• scholarships/bursaries

    the career centre is candy and glitter and magic

    March 24, 2015

    Are there resources available at UofT where someone can find help with editing any scholarship applications? Or are we essentially expected to write things up ourselves and hope for the best lol. Thanks in advance 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    there aren’t any services specifically geared towards writing/editing scholarship applications, at least that i know of – which kind of makes sense, ’cause scholarship applications can pretty much ask you to do anything and everything.

    scholarships are funded by all kinds of different people and institutions, so they’re allowed to ask you whatever they dream up. i’ve answered questions on scholarship forms ranging from “describe a time when you overcame a difficulty to contribute to your community” to, “send us a picture of how you would use Our Great Product TM in your everyday life at university.”

    since more traditional scholarship applications tend to require resumes or ask similar questions that might be asked of you when applying for a job, your best bet might be to attend a workshop put on by the career centre.

    if the scholarship has an interview portion as part of the selection process and you’re feeling nervous about that, you may want to attend a mock interview, for example. if you need help specifically in writing your application, you may consider a resume-writing workshop. or you can visit the CLN for the gazillion other workshops and events the career centre offers.

    peace & love,

    aska

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  • late withdrawal,  repeating course,  UTM

    MAT133 *shudders*

    March 24, 2015

    Hey! So, I’m a first year commerce student at UTM and I’m going to apply to the accounting specialist Subject POSt. The prerequisite courses for this POSt are ECO100, MAT133, MGM101, and MGT120, but I’m failing MAT133. I think I’m going to withdraw from this course, rather than failing, and take it during the summer. Will the LWD on my transcript affect my admission into the POSt, or anything else?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, you won’t be able to get into the POSt if one of the prereqs has an LWD on it. however, i can’t see anything on the requirements for an accounting specialist that says that they will give preference to people who tried the course more than once.

    SO if you LWD the course, take it again and do really well, and your marks in the other three prereqs + CGPA are competitive, then you’d still be competitive for the POSt.

    otherwise, LWDs do have some impact on graduate school applications, but this is one LWD in your first year, so honestly, i wouldn’t stress too much about it. if you think you can do significantly better in the course by LWD’ing it now and taking it again, then go on over to your registrar and make an appointment to discuss putting through a request.

    good luck with it, my friend,

    aska

    P.S. make sure you follow updates related to the strike, as they may affect the rules related to LWDs. HOW they might be affected, i can’t say. it’s all part of the THRILL AND EXCITEMENT of labour disputes! whoo!

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  • commuters,  frosh

    friends & frosh

    March 23, 2015

    I’ve heard from people 2 things about uoft that im not sure are true and I would like them clarified. 1) if you are a commuter on frosh week you won’t enjoy it/make any friends. 2) it is incredibly hard to find friends at uoft as there isn’t the best clubs/groups to meet others.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    1) listen, any experience can suck – frosh week is no exception. some people go to frosh and it just isn’t fun. also, commuting to frosh is kind of a pain. so that’s a bummer.

    BUT i would say that the general attitude towards frosh week at uoft is positive. the great thing about frosh is that all the disparate schools, colleges and offices at the university come together during frosh to explain who the h*ck they are and what the h*ck they do.

    here is a list of orientation events put on by student life last year. as you can see, it’s pretty comprehensive. that page also links to the orientation schedules of most of the colleges and faculties last year. peruse those if you want to have a better idea of what you can expect from frosh week.

    it’s also important to note that residence and commuter students don’t have a separate frosh, so there’s plenty of opportunity to make friends with people on- and off-rez.

    also, commuter students vastly outnumber residence students at this university, so it’s not like you’re going to be in some sort of friendless minority. in fact, most colleges’ frosh weeks have events specifically for commuter students to get together and socialize. if you go in with an open mind and you’re willing to participate, you’ll probably leave with at least a friend or two.

    2) friends will not just come to you. you do have to actually talk to people if you want to make friends, and when you spend a significant part of your time sitting silently on a bus/train/subway, that might not come as easily to you once you get to school.

    however, if you are willing to talk to people, you’ll find friends cropping up everywhere – in your classes, in clubs that you may be involved with, at jobs you may take on-campus, etc. not every club will be what you’re looking for, but if you look widely and early, you’ll soon find the place or places that are a fit for you.

    here is a list of organizations on campus if you want to start exploring now. as well, i’d encourage you to hang out in your college’s commuter lounge and talk with people there (most colleges have one, or equivalent).

    all in all: yes it’s hard to make new friends in a new, unfamiliar environment, but i wouldn’t say this is harder to do at uoft than anywhere else. the university has a lot of opportunities for new students to connect with the community on campus, so don’t be afraid to try out different things!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • partying

    what is this magical “uni experience” everyone keeps talking about

    March 23, 2015

    I’m strongly considering attending UofT (UC) in the fall. What’s not appealing about a reputable, highly academic school? But i’ve been hearing that the social life is non existent. I’m a very socially inclined person and enjoy having fun and partying. I want to get that “university experience” and enjoy the school i’m at apart from getting a good education. Is it true there’s no parties? Am I going to get that type of experience there? Thx!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    listen, man, the university of toronto had over 68 000 undergraduate students in 2014-15. that’s 68 000+ 20-somethings all living together in the city. you really think there are no parties?

    if anything, toronto is the absolute best place to be for parties, because if there’s nothing happening on campus (which is rare) something will be happening in the city, guaranteed. i’d recommend following blogTO to get a feel for the millenials’ favourite haunts in the city.

    the big problem, of course, is how much time will you actually have to party most students at university don’t want to fail whatever they’re studying, and that means they’ll need to dedicate a certain amount of time to – you know – studying. the number of hours you’ll be putting in will depend on your program of study and also you as an individual.

    putting that aside though, there is definitely the opportunity to party. if you get even a little involved with college life or student life generally, you’ll have no shortage of opportunities to go out and be young. formals, pub nights, club nights – it’s all there, but it’s up to you to find them and strike the proper balance between having fun and passing your classes.

    i guess the tricky part is that since uoft is so big, there are few university-wide party traditions. usually, you need to look a little deeper. social and community events tend to happen on the college/school/department level, so that’s where you need to be looking.

    so no, i wouldn’t say that there’s no opportunity here to be social – but at the end of the day, it is a university, so expect to keep your nose in a book more often than halfway down a Solo cup.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • fraternities & sororities

    aska felt a pie

    March 19, 2015

    Does it cost to join a sorority ?

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    hey there,

    yes, it does. there are seven different sororities on the uoft campus*, and annual costs are between $400 and $1000, depending on the sorority.

    if you really want to join a sorority but the financial commitment is a bit much for you, you may want to look into what scholarships are available at the chapter you’re interested in. the Toronto Area Alumna Panhellenic also offers a scholarship that you may want to look into.

    it’s also good to note that sororities or fraternities on campus are not officially recognized by uoft, so any questions about details of their operation etc. are probably best directed to them.

    good luck on your sorority journey!

    xoxo,

    aska

    * why is everything at uoft in groups of seven? seven undergraduate colleges. seven faculty of theology colleges. seven sororities. what is this, a harry potter novel?

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  • admissions

    is uoft ever serious??? hmm

    March 19, 2015

    My conditional acceptance says to maintain a 75 average. Is uoft being serious or will they take it away if I drop from a 90 to a 75. Is there something cryptic in the conditional offer?

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    hey there,

    they may revoke your admission if you drop below a 75, but if the wording is “maintain a 75% average,” then i’m guessing a 75 or above is ok.

    but yeah, no, there’s nothing really more cryptic than that. just do your best to meet the conditions of your offer, and everything will go smoothly. there’s nothing to overthink on this one. promise.

    if there’s anything else about your offer that’s unclear, feel free to call enrolment services for clarification. they’re the people who issue the offers, so they’re the ones who know best.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • dean's list

    i can’t believe you did well in first year i mean who does that

    March 19, 2015

    Hello! I transferred “internally” from UTM to to UTSG (A&S) after 1st year. I’m almost done 3rd year but am wondering whether or not I can graduate w/ “high distinction’ (cGPA greater than 3.5) or be on the Dean’s list b/c my cGPA differs depending on whether my first year GPA is included. So, will my (good) 1st year GPA (from UTM) be included in the calculations for cGPA (like on ROSI), so I can graduate w/ high distinction? If not, I might not be able to graduate w/ high distinction. Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you are a uoft student and you transfer to a different uoft campus, your marks from the other uoft campus will be included on your transcript. i guess that’s just a quirk of the tri-campus system.

    so yes, your first year will be included in your CGPA calculation. whoo!

    enjoy buying outrageous frames for your high distinction certificate,

    aska

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  • askastudent love/hate

    aska is the hottest job on the block

    March 12, 2015

    Hey aska!

    Aska seems like a cool group of people. I’m going into my 4th and final year and I totally wanna get involved with ya’ll. How can I?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    thanks for the compliment! we are a pretty rad group, if i do say so myself.

    every aska gets the job a different way. my personal recommendation – if you really want to increase your chances of getting it – is that you spend a month or so serenading me. any genre of music will do; i’m not picky. just make sure that you’re at my beck and call and ready to sing at any time of the day or night – of course, i can’t sing for myself. that would be absurd.

    also, if you want to spontaneously bring me coffees and treats, i wouldn’t mind that at all. compliment my hair. replace the flowers in the vases at my place. carry me on a litter from class to class, enjoy some white-water sports with me – just little things, y’know?

    or you can just keep an eye on the CLN and apply online, since askastudent is a work-study position. but like, whatever. it’s your decision.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • admissions

    oh my god y’all are gonna destroy your hearts

    March 12, 2015

    This may be out of your power but I need some good advice. I got into U of t last month (St George for humanities woot woot!) and things are a little rough right now second semester. I had a 95 average first semester but so far I got a 75 ona huge unit test which may lower my second semester marks. My end of year average may be from a high 90 to a low 80 which worries me. My terms and conditions said to meet a 75 avg. (I literally never have to show up for that to happen) but still HELLLP

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m not actually sure what the question is here. i think i know what you’re getting at, but all you finished with was “HELLLP,” which is pretty ambiguous. what do you need help with? were you typing out your question when suddenly you were ambushed by a bunch of dudes in ski masks?

    if so, here is an article about hostage negotiation techniques that you can use. just tell the bandits to give you a moment to connect to the wifi and read it on your phone, and then you’ll be all set to get yourself out of there.

    once you get out of that sticky situation, if you find yourself concerned about your grade 12 marks: don’t be. as long as you’re meeting the conditions of your acceptance, you’ve got nothing to worry about.

    so breathe deep, and don’t stress, because it’s bad for your heart and also you’ll get frown lines.

    xoxo and see you next year,

    aska

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  • residence

    idek what a floor crawl is

    March 12, 2015

    hi! I got accepted to UC for this coming fall.. and I think I’m strongly considering going to U of T. I know this is super typical of an incoming college freshman to ask but I was just wondering how normal “floor crawls” are and like smoking within a dorm is. I’m really attracted to U of T’s reputable academics but I also just want to make sure that I’ll also get that fun & free college experience. Thanks in advance! xx

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

    hey ?there,

    so, you wanna party, huh? you wanna get a little crazy after moving out of your parents’ house? live the high life? figuratively and literally? well, why don’t we have a little chat about residence. residence is great, but it’s even better when you know what you’re getting yourself into, so i’m gonna be straight with you about this.

    there are very, very few people who don’t enjoy residence (this is based on the Very Reliable Document called: “Things Aska has Observed in Life and Never took Accurate Recordings of”). but seriously: i really do think most people like?it.

    i lived in res in my first year, and despite being one of the shyest, most introverted people you’ll ever meet, i had a blast. there are endless people to meet and events?to attend in res, and you’ll likely make some lifelong friends while you’re there.

    however, living in res?is NOT like living in a frat house. residence is run by residence life staff, who are adults hired by the university to make sure everyone on res is safe and not doing anything too dumb at any given time.

    the residence life staff member who will be most immediate to your day to day life will be your don. a?don is an upper-year undergraduate or graduate student. they are in charge of building community on your floor, they’re there as a shoulder to cry on, and they’ll be there for you through all the new experiences of first year.

    but they will also – make no mistake – bust you for smoking/drinking/breaking residence rules before you can?scream “SHOTS!”?i don’t know how much that will help you in deciding between uoft and another university, since most canadian universities have dons, but still: it’s best to go into these things with your eyes wide open.

    yes, drinking and smoking and drugs still happen on residence. no rules are 100% effective, anywhere. but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t rules, and it doesn’t mean the rules aren’t enforced.

    so if you want to do some partying once in a while, try to do it safely, and try to do it off res -?trust me, you’ll be doing yourself a favour.

    other than that, congrats on getting into uoft and UC, and maybe i’ll see you on move-in day!*

    best,

    aska

    * jokes i’ll probably be sleeping in.

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  • subject POST

    subject POSt spotlight: BIOETHICS

    March 10, 2015

    welcome to the first ever SUBJECT POST SPOTLIGHT! are you excited? i’m excited. do you have no idea what this is? shame on you. (but you can go here to read an introduction).

    the first ever subject POSt spotlight will be about a program i didn’t even know we had: bioethics.

    sounds cool! …what is it?

    bioethics is a specialist, major and minor program offered by the department of philosophy at uoft. the major and minors go well with another life science or philosophy subject POSt, or you can choose to specialize in bioethics. uoft philosophy also recommends the cognitive science and the history and philosophy of science and technology programs as nice complements to any philosophy POSt.

    what kind of degree do i get with this program?

    though it has both the words ‘bio’ and ‘ethics’ in it, bioethics is an arts program, and you’ll generally be taking more philosophy courses than biology courses. if you were to take a bioethics specialist, you would graduate with a B.A.

    so, what can i do with this kind of degree?

    according to the department of philosophy at uoft, “[p]hilosophers in the area of applied ethics, such as biomedical ethics, often find careers as clinical ethics consultants in hospitals and health care centres.”

    you can check out the kinds of jobs that are available now for bioethics grads?here, here and here.

    clinical ethicists are usually expected to have a master’s or PhD in their field, but if you’re ready to commit to a few more years in university and you’re really interested in the idea of studying bioethics, then this might be for you.

    until next time,

    aska

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  • grad school

    i’ve never heard of like half of uoft’s grad programs

    March 10, 2015

    I’m a third year student and will hopefully be graduating next year. My goal was to apply to UoftT’s epidemiology program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. I didn’t do well in my first year and was on academic probation. I’ve pretty much been recovering from those grades since, and thankfully took myself off probation. I’ve been getting A’s and B’s since then. My CGPA is 2.5, and my GPA for the past 2 years have been around 3.5. I was wondering if a graduate degree in epidemiology is just a pipe dream (since I heard its quite competitive) and whether i should look into other options? Did my first year ruin my chances?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    like most graduate schools, the masters in public health: epidemiology program (say that five times fast) has a minimum average requirement of B+, but ONLY in your final year (or your last 5.0 credits).

    obviously this isn’t the only thing they’ll look at: they’re also looking for research experience, quantitative skills, and all sorts of stuff that aska knows nothing about – all of which you can read up about on their degree information page.

    but most importantly: those first year marks definitely won’t disqualify you. you are still in the running towards becoming an epidemiologist.

    yay! now go out there and KILL YOUR LAST YEAR!!!

    cheers,

    aska

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