Hello!
I’m a UTSC student studying political science and linguistics, and am looking to eventually earn language citations in Russian and Japanese, both of which only have advanced level courses at St. George (the courses required for the citations). I already spent my first two years of university in another program at UTSC, so once I get past 10 credits this semester I won’t be able to transfer. However, I would be fine with a UTSC undergrad and 2 citations, as long as I end up with a high proficiency in these languages. But I’m sort of unsure how to go about this process…
Should I graduate first and then pursue the citations? As a non-degree student I would be placed behind everyone else during course selection, so wouldn’t that basically make taking the courses virtually impossible?
If I take the courses during my undergrad, I would still be behind St. George students during course selection.
You seem pretty knowledgeable and not entirely devoid of human emotion, do you have any recommendations for me on how to study these languages at U of T? Are there more paths available to me that I haven’t mentioned? Any help would be appreciated!
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hey there,
so, i would recommend talking with the registrar’s office about this, because the language leaves a little bit of room for ambiguity.
the official rules as they’re written in the calendar say, “The Citation may be earned in any language, modern or ancient, in which there is sufficient advanced training at UTSC.” i ASSUME that what that means is that if there is not sufficient advanced training at UTSC, as in the case of Russian and Japanese, you wouldn’t be able to complete a language citation.
however, it may be possible for you to complete some of the courses for your UTSC language citation at another campus, so i would recommend that you just ask your registrar.
as for doing language citation when you’re a non-degree: not only would it be very hard to get into courses with your late start date, but – as with subject posts – it’s not something non-degrees can typically do. noting things on transcripts (like subject POSTs, language citations, etc.) only really happens while you’re in school for a degree, and retroactive adds are rare.
the only thing that automatically gets updated for non-degree students is GPA. you’re never safe from a low GPA. NEVER.
peace,
aska