• economics,  grad school

    at u of t we can only count to 20

    December 23, 2019

    Hello, I’m doing a bachelor of economics and I have a gpa of 3.01/4.33 (which makes 2.80/4 I guess). At the end of Fall semester, I think I’ll get 3.10 or 3.15 out of 4.33. (2.90 out of 4). But, I will only have 63 credits completed. Do you still think I have a chance to enter UofT and get admission for a Master in Economics ? Will they consider the number of courses completed ? Thank you!

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    gotta say, you’re not doing your undergrad at u of t, are you? i found out a few weeks ago that other canadian schools were handing out GPAs on a 4.33 scale and, well, man. had no clue what to make of that. anyway, it took me a hot minute to figure out what you meant by 3.01/4.33 and 2.80/4. how’d you even convert that? i have questions.

    unfortunately, because u of t operates on a weird system, i have no idea what 63 credits even means. here, one semester-long class is typically worth 0.5 credits, and we graduate with 20. i don’t really know what the conversion rate (???) is for the school you go to, and don’t even have enough to gauge what year you’re in. third…?

    in general, though, i usually have to answer questions about grad school the same way. it’s best to get directly in contact with the program you’re considering– or in other words, go right to the source.

    what i can tell you is that you’ll need a solid mid-B average (around 75%)  in your final year of study in order to get into u of t for a grad degree in econ. that’s a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. i don’t know if you are in your final year of study, but that might be something for you to consider. according to this econ department webpage, to be competitive you might need to meet even higher thresholds– we’re talking a last year GPA above an A-, and a CGPA ‘above the mid-point between B+ and A-,’ whatever that means. they list a few other ‘qualities of a successful applicant,’ including high GRE scores, so that might be worth giving a look.

    i guess they’ll probably consider your number of courses completed. if there’s a reason why you haven’t completed as many courses as you’d have liked to, there’s usually a box in the application to write that reason in, or provide any other explanations for academic abnormalities. other than that, you’ll have to compare your situation to what the econ department provides as its application guidelines, and decide for yourself what your chances are. i’m a student, not an applications officer :/

    be Boundless and happy holidays,

    aska

    Read More
  • wait list

    shh. not a calculator

    December 21, 2019

    Hi, I’m currently number 16 on a waitlist for a Class that has 80 spots. I know about the top 10% rule, but right now Im in the top 20%. What are my chances?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    honestly… it’s really hard for me to say what your chances are. if there were a formula for calculating this, i could plug and chug it, but unfortunately there isn’t. even with the top 10% thing, that’s just a guideline– waitlists move differently, and personally i still get a lil nervous when i’m in the top 5%. there’s never any guarantee– sometimes the waitlist won’t budge, which i wanna say is especially true for required courses with very limited space. and sometimes it’ll blow through. but there’s no general rule.

    but if you really wanna know, i don’t feel too great about your chances in the top 20% of the waitlist. personally, if it were me and i didn’t really need to take it this semester, i would take it another sem, or find an alternative. that’s just me. obviously it’s totally up to you what you choose to do.

    if for some reason you absolutely need to take this course, check out this life @ u of t blog post on the dean’s promise, and see if you qualify. that’s the only loophole i’m aware of, and i figured i’d give you the heads up just in case.

    be Boundless,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  internal transfer,  transcripts,  Transferring

    someone’s jumping ship from utm or utsc

    December 21, 2019

    hey do you know if i need transcripts (from uoft and/or high school) to apply for an internal transfer to utsg?

    —————————————— 

    hey friend,

    i started an ouac internal application myself to figure this out for you, so here’s hoping they don’t actually hold me to finishing this lol, i am happy where i am.

    under the ‘transcript requests’ section of the application, you will be required to have transcripts sent directly from whatever your high school was, as well as from your current u of t campus. this u of t website also says that yes, they will be looking at your full academic history to evaluate your application.

    hope this helped and best of luck with your internal application!

    be Boundless and have a good winter break,

    aska

     

     

    Read More
  • admissions,  economics

    you totally just asked your question twice i see you

    December 20, 2019

    Hey, how are you?

    I am a grade 11 student and I want to pursue law in the near future. I wanna do undergrad in econ, and I was looking but I couldn’t really figure out the cut off average that uft looks at when deciding on applicants. I have many extracurricular activities, so I’m not really worried about my supplementary application. But basically my three questions are:
    1. what average do I need to get in ENG4U to get accepted into Econ undergrad?
    2. What average do I need in grade 12 math courses?
    3. What average do I need overall?

    ——————————————

    hey, I am looking at Econ undergrad requirements, and I can’t figure out what is the cut off average to get admitted into this program. I know we have to take ENG4U and grade 12 math, but I can’t figure out what averages you need in these courses, and what average you need overall to be admitted into the econ undergrad program. Also, I would love some advice about this decision I may make, because I wanna pursue law later on.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    are you… the same person? or two people with eerily similar questions? i don’t care, i’m just gonna write one post up. christmas is in five days and i have ten questions to get thru, some of which are very perplexing. plEASE LET ME take a BReaK 🙁

    all right. let’s see. it’s not easy to find anymore because the google search result for it brings up a 404, but if you go through the artsci website itself there is this chart with admissions averages for each program. econ falls into the social sciences admissions category, so whether you’re from ontario or another province  you’ll need an english grade in the low to mid 80s with an admissions average of about the same. i’m guessing you’re an ontario kiddo, though, given ENG4U.

    as for grade 12 math, i have a lil nugget of insider’s knowledge from the registrar’s office for ya. they’ve switched up the way they do admissions for this year– as long as you have your grade 12 math requirement, it doesn’t really matter if it’s super high. they’re not looking at it as rigorously for your batch of admissions. so don’t worry too much about blasting your grade into the sky. just get it done and under your belt, bud.

    dunno if you were hoping for law school advice as well, but given that you didn’t directly ask any questions, i’m assuming my job here is done today.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

     

    Read More
  • fees,  graduation

    it’s the finaaaaal countdooooown

    December 20, 2019

    hi, I am currently facing a huge problem. I am a 4th year student that only have 3.5 FCE left to graduate this summer. I requested a per-course fee tuition in this fall, and unfortunately, I late withdrawal a fall course due to many reasons. And the course that I drop is mandatory for me to graduate. However, I cannot add the winter course on ACORN. Could you tell me that if I take this class in winter will my per-course fee be altered to program fee? And I will pay much more tuition to get this final 0.5 FCE done.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    sorry for the wait with this answer– i finished finals real recently and am super behind on my inboxes! like super super behind lol i don’t think i’ve ever let it get this bad, i am heckin’ sorry and promise i’m getting on top of it. i’ll split this post up to answer each of what (i think?) your questions are, to make sure everything gets covered:

    per-course and program fees

    this is, in general, how fee assessments work. whatever F and Y courses you were registered in on september 19, as well as any S courses you’re in on jan 19, will be added up and used to determine how you’ll be charged. or at least, this is true for domestic students in artsci. if that doesn’t apply to you, you can check other faculties as well as fees for international students here. once you hit a total of 4.0 credits, you’ll be paying program fees instead of course fees. which, like, we don’t love, but…

    you mentioned having a late withdrawal done, which means you were registered in that course past september 19. unfortunately, that means that course will be factored into your total. if you were registered in 3.5 FCEs total before deciding to drop it, then registering in another 0.5 FCE for winter will probably switch you over to program fees. you should definitely not quote me on this, because i don’t really know the specifics of your situation, but that’s generally how it works.

    how much more tuition will you pay to finish the final 0.5 FCE? 

    if my assumption is right and adding that 0.5 FCE will switch you from course to program fees, then you’ll pay the difference between program fees and what you’re currently paying. if i’m wrong and you’ll stay at course fees, then it’ll be however much it costs to take another course.

    without knowing your program and whether you’re domestic/international, i really can’t give you an accurate estimate– if you’d like me to, i’m happy to if you send in a follow-up question with your faculty, program, and student status??? otherwise, fees.utoronto.ca will be your best friend, but it can be a lil hard to decipher. lemme know.

    why can’t you register in the last 0.5 FCE you need?

    you might need to ask your registrar to switch you over to program fees, so that you can register for that last half-credit. that’s my theory, anyway, as to why ACORN is blocking you from that last 0.5 FCE. i can’t think of any other reason why it would be doing that if you’re in good academic standing.

    mostly, i bet you would benefit from giving your registrar a visit. i feel like they’d be way better equipped to help you out, especially if this is a situation that’s worrying you that much.

    go to your registrar.

    did i mention… checking out your friendly ol’ local registrar?

    you know what to do.

    be Boundless,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  subject POST

    i also have major questions tbh

    December 12, 2019
    double major questions: do I need to take certain prerequisite courses for BOTH majors I want to take in my first year of uni? would I apply for both majors using ACORN after my first year? I’m struggling to figure out how the degree combinations work with the 4.0 credit requirements and all that. thank you in advance!
    ——————————————
    hey there,

    i’m not too sure what you mean by 4.0 credit requirements– does this refer to… a program requirement? a course requirement? i know i’ve registered in courses that were only available to students with 4.0 credits and above, which basically just means they’re not available to first years. or maybe what you mean is the 4.0 credits of overlap you’re permitted between two majors that each require 8.0 credits each? i’m wracking my brain here, man. i can’t figure out what you’re gettin at.

    to answer the questions i feel like i can answer, in general, yes, you do need to take certain prereqs in first year for whatever programs you’re considering. that’s true whether or not you’re taking a double major. they’ll be considered for admission to whatever programs you apply to at the end of your first year. you can find those prereq listings on the arts and science calendar— just search for the programs you’re interested in, or browse the alphabetical directory.

    i say in general because there are exceptions. for example, certain programs (usually type 1 programs) don’t have first year prereqs. you can register in english, forest biomaterials, or diaspora and transnational studies without any first year prerequisites, for example. although, i should note, if this applies to you it would certainly be helpful to take program courses in first year, even if they’re not necessarily considered prerequisites. doing so will help you get a feel for what that program is like, as well as allow you to start counting courses towards program requirements earlier on.

    check out this webpage to find out what program type your prospective majors would be. this one, meanwhile, is supposed to tell you what your application periods are– it hasn’t been updated yet, but i anticipate it should be soon. and yes, you will request/apply for programs on ACORN once those application periods open up.

    if you’d like help figuring out how your degree requirements work, feel free to send the specifics my way and i can try to help make sense of it! i’ve spent a lot of time doing that kinda stuff because my own programs are a little whack and require a heckin’ lot of forethought to be able to complete in 20.0 credits. otherwise:

    be Boundless,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions

    look ma, i’m an insider

    December 12, 2019

    What are some pros and cons of going to UofT? I really want an insider’s perspective

    ——————————————

    wild. this is more open-ended than the essay prompts on my exams. what’s expected of me? i do not know. as with everything else in my life, i’ll probably overshoot, but, hey. i’m guessing you’re not here for ambivalence and mediocrity anyway.

    i feel like this is actually a really case-by-case thing. as in, what’s a pro for me may not be a pro for you. but i can give you my list and you can see how ya feel about it.

    off the top of my head, here are the definitive wins of being a student at this school, as far as i see it:

    • the downtown campus. it’s beautiful, especially in the fall, and has a lot of stories to tell.
    • heckin’ number of clubs (and libraries! some schools have 2, we raise you a whopping 44.)
    • academic diversity— there are a bunch of pretty niche programs here that i don’t believe are widely offered at the undergraduate level, like urban studies or bioethics. there are also some really cool courses— i believe the executive editor of the walrus taught a one-time-only course on #metoo and the media this year.
    • top-notch profs, doing some of the coolest research. i’ve had more phenomenal profs than i’ve had terrible or even mediocre ones, which i think really speaks to the caliber of people this school employs. this is obviously a very subjective assessment, but that’s been my experience thus far.
    • a lot of departments are very well-connected in terms of opportunities. the peace, conflict, and justice program, for example, places a lot of students with NGOs like amnesty international.
    • the innis cafe
    • lots of options for a sense of community, because as a large school there are so many different small communities on campus
    • plenty of coffee shops all over campus. i can’t find any comprehensive lists (maybe i should write one!?!?) but here’s a blog post that runs you down a few. suffice it to say that there is always one within a 5 minute’s walk of you, no matter where you are on campus.
    • some pretty cool places to study, like the OISE lounge with a view of the skyline or the gerstein journal stacks with the glass floors
    • i’ve met a lot of really cool peers, working on everything from chemistry research to podcasts to magazines. i was at a holiday art gallery last week, and there was a ton of impressive student art. this school has a lot of creative, driven, and friendly people, which can be intimidating but is mostly pretty inspiring.
    • because the student population is large, some pretty sick events happen on campus. we recently had the some of the raptors come give a mental health talk at one of the on-campus athletic centres, with a performance from jp saxe. it was free. hart house theatre also puts out some really quality shows.

    here are some unexpected, slightly questionable wins:

    • bigger school, more free food. if ya know where to go and have the time to make trips, you can snag some. first year, i remember scavenging multiple meals in a row, although it was admittedly a lil sketch at times. there are also pretty regular free snack events.  happy to do a detailed post on this if anyone’s interested.
    • also more free coffee.
    • more places to nap.
    • more places to exercise, if you’re into that. we have, like, three gyms?? and a lot of fitness programs.
    • the work-study program.
    • corncoming
    • i guess u of t is prestigious, so your parents can flex it if they care about those kinds of things.
    • apparently we get employed. this one better be true.

    some things i, and others, have mixed feelings about:

    • the city of toronto. i could probably write a whole post just on this. toronto can be a massive pro for some people and a massive con for others. it’s often considered one of u of t’s biggest draws, but i think if you’re not from around here the reality of living in downtown toronto can be a tad bit different than expected.
      • the cute: something’s always happening. it’s a real great city to be a young person in. just being out on the streets walking, you see a ton of really quirky, interesting, and fun things. no matter what you’re into, chances are you’ll find it here (unless you’re into the stars, i guess, or nature, or small-town things. you’ll need to leave downtown for that). there are also so many professional and learning opportunities in this city for you to take advantage of.
      • the not so cute: personally, i’ve felt unsafe in the city a few times. nothing’s ever happened to me, but i take precautions. the rental market is also less than ideal.
    • robarts
      • this article lists it as part of a ‘top 10 reasons to go to u of t’ kind of thing. i’m personally not a fan, but it does make for a decent overnight study space. i guess it’s a good example of brutalist architecture, if you’re into that. it seems like most students love to hate robarts. it’s one of the few things a student population this large gets to bond over. but at the end of the day, we all end up there anyway. while we’re on the subject, can anyone tell me what’s so special about the 12th floor, please?

    some less fun things, because really these are just inconveniences but i like to complain:

    • the ttc always seems to be late, but that’s not a u of t specific thing.
    • dunno how important the movie college experience is to you, but sports aren’t really that big here unless you’re in an athletic/intramurals community. as in, we don’t have any iconic games or anything that everyone goes to. i guess in general we’re a little starved for school spirit.
    • our grading system seems to differ a little bit from some of the other ones i’m aware of. it’s harder to get a 3.0 here than it is at mcgill or ubc, because the percentage threshold is a bit higher. granted, our cutoff for a 4.0 is 85 instead of 86, but i didn’t even know you could get a 4.33 at places like ubc, queens and ryerson until yesterday. we cap at 4.0 here, and those are relatively rare. i guess 4.33s aren’t that relevant when you consider that.
    • the food in robarts is subpar— i’ve heard the rice in the burritos isn’t fully cooked sometimes, and i wouldn’t doubt that?
    • queen’s park being under construction all the time makes me sad & makes the walk from victoria college to con hall feel so much longer. it also occasionally floods, which is annoying.
    • don’t walk across king’s college circle in the spring. also slightly flooded, and you might wipe out.
    • the snow and frostbite temperatures are not terribly enjoyable. my ideal lifestyle does not involve a daily trek through the snow, in temperatures so inhospitable that your nose hairs freeze.

    and the reasons that, despite actually quite enjoying this school, i have the occasional angry day of… anger, and think it kind of sucks:

    • the hustle culture and competitive nature of being a student here– this piece from the varsity gives you a better sense of perspective on this than i could. it’s not as impossible to do well as people make it sound, but you will definitely need to grind if you’re planning to take a full courseload and be involved in the community. with that said, there are supports in place to help you out when things get rough, like your registrars, embedded counsellors, and teaching staff. you can thrive and have a good experience here, but you need to be well-equipped and well-supported in order to do so.
    • the way things seem to pile up at the end of the semester. i guess this is true of university in general, but things don’t feel very well-paced to me— they’re slow until after reading week, at which point you don’t really breathe til finals are over. keep in mind this does vary widely by program, but we’re talking about the pros and cons here as i see them, so…
    • the bureaucracy. u of t has so many rules. the teaching staff and admin are expected to play by them, which means that quite often, you won’t be able to get an extension without some kind of doctor’s note or documented proof of exceptional circumstances. it can sometimes feel like there’s a lot of red tape to jump when you’re trying to get accommodations without being registered with accessibility services. i wouldn’t say i feel treated like ‘just a number’ in general, but i have seen the system be quite unsympathetic to certain circumstances.

    well, there ya have it. you asked for a simple, clean-cut pro-con list. i raised you an entire spectrum. enjoy, and feel free to ask follow-ups if anything gets too confusing.

    be Boundless,

    aska

    Read More
  • GPA,  grad school,  grades,  graduation,  health

    this post has been brought to you by my last half brain cell

    December 11, 2019

    So basically I really really messed up last year I filed petition for not writing exam due to health issues.. I was diagnosed with spinal cancer and things were just really hard… and I read the petition form has to be
    signed within the day of the exam or the next day but because I was unwell it ended up getting it after a couple days and I got scared and changed the date by 3 days I did this for 1.5 credits …. I was super honest about my mistake and they said from May 2019-December 2019 I’ll be suspended and the 1.5 credits will be a 0..

    I don’t mind I was suspended at the time cuz I had to have emergency surgery to remove the tumor because the dr said if I don’t I’ll become paralyzed and wheelchair bound sooo in April 24 I did the surgery hoping I would be able to walk again and by May 15 I left rehab walking!!! And now this winter I’ll be doing some tests just to make sure the cancer hasn’t returned so things were crazy…

    But now I realize that I’m suspended cuz u tried going into my email or acorn and it isn’t working and I’m freaking out!! Cuz before I didn’t think I could even walk to school and would rather quit if that’s what happened, but thankfully I am fully recovered and now It is hitting me that I’m suspended and when I was in high school i was never the type and I’m just really sad and disappointed in myself…

    I’m worried I won’t be able to enroll for Jan-April 2020 did they kick me out of uni? How do I know I can start to log in and enroll just in time for classes in January? Should I go to uni to see in December or just wait till the start of January??

    And I’m actually a 4th year and barely completed any classes due to extreme fatigue and pain… but now I feel so much healthier and think I can graduate either as a 6th or 7th year… but if I were to apply for grad
    schools like masters for microbiology or immunology would they see that I stayed at school for too long and not want me??

    ——————————————

    I basically got enrolled!! so scratch that question… But since 1.5 credits are a zero i was wondering if i were to take a total of 29 credits.. would those extra 9 be added in the final gpa?? I feel if i were to do that many extra credits i would be happy with my gpa.. But is that allowed??

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    sorry for the wait in getting this question answered– glad you managed to get fully recovered and enrolled again! it sounds like the last few years have been a wild ride for you and it’s good that you’re doing better now. we love feeling healthy.

    even though you said you resolved the issues in the first question you sent in, i do kinda wanna address them. you should have been able to access your email and ACORN while suspended– the only thing you don’t have access to while on suspension is course enrolment. that section of your ACORN would probably have been blocked, but everything else should have been available for you. i’m not too sure what happened, but from what you said i guess you managed to resolve it. if you ever run into similarly confusing circumstances, i wouldn’t advise waiting– always contact your registrar if something seems to be wrong. if it’s too inconvenient for you to go in person, feel free to email them or give them a call. that’s what they’re there for, after all!

    as for your questions about grad school– yes, they would be able to see from your transcript how long you’ve been in school, but what you may not know is that grad school apps usually give you an opportunity to explain any academic anomalies you might have. you’d be able to let them know about your health issues (which are 100% valid) and they’d take that into account when considering you for admissions. hopefully that eases your mind a bit. you shouldn’t be expected to finish in four years if students not dealing with your level of health concerns have trouble finishing in four years, too.

    as for your question about GPA — technically, yes, you can boost your GPA by taking an extra 9 credits after you complete your 20. according to the rules and regulations, the courses you take beyond 20 credits don’t qualify for exception from your CGPA. i found out today that actually, you can even graduate and continue to take courses and have them count towards your CGPA. hope that helps you out– keep in mind that the more credits you take, the less each one affects your CGPA. so it can be kind of hard to go beyond 20 and pull your GPA up significantly. but hey, if it’s the loophole you need it’s the loophole you have.

    the more times i use this gif the funnier it gets. instead of one dude lifting the roof, you get several doing it in sync. here’s one more just because.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

     

    Read More
  • no one asked

    the aska guide to getting in touch with your registrar

    December 11, 2019

    friends!

    we refer yall so much to the registrars, but i realized a few months back some of you might not have all that much experience visiting them. i haven’t gotten that many questions this month (blogging is dead? no one loves me? something’s broken? all of the above?) so i figured i’d write a guide hyping the registrar’s office up. i love my registrar. as far as i’m aware i’m not getting paid extra to say that, although i wouldn’t argue if i was.

    um, who actually is the registrar? are they a person? an office? an ~entity~?

    it’s okay. this confuses some people– i guess ‘registrar’ isn’t all that common of a word outside the university bubble. most directly, your registrar’s office is the place you go for academic advice and certain academically-related services. your registrar (and associate registrars) are the advisors you meet with there.

    what do the college registrar offices even DO though?

    a lot, but not everything. here’s a list of things they generally can’t do:

    • update and access OSAP applications (enrolment services can help ya)
    • book/change writing centre appointments (that’s what the writing centre is for)
    • provide confirmation of graduation, including eligibility/intent to graduate (hit up artsci!)
    • bend rules for ya

    oof, maybe a bit harsh. sorry.

    as for what they can do– your registrar’s office is your reliable first stop for a ton of things! first off, they can outline your options and assess your aptitudes/interests to help you strategize course/program selection. need help planning for the future or juggling personal/work/school priorities? they got you there too. they’re also great at coaching and crisis management, if you ever need someone to talk to but don’t know where to go. basically, the registrar’s office is the place to go if you’re looking for support or to iron out the details of your life as a student.

    in more technical terms, this is what falls under their domain. they can:

    • get you letters to prove your enrollment for study permits/RESP/insurance
    • advise you on academic and financial matters, as well as personal ones (to a certain extent!)
    • register you in course overloads
    • re-register you, administer late registration, or reinstate you if you’ve been financially cancelled
    • book you appointments with a learning strategist or career advisor
    • help you submit petitions for term work extensions/deferred exams
    • process late withdrawal requests (LWD)
    • consider grant requests
    • tell you about deadlines, walk you through course/program enrolment, etc.
    • conduct grad checks
    • and more!

    where can i find my registrar? 

    usually in your college’s main building!

    can i send them emails?

    yes! always include your student number and be patient with responses. don’t send an email after closing hours and another panicky one before opening.

    can i call?

    yeah, you definitely can–but keep in mind that if you’re calling at a particularly busy time of year (think late august/september etc) whoever’s answering the phone may not be able to take your call right away. it’s usually better to come in person. this might entail waiting in line, but that wait will likely be shorter than the time you’ll be on hold.

    that said, this isn’t true all year– if it’s a slow time of year and you have a quick question, you’re certainly free to call!

    can i drop in? 

    for quick questions, yes. for issues that are more private, complicated, or might warrant sitting down and chatting, it’s best to book an appointment.

    but the internet.

    yeah, the thing is reddit isn’t all that reliable. it can be great sometimes, but it can also be wildly misguided. get your info from the people who know it best.

    anyway, i hope this was helpful. that’s all on this for now. find the directory of registrars here, and go give yours a visit! and a friendly reminder to be kind– they’ll do their best to help you, but they’re also human.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

    Read More
  • admissions,  english,  psychology,  subject POST

    you’re doing amazing!

    December 3, 2019

    Hello! I am applying for U of T soon and I was wondering about the degree combinations. If I complete two majors (I believe you pick your two programs/majors after the first year on ACORN? Please feel free to correct me) how long does it take? Is it the standard 4 years as a double major? I’m planning on taking English and Psychology, if that helps 🙂 Sorry if this is a dumb question! I’m a very confused high school student

    ——————————————

    hey friendo,

    it’s all right to be confused, and this isn’t a dumb question at all! some students get to this school not even knowing program selection after first year is a thing. trust me, you’re ahead of the curve on this one, and it’s super great that you’re taking this into account now.

    u of t basically only offers honours degrees. what this means is that to graduate with a bachelor’s here, you need to undertake one of the following program combinations:

    • a specialist
    • two majors
    • a major and two minors

    what you ultimately decide on, among these three options, won’t affect how long it’ll take you to graduate. u of t has set this system up so that all three can be completed within 20.0 credits. each course you take for a semester counts as half a credit, so if you take five courses in fall and five in winter, that adds up to four school years. in fact, you can even add a minor to a double major and still finish in four years, if there’s enough overlap between those programs. keep in mind that there is a limit of three programs total, though.

    tl:dr a double major in english and psychology is fully doable in 4 years, if that’s how long you’re planning to take to complete your undergrad! an english major is a type 1 program, which basically means anyone can enrol in it– a psych major is a type 2L, which indicates that there’s a specific grade threshold you need to meet in order to be considered for enrolment. type 2L programs have a cap on how many students they can accept, so it would be best to aim for a grade higher than that threshold to make your chances of getting in better. in fact, the department recommends that you come up with a backup program, just in case admission doesn’t work out for you.

    since you’re looking at two different program types, you should be aware of two different program enrolment periods. typically, you can begin requesting programs at the end of winter semester– the dates vary a lil every year. i’m linking you here to last year’s program request periods, just so you have an idea of what they might look like. this year’s have yet to be posted, but i’m sure if you check again later on, they should be up by february at the latest.

    best of luck with your application! you know where to find me if you have any other questions.

    be Boundless,

    aska

    Read More
  • grades,  midterms

    lol are midterms even over yet

    December 3, 2019

    Have all the midterm marks been sent out to the students at U of T yet?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    this is an easy one to answer. no, they have not. obviously this is gonna vary by program, class, etc.– someone who’s been done their midterms for a few weeks may have those midterm marks already. i (who am only just finishing mine, what is UP with that) am not expecting those grades for a bit.

    if you’re a current student concerned about your midterm marks not being out for some reason, i’d advise that you talk to either your registrar or your profs. i’m not really sure why you’re asking this (out of curiosity? for grad schools? i dunno) but i hope this answered your question!

    be Boundless,

    aska

    Read More