    I was just wondering if I will get a separate email from Trinity College on how to apply for the supplementary application. I tried going through the link they have on their website but it won’t open.

    Since I had to rank colleges… If I don’t get accepted to the first college, will the second then the next etc look at the application? Or will all colleges look at the application then offer an admission? I’m kind of confused with this process… How will this affect the choices for residence if let’s say I prefer Woodsworth or New College/s Residences over Trinity Residence? Is the deadline February 28?

    When I tried applying to UTAPS, it linked me to the OSAP site.. is it the same application or separate? Also, how big of an impact does extra-curriculars have on getting an offer from U of T (Faculty of Arts & Science)? Is there something similar to a PEY for Humanities students (Ethics, Society & Law) or an internship etc?

    Sorry for all the questions!

    Thanks so much & I hope I hear back from you soon.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m not sure what you mean about the trin application, because it works for me. you should be able to go here, enter your JOINid (which should have been e-mailed to you by the university) and fill it out! if it’s not working, e-mail the college for help (registrar (at) trinity (.) utoronto (.) ca).

    as for colleges, basically, they try to put you in your #1 choice if at all possible. so if you put trin as #1, i hope you’re happy with getting into trin. if you prefer woodsworth or new, put one of those as your first choice!

    Your OUAC application should have been handed in yesterday, January 15th (though it looks like you still can submit the application up until february 28th if you need to). Trinity college doesn’t specify a deadline for their college profile application thingy, but they do have early february BOLDED as a recommendation, so i’d aim for then.

    as for UTAPS, this is the application procedure.

    also lol no, if you’re in the humanities you basically have to fend for yourself. but if you do a bit of careful googling, you’ll find there are lots of private internships offered by companies in the city, that you can apply to all by yourself. there’s also work-study, which allows you to work on campus for actual money! woo!

    ALSO extra-curriculars are not considered for your application to uoft, though they may have some bearing on your trin application, and they are also important for scholarship/grant/bursary applications, which i would strongly recommend you apply for.

    xoxo,

    aska

    Read More
  • dean's list

    dean’s list, IRON FIST

    January 16, 2014

    Hi Aska,
    I have this little personal goal of making deans list this year (my second year). So far, I’m looking good GPA wise, but I have a question of timeline.
    I know that deans list is calculated at the end of winter and summer semesters at the end of your 5, 10,15 and 20th credit (I think?). I wondering though if it has to be within one school year?
    I took .5 credits last summer (the first .5 credit of my second year), and am enrolled in 4.5 credits this fall/winter.
    If I drop down to 4 credits for fall and winter, and take another .5 THIS summer, will I still be eligible for deans list counting the .5 from last summer (5 credits total spanning 2 summer semesters and this fall/winter)?
    I may have made this sound more confusing then it needed to be…. Sorry…. I hope it makes sense and thank you!

    Dean Machine

    ———————————————

    hey,

    good job on that admirable goal, friend. it’s a very tough one. you must rule your life with an IRON FIST. on the contrary, my goal for this year is to wake up on time and not have to run for the train in the morning. so. i guess that just shows the difference between you and me.

    you’ll be considered after you reach 5 credits, no matter what the timeline is on that. so if you pass 5.0 credits this summer session, then that’s when you’ll be considered!

    good luck to you. i hope you reach your goal…and i hope i reach mine.

    stay cool,

    aska

    Read More
  • graduation

    the dean’s promise: fact or myth?

    January 15, 2014

    Hey aska,

    I’m a fourth year student aiming to graduate in June. My GPA is fine, but?I’ve made stupid choices during course selection and now because of course?conflicts, I’m 1.0 credit behind! How does the dean’s promise work??Graduation requests close on the 26th. :<

    ?????????

    hey there,

    the dean’s promise isn’t actually a concrete thing, unfortunately. i know it sounds like it should be. i mean, it’s a PROMISE, right? it MATTERS. yeah, not really. all the dean’s promise really says is that they’ll do everything they can to get you graduating on time, but if you’ve mucked it up past the point of no return, that’s not their problem soz lol.

    so yeah, it’s not super helpful. the action path that it translates to though is talking to your college registrar’s office, some advice they tack on to the bottom of that little summary i linked. at the end of the day, it’s your registrar who’s going to do everything they can to graduate you when you want to graduate. so get yourself on over there!

    aska

    Read More
  • career choice

    and dreams of para-para-paradise

    January 15, 2014

    Hello aska!

    Weeeellll here’s the thing. I love history. I did it in highschool, and i plan to specialize in it in university. And I also want to be a teacher. However I’m also good at math, so I’ve heard being an engineer is good for this economy. So I was wondering, if it’s not too personal, if you’ve been through the same conundrum. Whether you’d have to fight society, your pressures, and all that in order to do what you love.

    A person in my mom’s work had even told me that learning Philosophy was for rich people’s children who don’t need their degree, and that there are too many teachers. A relative told me that Uni was expensive so I best do the degree most likely to leave me a job in the end. But I love history – but I don’t like wasting $$$.

    So, I’m asking, any thoughts/personal stories/go-seek-your-guidance…councillor?

    Lots of tickles,

    [name redacted]

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    whoa nelly, have i got war stories related to this. as it happens, my entire life so far has basically been an embarrassingly cliched back and forth between things i WANTED to do and things i thought i SHOULD do. however my life isn’t super-awesome now or anything, so don’t do everything i did just because i did it. i’ll just give you my two cents and then you can think about that and everything your parents/teachers/peers have said, and you make your own decision, yeah? make sense? alright, cool. so here we go.

    in high school, i was good at math. and science. and everything. alright i’ll say it: I WAS GOOD AT EVERYTHING. i think i graduated with a 92% average, and i’d taken calculus, the three sciences and english – that’s not to brag, just to give you someone you can compare yourself to. i went into a life science program for first year and finished that year with an 82%. that’s not that bad, right? i could’ve easily continued on in the program and done reasonably well.

    WRONG. see, this is the thing. i hated my first year. HATED it. and that’s not because i was unintelligent or too stupid to realize that science and math aren’t interesting (because they are) or because i was too selfish to think about what really matters – the money. i had an uncontrollable, visceral reaction to what i was studying, and it made me less inclined to study, and that made me MEDIOCRE. see, the thing people don’t realize is that you don’t study what you’re interested in because you are a selfish prick or a moron who doesn’t realize that you need to somehow get a job out of university; you study what you’re interested in because it’s a SURVIVAL TECHNIQUE.

    if you go into a program you’re lukewarm about, you’re not going to do as well in it as the people who love it. that’s just true. it is in your best interest to pursue the thing you adore, the thing you obsess over, because that is your one fighting chance to be outstanding, and in this economy, as we all know, employers will not accept anything less than outstanding.

    now, i don’t want to sugar-coat things: if you try to become a history teacher, it won’t be easy. you may have to move countries, more than once maybe. you will not have a great starting salary. maybe you’ll have to do jobs out of college like flower-arranging or selling shoes. but i’d say that doing poorly or even mediocre-ly in, say, engineering, because you just can’t produce the passion for it that would make you remarkable, is gonna produce the same result: employers won’t hire you. they’ll hire that guy who can’t STOP TALKING about fulcrums and shizzle that you don’t give two hoots about.

    so yes. i have made the decision to pursue what i love instead of what i “should do.” but i would argue that that decision was a much wiser choice, economically and financially speaking, because now i actually might be able to do really notable things with my career. it’ll still be hard work, but i want to do it now, which means i’m outstripping those “rich people’s children” who are just in it for the lawls. and i think if you consider the logic carefully, you’ll find that the same is true for you.

    right, i’ma get off my soap box now. i hope that helped.

    see ya l8rs,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions

    FAILURE (jk)

    January 15, 2014

    I just would like to know if I fail a course in grade 12, will it affect me?in getting into any of the universities in Toronto?? even if the course I?failed is not a prerequisite for the program I applied for and it’s not in?my top 6

    ?????????

    hey there,

    well, there are 3 universities in Toronto, not counting OCAD. i can’t speak for sure for the other universities, but if the failed mark is not in your top six that’s used to calculate your admission average, i think you should be fine. i mean some programs are more stringent than others, but i wouldn’t worry too much.

    aska

    Read More