• odds are that won't be asked again

    creepin’ on a course

    May 15, 2014

    Hi aska!

    I asked a professor if I could audit one of his S-summer courses and he agreed! But he seems to think that U of T has a special auditing process that would grant me access to the course on Blackboard. Googling “auditing courses u of t” only turns up the Slavic department’s protocol for this, and I’m not taking a Slavic course. Do you happen to know if professors have the ability to grant Student access to people not enrolled in the course, and if so, how do they do this (since this professor apparently doesn’t know how).

    <3 <3 <3 love and ice cream,

    VVVVVVVVvvvvvvvvvvv

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    there doesn’t seem to be a formal process. according to the only university-wide policy i could find, “[i]f a faculty, school, or college decides to make courses accessible by auditors, the final determination of whether or not a person should be allowed to audit and whether or not space is available for an auditor in the course will be made by the instructor.”

    basically, as long as the faculty and department that administers the course has allowed the possibility of auditing, the instructor can decide to allow or not allow auditors as he/she pleases. there’s no formal process that i can see; your prof should just check with the faculty that auditors are allowed. apart from that, the prof is the monarch of their own little domain.

    lucky them.

    best,

    aska

    P.S. in order to access a course on Blackboard, you have to be officially registered in the course on ROSI. you wouldn’t be able to access the course on Blackboard if you were auditing it. if you’re auditing the class and you just want supplementary notes and materials posted on Blackboard, i’d arrange to get them from the professor another way, maybe in person or through e-mail.

    P.P.S. thanks for the love and ice-cream, but i’m a little worried you had a stroke at the end of your question??? i hope you’re okay.

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  • internet

    the virtual uoft fam jam

    May 15, 2014

    Hey I’ve been trying to get into the uoft facebook groups lots of different times but I’m always redirected to the “enter your email and we’ll send a confirmation email” page. All my emails are re routed to this gmail account. I receive emails saying go to my mail.utoronto account to confirm my wanting to join but the inbox is always empty.

    Any ideas as to whats going on?
    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    as i understand it, you have to join the central uoft facebook group before you can be allowed to join any of the smaller ones that are under its umbrella (like your graduating class group, or specific club pages, etc). that page is here. just enter your utoronto e-mail (make sure you select the right extension, either @mail.utoronto or @utoronto), click ‘Confirm e-mail,’ and then it should send a confirmation to your utoronto inbox.

    if you did all that and it’s still not sending, i’d suggest calling central IT at 416-978-0299 and asking them what’s up. i don’t know who exactly runs the facebook group, but if you call them, they can likely direct you to the person who’s behind all these SHENANIGANS.

    i hope you are eventually able to join the virtua party on facebook, full of people desperately trying to unload last year’s textbooks and complaining about the distance between two of their classes.

    no really, this messing around with e-mail and tech support will eventually be worth it – just don’t go on facebook during class. i’ll come over to wherever your lecture is and swat you over the head with a newspaper if you do. trust.

    have a happy Monday!

    aska

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  • residence,  summer abroad

    canadians aren’t built for the heat.

    May 12, 2014

    Hello,

    I will be coming to Toronto this summer for a global summer program exchange. I will be following courses at Innis but after doing some research I chose to apply for residence at University College – Whitney Hall.

    One of the reasons for my exchange is to experience the real ‘college life’ since we do not have any campuses over here The reason I chose Whitney is mainly because I read that it has one of the more social scenes, the building is really pretty and the location is great.

    However, it is one of the few buildings with no A/C. And since I will be staying in July/August, I was wondering how big of a problem this is. I heard that it can get really hot in the summer, but I am not sure if this means that I would struggle getting any sleep or whether its just not as comfortable as other buildings. I could easily apply for another building like Morrison hall, which is only a little bit cheaper, newer and with A/C but kinda emotionless.

    Would you have any advice about this / know anything about Whitney Hall during the summer? Or any recommendations??Thank you for your help.

    Kind regards.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, firstly, that’s so exciting that you’re coming on an exchange! i hope you have a magnificent time in toronto. and just remember, Niagara Falls and the CN Tower aren’t the only interesting things in the area.

    try and get time to explore the city if you can. i promise you it’s worth it. i’d recommend the harbourfront; there are always cool shows (and boat rides!!!) going on there. also the subway restaurant on Bloor Street close to campus has a really cute waiter, so…*

    secondly, you won’t perish (probably) from the heat if you have no A/C, but it will be really, really uncomfortable. if you still can, i’d try and apply for a building that does have it. the temperatures can climb to the mid-30s Celsius, and it’s not awesome trying to study when you can feel your brain boiling inside your skull.

    if changing buildings is no longer an option, i’d highly recommend bringing a portable fan with you.

    hope you have a chill summer,

    aska

    *Quality Life Tips from Aska registered trademark

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  • summer,  UTM

    those are some crazy summer plans you’ve got.

    May 12, 2014

    Hi aska 🙂

    Right, so – transfer credits. I’ve been toying with the idea of taking an online course at Athabasca instead of taking MAT135 over at UTM (I’ve already checked, and it’s transferable)… but I’m also taking summer courses. I already know I can handle summer school and enjoy it, but my question is can I take a course at Athabasca WHILE taking courses at UTM? I didn’t ask for a letter of permission, so I have no idea whether or not this can actually work, but I’m really hoping it will.

    Thank you!

    ———————————————

    hey hey,

    well, there’s nothing in the registration guide that specifically restricts you from taking them both. if you want to make sure that it’s possible, i’d recommend contacting UTM to ask them about it.

    if you didn’t ask for a letter of permission, what you’re doing is basically going in blind and hoping that the class will count as transfer credit. if you think it’s transferable, that’s great, but basically, without an LOP, there’s no official guarantee from the university that it will be (see page 4 of this handy-dandy guide).

    also, make sure that the total number of courses you’re taking don’t go over the maximum course load (page 7 of the handy-dandy guide).

    and that should be all! good luck. i really hope it transfers/is allowed. i’m sending you my lucky aska vibes to try and help out, but those aren’t COMPLETELY foolproof, so in the future, just get a letter of permission and chat with your school about it before signing up for a course out in the wilds of Western Canada*. lets you rest easy about it.

    best of luck,

    aska

    *i mean i know the course is online, but still. that’s a long way for the little internet wizards to carry information, you know?

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  • graduation,  summer

    unfortunate timing

    May 12, 2014

    HEy aska! I was wondering if I would be able to qualify for November graduation. At the end of 2013/2014 fall/winter session I have 17 credits and plan to take 1 full credit in summer school, meaning i would only need 2 more to graduate. If i take the 2 in fall 2014 would that qualify me to graduate in november or would my only option be to be a part time student next year and graduate in june 2015?

    ———————————————

    Hey there,

    unfortunately, it would only be possible for you to graduate in november at this point if you were able to complete your 20.0 FCEs in summer school. since the maximum course load for the summer is 2.0 credits, you wouldn’t be able to pull that off. you can always go to the registrar’s office and try to see if you can get a 3.0 course load for the summer term (they may give you some leeway since you’re so close to graduating, but you’d have to ask them in order to see), but barring that, i think there’s a june 2015 graduation in the cards for you. sorry about that!

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • colleges,  student groups,  Transferring

    at least you know aska will always be more antisocial than you.

    May 9, 2014

    I’ve just finished my second year of university at St. George and I haven’t really gotten into university social life. I went to UTSC, hated it,
    transferred to UTSG and I’m just getting the hang of things around here. I’ve had a really rough past two years, but to avoid the sappy story, I just need some guidance on how to be social and make new friends when everyone seems to have a set social circle already. I know many people build their university relationships during frosh week and first year but since I wasn’t in the best emotional state during that period, I didn’t go to frosh. To solve this, I tried to become a frosh leader at SMC but I did not get the position. I tried really hard and put in my best effort but again, everyone knew each other already so it was hard to make an impression when you’re kind of the new kid. I guess my question is – are there any ways to get involved in UTSG social life during the summer? Any tips or resources on how to be social during the school year? I’ve joined The Varsity and UFashion but those are not running during the summer, I believe.

    Also. another question.

    I am thinking of transferring colleges. I’m currently in St. Mike’s but I spend a lot of time at UC and everyone that I’m close with is a UC member. I know it’s always good to go your own way but I feel comfortable at UC and the commuter resources are helpful. Overall, I just like UC a whole lot better for a lot of reasons. I know to do this I’d have to contact the college registrar and such but have you heard of any instances where someone was successful in doing this or am I just wasting my time?

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    there are plenty of different activities that run in the summer. hart house has a whole range of different clubs and activities you can get involved with (archery??? heck yeah!). there are an overwhelming number of student organizations at this school, many of which run throughout the summer as well as into the school year. you can also browse work and volunteer opportunities on the student life website, which updates throughout the year.

    as to transferring, i don’t know anyone personally who’s switched colleges (most of my friends are really lazy/contented though, so don’t take that to mean anything), BUT you’re definitely not wasting your time in trying. it never hurts to go and talk to your registrar’s office about it.

    also, just a side note – if you’ve got friends at UC awesome enough to transfer for, then it seems like you’re already pretty involved in the social life here. maybe you’re just comfortable with a smaller amount of friends, and there’s no need to push yourself to do more. you should only ever be as social as you’re comfortable with – if you’re not enjoying yourself, it’s just not worth it. obviously this is just a suggestion, and getting involved is always a great idea, but maybe you’re not as much of an outcast/new kid as you thought!

    best,

    aska

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  • failing,  grad school

    moving past first year (it’s hard for us all)

    May 9, 2014

    Hey, I just finished my first year at UofT and I’m in a bit of a pickle. I calculated my GPA and, thanks to a few personal setbacks and a failing grade (half credit), I’m at a 1.8625. Now I’ve been told that first year doesn’t matter in the long run, that by the time I’m graduating and applying for jobs or a Master’s programme, no one will care about first year. However, I’m not sure if that’s true and I’m freaking out a little (a lot). Am I going to suffer as a result of this year? Also, thanks to the failing grade, I’m at 3.5 FCES and I know in order to enrol into my subject POSts, I need 4. Will not being able to enrol until next year hurt me in some way? I have all the prerequisites I need to enrol into my classes but I’m just not sure what’s going to happen with the subject POSts. Sorry if you get asked stuff like this all the time, I’m just beyond confused and worried.

    Thanks!

    Supes Confused Second Year

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    don’t worry, man, i get it: just because other people have asked the question before, doesn’t mean that it’s unimportant. if anything, you should feel better about the fact that lots of people have been in your situation. if they were able to pull through it, so can you. well i mean, probably. the odds are good, anyway. i’ve gotta be a rational optimist, y’know.

    most master’s programs don’t look at the CGPA of all four years. some do, but i’d say it’s not a majority. so you can take comfort in that.

    as to subject POSts, you can enrol in a summer course to close that gap between 3.5 and 4.0, but the deadline to register and enrol is coming up REAL SOON, so if you decide to do that, get yourself to your college registrar as soon as possible. otherwise, you can wait until the next subject POSt enrolment period; lots of POSts allow you to enrol after second year. there are some courses that are restricted to people in certain POSts, so there may be some courses you’re interested in that you won’t be able to take, but other than that, it shouldn’t affect your second year too severely.

    all practical talk aside, if you’ve finished a GPA with a 1.86, that’s not great. i understand that personal setbacks can impact school pretty severely (and first year is never easy, no matter which way you spin it), but if you are experiencing setbacks*, then support is often just the thing you need to help you along. the best people i know at this university who can provide that kind of support are the ones in the registrar’s offices. so consider making an appointment with them to talk about this past year, and make plans for improving next year.

    finally, don’t freak out about this. this is just a thing that happened, and now it’s up to you to make a decision about how to proceed. whatever happens, you’ll move past this, and as long as you’re making choices that you’re happy with, that’s all that matters.

    best,

    aska

    *that makes you sound like a computer or something. i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to imply that; you are, of course, a person with thoughts and feelings, unlike myself. i’m a 7-ft-tall android built by uoft to help students. did you know they integrated ROSI into my retinas?

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  • pharmacy

    a+ to leslie dan from aska

    May 9, 2014

    Hi!

    I just finished 2nd year and I’m planning on applying to the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy when I finish my undergrad. I was just wondering how much the admissions committee looks at the required courses specifically compared to the cumulative GPA. A lot of the required courses are 1st year courses and I struggled a bit in 1st year and got mostly B-‘s and B’s in a lot of the required courses (with one C+). In 2nd year I pulled off 7 A’s out of my 10 courses but still got two C’s in organic chemistry I and II which are both required courses.

    My study habits improved tremendously in 2nd year compared to 1st year and I’m confident I can pull up my CGPA to somewhere in the 3.3-3.5 range by the end of 4th year, but I’m worried the A’s in the non-required (albeit still science) courses won’t matter much when compared to my average/mediocre grades in the required courses.

    Sorry for the long question and thanks in advance for any input/help! 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    to be honest, the Leslie Dan Faculty gives a lot more information than most graduate/professional schools about the kinds of marks they’re looking for.* they explain that the minimum they’re looking for is a 70% average, that at least a 77% is competitive, and that the median of accepted students in recent years has been 80%. i think if you take your CGPA – lumping together all your required and non-required courses equally – and compare it to those numbers, you can get a pretty accurate idea about how good your chances are. i mean, i don’t know exactly how the admissions committee considers each individual mark because i am not the admissions committee, but i think that that should be a useful tool for determining generally where your chances may stand.

    like you said, a lot of the courses they look at are first-year (and even high school) courses, but there are also some second-year ones in there. so while i don’t know exactly how important those earlier courses are, they’re not the be-all and end-all of what the school is looking for. PCAT marks, admission interviews and your transcript as a whole also play a part.

    so, all in all, i think that the A’s in your other courses will definitely help. since CGPA is a factor, they can only assist, not harm, your application. unfortunately i don’t know exactly how important the non-required courses will be compared to the required ones, but i think the school has given you a lot of markers (cut-off average, competitive average, etc.) to gauge your chances as you go forward.

    i hope the application process isn’t too stressful. try and give yourself a second or two to breathe between all those exams and interviews and stuff; and good luck!

    cheers,

    aska

    *you go, Leslie Dan. i always appreciate a school that tries to placate the anxiety of its students. shows they care, y’know?

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  • Transferring

    why does everyone ask this *sad emoji* *banjo sounds*

    May 8, 2014

    I am first year student at utsc hoping to transfer to the st george campus for my 2014-2015 year (second year). My gpa will be about a 3.05-3.1 by the end of the year (still haven’t got all my grades yet). Anyways i am hoping to apply to the health studies major program and political science major. How do i do this if i still haven’t got accepted yet? Also, do you know how competitive these programs are, and what the generally competitive gpa is? (They post absolutely nothing online) Thanks!!

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

    hey there,

    you should have been able to apply to a program?when you applied to the school, through this application. if you weren’t able to do that, try calling admissions?and asking them about it. if you are accepted into UTSG, it could be that they won’t put you into a program right away?because you don’t meet the requirements for any subject POSt, but you’ll learn more about that if it happens.

    unfortunately, if they don’t publish specifics about POSTs online, that’s because they don’t want you to know them; hey, they’re allowed some privacy too, right? SHEESH.

    however, even if your knowledge about your chances is limited, the course calendar can usually give some pretty good pointers. health studies, for example, is a type 2L subject POSt. that means that enrolment is limited and competitive to a certain extent. admission is based on marks and a personal statement, so the better those are, the better for you. unfortunately, i can’t tell you exactly where your marks need to be to get in, because it changes slightly every year depending on your competition, but just sit tight. you should?typically?hear from them by the end of may or early june.

    as for political science, that’s a type 2, so as long as you meet their requirements, then you should be accepted into the major.

    just remember that acceptance into any program?depends on your being accepted into the school. even if you meet the requirements for?the programs, your application to transfer to UTSG may not be accepted. again, you should hear from the school about both your acceptance into the school and any program(s) by end of may/early june.

    best,

    aska

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  • Transferring

    WillIGetIntoUTSG.jpg

    May 8, 2014

    Hi! I have just finished my first year, and is attending the UTM campus. I want to transfer to UTSG seeing as how I live closer now. Problem is, I flunked one of my courses (Intro Physics) in the first semester, seeing as how I cannot transfer to UTSG with the current state of affairs, I decided that I should apply for the transfer next year after I retake it and gloriously pass it, instead. Oh, also, I LWD-ed a course, how will that affect my chances? It’s a shame, but I only have a cGPA of 2.8 right now, I hope to bring it up to a 3.0 in the next year. 🙁
    The program that I want to apply to in UTSG is a Type 1 program and has unlimited enrollments, any thoughts whether that would make it easier for me to transfer? I have also heard that it’s easier for a UofT student to transfer between campuses than a student transferring in from another university.
    Much thanks, more power and all that! 😀

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

    hey there,

    well, there’s a difference between being accepted to the school?and being accepted into a program. let’s tackle getting into the school first.?under the “Transferring from another UofT Faculty or Campus” heading on the uoft, they just say “[a]dmission consideration is based on your CGPA and most recent annual GPA.”

    that’s a bit?vague, so there’s really no way to tell exactly where your marks have to be in order to transfer from UTM. however, as i’ve said before (and will keep saying as long as you guys keep asking this diddly-darn question), you can call admissions?and ask them the general grade range that’s typically acceptable, and they’ll have much more specific information than i do. you can also ask them about finicky details like LWDs and failed courses, and how that’s likely to affect your application. ’cause i just don’t know those details. but hey, that’s why admissions is there. it’s kind of their job to know that stuff – so take advantage of it!

    plus, it makes sense to ask the people who will have your application about your application, doesn’t it?*

    as to getting into the program, if it is a type 1, then it will be easier for you to enrol in it. however, acceptance into the program only happens if and when you are accepted into the school. POSts can always be changed around once you’re on campus, but you can’t do anything if you’ve not been accepted into the university, so try and focus on that if you can.

    i hope that was somewhat helpful. transferring is never easy, but the harder you work, the better a chance you give yourself.?so you take all that power you just gave me right on back, and channel it into getting onto this rad campus. best of luck!

    cheers,

    aska

    *geez, aska, say “application” more.

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  • admissions,  grad school

    no cookie cutters in grad school

    May 8, 2014

    Hi aska,

    For admission into graduate school to get a Masters of science or a Ph. D, do you need to do a specialist program in your undergrad?? Would you be able to complete a Masters or Ph.D if you do a double major?

    Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, every graduate school and program is different. i don’t know exactly which Masters/Ph.D programs you’re interested in, but generally speaking, no. not every canadian university (or international university, for that matter), is organized the way uoft is. that means that lots of universities don’t have specialists or majors or minors, so it would be pretty irrational for a Masters or Ph.D program to demand that you have any one of those.

    usually, grad schools ask that you have a degree in a certain subject, or a related area. a double major may or may not satisfy the requirements for admission to certain programs, but it doesn’t completely exclude you from getting a graduate degree at all, by any means.

    if you’d like to, you can browse through uoft’s graduate degrees and take a look at their admission requirements to learn more about your options. whoo! isn’t higher learning exciting?

    for some reason, i always find it way more fun to browse programs and courses than to actually do them. i guess the illusion of productivity and academic excellence is so much more fun than the real deal. whoops.

    anyways, happy exploring!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • failing,  summer

    *sweeps previous mark hastily under rug*

    May 5, 2014

    So I did horrible in MAT136, and I failed the course. Does that mean I have to retake it in summer school to enrol in my subject post? (This is for Life Sciences Students by the way). I’m honestly also worried about my CGPA. After I retake it, will it cover up my failing mark?
    – Please post this as anonymously

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if MAT136 is a prerequisite for your desired subject POST, then yeah, definitely take it in the summer. just make sure that if the POSt is a type 2 or 3, wait until after you’ve completed the summer course to request the POSt on ROSI – otherwise you’ll be refused because you don’t have the requirement yet.

    unfortunately, the mark you get in summer school won’t cover up the failing mark from the first time. both marks will appear on your transcript and be weighted equally. sorry about that; however, if you do really well the second time around, you’ll at least boost your GPA.

    also, whaddaya mean “please post this anonymously”? do i ever NOT post people’s questions anonymously? sheesh! what do you take me for, some random stranger on the internet?

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. in all seriousness, i never publish people’s names?or any other personal information, either on this blog or on any of aska’s other social media outlets. if you go far enough back in the archives, you’ll see that some previous askas elected to include?people’s first names when they signed their questions with a name, but no aska has or ever will publish any of your private information, anywhere, or use it for any other reason than to communicate with you.?aska is straight up confidential business, yo, so don’t worry.

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  • GPA,  UTM

    does anyone NOT stress about marks?

    May 5, 2014

    Hi,

    I know you got tons of messages out there asking about more important problems but I just kind of freak out with my GPA right now. I registered for Management program in UTM and (I think) the program’s requirement is high. I don’t know? I just push myself over the edge a bit and now I am in a constant-panic state. Is 3.15 a bad GPA? So bad that I will be kicked out of school and never get the chance to be anywhere anymore and that means I simply have to dig my own grave (literally) and die there? I’m sorry, I just kind of? anyways, thank you for reading my question.

    Kind Regards.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    oh, man. never make assumptions about the kinds of questions i get, because you’ll almost definitely be wrong. about a third of the questions i get are about GPA, so don’t worry – i take them all very seriously. and hey, i’m a student too. i understand that GPA is like a legitimate concern and takes up a lot of any student’s headspace. my head is probably 40% worrying about marks, 20% thinking about Game of Thrones, 10% worrying about not tripping over anything, and 30% worrying about my eye liner.*

    anyway, on to your question. whether or not 3.15 is a bad GPA is almost entirely subjective based on your goals for yourself. is it bad enough to be put on probation? no. if your CGPA is above a 1.50, you will be in good standing.

    is it good enough to get into management? (by which i assume you mean the management specialist, though i could be very wrong, because there are multiple “management” programs at UTM). i don’t know, and UTM doesn’t provide a specific cut-off GPA, so i’m not going to speculate. however, you’ve done the best you could, and now you just wait and see. if you get in, great. if not, that’s your opportunity to find something else that gets you excited and makes you happy and that you can be awesome at.

    capice? no digging of graves. that is just silliness. school programs are just not important enough to feel that distressed about. you are great and you are doing fine, and you’re going to pull through one way or another. and if you are feeling/continue feeling disproportionately down or anxious about school, then i’d suggest thinking about visiting the UTM Health & Counselling Centre, who may be helpful to you.

    i hope that helps.

    best,

    aska

    * though i really shouldn’t worry about it – my eye liner game is always strong. ALWAYS.

    **i say “put on probation” because they don’t kick people?out of school right off the bat for bad marks, at either UTM, UTSG, or UTSC.

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