• subject POST

    don’t do two undergrads for the love of all that is good

    April 6, 2015

    Hello 🙂 I’m a firstyear LifeSci student, but I’m really interested in language/linguistics as well. I’m having a bit of trouble of figuring out how to balance the two out, though. I was wondering if I were to do a linguistics minor for this bachelor’s degree, it is possible to get another bachelor’s degree with a linguistics major & use some of the courses from my 1st degree so that I don’t have to repeat courses? Is there any way for me to use courses from a previous degree at all? Thanks!

    ???????????????

    hey there,

    i get it;?you’re young. all your bones don’t yet ache. your life is stretching out ahead of you and you’re thinking, “yeah! two bachelor’s degrees sounds?totally reasonable!” and yes, some people have a change of heart at the end of their first undergrad and decide to do a second, and more power to them.

    however, there is a way to do life sci and linguistics without having to spend eight years at this school. and THAT is the path an old codger like ME would recommend. consider the magic of: a double major.

    i don’t know what life sci program in particular you’re looking at, but most majors require 7 or 8 credits. linguistics requires 7.0 FCEs. that means that you only need to complete 15.0 FCEs max to finish a double major in linguistics and something else – and that’s likely including a whole bunch of first-year courses i’m guessing you took this past year (i’m thinking CHM138+9, BIO120+130, MAT135+6, etc.).

    i don’t know your exact situation, so it may not be possible for you to do the double major, but i would look into it. even if you had to take a fifth year to complete both majors, that would be more efficient, time- and money-wise, than doing two bachelor’s degrees.

    technically, you?could do a minor in linguistics in your first degree and a major in a?second degree, as long as you weren’t graduating with the same degree both times (i.e. a bachelor in arts and a bachelor in arts, or a bachelor in science and a bachelor in science) (see “Admission of External Students to a Second Degree Program“).

    however, it would be a lot easier to do the minor, graduate, and then come back as a special student and just pick up the 3.0 additional FCEs you’d need to complete the linguistics major.

    FINALLY, one more caveat to all this second degree and special student stuff: these are the rules as they stand NOW, but they could change in the three years it’ll take you to graduate, so take all of this with a grain of salt.

    i know that’s a lot to consider.?if you need more help, please feel free to book an appointment with your college registrar’s office, ’cause they’re super helpful with this kinda stuff.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    ethics, society & PLEASE LET ME INTO THIS PROGRAM (law)

    April 6, 2015

    Hi,

    Would it be possible to enroll in a category 3 subject post (Ethics Society and Law) after second year? The web site says it will be determined by a case-by-case basis but what do you think my chance are like? This may be really broad and subjective, but thought i’d just throw it out there.

    Thanks!

    ???????????????

    hey there,

    it all depends on whether you’ve met (and how much you’ve exceeded) the?requirements. unfortunately, as i don’t know 1) what your transcript looks like and 2) i’m not on the admissions committee for this major, i can’t really give you a great idea of your chances of getting in.

    what you can do is?contact the program director at?jduncan ( at ) trinity ( . ) utoronto ( . ) ca. he’ll?likely have more information about your chances of getting in at this stage, or he’ll be able to pass you onto the person who does.

    sorry i don’t know more, my friend, but i don’t want to discourage/encourage you falsely, you know? aska only deals in straight-up truths. good luck with your application!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • courses,  enrollment

    sign up now, meet requirements later

    April 6, 2015

    So, I’m a first year UTM, student and long story short I pulled a complete 180 on what I want to major in, so I’m taking the first year courses for it this summer and I won’t be done until the 2nd half of summer session. My question is, can I sign up for 2nd year courses in June before I’ve finished the prerequisite courses, just so the ones I want to get into don’t reach max enrollment? Or will ROSI deny me come sign up time? Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you can totally sign up for courses before you’ve completed the prerequisites! if you think about it, that’s what happens every time a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed first-year signs up for PHY131H1 and PHY132H2 in August (and then regrets it. for a long, long time. or maybe that was just me).

    as long as you’ve completed all prerequisites for a course by the time you start the course, you’re good.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  GPA

    GPACRNCR

    April 2, 2015

    Hi! I have 3 questions.

    If you change your subject post, does your GPA get recalculated? For example, let’s say I am doing a double major in C.S. and Math., and change it to a double major in C.S. and Media. Will my GPA get recalculated since some of the grades in courses taken no longer apply to the new subject post?

    If you take a course that is not part of your subject post, will it count for anything or is it just an extra course/exclusion? Like back to the first example, if I am currently double majoring in C.S. and Math., and decide to take a media course (not breadth nor elective; just for fun) . If I do good in this course, does it do anything to my GPA? And if I switch my subject post like before to C.S. and Media, will this course now count towards my GPA?

    Lastly, what happens if somehow you have CR/NCR on a course you need for a subject post?

    Thank you!!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, we all know the BEST THINGS IN LIFE come in threes. so let’s get started!

    1) GPA doesn’t work based on programs. your CGPA is your cumulative GPA from all courses you’ve taken at uoft. your AGPA is your annual GPA, which is the average GPA of all the courses you took that year. neither will change if you change your program.

    2) if you take a course, it will affect your GPA, regardless of whether it counts as a program requirement, breadth requirement, or neither of those.

    3) this one’s a bit tricky: normally, you should not credit/non-credit any course that is a program requirement. if you somehow managed to do that, you should head over to your registrar’s office right away to get that sorted out.

    HOWEVER, just this semester, the faculty of arts & science has made a few changes due to the strike. for Y and S courses THIS YEAR ONLY, you’re able to credit/non-credit courses ANY course, even a course that’s a program requirement. and you can do it right here.

    pretty exciting, right? just don’t abuse this power.

    all the best,

    aska

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  • residence,  university-college

    the party is E V E R Y W H E R E

    April 2, 2015

    What’s UC like? Is it a social college? Party much?

    ———————————————

    UC, Party college? Is it very social? Whitney vs. Sir Dans if I plan on rooming with my friend?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you know what, this is probably a sign that i am getting OLD AND GRUMPY, but i honestly have no more patience for this ‘party college’ nonsense. one year it’s st. mike’s, the next it’s UC. d’you want to hear a story? i was at the hospital the other night (don’t worry, aska’s fine – i just have an alternate life which requires me to go to the hospital a lot) and a guy came in who was a UofT engineering student. he was drunk as a fish and had just been badly bruised in a bar fight.*

    now, i’ve never heard of engineering as being a ‘party faculty.’ in fact, it kinda has a reputation as one of the most brutal programs at this school – and rightly so. yet that guy still somehow found the time to go to a bar, and unfortunately spent his night at a hospital.

    my point is: if you like to party, you will find a way to party. if you don’t, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to avoid it. it’s as simple as that.

    even if there ARE colleges that are more party-oriented than others (colleges where, say, the student union hosts club nights), you can avoid that scene if you want to. and if you go to a studious college but you’re a partier at heart, you’ll find a way to do it.

    which is good news! it means that there’s no need to worry about whether a college is or is not a ‘party college.’ the fact of the matter is, most 20-year-olds like to have a good time. you’re not going to get enrolled in a monastery by accident.benedictine monk

    Example of where you won’t end up

    now that that’s out of the way and i have been officially outed as an OLD GRUMP, let’s get on with residence talk.

    as for whitney vs. sir dan’s, the latter is primarily single rooms, so whitney hall might be the better bet if you want to room with your friend. however, both buildings are right next to each other and pretty similar in terms of layout and services.

    i’d also recommend you go on a tour of the residence if you can, since people usually find that super helpful.

    best of luck with it all, and hope to see you around in the fall!

    aska

    * he was ok in the end, don’t worry.

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  • courses

    evening classes i.e. imagining the fun your friends are having out

    March 31, 2015

    Hi,

    I was wondering when exactly is an evening course? I’m assuming 6-8 or 6-9, but i’m not 100% sure. I’ve looked online but can’t seem to find anything.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it could be either one of those. a class that starts at 6pm is an evening class, whether it’s one, two or three hours long. the unifying factor, of course, is that they all suck equally.

    alas, i digress. point is: if you’re looking on a timetable and it says ‘evening,’ that’s not referring to one, specific time frame. you’ll have to take a look and see what exact time the course is being offered.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • enrollment

    taking time off and how to pay for that

    March 31, 2015

    what do i do if i need to take a semester off? do i just only apply for courses in the winter semester? (i need to take off the fall semester). do i have to notify anyone? does the payment schedule change?

    ???????????????

    hey there,

    if you only want to take courses in the winter semester, then it’s just as simple as only enrolling for courses in the winter semester. you don’t have to notify anyone – you’re an adult now, and you can do what you want. pretty exciting, eh? or possibly terrifying.

    i’d still recommend you sign up for those winter courses at your regular start time in august. even if you have until january or whatever to sign up for classes, there’s no guarantee there’ll still be spots. that’s just a little tip from aska.

    as for payment, that’ll depend on how many courses you’re taking. if you only take classes in the winter semester, you’ll likely be taking under 3.0 courses. if that’s the case, then you’ll be paying per course fees, which means you’ll be paying a certain amount for each course you take. if you take 3.0 courses or more, then you’ll be paying program fees, meaning you’ll be paying a set amount of money regardless of how many courses you take.

    you can take a look at how these fees broke down this past year in order to get a sense of how it’ll look this year. since you’ll only be taking courses in the winter semester, the deadlines that would be relevant to you are?outlined in table 2 of this chart.

    i know that’s a lot of financial gobbledegook i just threw at you, but i hope it makes sense!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • breadth requirements

    BR=???

    March 31, 2015

    Hello,

    Happy Thursday. The strike is now over, so rejoice.

    As for my question, are Breadth Requirements fulfilled at UTSC recognized at UTSG?? (I want to attempt an internal transfer and change programs.)

    I’ve checked out the Transfer Explorer, and I’m wondering if you can confirm that the little box at the bottom of the white box that says “BR = number i.e. (2) ” thing at the bottom is in fact the Breadth Requirement specification.

    Thanks so much!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    yes, UTSC courses can count for breadth requirements at UTSG. however, you have to be careful. a course that fulfils a certain breadth requirement at UTSC might not fill any breadth requirement at UTSG, OR it may fill a DIFFERENT breadth requirement. sneaky, sneaky.

    transfer explorer is definitely the place to go to keep you on track for this kind of thing. if you type in a course and it tells you BR=2, for example, then that transfer credit will go towards the second breadth requirement group. here’s an example so you can see what it looks like in transfer explorer.

    so basically – yes, you’re right. what am i even doing here? hmm.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. thank you for indicating what campus you’re from, you’re truly amazing, and so beautiful, hopefully if i do enough positive reinforcement everyone will start specifying which campus they’re from alright bye.

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  • CR/NCR

    more strike chat

    March 31, 2015

    Hihi,

    First of all I’d like to give a big thanks for all the help you give our little community. We’d be so lost without you. You da bomb, aska! <33

    I had a query about everyone’s favourite labour dispute. Do you have any idea of when, exactly, we’ll be able to designate credit/no-credit to specific courses at the end of term? I saw your response to a relevant question saying that a webpage would be released allowing us to do so, but I wasn’t sure what the solid dates were as to when this webpage would come up and how soon that would be from when final grades are posted. Early May?

    If I understand it correctly, whatever courses we have designated as CR/NCR will be reversed/turned back to normal by the university, so the final grades will have the usual effect on our CGPA. But since we will have the option to CR/NCR even after the final grades are posted, when will CGPA be calculated? I hope it’s only AFTER we’ve decided whether or not to credit/no-credit, and not before!

    Thanks!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    ding dong, the strike is over. and that means that everything is back to normal – except not really.

    the CR/NCR rule still stands, for anyone who’s wondering. you still have until may 20th to designate something credit/no-credit or to reverse a credit/no-credit designation for any S or Y course – program requirement or no, affected by the strike or not. there is a website in the works where students would be able to do all that themselves, but it just hasn’t been released yet.

    i don’t know exactly when the website will be up, but it’ll definitely be sooner than may. the FAQ hinted that the link would be released in the March 30th update (“Details on the process will be posted on this page shortly and an email will be sent to Arts & Science students the evening of March 30 with further instructions“). since they weren’t released in that update, i’m guessing they’re a little bit behind, but it’s highly unlikely they’re behind by a month.

    and yes, CGPA will be calculated after that may 20th deadline. things will be pushed back a little because of that, but hey, it could’ve been a lot worse.

    and hey, thanks for the nice words. you’re also the bomb.com.org.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • summer

    summer study, having a blast. summer study, happened so fast

    March 26, 2015

    Hi,

    How much does 1 course worth 0.5 credits (Statistics I) cost at UTSG? Is there any financial assistance i can get (as OSAP will only cover it if i take 1.5 credits) Also, i may have to work full-time during the summer (probably shift work). DO you think taking an F course would be doable or would you advise against it?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the Summer 2015 timetable isn’t out yet, but you can take a look at what 0.5 FCEs cost in Summer 2013 here (it was just over $700). it likely won’t deviate too much from that number this summer.

    as for financial assistance: if you were a part-time student this Fall/Winter, you are eligible for part-time OSAP and the Noah Meltz Program of Financial Assistance, so you should go ahead and apply for that. if you weren’t part-time in Fall/Winter, then unfortunately you’re not eligible for either of these.

    what i would recommend is that you talk to your college registrar’s office about bursaries that may be available through the college.

    finally, i think taking 0.5 credits in the summer and a full-time job is totally doable academically. it won’t be easy, as summer courses do move along pretty quickly, but it’s not impossible. if you dedicate yourself and work hard, it can be done. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR

    strike that credit/non-credit!

    March 26, 2015

    If you already CR/NCRed a year-long course before the strike, will it be influenced by the new policy (ie can I use it for program requirements and do I still have 2.0 courses to CR/NCR)?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    OK, IMPORTANT STRIKE UPDATE STUFF BELOW. READ CAREFULLY AND STOP BUGGING YOUR REGISTRAR’S OFFICE ABOUT IT K LOVE YOU FAM.

    basically, what the university will be doing is real easing a web page that will allow students to request credit/non-credit themselves, or reverse any previous cr/ncr designations they made have made earlier. this applies to any S or Y courses, regardless of whether they were affected by the strike. that means that even people who’ve already selected a course as credit/non-credit this semester will have a chance to see their final mark in all their classes before making a final decision about whether they’d really like to CR/NCR the course.

    and yes, these CR/NCRs will count for your program requirements, and won’t count as part of the maximum 2.0 courses you’re officially allowed to credit/non-credit.

    you can find all this info on the faculty of arts & science website here.

    good luck y’all, and try not to burst a blood vessel from this strike business, alright?

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • admissions,  engineering

    i just love mac n cheese. better than engineering, definitely.

    March 26, 2015

    hey aska
    im extremely upset today because i just did very poorly on a very important test and midterm marks are due in about three weeks. basically im a grade 12 student. i know u guys hate admissions questions but please try to answer me truthfully so i can mentally prepare myself for failure if it’s to come. i was sure that i can get low 90s in physics and calculus but i think i’ll be getting high 80s (like around 88) in both of them (this is the most likely case, there is a chance of me getting a 90 on the dot). i had a low 80 in advanced functions so i was trying to make up for it with my calculus and physics marks but that’s not happening. i had a low 90 in chemistry and biology and have high 90s in english and my elective. what are my chances of getting into uoft engineering (chemical or civil)? my average should be around 89 at the lowest, 91 at the highest. i would say i did well on my video interview and i have very strong extracurriculars – i think i have a strong student profile form.

    please help me sorry i cant sound happier

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    aww man – we don’t actually hate admissions questions, y’all. it’s just a bit of teasing. if you guys stopped sending us questions, where would aska be at home in a big t-shirt and no pants, probably, eating mac n cheese and watching totally spies on netflix.

    which, yes, sounds pretty great, but it likely wouldn’t be good for my general well-being in the long run.

    firstly: i can’t guarantee that you’re going to get in. i can never guarantee that, especially for engineering, which just gets more and more competitive every year.

    however, there is really not that much difference between an 89% and a 91%. like, regardless of how good those marks are, 3% is not going to make or break your chances. secondly (and most importantly), that’s a very good average. that is a competitive average, no question about it.

    like i said, i can’t guarantee admission because i have literally zero influence on anything that actually happens at this university, BUT i do know that an 89% is nothing to panic about.

    “but aska,” i hear you saying, “you have no credibility. all your posts are in lowercase and you started your answer by talking about wearing no pants while eating mac n cheese. you’re constantly talking garbage and it rarely makes sense. why should i trust you?”

    well, you can take a look at the admission grade range for engineering students in 2012 for proof. the admission grade range then for chemical and civil engineering was low-80s. granted, that number may have gone up a little since 2012, but not by much. so you’re solidly above the grade range of students who are accepted. that doesn’t guarantee you will be accepted, but it bodes well.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • fees

    i’m a permanent resident of tim’s and a nomad everywhere else

    March 24, 2015

    Hello aska,

    I am currently an international student at U of T. I am planning to apply for permanent residency since I qualify. It’s gonna take some time for me to get it, so I might still have to pay international student fees this year before the first semester starts. But if I did get PR this fall, would I get a refund from university as I would be exempt from international fees?

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the rule of thumb in 2014-2015 was that if you submitted sufficient documentation (i.e. if you’d already gotten the permanent residency or you were really, really close to getting it) to the registrar’s office before november 1st, then your fees were altered for the entire Fall/Winter term. so if you already paid some international fees for that term before that date, that would result in a refund.

    that’s a pretty good guideline for this year as well, but make sure to keep an eye on the fees website just in case there are any updates/changes in the process. ’cause the university sure does love to make those.

    cheers,

    aska

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