Hello aska,
I’ve been worrying about colleges for a while now. The University of Toronto is my first choice. I really want to go there. It’s a dream for me. But I’m worried that I might not be accepted. My GPA is a 3.3 or 88.04. After this semester, it may go up, though. I’m working hard on that. I scored a 27 on my ACT and I did two SAT Subject tests in Literature and Math Level I. I got a 580 on the Literature test and I’m waiting for my score for the Math Level I exam. I know my SAT II score for Literature is low and I’m trying to see if I can change that. I have also been in the National Honor Society for the past two years and I have been on my school’s newspaper for three years. I am now an editor for the paper. I have volunteered in a hospital during the summers of my sophomore and junior year and I volunteered at my middle school during the summer of my freshman year. I have taken a college course and received credit for it. Now, my questions are:
1) Does the University of Toronto look at SAT II scores as much as they look at everything else?
2) Do they look at the extracurricular activities you have done throughout your high school career?
3) Do I have a good chance at getting in?
If this helps, I am interested in taking psychology. So, I guess that would be the life sciences program.
I also have questions about the University of Toronto in general. They are:’
1) Can I take a double minor?
2) Is the University of Toronto a fast-paced school or no? I want to go to a school that challenges me but I do not want to go to a school that teaches you a topic one day and then that is it.
3) Are the people there generally nice? =)
4) Is Toronto as fun as people say? I heard it’s a fun city and I want to learn but have fun at the same time.
Thank you for your help! =)
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First batch of questions:
1) I’m sorry. I don’t know. I just know they do look at SAT II scores.
2) No. The Faculty of Arts and Science does not look extra-curricular activities at al (unless you are applying to commerce). However, you seem to have some spectacular extra-curricular activities. One possible idea is to write a letter to admissions and awards highlighting your non-academic strengths and mail it in with your application. Who knows? It could be the deciding factor in the application.
3) I would say so, especially if you manage to pull up your lit score and get a good score for the math one, but the last time I checked, I’m not an admissions officer. *checks wallet* yup, I’m still broke, so that means I’m still a student. Sorry, I’m not going to be of much help with your first batch of questions – hopefully I can help you more in the second part.
Second batch:
1) Yes, you can definitely take a double minor. You can take up to 3 programs at the UofT, with no more than 2 of them being specialists or majors. That means you could have 1 major and 2 minors, or 1 specialist program with 2 minors.
2) That’s hard to say. I think the pace of each course depends on the material of the course itself. I’ve taken some courses where the profs actually cram as much as they can in one lecture, and I’ve taken courses that just seem to drift along at a leisurely pace. UofT isn’t a pressure-cooker like the pretentious Oxbridge, but ultimately, it will challenge you. The Faculty of Arts and Science here is so flexible that you can really choose courses to be at just the right level of difficulty. For instance, if you feel that taking 5 courses is too easy, go ahead and take a 6th. If you feel that taking 5 courses too hard, add a bird course. If you feel that your psych degree is too easy, go ahead and combine it with another major in, say, cell biology or history or economics or chemistry or equity studies. (Here’s a list of all the programs available at UofT.) Or challenge yourself by joining some extra-curricular activities that require a lot of commitment and involvement.
3) Well, I think so. There are jerks everywhere, but people here are generally nice people. Some people say that the big campus causes people to feel isolated, but you could mitigate this by, say, joining some extra-curricular activities. (I’m getting deja vu. Didn’t I just say this?)
4) Toronto is no Paris, but overall it’s a vibrant city with a decent amount of places to explore (though there are no must-see landmarks if you know what I mean, except for maybe Niagra Falls). Being a city that prides itself on its diversity we also have a lot of good, non-American-style restaurants. I’d advise you to visit Toronto first though, if you don’t live too far.
Hope this helps.