December, 2020 - askastudent

admissions

you guys never tell me what you’re applying to :(

December 21, 2020

I was looking at program admissions and unfortunately it requires Grade 12 Calculus, I was only able to take the 3 Pre-Calc classes as regular calculus interfered with my science courses. In university, I only made it through half a year before a car accident and could not complete my calculus class. I am currently enrolled in a college engineering program, but I am unsure if my math courses are fine. I fear I will be rejected right off the bat as TLG is competitive. Is there a way around this?

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hello there,

thank you for waiting for this answer, i’ve been drowning in messages from distressed students! hopefully this will get to you in time.

i’m not really sure what you’re applying to, as you didn’t specify. my best guess is that you’re applying to UTSG’s life sciences program, since TLG is the OUAC admissions code for that. my apologies if i’m wrong! but i’m going to write this post accordingly.

i’m not sure if there’s a way around the calculus requirement for admissions into UTSG lifesci. from what i’m aware, since calculus is a prerequisite for admission, they’ll be using that course to calculate your admissions average. i don’t think you’ll be able to get in without it, although you could certainly try.

it’s possible, though, that there’s some kind of exemption for extenuating circumstances, such as your car accident. the only way to know for sure would be to contact the admissions office and ask them directly. you’d need to do that pretty much right away, as the university closes tomorrow (the 21st) and opens again on the 4th.

again, sorry it took me so long to get to this! that’s 100% my bad.

wishing you all the best with your application!

be Boundless,

aska

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academic offense

knowledge is power!

December 19, 2020

Hi. I have been accused of two offences this semester. This first one was for plaigerism however what happened was that I accidentally submitted my assignment to the wrong course and plaigerism picked it up. I was told I would be contacted by the dean. Recently I got another offence for one of my midterms for another course because my friend and I had very similar answers. I’m in a very bad state right now and don’t know what to expect. Please help me

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hey there,

it seems like academic offence accusations have skyrocketed ever since school went online.

i can imagine that you’re probably feeling incredibly anxious, so i really hope that you’re able to reach out to some kind of support. you can talk to someone in your life whom you trust if you haven’t already, or you can get in touch with one of the counsellors over at mySSP. you shouldn’t have to go through this alone.

i’m not really sure what kind of help i can offer, but i can tell you what i know about the academic offence process, to kinda arm you with knowledge about what’s to come.

so pretty much everything there is to know about academic offences at u of t can be found in this document. according to the document, an instructor is supposed to have a discussion with you and get your side of the story before reporting things to the dean. i’m not sure if that already happened to you as you didn’t mention it, but it is a good rule to be aware of in case proper procedures aren’t being followed here.

before you meet with the dean, you’re allowed to seek out guidance. i’d very strongly recommend that you get in touch with your registrar’s office and ask to book an appointment with an academic advisor. academic advisors are incredibly experienced at navigating these kinds of situations, and i don’t think anything you say to one can be used against you. going through this process without the advice of an academic advisor is really risky—don’t do it.

normally i would do my best to walk you through everything you would be looking at, but my inbox is drowning in questions and i don’t have enough details about your case (weight of assignment? first offence?) to do so anyway. everything you might be looking at is contained in the code of behaviour on academic matters, including all the different meetings you may have to attend and the types of sanctions you may be looking at. you know your situation best, so do a quick scan over the document and you’ll be able to map out your path going forward.

in total, if you didn’t do anything wrong and things just look suspicious, i wouldn’t worry too much. i know that’s easy for me to say, but all these procedures are in place to ensure that due process is followed in convicting students of academic offences. if something goes wrong, you are able to appeal whatever decision is made. i know it’s scary. but if you know you didn’t do anything wrong, then you didn’t do anything wrong. remember that for now, these are just accusations.

sending you all the support and solidarity from afar. best of luck with everything! please reach out to the supports i mentioned. i think they’ll be really helpful to you.

be Boundless,

aska

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admissions, colleges, rotman

picking a college is like choosing a cult to join

December 19, 2020

Hello, I’m an American student who would like to attend UofT. If I’m interested in business, which college would you recommend I rank first? Thank you

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hello,

an american!

if you’re interested in studying at rotman commerce, it doesn’t matter too much which college you rank first! i wouldn’t say any of the colleges have a particularly strong rotman community—i think rotman kids are pretty well dispersed.

if you’re worried about proximity to your classes (assuming you’re hoping to live in res and this godforsaken pandemic is a thing of the past by your first year), then victoria, innis, and woodsworth might all be good colleges to consider. i’ve heard that many of the first-year rotman courses are at victoria college. the rotman building itself is right next to innis, just down the street from woodsworth.

however, i wouldn’t make the location of your college the determining factor in your choice. if i were you, i’d look into the unique character of each college, the scholarships that different colleges offer, and what the residence conditions are (assuming, again, that you’re hoping to live in res). for example, innis and woodsworth offer apartment-style residences. most of the others do a more traditional dorm experience, but if you do a little digging you can find the differences between those experiences: you’re more likely to get a single room at trin than vic, for example.

each college is known for something different. trinity and innis tend to be tighter-knit communities, since they’re both quite small and only admit students who rank them first—but they both have very different vibes. victoria is another one that needs to be ranked first, and is known for being a little more literary/artsy, plus since vic charges higher student fees they tend to have more fun stuff (muji pen giveaways during finals, free pancake days etc). UC has some fantastic clubs, and is home to many of the most creative students i know. i’ll stop short of giving you a full rundown, since i don’t really want to inject too much of my own bias into things. i think if you do a little research, you’ll find that one or two college communities stand out to you more so than the others, based on your values and what you’d like to be surrounded by.

good luck with your application!

be Boundless,

aska

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first year, mental health, studying

first years have it rough

December 18, 2020
Are we allowed to redo a semester? Bc/ this term has been an absolute shit show. This was my first year and let’s just say I was not prepared. My study habits were terrible, and so was my anxiety. By the time I figured out how to manage these things, it was too late. All I can really do now is study for my exams, but if you have any idea as to what my options are I’d really appreciate them. Also, thx for taking the time to answer questions and gl on ur exams =)!

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hey there,

thank you for the well wishes on my exams! that’s thoughtful of you :’)

i’m hearing from a lot of first year students who have had a terrible semester, so if it’s any consolation to you, you’re absolutely not the only one experiencing this. the odds have absolutely been stacked against you guys this fall. first year is normally such an an adjustment, even without a global pandemic. my first year felt a little like this:

to answer your most direct question, no, i don’t believe you’re allowed to redo a semester. the only way i can think of to do this would be via the petitions system, but i’m not sure that redoing a semester is an existing type of petition. i could be wrong, though! you’d have to ask an academic advisor at your registrar’s office.

in fact, i’d really recommend that you get in touch with your registrar early in the new year—even before classes start, if possible. they’re your best bet in terms of finding out what all your different options are.

here are some of the options i think it would be good to discuss with them:

you can always always use the credit/no credit option after your grades come out, particularly for courses you won’t need for your program prerequisites. that may help you salvage your GPA. if you do consider applying the credit/no credit designation to a course, keep in mind that the deadline for fall courses is january 15, 2021.

you can also apply a late withdrawal designation to your courses until january 15, which might actually be a solid option for you. basically, an LWD just means that a course will show up on your transcript, but without a grade. it’s good for courses you’re failing. however, there are rules for applying LWDs. you can find those rules here. if i recall correctly, you do need to request LWDs through your registrar’s office, so you’ll have to discuss this with them anyway.

“it” being your registrar, lol.

apart from getting in touch with your registrar, there are two other supports i’d strongly recommend that you check out.

first, you should book an appointment with your learning strategist. you can do this through your registrar’s office as well. meeting with a learning strategist will help you figure out how to build better study habits and schedules, you can also talk to them about other things related to academic success, like efficient note-taking, staying motivated, and managing your time.

second, if you’re struggling with anxiety, you should look into either mySSP or health and wellness counselling. mySSP is available to you 24/7 wherever you are in the world—it’s essentially a way for you to get in touch with a counsellor either by appointment or immediately. this service is provided in a variety of different languages, and can be done by chat or phone. meanwhile, health and wellness is a good bet for you if you’re currently in ontario. you’ll be able to book appointments with a counsellor to help you manage your anxiety.

i struggle a lot with anxiety too, but seeing a counsellor through health and wellness during my second year helped me develop less harmful thought patterns, which in turn made my anxiety easier to deal with. think of accessing these mental health supports as an investment in your own wellbeing, and in your ability to withstand the various stresses of university. it’s definitely worth the time that it takes, trust me.

apart from that, here’s a quick list of other things i think might help you:
- if you’re struggling with assignments, you might benefit from visiting the writing centre or a math learning centre.
- if you’re seeking a sense of community, look into the student unions of your prospective programs, clubs at your college, or mentorship programs affiliated with either your program or college. university is so much easier when you’re doing it with people who are struggling, too.
- meet to complete sessions and study hubs are great for getting things done during the semester
i hope this helped! i’m really sorry this semester has been so rough for you. wishing you all the best in the winter, and you know where to find me if there’s anything else i can help with. wishing you a restful holiday break!

be Boundless,

aska
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admissions, colleges, scholarships/bursaries

i want to take a long nap

December 18, 2020

Hi! Could you explain how your college choice matters if you’re not in residence? Also, I keep hearing that scholarships can be divided by colleges. Which college is the best for scholarships? Thanks!

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hi!

so sorry it took me a while to get to this, my ask box is filled with students in distress right now and i’m the very slightest bit worried and overwhelmed lol.

college choice does still matter, to a certain extent, if you’re not in residence. your college will determine things like which registrar’s office you go to, which clubs you’re most likely to join (since colleges have clubs), and what your most immediate community is at u of t. think of a college like your university home base.

your college will also run your orientation, if that’s something that matters to you. innis is a dry orientation, whereas there’s plenty of drinking that happens after-hours during trin’s O-week. different colleges just have different character, y’know?

of course, if you’re not on res, you don’t technically have to interact with your college very much at all. you could totally carve out your own path and make, i don’t know, the biology student union your home base. if you’re a victoria college student, you don’t need to join vusac. and you don’t need to be a victoria college student to write for the strand. in other words, you can join a college club without being part of the college.

what i’m trying to say is that yes, colleges do kinda matter, but overall you’ll get to shape your own experience with how a college affects your university experience.

aight, let’s talk money now.

many scholarships are indeed divided by colleges. from what i’ve heard, trinity and victoria are the best for scholarships, since they tend to be more “prestigious” colleges with more donors, i guess? i’ve heard that st. mikes isn’t particularly great, scholarship-wise. but most colleges do have some kind of college-affiliated scholarships, whether those are in-course academic scholarships or leadership scholarships.

if scholarships are a major area of concern for you, i’d recommend that you look up the two or three colleges you’re most interested in and compare their info on scholarships. for example, here’s the vic page. you should be able to find the others by googling “[college name] u of t scholarships” or something along those lines. you’ll quickly be able to get a sense of how much money is offered at different places, and what you have to do in order to qualify for those funds.

i hope this answer finds you in time for your applications! wishing you all the best with uni apps, and i hope you have a wonderful (or at least tolerable) holiday break.

be Boundless,

aska

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failing, first year

you must be so tired

December 18, 2020

I’m a first year life science student at UTSG and to be honest I feel like a piece of trash. In the beginning of the term, I attended lecture, did my assignments, studied, and did the readings. But by mid October, I just broke down and couldn’t do anything. I felt stressed, overwhelmed, and motivated. All at once I just stopped studying and couldn’t do it anymore. I know I’m going to fail most of my courses. I just want to start next term on the right path. Any advice?

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hey friend,

i’m glad you reached out! things are so hard this year with online classes and all, and i can imagine first year is even harder because it’s normally already such a rough adjustment. it sounds like you started your first year on a really solid note, and hit a wall later on.

you’re absolutely not a piece of trash for hitting that wall. if you check out the recent posts on this blog (and the ones that are sure to come), you’ll see that lots of first years are in similar situations.

wise of you to come to the elders (lmao) for help. since i’ve been at this school a lil longer than you, i do have some advice for you that i hope will be of use.

something i had to learn the hard way in my first year is that you can’t get through uni alone. it helps so, so much to reach out to peers, make time for socials, and know where to find more professional help when you need it. here are some resources i regularly use (or have used in the past) that i think you might find helpful:

the registrar’s office

it’s common to deal with all sorts of academic challenges at u of t, and your registrar should be your first stop when you’re seeking help with those. an academic advisor there will be able to tell you what your options are moving forward, point you to useful resources, and just generally talk you through your situation. whenever i’ve had to make a hard degree-related decision, i’ve always found the support from the people at my registrar incredibly useful.

if you’ve never so much as interacted with your registrar before, here’s a lil guide i wrote up that might be useful.

learning strategists

you can book an appointment with a learning strategist by calling your registrar’s office. learning strategists are great for identifying any pitfalls in the way you currently approach your studies, and helping you strategize how to do better in the future. they can also help you improve your motivation to study, help you put together a study schedule, and advise you on efficient reading and note-taking.

i think that visiting a learning strategist early on next term will help you get off to a strong start! you can tell them about your situation and then the two of you will be able to devise a strategy for completing your winter semester.

health and wellness counselling, mySSP, and other mental health resources

the level of stress and overwhelm you’re describing indicates to me that academic resources aren’t going to be enough to really help you get back on your feet. it’s important to be attentive to your emotional and mental health needs as well, and that’s where supports like counselling and mySSP come in.

if you’ve never seen a counsellor, the first step (for me) was the hardest one: admitting i needed to go and figuring out how to do it. but i think it’s something everyone can benefit from, especially stressed-out students.

it’s really worrying to me that you broke down in october. i think you’d benefit from understanding how/why it happened, and how you can maybe prevent that in the future.

i dunno if that gif is the best fit here but i love how dorky and adorable it looks so it’s staying.

health and wellness counselling is available to you if you’re in ontario. you can book an appointment with an “on-location” counsellor (which basically means one affiliated with your division, ie. victoria college, the faculty of music, etc.). i think they’re doing appointments virtually or by phone right now. to my understanding, these counsellors usually offer short-term support (5 appointments) to help you meet a mental wellness goal.

mySSP is a virtual student support program that’s available wherever you are, 24/7, in a wide variety of languages. basically, a counsellor will support you (via phone or text) with the difficulties you’re experiencing, either by appointment or immediately.

if you think you might be interested in voice-call or video-call counselling but aren’t in ontario, you can always look into what your health insurance covers and seek out an non-u of t therapist.

apart from all that that, here are a few study tips from me! i found the adjustment to online schooling difficult too, but i was in school both summer semesters and i’m more used to things now. these are some of the things i wish i’d known earlier:

1. use a productivity app if your devices are distracting. i downloaded forest a little while ago, and i’ve really been enjoying the app. one of my main problems is scrolling through twitter and instagram when i should be studying, and forest blocks those apps out while letting me plant lil trees to represent my focused time! there are other good apps out there, too, if you do a google search.

2. study with friends (but the right ones). i’ve learned that hopping on a zoom call with a similarly stressed and overwhelmed friend can motivate me to study. this is my system for those virtual study sessions: we get on the call, chat for around 10-15 minutes, then set a timer for an hour and a half and mute ourselves. when the timer goes off, we check in with each other to make sure we were both productive. turning your camera on and screensharing helps, too— it’s the closest thing i’ve found to a library peer-pressure environment this year.

3. use a planner. this is a big one that really helps prevent me from getting overwhelmed. i use a monthly planner, so i can see all my deadlines well ahead of time and plan my study schedule out to prevent a crunch. it doesn’t solve all my problems with stress and overwhelm during the semester, but good planning and deadline management does help a little and maybe you’ll find that’s true for you too.

4. make time for rest.

if you’re overwhelmed, pushing yourself harder may actually be detrimental to your ability to do work. find out what refreshes you and block out space for it—you’re allowed to do things that make you feel like a human and not a homework machine. for me, playing among us with my friends and making sure i got enough sleep this semester made me feel like less of a pent-up ball of stress.

i know it seems like there’s not enough time in the day to finish your schoolwork, but i always find that the more tired i get, the less efficient i am. maybe it could be the same for you?

i hope this helped! i know the post was long, but i feel a little helpless when i get questions like these and want to make sure i give you the best, most in-depth advice i can. i’m really rooting for your success next semester—i hope you have a good, relaxing christmas break, because you deserve it.

be Boundless,

aska

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failing, first year, math

yerrrrrr!

December 15, 2020

Hi! I’m a first year looking to double major in IR/Econ. I am doing okay in my IR reqs, all things considered, but I am failing mat137, like, big time. I’ve spoken with a registrar, and I just want to know, in your experience, is it possible to recover in a full year course from failing in the first term? Or should I drop and retake in the summer? Also, do you know of any reputable tutors that could help, outside of the math learning centre?

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hello friend,

IR and econ! a classic combination. very aoc of you.

i’m glad you’ve spoken to your registrar— that’s always a smart move when you’re in a less-than-ideal academic situation. if you’re open to it, you might also consider booking an appointment with a learning strategist, who might be able to help you identify any challenges in the way that you currently study for math. you can then develop a plan with them to tackle those challenges.

i’m assuming that a recovery looks like a mark of 60+ in the course, since that’s what’s required for entry into the econ major? i can’t predict how easy it’s going to be to recover in a full year course if you’ve been failing the first term, since a lot of that will depend on how badly you’re failing and what the structure of the course looks like. if there’s more weight in the second half of the course than the first, there’s more hope for a recovery. what i can tell you with some certainty is that it’ll take a lot of hard work to recover, should you choose that path.

if i were you, assuming you don’t desperately need to devote your time and energy to other courses, i might stick it through for a few more months and see if things get better. you have until february 22 to decide whether you want to drop the course, and that’s some time from now.

you could also technically request a late withdrawal as late as may, which basically means that the course will appear on your transcript with a LWD notation instead of a failing grade. both of those are good options if you don’t think it’s possible for you to pass the course, although i think dropping is probably better than an LWD since the course won’t show up on your transcript at all.

unfortunately, i don’t actually know of any reputable tutors for u of t math. tutors will usually post their numbers on bulletin boards across campus, but alas, i’m not sure these are the times for that right now. you might try asking r/UofT on reddit, maybe? although i always warn people to take what they see there with a grain of salt, since r/UofT is a lil chaotic and sometimes unreliable.

best of luck! i really hope that you manage to turn things around. if you continue to struggle with this decision, you can always head back to the registrar, talk to upper years (if you know any), or seek out trusted friends/family for advice.

thank you for waiting for this answer—a ton of first years are struggling right now and i have a lot of stuff in my inbox to sift through. you’re certainly not alone in this.

if you’re not yet done your exams, i hope the rest of your semester goes well. otherwise, have a good and well-deserved holiday break! if you need me, i’ll be watching the heck out of dash and lily on netflix, because hey, if there was ever a year for a sappy unrealistic christmas series it’s this one. don’t roast me. haven’t we all reverted back to our twelve-year-old selves, anyway?

be Boundless,

aska

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academic standing, failing, first year

… so evermore is living rent-free in my head

December 15, 2020
Hi! I’m a first year life science student and pretty much I failed this term. My average for sure would be a 0 this fall term. I’m not sure what to do next? Will I be able to take courses next term or would I have to withdraw and re-enrol for 2021-2022 year and re-do first year? Would I be put on academic probation?

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hey there,

i know this term has been rough for a lot of first years, so i want you to know it’s all right to have had a ! not great ! time this sem. it’s bad enough being a first year, let alone being a first year during a global pandemic.

it’s good to look ahead, and you came to the right place with your question about what to do next. what i can tell you is that academic standing isn’t assessed until the end of fall/winter, meaning that you won’t be placed on academic probation just because of this semester. you won’t be forced to withdraw unless you get suspended.

so, as far as i know, you should be able to continue taking the courses you’re registered for next term (winter 2021). however, if you’re not able to pull your GPA up to at least a 1.50 by the end of fall/winter, you will unfortunately be looking at probation.

that sounds like a threat or a warning, which really isn’t the message i’m trying to send! it feels like my responsibility to explain how the system works, but i believe you can recover from this and i’m rooting for you all the way. do as taylor does and come back stronger than a ’90s trend.

in order to make sure you have the best shot at getting back on your feet, though, i’d really recommend that you reach out for some support. first year is hard, but it’s harder without help.

here are some things that have helped me in the past:
1. your registrar’s office should be your first stop. they’ll be able to help you understand your options, let you know about anything you should be aware of as you move forward, and perhaps refer you to more resources (or more appropriate resources) than i’m able to. please give them a call and book an appointment with an academic advisor! if you move forward with ONE of my recommendations from this post, i hope it’s this one.
2. book an appointment with a learning strategist, who will help you identify better study, productivity, and organization methods for your next semester. you can usually book one of these appointments by calling your registrar.
3. if you’re having trouble with papers, seek out your writing centre. the math help centres are great if your problems are more numerical (the page i linked you to gives you in-person addresses, but if you click the names of the offering divisions you’ll see virtual options).
4. seek out mental health help if you need it. i know a lot of students are struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns right now, which are making it SUPER difficult to get through the semester. i’m certainly one of those students. if you’re interested in what mental health resources are available to you, you can check out previous posts i’ve done on this subject, this u of t mental health site, or beacon (which is free if you’re in ontario).
5. reach out to your friends (or even chill acquaintances!!), and schedule virtual study sessions where y’all keep each other accountable. i started doing that at the beginning of december, and you wouldn’t believe how much it’s helped me.
6. look into mentorship programs within your program, college, or faculty. in my first year, it was really helpful for me to have an upper-year that i could ask about academics and university life. so much of success at u of t just comes from knowing how to navigate the school!
anyway, i’m not sure which of these resources you’ll find a good fit, and whether there’s something i didn’t mention that might help you more, which is why i really think you should call your registrar. try not to procrastinate too long on that, since the university does close on the 23rd!

other than that, i hope you have a good and restful holiday break, and that things get better next semester. let me know if there’s anything else i can help with.

be Boundless,

aska
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graduation

master is almost going to give dobby a diploma! dobby is almost free!

December 15, 2020

Hi! I’m a fourth year student that’s a bit confused… Can we request to graduate while we are still completing courses? For example, my last semester (as a full time student/taking 3 courses) will be Fall 2021. I finish the courses in December while Fall convocation is usually in November…Would I need to wait until all my courses are completed and request for June 2022 or is it okay to request for Fall 2021 while grades are still pending?

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hey there,

congrats on being so close! you’re almost to the end of your degree. very impressive.

to my understanding, you can request to graduate while you’re still completing courses. this is basically just based off personal experience: i know a lot of people who graduate in june of their fourth year, even if the deadline to request a june graduation is usually in january.

however, you can’t graduate while you’re still completing courses. so if your last semester at the school is fall 2021, your courses will be completed in december, which will block you from graduating in november of 2021. so you’ll likely need to request for a june 2022 graduation—which might not be so bad, right, because hopefully you’ll get an in-person convocation!

that’s all based on what i know. if you’d like to confirm this or talk it over with someone, give your registrar’s office a call! they should be able to answer this question pretty easily.

be Boundless,

aska

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admissions

could you be a little more vague?

December 9, 2020

When it says provide all academic history, for every school you attended. I was previous at a post-secondary institution for health sciences, fresh out of highschool, unfortunately due to mental health problems and a Concussion, I was left with a first year of a GPA between 2.8 and 3.1, Now 3 years later, I am at a different Institute studying Science and Engineering with a GPA of 4.175 and almost all high 90’s in each course. Will I have to apply for special consideration due to my bad 1st year?

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hello!

since i’m not really sure what you’re applying to, it’s really hard for me to answer this question, unfortunately!

my advice would be to get in touch with the admissions office of whatever program or institution you’re interested in, and see what they say. after all, some programs (if you’re talking about graduate school) will only really look at your last two years of studies.

sorry i can’t be more helpful! what i’ve heard is that (again, if you’re talking about graduate school) most applications will allow you to explain any anomalies in your academic record. for example, you could throw a sentence in about your rough first year in a personal statement. there’s no way to know for sure about this, though, unless you speak to someone in admissions.

anyway, i’m rooting for you and really proud of you for doing so well in your current program. your GPA is wildly high, and it looks like you’ve really bounced back from your challenges in first year.

if you’re not done your fall semester yet, best of luck with the rest of it!

be Boundless,

aska

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