I am a first year international student who bombed in-stream cs class so I’ll be kicked out of stream. I have anxiety disorder and this term has been too rough for me, especially due to not being able to make good connection with my classmates. I feel so sad I literally cry every time I think about it. Should I transfer to another university. Cuz I can not stay sane due to my workload. I was convinced myself that I’ll be super happy not being a cs major but now I see that cs is what I want to do
hey there,
really sorry to hear that things have been rough. the first thing that i’d urge you to do (if you haven’t already) is to visit your registrar or book an appointment with them – transferring is a big decision to make so it’d be best to get some personalized advice, and if you decide to stay at uoft, your registrar can help make sure you get the supports and accomodations you need.
the second thing is – rather specific, actually – if by chance you go to utsc, there might actually be a workaround for your case, because utsc cs stream students get a chance to redo first year cs courses for better grades to stay in the program (lucky you) – except for MATA31 (if that’s the course you did poorly on, well… unlucky you).
at utsg and utm, you’d have to reapply for cs programs from out-of-stream. in fact, if you’re at utm you’d only be eligible for the cs minor – the major and specialist are for cs stream students only.
if you decide to give this a shot, it’ll be really important to get on top of your game academically and sort out the kinds of things that went wrong last semester, for example by getting accomodations from accessibility services, mental health support, or taking fewer courses if you can.
honestly, considering the competitiveness of out-of-stream cs post, it’s going to be tough and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get in. if you decide to give it a try, i’d say that you should be prepared for the possibility of ending up in a non-cs program. for example, you could do a cs minor, which is typically less competitive, along with other majors/minors in different subjects. or you could look into cs-related programs like cognitive science at utsg, which does include a few csc courses and is also relatively less competitive.
if you’re sure that you’re really only interested in cs, you can definitely look into transferring. for example, there are plenty of other canadian university/colleges with cs programs that may accept transfer students. if you find a program that you meet the requirements for and also seems like a good fit, then i’d say go for it! i mean, sure, uoft’s got the ~clout and prestige~ but there are plenty of other unis with great cs programs that can also prepare you with the knowledge/experience you need.
i will say, even though uoft gets the reputation of being so hard compared other canadian unis, that’s not necessarily true. transferring gives you a second chance, but it won’t be a magic button to fix everything because chances are, cs is gonna be challenging at any school. so, regardless of where you end up, what’s really important is to reflect on your experiences and make sure to get all the skills, strategies and support systems you need.
all the best,
aska