• psychology

    the eternal psychology question

    February 5, 2015

    Hi,
    I am a second year student tryin to get in the Psych program (Major or Specialist). My PSY100 mark was 73, which obviously is not enough for them to accept my subject post request, not even a minor. I am now hoping that I could get in using my second year mark that I have. Their requirements for applying after first year are completion of PSY100 (which I have), and an average of 73 on 1 FCE psy 200 level courses. So far, I have a 72 from PSY210 and 80 from PSY240. What I am really worried about is that, I feel like if i dont get in this year, i am basically done. I am taking all psych courses this year hoping that I could use as many marks as possible to get in a psych major at least. But courses from 2nd semester seem pretty heavy and I dont really feel confident about it. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I CANT GET IN PSYCH?! Are they gonna be easier on me this year and let me in …. sigh I am really worried…. please help….

    Much appreciated.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, it’s generally less competitive after second year than after first year because, well, not to put too fine a point on it, but not everyone who makes it to first year makes it to second year. it’s rough out here.

    still, psych is a VERY popular program. there are lots of people who don’t make it after first year who will then apply after second, or third year. so it’s still competitive.

    as always, i can’t gauge your chances of getting in. you have definitely met the requirements (assuming you took PSY201), so DON’T GIVE UP HOPE YET. you’ve got a very real chance of getting in. however, i’m always a big believer in backup plans.

    i can’t tell you what to do if you don’t get into psych, but what i can tell you is that it is in your best interest to have other options vailable. maybe you can explore other subject POSts, like cognitive science, for example, that might allow you to pursue your interest in psychology in a slightly different way.

    otherwise, maybe your best bet would be to stay in the POSt you’re in currently and explore career options that you can pursue after your degree which might somehow incorporate your interest in psychology. just as an example, you might consider the master’s counselling and clinical psychology program (see page 20 of this document for requirements).

    if you want some more advice, your registrar’s office and the psych department are two great places to touch base for more options and information.

    and if you really, really, really just want a psych POSt and you don’t get in after this year: you can always try again after third year.

    best,

    aska

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  • career choice,  jobs,  polisci

    a USELESS degree? in MY faculty? it’s more likely than you think

    February 5, 2015

    Dear aska, I recently saw a post where a student stated that his/her degree in poli sci was “useless” and they were looking for alternatives. Being a 2nd year Political Science student at U of T myself, I was wondering if I could get Aska’s opinion on this; being the knowledgeable person that you are. Why do you think such a stereotype exists? And what are the employment prospects for students holding a degree similar to mine?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    knowledgeable??? nah, you must have me confused with someone else. they only hired me because i could juggle three watermelons while singing ‘the maple leaf forever.’

    fact of the matter is this: no matter how much the department insists on calling itself ‘political SCIENCE,’ it’s about as much a “science” program as art history or celtic studies are.

    poli sci. is a humanities program through and through, and as such, it does not give graduates a suit and a job along with their degree. as a poli. sci. student, you are not being trained for any specific job – except, maybe, the job of a political science professor.

    you’re getting a liberal arts education, which means that you have to be CRAFTY about how you present yourself to employers. some people may say that because of that, your degree being ‘useless,’ but i would disagree. all it means is that you have to be a little more involved in your job search.

    why does the ‘useless’ stereotype exist? because of a utilitarian outlook on education driven by capitalism and neo-liberals whose vision is so obscured by the free market that they can’t fathom the idea that there might be something worthwhile in learning for itself. also because of mike harris, probably. BUT i digress.

    i would argue that just because your degree doesn’t fashion you into a pre-made corporate automaton, doesn’t mean it’s useless – even in a utilitarian sense.

    political science degrees are great preparation for law school, graduate studies in political science, all kinds of political journalism, public relations or communications work, public policy work, and lots of obscure government jobs.

    that said, the degree alone usually isn’t enough to get you a job right out of your undergrad. try to get some experience, if you can, in some of the areas you’re interested in, either by volunteering or interning or working.

    for more information, i’d recommend you look at this incredibly detailed profile from the career centre at utm. this is another useful starting-off point.

    peace,

    aska

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  • computer science,  Transferring

    komp psi

    February 5, 2015

    Hello,

    What do you think the GPA required will be to transfer from UTSC to St. George after first year for computer science. I know they say you usually need a minimum of a 2.5GPA, but computer science is a competitive program. So would it be something like a 3.0 or 3.5 or 4.0GPA?

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    another day, another ‘what GPA do i need for x thing’ question. another chance to disappoint people with vague and unsatisfying answers.

    i don’t know what the GPA will be, because computer science doesn’t know what the GPA will be. it all kinda depends on how other people who applied to transfer did, how the kids currently in the program at utsg are doing, etc.

    to transfer in general, you need a ‘B’ average. however, if you want to get into computer science after first year, you’ll need to meet the downtown campus’ requirements for the program, which you can find here. so make sure you do as well as possible in CSC148H3 and any other comp. sci courses you take.

    if you want more specific information and/or you want to make sure you’re taking all the courses necessary to transfer, feel free to have a chat with the computer science department at utsg, and/or enrolment services (this is also pretty useful).

    best of luck with your transfer journey!

    aska

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  • admissions

    clicked the wrong button whoops lol

    February 3, 2015

    Hi there. I applied for U of T under OUAC app for biotechnology and the only option I have for this course was Molecular Biology/Biotechnology. But I was not given any choice to choose either UTSG UTSC or UTM. I received an email saying that I applied for UTSC and Im so disappointed. Is there any possible way for me to change to UTSG under Gene/Biotech that is only open for 2nd year? I really wanna go to UTSG rather than UTSC. I’ve even had the thought of going to York Uni instead of UTSC 🙁 thx

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i like how you say ‘i’ve even had the thought of going to york’ like it’s this sinful, desperate, last-resort thought. if there’s one thing uoft students could learn, it’s a bit of humility, honestly.

    anyway, ignore my sermonizing. the university has extended the application deadlines, which is good news for you.

    what i would do is call enrolment services ASAP asking them what to do – whether you should reapply or whether you can alter your ouac or whether they can make the change for you. then do exactly as they say – promptly.

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • course conflicts

    conflict, conflict, conflict

    February 2, 2015

    hey Aska,I’m a first year at UTM, and I have a small course conflict which I can’t avoid, cause there are no other slots available. One is a half class and the other is a year class. Also the two classes are not offered in summer school and I really need them in order to get into my Program of Study next year! I talked to the registrar and they say I have to drop one, but I have already did more than half of the work for the year class, so I’m confused as to what I should do. Can I have a schedule conflict if I seek permission of the instructor?
    thanks for any advice!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    technically, you CAN have a conflict. you’re not obligated to drop it.

    however, if you can avoid it at all – maybe by dropping the half course and postponing entering that subject POSt by one year – that might be preferable. UTM strongly advises students against course conflicts, because it can result in some sticky situations.

    if it happens that you have two tests at the same time, or an exam conflict, or you’re forced to miss something super important in one lecture because you had to be at the other lecture, then there is nothing the instructors or the registrar’s office can or have to do to help you (see page 26 of this document).

    so you can keep the conflict as long as you’re willing to take on the risks attached to it, basically.

    it’s your call, and you can do it if you feel it’s your only option – but you may want to talk to your registrar again about some possible alternatives.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • GPA

    that’s not something they tell students

    February 2, 2015

    Hey,

    I was just wondering if the average graduation GPA distribution was available for us students to look at. If so where could I find it.

    I’m looking for something like

    95% percentile = X.XX GPA

    90% percentile = X.XX GPA

    and so on, Or something of similar format.

    (If divided by major it would be great)

    Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    at the very least, if something like this exists, it’s not available for students to look at.

    more than that though, i doubt if uoft even collects this information privately within departments.* the university doesn’t sort students based on how they rank relative to other students (the closest thing we have to that is the dean’s list), and it’s not used as a tool to measure students in any substantial way i can think of. there’s just not a culture here for it.

    for someone trying to figure out where on the grade scale they’ll likely fall in a certain program, i see how that might be annoying. but look at it on the flip side: once you’re in the program, you’ll never be reduced to just a percentile.

    cheers,

    aska

    * i mean, obviously i can’t know this for certain. there could be whole CONSPIRACIES going on within academic departments at uoft that we have NO IDEA about. but i wouldn’t give that idea too much thought – this website is written in like verdana or something, after all.

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  • rotman

    rotman woes

    February 2, 2015

    so im a first year rotman commerce student… kind of. after getting my offer, i didnt exactly meet the required final mark for gr12 calc so i need to reapply at the end of the school year with a competitive gpa to re-enter the program. the thing is, im pretty much failing all 3 of my first year commerce courses. i wanted to kick into high gear for two of my courses and retake the third next year, but after learning that the uni sees BOTH ur attempts, “evening out” my grade just wont be possible…. should i ncr/cr that (probably) failed course so i can start fresh, or is it a bad idea to “waste” one of my ncr/cr’s like that? but if i do bad in my “high gear” courses theres no hope, i cant ncr/cr everything…

    im so lost, im not sure if this is even the right path for me. im not sure if i started failing my courses because i got too behind or because i lost interest (i only applied for business programs out of “practicality”, i actually dont care for it too much… but im still struggling to find what my passions are). should i be more realistic about my eventual doom and look for what i enjoy instead? its hard to let go of the rotman dream (if it was even one of mine)…. slipped right through my hands, damn!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, it’s better to credit/no-credit a course than to fail it. however, 1) rotman has fairly rigid limits on which courses you can cr/ncr, and 2) if you’re failing three courses, that’s probably an indication of a bigger issue.

    rotman is too expensive to do if you’re not absolutely in love with it. i understand that concerns about employability are important, but if you hate your program enough that you don’t do well in it, you may as well not do it.

    it’s okay if you don’t know what you’re passionate about yet. despite the mounting pressures from the outside world to turn universities into a factory for corporate employees (gag/vomit), i still believe that university can – and should be – a place to try new things and figure stuff out.

    the first thing you want to do is talk to someone at rotman about this. your best bet would be academic advising or the rotman commerce program office. ask them how feasible it would be for you to stay in rotman, and what you can do to boost your grades. ask them about the possible repercussions of retaking those courses you’re not doing so well on.

    ask them about transferring to the faculty of arts & science. ask them about other programs, universities, colleges – whatever it is that’s quietly pulsating at the back of your mind, daring you to talk about it aloud.

    as someone who transferred out of a “practical” school/program/way of life into something i actually care about, i understand that it can be hard to let go of an idea of yourself as a certain kind of person. and deciding to leave rotman definitely warrants some careful consideration – you shouldn’t do it unless you’re absolutely certain, and preferably after you’ve heard two or three people’s outside opinion.

    but the fact is: you’re going to get so much more out of your time if you spend it on something you care about. you will be happier, more successful, and more productive. so whatever you decide, have that as your goal.

    anyways, everyone knows businesspeople are SO out of fashion.*

    cheers,

    aska

    *i’m joKING, @rotman you know i love you.

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  • 12 distinct credits

    twelve angry credits

    February 2, 2015

    I know that a double major should have 12 distinct credits, but is there any similar rule for combining a major and minor? For example, I’m currently doing a biochem major (& something else) and wanted to also add a biology minor. I’ve taken most of the courses in the biology minor for my biochem major already. Is this allowed?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, one major and one minor is not one of the standard?combinations of subject POSts, so no, there is no similar rule for that particular combo. the basic rule of thumb is that the 12.0 distinct credits rule applies to either two majors, or a major and two minors.

    which means that if the ‘something else’ you’re doing is another major, and then you’re adding a minor on top of two majors, you’ll be in the same situation as this person. in that case, the 12.0 distinct credits rule will apply to your two majors, but not to your minor. so no worries!

    cheers,

    aska

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