Hello!!
I am a first year student. I plan on majoring in English and Sociology. I have a couple of questions:
What is Type 1,2,3 program? From what I understand type 1 program does not have any requirements. And does English and Sociology fall under any of those programs?
If English and sociology does fall under type 1 program that means that I do not have to worry about anything hopefully.
Can I enrol in my english or sociology major now or in second year?
Also how fast can i graduate? I am currently enrolled in 5 course. I plan on taking however much courses I am allowed in the summer.
Lastly, one of my friend told me about UTAPS. I will be receiving OSAP this year. Will i be eligible for UTAPS. And (if so, i hope so) when will I know if i am getting UTAPS?
Thank you
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hello eager first year!!!
since your question is in multiple parts, i will be answering in multiple parts.
1. program types
the program type basically indicates what the entry requirements are for that specific program. type 1 programs have no special requirements. type 2 programs require specific courses and/or grades in those courses and type 2L programs are programs with a limited amount of spots. type 3 programs require specific courses and have a limited number of spaces. some type 3 programs might require additional information (an application, an interview, etc). check out this link for more info.
according to the program listings, english is a type 1 program and sociology is a type 2L program.
2. enrolling in the majors
you don’t need to enrol in a POSt (program of study) until you’ve earned at least 4.0FCE (full credit equivalents). this is usually at the end of your first year.
for english, you will just need to add the program during the program enrollment dates and you will automatically be added to the major–easy peasy lemon squeezy.
for sociology, you will need to have a minimum of 65% in SOC101Y or an average of 65% in a combination of SOC102 + SOC103, SOC102+SOC150, SOC103+150, or SOC100+150. once you’ve completed that requirement, you will request the program on ACORN during the request period, and then wait for the response. if you are accepted, you will see an “invitation” to the program that you will need to accept to be officially in the major. keep in mind that because sociology is a 2L program, it means that just meeting the minimum requirement may not get you into the program.
check out this link for more detailed information about enrolling in programs.
3. how fast can you graduate
if you take 5.0FCE every year, you should graduate in 4 years (5 FCE x 4 years= the 20 FCE needed to graduate). if you take the maximum number of summer courses (2.0FCE) every year, you could graduate a little earlier (ie. if you were supposed to graduate june 2022, you can graduate november 2021). basically, that would look like this:
5FCE (fall/winter 2018-19) + 2FCE (summer 2019)
+ 5FCE (fall/winter 2019-20) + 2FCE (summer 2020)
+ 5FCE (fall/winter 2020-21) + 1FCE (summer 2021)
= 20 FCE needed to graduate for november 2021.
keep in mind, however, that summer courses move super super quickly and it isn’t a really good idea to take the max amount of summer courses– especially since you’ll be coming straight from a full year’s worth of school. personally, i can’t fathom the idea of three years straight of school– i need my downtime!
another option that you could look into is taking 6.0FCE (the absolute maximum amount of credits) per year. again, keep in mind that u of t courses are super intense and a lot of students actually take less than 5.0 because of how heavy the workload can be. it might be a good idea to see how first year goes and then decide if you wanna take a heavier course load (either in the summer or in the year after).
4. UTAPS
if you’re receiving OSAP, you will be automatically assessed for UTAPS. you can use their online estimator to see if you’re eligible and how much you could potentially receive.
according to the financial aid website, UTAPS is first applied to your balance on ACORN and any extra is sent to your bank account. it doesn’t say when you will receive the UTAPS if you are eligible.
i would get in touch with enrolment services, the financial aid office on campus, for more information.
phew, that’s a TON of information.
i hope this helps! good luck, young one.
xoxo,
aska