• admissions,  applying for U of T,  askastudent love/hate,  getting into U of T,  OUAC,  undergrad

    asap yo

    hi! first, thank you for all the work that you do! it has deterred many mental breakdowns and instinctive stress eating for me. second, i’d like to ask you a question about when i should start applying for uoft’s faculty of arts and science at st. george. see, i’m a little paranoid about applying too early (like, october to early november) because i heard that means they’ll look into your grade eleven marks and those really aren’t my best (i think i had, like, ib precalculus and ib art at a 79%?). but i’m also afraid of applying a little too late. when do you think would be a good time to start the application process??
    thanks!

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    hello!

    thank YOU for thanking us! sometimes, it can get a little overwhelming when trying to answer everyone’s questions, especially since there is only one aska at the moment. people can even get mad at us if we don’t respond in time, when really, all urgent matters should be taken elsewhere. we would not be here if it weren’t for people like you having mental breakdowns*. thank you for your kind words and patience. it means a lot.

    applying to schools is a lengthy and arduous process and i would recommend you get started as soon as the application comes out. the U of T website states that applications will be available in october, so i recommend that you log into the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) as soon as it’s available and start making your application as appealing as possible. think long and hard about your personal statements and make them genuine.

    starting early will give you tons of time to ask your guidance counsellor/ askastudent/ upper-years questions and it’ll give you one less thing to worry about when you’re making the most of your last year of high school!

    the application deadline is february 1st, so make sure you have your application in by then.

    you’ll also need to rank your colleges at some point and for that, i would recommend you check out our other posts about colleges!

    if you want more guidance in this process, this link will give you a good idea of what the application process is like.

    best of luck to you and I hope we’ll see you around!

    cheers,

    aska

     

    *don’t even get me started on the stress eating. i wolfed down an ice cream sandwich, a twinkie, and half a box of chocolate covered triscuits while writing this post.*

     

     

  • admissions,  english,  first year,  homeschooling

    lost in admission wonderland

    Greetings, I have question that may be a little confusing. I’m a homeschooler that applied earlier this year in hopes that could get into the English program. Unfortunately I got rejected :/ I took ENG4U earlier last month because English is required in my program but I’m wondering, is it worth trying to apply again? ;;

    ———————————————

    hey,

    as someone who was not homeschooled, i’m not sure how the whole process works but i’ll try my best to answer your question regardless.

    if i’m not mistaken, your question is basically asking my opinion on whether or not you should apply.

    my answer is: why not?

    if you want to come to U of T badly enough, the best plan of action would definitely be to apply! i don’t think i need to go into detail about what makes U of T the best school in canada. if you can handle harsh winters, competitive classmates, and an overall feeling of desperation, you should definitely come to U of T. you’ll receive an amazing education and although school will be hard, you’ll come out bulletproof.

    i definitely think it’s worth a shot if you really want to come here, but you should also apply to other schools as fallback options.

    if your question is whether or not you will get in, i cannot say for sure because it’s up to admissions!

    you can contact them here, depending on which campus you’re applying to.

    in general, even if you meet all the requirements for admission, we still can’t say whether or not you’ll get in, mostly because there are so many things that admissions will consider on your application. your best bet is to contact them directly.

    good luck with your application (if you apply)!

    see you around! maybe. hopefully.

    cheers,

    aska

     

  • late withdrawal,  petition,  probation,  registration,  suspension

    chin up

    Hello,

    I was wondering if there are any cases where a student who was refused further registration was allowed back through petitioning?

    In the Jan-Apr 2016 semester, I enrolled in a few courses that I had to eventually drop due to extenuating circumstances. Unfortunately, I had confused the course drop date with the late withdrawal date and ended up having the to late withdraw my courses instead. The problem is I went over the late withdrawal limit and was left with one course that I could not have passed by then. I was on my last academic suspension, thus was refused further registration after having this failed course on my record.

    I immediately filed a petition to have the course removed from by records, but was refused. This was in April. I have been working since then, but I really want to finish my degree. Since my second suspension, my grades have been slowly improving, though not enough to take me out of academic probation. I am eight courses short of completion and to fail now because of a careless mistake, not poor grades, is regrettable. I have been trying so hard to improve. I’ve been on suspension so many times, but I keep coming back because even though I am not a very good student, I am serious about getting my degree.

    I have been talking to an academic advisor since my first suspension way back when. She’d helped me with my latest petition too, but after it was refused, I emailed her several times, including one last week, but no response. Maybe she is on holiday. Or maybe she has no obligation to talk to someone who is not a student? Is that possible?

    Are there any stories of people actually coming back from a refusal? What do you think of my situation? Also, when I was suspended for 36 months, I actually made a petition for an early return and was approved. The approval message included a line that said that this would be the only time something like this will be approved; the same type of petition will not be approved a second time. If I appeal this time, would it be a different type of petition?

    Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

    ———————————————

    hello there!

    first of all, i want to commend you for your unrelenting determination in completing your degree. i would give anything to be as determined as you!

    that being said, i wish i had better news for you.

    given the fact that you have been suspended multiple times, it’s very unlikely that the university will let you re-register. due to the unique nature of your question, i actually consulted a registrar and was told that petitioning after being refused further registration was possible, but extremely rare.

    refused further registration‘ is as clear as it gets.

    if you are dead set on trying to come back (again, good for you), my advice for you is to try contacting your college’s registrar’s office. i understand that your advisor may not be responding to your emails, but if you contact the office directly, they might be able to do something for you, whether it’s helping you pursue your petition, or looking for alternate options.

    since it is a busy time of year, some registrar’s offices get backed up with too many emails from incoming students, so it may help to go visit them in person. generally, offices tend to help those who come in person first over those on the phone or those who email.

    i’m assuming that petitioning refused further registration will be a different petition because it’s making an appeal for a different rule at the university, but again, your registrar will have a better idea of how the petition process works.

    if you aren’t able to come back to school, you might want to consider applying elsewhere. you never know, another university or college may have a different acceptance standards.

    have i ever heard of anyone coming back from being refused further registration? no, but that’s not because it’s never happened before, it’s only because that in my short time as aska, i’ve never met anyone who has been refused further registration.

    in terms of my own opinion, i think it’s great that you’ve been working during your suspension and being productive. i hope that you’ve found something that you enjoy doing! maybe further employment and pursuing your career is the way to go! it certainly is cheaper than completing a degree! don’t be discouraged, you said that your grades had been steadily improving. do not forget about that progress. your determination alone will get you very far.

    aska believes in you.

    and frankly, i’m excited to see how your life unfolds. drop us a line sometime and keep us updated on your situation!

    cheers,

    aska

     

  • arts & sciences,  engineering,  exams,  important dates

    google is a great tool that some of us use from time to time

    What month do undergraduate students go on semester break and when do they return back to university?
    ———————————————

    hi,

    kudos to you for taking the extra effort to send us a question when it probably would’ve required less effort to just google it!

    the december exam period is for this year (2016-2017) is from december 9th to 20th, which means everyone will be done exams by the 20th of december and the university will be closed following these exams.

    classes start up again on january 5th for arts and science students and january 9th for engineering students.

    information regarding engineering and arts and science sessional dates can be found here!

    for future reference: feel free to google the following words: “u of t sessional dates” to find what you’re looking for!

    u of t is a great place to learn how to google things- you’ve come to the right place.

    cheers and #sorrynotsorry for the saltiness,

    aska

  • arts & sciences,  psychology,  science,  subject POST

    gold or painful, agonizing failure

    Hi! Can you take a psych major if you’re in humanities? Like, if I take a double major in linguistics and psychology, will I graduate with a BA or a BSc? Or is it even possible for me to major in psychology if I didn’t apply for life sciences?
    I’m at St. George by the way, and I’ll have completed PUMP by the time I apply for the psych POSt.
    Sorry if you already answered this, I did my best to look through all the relevant tags!

    ———————————————

    hi there,

    if you are double majoring in linguistics and psychology, you can pick whether you want a BA or a BSc.

    in the arts and science calendar under program requirements, it states :

    • “A student completing one Major in a science area and one Major in an arts area have a choice of either the Honours Bachelor of Science or the Honours Bachelor of Arts.”

    you’re good to go! choose wisely!

    YOU DECIDE WHICH IS WHICH^

    thanks for making an effort to check the tags! we appreciate it!

    cheers,

    aska

     

  • cinema studies,  innis,  subject POST

    i’m minoring in CINicism

    Hi!

    I’m about to begin my second year at UTSG, hoping to major in English and minor in Cin and History. I didn’t take CIN105 during my first year, but I will be taking it this upcoming school year, along with a 0.5 FCE 2nd level course towards the program. I was hoping that the 2nd year foundations course would be available during the summer and I did my research to find out that unfortunately it wasn’t available this previous summer, which most probably means that it wont be available during the 2017 summer term. Right? I’ve tried emailing the Cinema Studies Inst. about this but no one has gotten back to me yet. They probably won’t get back to me at all.

    Anyway, so on to the actual questions.

    So, on the Cinema Studies Undergrad and Program Admissions page, under ‘Minor Program’ it says:

    “Entry requirements: A final mark of no less than 70% in CIN105Y1 or CIN201Y1 and three additional FCEs.

    4.0 FCEs, at least 3.0 FCEs of which must have a CIN designator

    CIN105Y1 – Introduction to Film Study

    CIN201Y1 – Film Cultures I

    Two additional full-course equivalents from Groups A through G (see below for list of courses). of which 1.0 FCE must be at the 300+level.

    Students must complete CIN105Y1, CIN201Y1 and CIN301Y1 before taking any fourth-year courses.”

    I’m pretty sure it’s just me haha, maybe because I ain’t the brightest bulb in the box when it comes to reading about and understanding any of U of T’s program stuff, but does this mean that since CIN105 and CIN201 are required, that I will only be left with taking 2.0 FCEs to get the minor degree? Also what about CIN301? Doesn’t that mean that the 1.0 FCE in the 300-level is fulfilled as well if CIN301 is taken? So does that mean in reality, I only have to take an additional 1.0 FCE to complete the degree requirement? Please do tell me if I’m wrong, if I’m completely delusional, and that trying to fix the mess that is my u of t life ain’t as easy as that.

    Also, is it possible to take CIN301 and a fourth year course at the same time even if it says all those foundation courses have to be completed before taking one? Do I even have to take a fourth year course?

    Thank you! Hoping to hear from you soon!

    ———————————————

    hey,

    wow, this was a lot to take in. okay, let me try to break this down.

    in regards to your first question: course offerings are pretty random; it really varies with every year. a good rule of thumb is to not expect a course to be offered until it’s actually announced. in the past, there have been courses that i have planned to take, only to discover that they weren’t offered when i wanted to take them. i would try emailing the cinema studies department again if you’re really worried.

    now for the meat of your question… don’t worry if you’re confused about the cinema studies minor description- it’s not worded in the best way!

    my face when looking at it:

    steveharveywtf

    behold: a step by step guide to a cinema studies minor!

    basically, you have 4.0 FCE’s to fulfil. with me so far? great.

    you need to take CIN105 and CIN201. these are both Y courses which means they will fulfil 2.0 of your 4.0 FCE’s. cool.

    for the remainder 2.0 FCE’s, you need 1.0 FCE that are courses that start with CIN. the reason why this requirement exists is because in group G courses, there are courses that have the indicator EAS, HIS, GER, SLA, FIN, etc. which you can also take.

    1.0 FCE out of the remainder 2.0 have to be at the 300 or 400 level. still with me?

    however, if you want to take a class at the 400 level, you have to first take CIN301. (keep in mind you don’t have to take a 400 level class)

    that’s pretty much all you need to know! i really hope this answered all of your questions!

    cheers,

    aska

  • admissions,  international students,  UTM

    math is hard

    Im an international student going to UTM for commerce. I did my AS levels and got As in Accounts and Economics but somehow my math grade slipped from a 100% in school to a C in final grade. Will UTM take back my offer of admission or not allow me in the commerce program?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    to be honest, that seems like quite a significant drop in your grade so it may be possible that they will rescind your offer. however, we really have no idea and it would benefit you to check with admissions at UTM to ask about your own unique situation.

    i know we say “ask us anything” but this is one of those situations where we really have no idea of knowing, simply because we don’t work for admissions. however, if you do have any other questions regarding student life or other academics throughout your time at U of T, feel free to send them to us and we’d be happy to answer them for you!

    regardless, i wish you all the best in your upcoming semester! i hope it all worked out for you!

    cheers,

    aska

  • askastudent announcement

    ahhh sorry!!! legit excuses tho

    hello my darling fans,

    aska here. just wanted to post a quick message letting you know that we are working on responding to all your questions! if you haven’t received a response, sit tight- you’ll be graced by one soon enough! it’s been a hectic couple of weeks what with our office renovation and frosh week, but please don’t lose hope! we are working on it!

    if you do have urgent academic matters, we recommend that you visit your registrar’s office for any questions you might have!

    cheers/ sorry/ much love,

    aska

  • first year,  friends,  frosh

    no friends allowed

    hi i was wondering if i could possibly bring a +1 to frosh week? like they’ll pay and everything, they just don’t go to uoft (utm for me). if not, could i bring them to o-week (where its free)