October, 2025 - askastudent

admissions,  applying for U of T,  getting into U of T,  life science

running to labs vs running drills

October 28, 2025

hi aska,

i’m a current grade 12 student in ontario and i would consider myself to be a pretty good student (taking all APs, usually get pretty good grades, on top of homework, etc. etc.). however, i also play volleyball and it definitely does affect my ability to actually focus on certain subjects, of which i have found mostly to be math.

i’m applying to uoft life science (first choice on OUAC, i REALLY want to get in) and i’m a bit scared because i’m not doing very well in data management (current average after 2 quizzes + a test is 81), and i know it’s not a prereq but i’m still worried.  for context, my overall grade 11 average last year was a 91% (including fast-tracked comp sci and advanced functions).  i got a 97 in G11 AP English, 92 in G11 functions, 89 in G11 AP Bio, 87 in G11 chemistry, 87 in advanced functions, and 90 in G12 comp sci.

starting out this semester, i have bio and english, and i think i can project myself doing pretty well in those.

so, my question is: what is the likelihood of someone with my grades getting into uoft life science? what would be an average i should aim for? how can i ensure i get into uoft?

should i just apply to rmc at this point ?

Thanks!

heyyo,

wellllll I’ve never been to rmc and don’t know anyone who goes there, but im willing to guess that life at utsg life sci is quite a bit different than at rmc. for instance, i have yet to hear of a life sci student who has been forced to do obstacle courses at 7am in order to get their degree. but hey, maybe i just haven’t talked to enough life sci kids yet…

to answer your actual questions though:

the recommended average for life sci admission varies depending on the campus. that’s right, you can take life sci at all three uoft campuses. I don’t know which one you’re at (guys, PLEASE tell me what campus you’re talking about!!), so i took the liberty of doing a bit of research for all of them. so generous, i know.

at utsg (the downtown campus), the approx admission range is mid to high 80s. at utsc it depends on the specific programs you’d wanna do but they’re mostly mid-high 70s, and at utm there’s no grade requirements for life sci specifically but the general requirement is an average of 75%. so i’ll let you make assumptions about that.

also, a quick side note in case you didn’t know about it already: some programs within the life sciences category require certain classes in high school. i would very very very much highly recommend that you look through all the programs listed in the table on this website to make sure you’re taking the classes you’ll need to get into any programs you might be into. there’d be nothing worse than wanting to apply to, like, the pharmaceutical chemistry program but oops! you didn’t take grade 12 physics.

thank me later.

so as for how you can ensure that you get in — life sci is a grades-only admission category, so really the best thing you can do is maintain your good grades.

now as for balancing school with volleyball, it’s of my personal opinion that having something fun outside of academics is almost always a good thing. i think it boosts your mood, can prevent burnout, and if it’s a team sport like what you’re doing it can keep up your social relationships. i mean, if i didn’t have a life outside of academics, i wouldn’t be writing to you right now. and how sad would that be?

however, if you find that it’s really distracting you and having a negative impact on your schoolwork, talk to your guidance counselor and/or coach to see what you can figure out together. if you really feel like you need a bit of a break from volleyball you could try telling your coach, but i would personally never recommend fully dropping out of a sport or ec that makes you happy unless your academics are in really dire straits. which yours are not!

keep up your great work so far, and best of luck with your application! i hope you’ll be running to your labs at uoft this time next year, and not running drills at rmc (unless you decide you’re into that).

cheers,

aska

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academic success,  criminology,  UTM

go get that crim

October 27, 2025

I’m writing my second test today for criminology and honestly I’m traumatized after the first ever term test I took for any course came out as a 68 and I’m just worried about how it’ll affect my POSt. I also have no idea what study strategies work best so I can maintain 80-85 in my classes.

heyyo,

aw, i’m really sorry to hear that you weren’t feeling great after that test :/

it’s totally normal to be disappointed, AND it was only your first test — so as difficult as it is, don’t be too hard on yourself.

the good news is that trying to figure out what study methods are good for you is exactly what you’re supposed to be doing! so here’s how i can help you with that:

i did a bit of digging, and from what you told me i think you’re at utm? i’m also guessing based on the info about the program you wanna go into that it’s criminology, law, and society. the website tells me that the only courses you need to get in are:

1) ISP100, and

2) a final mark of at least 67% in SOC100 OR a final mark of at least 70% in both SOC109 (the course i think you’re talking about?) and one 0.5 credit course in sociology at the 200 level or above

although it says it can change each year, you will indeed need at least a 2.0 GPA to be considered, which is equivalent to a C average or 63-66%.

there’s a smaaaalll chance you could be aiming for the utsg program, but i think your description fits better with the utm one. still, i dropped the link to that program page in the off chance my sleuthing failed me.

(oh, and ps: tell me what campus you’re at or you may not get the answer you want! i’m very wise but unfortunately i can’t read your mind through the internet. yet).

based on all that program info, if you were able to get a 68 on your first test, please be SO far from giving up hope! you’re very very close to where you wanna be.

if you wanna get some good advice or tips on how to study more effectively to get those grades up to the 80-85 you want, i think i found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when it comes to UTM study resources. if you can imagine that as a rainbow.

please meet: the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre website.

in this pot of gold, you can find info on a whole bunch of programs and workshops, and if you’d rather stay in your room and sit behind a computer (same), you can peruse a ton of videos and articles about every academic skill you could imagine.

and if all else fails, you can also book a personalized appointment at the centre so you can get your specific questions answered.

i hope this helps! you’ve got this 🙂

now go get that crim

cheers,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, engineering, getting into U of T

entering the hallowed halls

October 15, 2025

Hello, I have a question. I’m currently a gr 11 student. i didn’t really care about my grades or study at all. I have an 80 average I know won’t cut it for university. I want to go to UofT Mechanical Engineering. I have amazing ecs, 500+ hours volunteer, intern 4 months, DECA 4 years, STEM 2 years. I can easily get 97+ in gr 12 but I’ve been told they look at gr 11 for consistency which I don’t have so I’m unsure if I can make it in.

heyyo,

i’m far from an expert on engineering admissions but luckily for both me and you, there is a LOT of info about them online. plenty from official sources (check out the ones i link for you!), or, if you are so inclined, you can enter the hallowed halls of reddit to read about the experiences of the applicants before you.

oh, and there’s quite a bit on the lovely site you’re already on, too (shameless self-advertising, i know i know).

anyways, for now i will save you a bit of time sorting through all that info and give you the important stuff:

so i’m gonna assume that you’re an ontario high school student. if you’re out of province but in canada, see here for the requirements. if you’re international, check here.

now if you are indeed a student in ontario, according to the admission faqs, you need to have an average of about high 80s to low 90s to be competitive for mechanical engineering. it’s important to note that when grade 12 final marks aren’t available yet, admissions will look at your grade 11 prerequisites to help calculate your average. they also consider your individual grade 11 and 12 courses along with the average.

you’re right that extracurriculars are important for engineering admissions. according to the admission faqs, you’ll have a chance to write about your experiences and submit a personal profile. part of that personal profile involves recording yourself answering questions. i do believe that there are workshops that can help you prep for that part of your application, but i couldn’t find any available at the moment. i did, however, find a site which lists some upcoming events for hopeful engineers. keep your eyes peeled!

my advice for what you can do right now is to start getting some help from teachers and guidance counselors. ask your teachers for more feedback so you know what skills you can work on. and my friend, i am very sorry to be the one to inform you of this tragedy, but if you wanna go to uoft, you will have to start studying.

i know, i know, it’s all quite upsetting. but you can start now by doing some research on study tips (there’s SO MUCH out there, google is your friend), and asking your guidance counselor if you want some more personalized advice.

and one last thing: 100% keep aiming for mech eng, but there are also other programs at uoft (and at other unis, forgive me for being a bit traitorous) that you would probably find cool too! check out all of the programs that the math and physical sciences admission category at uoft’s st george campus can lead you to, or browse more options at uoft’s mississauga and scarborough campuses. oh, and there’s always the other programs within the faculty of engineering.

best of luck with applying to uoft next year! enjoy the rest of high school!!

cheers,

aska

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fraternities & sororities, greek life, partying

the frat house rental market be booming

October 10, 2025

Hi! I was wondering if i can rent a frat house for a Halloween party this year, I’m thinking November 1st

heyyo,

soooo it seems like you are far from the only one to be curious about whether frats will let you host a party in their houses! because i actually just got a question from someone else about basically the same thing. so I’ll refer you to that post for a more detailed response. apparently it’s a hot rental market for frats at the moment!

a lot of people want to be the reverse ned flanders.

i was able to do a little bit more sleuthing for you, though! I dmed all of the frats listed here that were active on instagram. unfortunately no one got back to me at the time of this writing 🙁

however, i do suspect that some of these frats may have been a littttle bit less willing to respond to poking questions about house parties from a uoft-affiliated account. i would recommend that you give it a try yourself, since i imagine you would be a lot less intimidating than moi.

so i would say to give that a shot. i hope it goes well for you! i’m sure you’ll have an absolutely raging party, which aska here will sadly not be attending because they have two midterms right after reading week. thrilling, i know.

cheers,

aska

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course conflicts, courses

course conflict? yuck

October 9, 2025
I signed up for a year course and a winter course. The year course is required for my major, and the winter course for my minor. The issue is, the tutorials for my winter course are only happening on one day, and during the time that my year course lecture is happening. I don’t want to drop and delay either of them. Is there a chance they’ll add a tutorial on a different time/date?

heyyo,

what a tricky situation, but one that is sadly probably all too common at uoft. i love how much choice we have with programs here but oh my GOSH it makes planning hard.

ok, so after much research, i have formulated a very non-evil and very much uoft-sanctioned master plan for you.

first of all, to answer your question directly: to the best of my knowledge, tutorials are typically only added when all the available ones are full.

so, there is a chance!

however, it is still just a chance, and since most people will have enrolled in classes in the summer, it’s a pretty small chance.

so here is what i would advise you to do:
1. check on ACORN to see if there’s another lecture section that works with your schedule, which often is the case with bigger classes. some classes have tutorials that you can only take if you’re in a certain lecture section.
2. if you aren’t already enrolled in the max course load (3.0 credits) next semester, enroll in a backup class (or go on a waitlist) that works with your schedule, preferably one that fulfills your minor requirements. that way, in case your currently planned winter course doesn’t work out, you can keep working towards that degree of yours.
3. KEEP CHECKING ACORN!!! even if you enroll in a backup course, check back periodically to see if more sections of the course you really wanna take have been added.
also, I’m not going to sit here and ignore the possibility of taking the winter course but either

a) skipping part of the lecture of your year-long course, or

b) skipping tutorial for your winter course

because it is a possibility. just not a great one. it really really depends on your situation, because for most classes you have to attend both lecture and tutorial. you’re also more likely to have exams scheduled at the same time (bad) and if there is mandatory participation in either class, your prof/TA has no obligation to help you make up those marks.

i would say avoid this scenario at all costs. don’t skip class. a little bird told me that bad things may follow.

hint hint.

if you’re still in a tricky situation and my sage wisdom fails you, please please please go talk to your registrar’s office (see here for utsg, here for utm, and here for utsc)! they will probably have even better advice than your humble aska (gasp!) and they have access to a lot more of the behind-the-scenes stuff than I do.

i hope this helped and that you can get your classes sorted out! best of luck, soldier.

cheers,

aska
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