• first year,  residence,  UTM

    look out…it’s FROSH ON RES!

    April 7, 2015

    Hey Aska! Alright so I was accepted into the CCIT program and I’m seriously considering accepting it, but I just want to get some stuff cleared up before I do.

    First of all, does the CCIT program offer an internship/ Co-op? Also do I have to maintain a certain GPA by the end of my first year to continue on to my second year?

    Ok, now about residence. When I went to the open house someone had told me that the school expects you to find your own place by the second year. Does that mean I cannot live in res after i complete my first year? Also when in res do i have to buy my own internet or does the school provide that for me? Does the school have a list of stuff I should and shouldn’t bring?

    What is campus life like? I hear a lot of people say that it’s pretty dead because UTM is a commuter school. I also hear a lot of complaints about the food options on campus. Is it really that bad?

    Thanks in advance!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    CCIT does in fact offer internships, though it’s not mandatory to complete an internship to complete the program. you can learn all about CCIT internships here and here.

    you can see the first-year requirements for entering one of CCIT’s three programs here (the GPA is competitive for admission, but there’s no minimum cut-off).

    as a matter of fact you can live in res in second year. according to this page, the first 300 upper-year students who reapply to residence are guaranteed a spot. upper year students are definitely a minority in residence – 300 is not a lot – but it is still possible to stay, if you really want to.

    i’d disagree that campus life is dead. UTSG is a commuter school too, and in my experience there are still oodles of ways to get involved. besides that, residence life is a whole separate thing from student life, so if you plan on living on residence, you’ll have two communities you can get involved with. here are just a couple of ways to get involved on res at UTM.

    as for food, this list looks pretty good to me!

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • enrollment,  summer

    down at the m-i-double-s-i-double-s-a-u-g-a

    April 7, 2015

    Hi!

    I was wondering if a St. George students take UTM courses, will the grades be counted toward GPA? Especially CGPA?

    How many courses max. can we take at other UofT campuses then?

    I’m going back to mississauga to visit family during the summer so I’m thinking about taking the summer courses at UTM to save the commute. ( also I really want to boost up my GPA T-T)

    Thank you so much!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    1) yes. all uoft courses show up on your uoft transcript and count towards your GPA (and CGPA), regardless of which campus you took the course at (see “Courses at University of Toronto Scarborough and University of Toronto Mississauga“).

    2) no max. there is a limit for utsc and utm students who want to take courses on other campuses (5.0 FCEs), but there isn’t one for downtown students. lucky us.

    3) i realize the last bit of your question is not actually a question, but you included it so i’m gonna add my two cents: taking courses at utm shouldn’t be a problem, BUT keep in mind that course enrolment for UTSG students at UTM doesn’t start until april 21st (see page 2).

    also: taking courses at UTM is no guarantee that the courses will be easier. the earlier you break outta that downtown-campus snobbishness, the better. take it from a fellow downtown-campus snob.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • jobs,  library

    librarians in da house

    April 7, 2015

    Hey! I’m interested in applying to a student library job at EJ Pratt library next year, but there’s no information on their website about jobs, even though I know that students work there. So I ask you, oh knowledgeable one: Do you know how and when can I apply?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you can take a look at student library vacancies here and apply for jobs here if you’re not picky about which library you want to work at.

    if you’re looking to work at pratt specifically, the process is a bit different.

    the reason you weren’t able to find anything online is because they actually don’t list anything online. their application forms are available in physical form (that’s paper & ink; ancient, right?) at the circulation desk at pratt. you can fill one out there, and they’re looking to hire people for september at this point.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • enrollment,  suspension

    calendar year = 12 months

    April 7, 2015

    Hi,

    So this takes some shame to say, but I am coming off a year suspension. This was for many reasons that I cannot excuse myself for and I take full responsibility for letting this happen. However I did have a good year. I sat in on classes throughout the year, ones that I was really interested in, and held a good job as well, and I feel prepared and determined to come back to Uoft even though I know it will be an unhill battle. Anyways, my question is, I was notified when my suspension begun that it would last a full calender school year. I assumed that meant September through to April, and I was under the impression that I could enroll in summer courses? Is that incorrect? Being out of service for a year, I’m embarrassed to say I’ve forgotten how to check my start time for enrolling? Will I be put out of priority for classes (like getting the latest start time to enroll 🙁 ) because I checked on Rosi on April 1st and it says my student account is ‘active’ but I clicked enroll just to check, and it says I am not eligible to enroll. What does this mean? Can I not enroll for summer, and have to wait for September? I know I should contact my registrar, but I wanted some background info first so I don’t look absolutely naive, even though that’s how I must look now.

    Any guidance appreciated!

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    one calendar year would be from september to september, not september to april, so you’re likely not eligible to take courses until september.

    good on ya for checking in with aska first before calling in – i’m always down for saving registrars a phone call or two – but if you want to make certain that this is actually the reason you can’t enrol in courses (i’m pretty sure it is, but it never hurts to check), your college registrar’s office would be the best place to ask.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    don’t do two undergrads for the love of all that is good

    April 6, 2015

    Hello 🙂 I’m a firstyear LifeSci student, but I’m really interested in language/linguistics as well. I’m having a bit of trouble of figuring out how to balance the two out, though. I was wondering if I were to do a linguistics minor for this bachelor’s degree, it is possible to get another bachelor’s degree with a linguistics major & use some of the courses from my 1st degree so that I don’t have to repeat courses? Is there any way for me to use courses from a previous degree at all? Thanks!

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

    hey there,

    i get it;?you’re young. all your bones don’t yet ache. your life is stretching out ahead of you and you’re thinking, “yeah! two bachelor’s degrees sounds?totally reasonable!” and yes, some people have a change of heart at the end of their first undergrad and decide to do a second, and more power to them.

    however, there is a way to do life sci and linguistics without having to spend eight years at this school. and THAT is the path an old codger like ME would recommend. consider the magic of: a double major.

    i don’t know what life sci program in particular you’re looking at, but most majors require 7 or 8 credits. linguistics requires 7.0 FCEs. that means that you only need to complete 15.0 FCEs max to finish a double major in linguistics and something else – and that’s likely including a whole bunch of first-year courses i’m guessing you took this past year (i’m thinking CHM138+9, BIO120+130, MAT135+6, etc.).

    i don’t know your exact situation, so it may not be possible for you to do the double major, but i would look into it. even if you had to take a fifth year to complete both majors, that would be more efficient, time- and money-wise, than doing two bachelor’s degrees.

    technically, you?could do a minor in linguistics in your first degree and a major in a?second degree, as long as you weren’t graduating with the same degree both times (i.e. a bachelor in arts and a bachelor in arts, or a bachelor in science and a bachelor in science) (see “Admission of External Students to a Second Degree Program“).

    however, it would be a lot easier to do the minor, graduate, and then come back as a special student and just pick up the 3.0 additional FCEs you’d need to complete the linguistics major.

    FINALLY, one more caveat to all this second degree and special student stuff: these are the rules as they stand NOW, but they could change in the three years it’ll take you to graduate, so take all of this with a grain of salt.

    i know that’s a lot to consider.?if you need more help, please feel free to book an appointment with your college registrar’s office, ’cause they’re super helpful with this kinda stuff.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    ethics, society & PLEASE LET ME INTO THIS PROGRAM (law)

    April 6, 2015

    Hi,

    Would it be possible to enroll in a category 3 subject post (Ethics Society and Law) after second year? The web site says it will be determined by a case-by-case basis but what do you think my chance are like? This may be really broad and subjective, but thought i’d just throw it out there.

    Thanks!

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

    hey there,

    it all depends on whether you’ve met (and how much you’ve exceeded) the?requirements. unfortunately, as i don’t know 1) what your transcript looks like and 2) i’m not on the admissions committee for this major, i can’t really give you a great idea of your chances of getting in.

    what you can do is?contact the program director at?jduncan ( at ) trinity ( . ) utoronto ( . ) ca. he’ll?likely have more information about your chances of getting in at this stage, or he’ll be able to pass you onto the person who does.

    sorry i don’t know more, my friend, but i don’t want to discourage/encourage you falsely, you know? aska only deals in straight-up truths. good luck with your application!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • courses,  enrollment

    sign up now, meet requirements later

    April 6, 2015

    So, I’m a first year UTM, student and long story short I pulled a complete 180 on what I want to major in, so I’m taking the first year courses for it this summer and I won’t be done until the 2nd half of summer session. My question is, can I sign up for 2nd year courses in June before I’ve finished the prerequisite courses, just so the ones I want to get into don’t reach max enrollment? Or will ROSI deny me come sign up time? Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you can totally sign up for courses before you’ve completed the prerequisites! if you think about it, that’s what happens every time a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed first-year signs up for PHY131H1 and PHY132H2 in August (and then regrets it. for a long, long time. or maybe that was just me).

    as long as you’ve completed all prerequisites for a course by the time you start the course, you’re good.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  GPA

    GPACRNCR

    April 2, 2015

    Hi! I have 3 questions.

    If you change your subject post, does your GPA get recalculated? For example, let’s say I am doing a double major in C.S. and Math., and change it to a double major in C.S. and Media. Will my GPA get recalculated since some of the grades in courses taken no longer apply to the new subject post?

    If you take a course that is not part of your subject post, will it count for anything or is it just an extra course/exclusion? Like back to the first example, if I am currently double majoring in C.S. and Math., and decide to take a media course (not breadth nor elective; just for fun) . If I do good in this course, does it do anything to my GPA? And if I switch my subject post like before to C.S. and Media, will this course now count towards my GPA?

    Lastly, what happens if somehow you have CR/NCR on a course you need for a subject post?

    Thank you!!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, we all know the BEST THINGS IN LIFE come in threes. so let’s get started!

    1) GPA doesn’t work based on programs. your CGPA is your cumulative GPA from all courses you’ve taken at uoft. your AGPA is your annual GPA, which is the average GPA of all the courses you took that year. neither will change if you change your program.

    2) if you take a course, it will affect your GPA, regardless of whether it counts as a program requirement, breadth requirement, or neither of those.

    3) this one’s a bit tricky: normally, you should not credit/non-credit any course that is a program requirement. if you somehow managed to do that, you should head over to your registrar’s office right away to get that sorted out.

    HOWEVER, just this semester, the faculty of arts & science has made a few changes due to the strike. for Y and S courses THIS YEAR ONLY, you’re able to credit/non-credit courses ANY course, even a course that’s a program requirement. and you can do it right here.

    pretty exciting, right? just don’t abuse this power.

    all the best,

    aska

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  • residence,  university-college

    the party is E V E R Y W H E R E

    April 2, 2015

    What’s UC like? Is it a social college? Party much?

    ———————————————

    UC, Party college? Is it very social? Whitney vs. Sir Dans if I plan on rooming with my friend?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you know what, this is probably a sign that i am getting OLD AND GRUMPY, but i honestly have no more patience for this ‘party college’ nonsense. one year it’s st. mike’s, the next it’s UC. d’you want to hear a story? i was at the hospital the other night (don’t worry, aska’s fine – i just have an alternate life which requires me to go to the hospital a lot) and a guy came in who was a UofT engineering student. he was drunk as a fish and had just been badly bruised in a bar fight.*

    now, i’ve never heard of engineering as being a ‘party faculty.’ in fact, it kinda has a reputation as one of the most brutal programs at this school – and rightly so. yet that guy still somehow found the time to go to a bar, and unfortunately spent his night at a hospital.

    my point is: if you like to party, you will find a way to party. if you don’t, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to avoid it. it’s as simple as that.

    even if there ARE colleges that are more party-oriented than others (colleges where, say, the student union hosts club nights), you can avoid that scene if you want to. and if you go to a studious college but you’re a partier at heart, you’ll find a way to do it.

    which is good news! it means that there’s no need to worry about whether a college is or is not a ‘party college.’ the fact of the matter is, most 20-year-olds like to have a good time. you’re not going to get enrolled in a monastery by accident.benedictine monk

    Example of where you won’t end up

    now that that’s out of the way and i have been officially outed as an OLD GRUMP, let’s get on with residence talk.

    as for whitney vs. sir dan’s, the latter is primarily single rooms, so whitney hall might be the better bet if you want to room with your friend. however, both buildings are right next to each other and pretty similar in terms of layout and services.

    i’d also recommend you go on a tour of the residence if you can, since people usually find that super helpful.

    best of luck with it all, and hope to see you around in the fall!

    aska

    * he was ok in the end, don’t worry.

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