• biology,  wait list

    “english or biology?” is like saying “lotion or paint?”

    May 10, 2023

    Hi aska, its me again (UTSC transfer) and I was also considering the Conservation EEB to take with PoliSci, but the only summer course offered is BIO120 first subsession (emailed bio120 office and they said I could take it even without gr 12 bio), what are my chances of getting past the waitlist? EEB125 is also only offered in the fall, do you think I could catch up and still graduate in 4 years or should I just go with English as my second major? Tysm

    hi bestie,

    i see you’re back.

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    for your own sake, i don’t think it makes sense to settle for English if it’s not your first choice—English and Conservation Biology are very different majors (as if you don’t already know that). and, as i said before, catching up from an 80% course load in first year is very doable. while some of your EEB courses aren’t offered in the summer, there are so many course options to earn credits from. taking EEB125 in the fall is perfectly fine, as lots of people take their program’s first year courses after first year.

    in terms of BIO120, the general rule of thumb about waitlists is that about 10% of people will drop the course (not to mention the people who will drop from the waitlist). from a quick check of the artsci timetable, i can see that BIO120 has 189 spots this summer, so as long as you’re in the top 19-ish of the waitlist, you’ll most likely get in. so no need to worry, you’ll be fine. after all, this isn’t ticketmaster or the eras tour we’re dealing with here.

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    i hope this is helpful, sending encouragement and good vibes!

    over and out,

    aska

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  • academic offense,  chatgpt

    chatGPT? more like chatGPTea

    May 8, 2023

    Hi, I as just accused of using chatgp for an assingment worth 5%. I had two draft’s open. Before I submitted I went downstairs and they were left unattended. Someone had gone upstairs and had messed with them. When I came back the document was already downloaded but I didn’t think much of it and submitted. I have messages with the person who indirectly confesses to messing with it. They case is going to the chair and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want this to drag on.

    hey there,

    first of all, omg???? i’m sorry that happened to you, that seems like some emotional damage.

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    second, to answer your question. to be honest, the best thing i can tell you is that you should probably go see your registrar about this. book an appointment with an academic advisor there. it will be super helpful because:

    1. they are professionals and have lots of experience with this
    2. they can provide you with strategies, resources, and support
    3. they can’t use anything you say against you!!
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    you can also consult UofT’s downtown legal services clinic for free legal advice during this—they have experience advising students on academic offence cases.

    so you’ve said that your case has already gone to the chair, which is “Level 2” of the academic offence process. at this point, what happens next depends on when you admit to the offence (i don’t know if you’ve done that yet). because if you don’t admit to it, your case can go further up to the dean or the tribunal. if you’re worried about what might happen to you, don’t worry, you shouldn’t be suspended or have any serious sanctions, since your assignment was only 5%. a possible consequence for assignments worth less than 10% is receiving a mark of zero for the assignment. also, showing remorse for the offence can have an impact on the sanctions you receive.

    over and out,

    aska

     

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  • credits,  polisci,  transfer credits,  Transferring

    ur not special (said in solidarity)

    May 5, 2023

    Hi aska, I’m a transfer student from UTSC and I only took 4 credits thinking it was full time but apparently 5 credits is full time — im gonna take some courses for english and PoliSci in the summer (I took POL101 and 106 to make the FCE) so I can get into the Polisci post and get access to 200 level English courses. I’m planning to take summer courses for my whole 4 years — would it be possible for me to graduate in 4 years even with the transfer (and credits that are now just extra/breadth) and the only 80% courseload in year 1? Thanks!

    hi bestie,

    trying to graduate in 4 years after taking an 80% courseload in first year? sorry bro, but. you’re not special.

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    i think you have a chance here, assuming i understand your situation right and haven’t lost my marbles yet. overall, you need to check off completion requirements in two areas to graduate: degree requirements, and program requirements. using degree explorer is a great way to check your current status on the requirements in both of these areas.

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    technically, 4 credits per year is a full time course load, since 3 is the minimum to be a full time student according to the academic calendar. but, it’s true that it is recommended to take 5 credits per year to complete the minimum of 20.0 credits within 4 years. with that said, i know several people who take 4 credits during the school year and then take 1 credit during the summer to make up for it, adding up to 5 credits per year. depending on how many courses you take, it could be possible to complete 20 credits by your fourth year—during the summer, there is a max of 1 credit (2 courses) per term, so you could complete 2 credits through the 2 summer terms. if you do that each summer as you’re planning to, that would help a lot.

    meanwhile, you should also keep track of what courses you need to complete for your polisci program. here, i can’t give you specific advice since i don’t know what courses you’ve taken towards your degree.

    overall, it’s hard for me to say anything definite on your situation since your timeline here is a bit unclear and i’m not sure how many transfer credits you have. i would highly recommend that you visit your registrar to get a more specific answer, and spend some time mapping things out with them.

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    over and out,

    aska

     

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