Hello! I’m in my second semester of 11th grade and I recently bumped UofT to my top choice school. Problem is I did really poorly in functions this year (low 60s), I plan on applying to life sciences (biodiversity and conservation biology). The requirements are English, Bio and Calculus. I’m getting a tutor this summer and shooting for low-mid 80s in Calc next year. Is it likely that I could be accepted? Or should I just apply to Humanities and try switching into life sci if I get accepted?
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hi there,
it’s great to hear that you’re hoping to come to u of t!
i struggle to answer questions like this because i’ve never been inside the admissions process, and what i do know about admissions from research is quite vague.
if you’ve taken functions 11 and are seeking to do better in calculus 12, you may want to note that u of t does consider grade 11 marks for life sciences admissions if grade 12 ones aren’t available. however, i’m not 100% sure how much of an equivalent functions is for calculus. and i can never really assess the likelihood of someone’s acceptance based on a partial account of their academic record — i get a lot of questions like yours, and unfortunately can’t give people the answers they want.
for a better answer, i’d recommend that you speak with someone from admissions. i’ve linked their contact info here. i’d ask them whether a midterm mark in calculus 12 would be considered with enough weight that they wouldn’t look at your functions 11 mark. i’d also ask what they think about applying to humanities and switching to life sciences later. i guess that’s kind of like using a back door into the admissions process — to me, it doesn’t sound like a bad idea, but i wouldn’t be surprised if there are some complications. so just check that over with someone who’d know better.
good luck with your tutor lessons this summer! i hope that goes well.
be Boundless,
aska