• taxes

    this is what the utsu tax clinic is for

    April 30, 2021

    hello! it’s that time of the year again–tax time! i’m a first year currently and i’m completely lost on what “unused tuition transfers” are. i wasn’t employed in 2020 and the only “income” i received are the CESB and OSAP, but i don’t know if i have unused tuition or if i should transfer it to my parents. do you know anything about that? thanks! 🙂

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    hey there,

    i know today is tax day, so sorry for cutting it so close to the deadline! i literally just emerged out of a pile of finals an hour ago, and am back on here doling out advice.

    i’m really not qualified to be a tax consultant, but i can try. this is what the CRA says about tuition transfers, including unused tuition transfers.

    this turbotax explanation is also helpful, even a bit clearer:

    “As a non-refundable credit, if the tuition amount is greater than the tax owed, the non-refundable credit can only be used to reduce or eliminate the student’s federal/provincial tax bill but won’t generate a refund. If you aren’t able to use the full amount of the credit, any unused credits can be carried forward to a future tax year, or transferred to a spouse/common-law partner or parent/grandparent.”

    “Unused tuition credits calculated on Schedule 11 can be transferred to qualifying relatives. Spouses and common-law partners, parents and grandparents — including those of your spouse or partner — can be designated for all or part of the transferred amount.”

    so it seems like, if you have a low income and aren’t owing much tax, claiming your tuition fees won’t do much in terms of getting you a refund. so the portion of your tuition that you can’t use to get credit then becomes “unused,” and you can transfer up to $5000 of that “unused” amount to a relative.

    in the future, if you need help with taxes i’d recommend checking out the utsu’s tax clinic. a lot of students don’t know this resource exists, but accessing it will get you free one-on-one help with a student volunteer who’s trained with these things! much more reliable advice than mine, imo.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions

    back door entry

    April 19, 2021

    Hello! I’m in my second semester of 11th grade and I recently bumped UofT to my top choice school. Problem is I did really poorly in functions this year (low 60s), I plan on applying to life sciences (biodiversity and conservation biology). The requirements are English, Bio and Calculus. I’m getting a tutor this summer and shooting for low-mid 80s in Calc next year. Is it likely that I could be accepted? Or should I just apply to Humanities and try switching into life sci if I get accepted?

    ——————————————
    hi there,
    it’s great to hear that you’re hoping to come to u of t!
    i struggle to answer questions like this because i’ve never been inside the admissions process, and what i do know about admissions from research is quite vague.
    if you’ve taken functions 11 and are seeking to do better in calculus 12, you may want to note that u of t does consider grade 11 marks for life sciences admissions if grade 12 ones aren’t available. however, i’m not 100% sure how much of an equivalent functions is for calculus. and i can never really assess the likelihood of someone’s acceptance based on a partial account of their academic record — i get a lot of questions like yours, and unfortunately can’t give people the answers they want.
    for a better answer, i’d recommend that you speak with someone from admissions. i’ve linked their contact info here. i’d ask them whether a midterm mark in calculus 12 would be considered with enough weight that they wouldn’t look at your functions 11 mark. i’d also ask what they think about applying to humanities and switching to life sciences later. i guess that’s kind of like using a back door into the admissions process — to me, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but i wouldn’t be surprised if there are some complications. so just check that over with someone who’d know better.
    good luck with your tutor lessons this summer! i hope that goes well.
    be Boundless,
    aska
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  • one programs,  UTM

    do it!!!

    April 19, 2021

    Hello! I have been invited to apply to utmOne Scholars. Do you have any experience in these type of courses? Do you know if they are more difficult in grading? Thank you 🙂

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    hey there,

    i’ve never been in the utmONE scholars program, but i was in a similar first year seminar program at st. george. based on my own experience with courses like the ones utmONE offers, i’d really recommend that you apply.

    small first-year seminars are the best investment you can make in your transition from high school to university. because of the class size, you get to know your profs and classmates much better, and have far more meaningful support in your learning. your coursework is more likely to be experiential or creative, too, which is always a plus given the heavy academic workload of first-year. the first-year seminars i took absolutely changed the course of my degree and i owe so much to having taken them.

    however, i can’t say whether utmONE classes are graded harder than other utm courses. when i took special first-year seminars at st. george, i found that they were graded much easier than my large first-year introductory lectures. it looks like utmONE has more of an intentional research focus than the seminars i took, though, so i’m not sure how that’d affect the grading system. if you have specific concerns, this webpage lists an email address that you can contact with further questions. you can try sending them a message!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • criminology,  subject POST

    crime specialist!

    April 15, 2021

    Hello, I wonder if an 80 average in required courses will get me into the crime specialist!

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    hey there,

    crime specialist!

    if you’re referring to the criminology specialist program under arts and science at st. george, then it unfortunately doesn’t look like an 80 average in required courses will get you past admission.

    the faculty of arts and science calendar indicates that 80% is actually just the cutoff to be considered for admission. to make it into the program, you’ll likely need a higher average in CRI205, CRI210, and CRI225. but as that entry average changes each year, i won’t be able to tell you what it’ll be.

    sorry i can’t provide you with any concrete assurances. i hope this helps clarify things, though!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • one programs

    aska has not taken every course at u of t

    April 15, 2021

    Vic One (Stowe-Gullen) vs Trin One (Biomedical health) vs SMC One (Gilson – Faith and Rome)? How are they graded/assessed? What is it like to be a student in each? Is there a place I can go to find current students for SMC and Vic One?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    unfortunately, i’ve haven’t taken these classes personally, so i’m not able to give you a complete rundown! i’m also not sure how they’re graded because i’ve never seen the syllabi.

    here are a few ideas of things you can try to get more information:

    1. get in touch with the program coordinator who oversees each course: victoria one, trinity one, and smc one. you can ask them if they’re able to pass on past syllabi or even put you in touch with previous students. i’d be surprised if a program coordinator doesn’t know a person or two that they can reach out to.
    2. check out the videos on this webpage if you haven’t already — there are a few student and instructor testimonies that might help you
    3. if none of those work out, you can also try contacting the student unions of each college with a ones program that you’re interested in. there’s a chance they’ll have someone on their team that’s been in the relevant ones class. here’s the contact info for vusac, st. mike’s, and the tcm. i can’t guarantee that you’ll get a response since it’s finals season, but it’s worth a try.

    good luck making your decision! i hope i was able to point you in the right direction.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • colleges,  innis,  Transferring

    innis LOVES you

    April 2, 2021

    Hi! I was just wondering, is it possible to switch colleges? I’m a first year in Vic right now, and I find that the resources (i.e. the writing centre) is much better at Innis. Just not sure if this is possible though. Thank you.

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    hey there,

    it is in fact possible to switch colleges! if you check out this webpage, click the “new students” drop down menu, and look for the “can i switch my college affiliation?” question, you’ll find the info about that there.

    the tl:dr of it is that you have to submit a letter to the registrar explaining why you want to transfer colleges. i’ve heard that these transfers aren’t easily granted, so make sure the reasons you cite are legitimate.

    i’d actually recommend giving the registrar’s front desk a call, so you can briefly explain some of your reasons and ask for advice on drafting the letter. you might be more successful that way.

    i hope this helps, and good luck with transferring should you choose to move forward!

    be Boundless,
    aska

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