• admissions,  applying for U of T,  psychology

    don’t psych yourself out, you’re okay

    Hi! I’m currently a grade 12 student who is about to apply to university. I was looking at the St. George campus for psychology requirements and it says that Grade 12 Biology is one of them. The thing is…my current biology mark is in the 60s. So I was wondering whether the requirement means that it’ll be included in my top 6? Or whether they are just looking or it? Or how does it really work…


    hey there,

    ah, a senior doing college admissions. i hope you’re taking care of yourself, that can be a stressful time. but i come delivering good news! your biology mark does not necessarily have to be included in the top 6 grades that are used to calculate your admission average.

    SpongeBob gif. SpongeBob and Patrick simultaneously raising their arms and smiling with extreme glee.

    here is why:

    when applying to uoft, you’re really just applying to admission streams rather than a specific program. basically all the programs are categorized into these six admission streams, and that will be what you select on OUAC when you fill out your application. these streams are: computer science, humanities, life sciences, mathematical & physical sciences, rotman commerce, and social sciences.

    here is a chart that breaks down the required high school courses by stream. you’ll see that psychology falls into the life science stream, which only requires english and calculus. i know that it’s a bit confusing because this site says psychology requires english, calculus, and bio. but in this case, bio is not required for entry to the stream. therefore, it does not need to be one of the six marks used in your grade calculation.

    so if you have a seventh course that has a better mark, then that would be used to calculate your admission average instead of your biology mark. i hope this helps and that everything goes well for you!

    over and out,

    See Ya Goodbye GIF

    aska

  • academic offense,  plagiarism

    in a sticky citation situation

    Hello there. Sorry for bothering you, but I’m concerned about a completed assignment. I turned in an assignment for my history class two weeks ago. I fully cited the text I received information from, but ouriginal says it’s 41% plagiarized. I looked at where the plagiarism is supposed to be, and it’s mostly just the provided template. For example, there are specific instructions on the template, and rather than delete them, I left them on the page. If I remove all the template stuff, it becomes 20%. However, the quotes I cited were also flagged, and now it’s because my in-text citations were incorrect. As of now, no TA or Prof has reached out to me to alert me of plagiarizing, but I still feel nervous about the whole situation. If I discussed or tried to explain this to my TA and professor, what could happen, and is this something I should be heavily concerned about?


    hey there,  

    okay, feeling nervous about this is so valid. citations are hard to get right and there are so many ways of doing them that it can get really frustrating! 

    Disney gif. Stitch from Lilo and Stitch grimaces and claws at his eyelids.

    in terms of just how concerned you should be, i feel like i would need a bit more context: just how incorrect were your in-text citations? because normally, plagiarism cases that go forward will be obvious, and not small, simple mistakes like getting a couple parentheses wrong. also — what year are you in? this definitely changes how strict the prof would be.

    if you’re a first year, most profs tend to be pretty understanding about citation mistakes. it’s very common in first year for people to do their in-text citations wrong — from what i’ve seen, the prof normally just docks marks at worst, and at best gives the class a talk about exactly what mistakes were made and what they want to see in the future. especially since we’re in the first semester of the year, profs will tend to teach you about citations rather than punishing you for innocent mistakes. unless you’re literally blatantly not citing things and not-so-innocently plagiarizing lol. 

    Movie gif. Taika Waititi as Viago in What We Do In The Shadows. He's about to enter a doorway but thinks better of it and turns back to give us an awkward smile.

    i don’t think you should panic, because citation mistakes are pretty tame and you’ll avoid consequences like suspension. in the case that your prof flags you, and if the assignment was less than 10% of your grade, you would probably just get a zero on it, according to key consequences. the best thing you can do in this case is admit to the offence, or else it just keeps getting forwarded to higher divisions and consequences. in the best case, you can get away with just a “written reprimand” from the dean. 

    the UTM website on plagiarism says that you should talk to your instructor about your uncertainty citing your sources, because if they approach you first your case could be forwarded to the office of the dean. i’m assuming this implies that if you bring it up first, your prof might be more understanding? but it’s kinda unclear, so idk.

    overall, what i know is that people make citation mistakes all the time! no prof or TA is out to get their students, and they aren’t trying to give people zeros or report them to the department. it really just depends on how strict your instructor is on these kinds of things. overall, according to the code of behavior on academic matters, it’s just up to the prof whether or not you get in trouble, as action is only taken if they decide you’ve committed an academic offence.  

    i think it would be helpful to talk to an academic advisor at your registrar. this is worth a try since they can’t use anything you say against you, and they’ve seen tons of cases like this. anyways, i really hope everything works out for you!

    You Can Do It Good Luck GIF by Pudgy Penguins

    over and out,

    aska

  • admissions,  applying for U of T,  you don't even go here

    how hard is it to get into uoft?

    hi!!

    let’s just pretend like i’m not a high school student (i have no idea if you take questions from us lol) BUT uoft is one of my dream schools and i would DIE if i got in! soooo, as a senior who has the everpresent threat of college applications looming over her head… how hard is it *actually* to get into uoft?? i know it is dependent on a whoooole bunch of factors, but i was hoping to get an opinion from actual students rather than some random website!! i’d be so grateful if you could help a girl out! <3

    Thanks and Regards


    hey there,

    “how hard is it actually to get into uoft”, you ask? let’s start this with two truths and a lie. have you ever played? it’s fun, i promise. i’ll give you three statements, and you decide for yourself which one is a lie.

    1. getting into uoft was easy for me, because 2. i’m extremely talented. but luckily, 3. i know everything about uoft, so i can tell you how hard it actually is.

    90 Day Fiance Agree GIF by TLC

    ok, jokes aside, let’s answer your question. i’ll keep in mind the fact that you want my actual opinion and not info from a random website.

    if you want to get into a specific program:

    uoft’s current acceptance rate is apparently 43%, but i would say it differs across programs and faculties. for example, admissions would look very different for a person applying to the faculty of music than it would for a person applying to the faculty of architecture and so on. overall though, getting into general arts and sciences isn’t hard.

    Just Wait Season 1 GIF by The Roku Channel

    something to note is that uoft has this thing called “POSt”, which is a program of study that you apply to after your first year. so right now, in grade 12, you’re not really applying to a program  — you’re just applying to the admission category of it. later on, most programs of study require an application to really get into, so i would suggest you look into that while you consider uoft in general. (this system is really great, it lets you be flexible and makes program switches happen more smoothly than other uni’s systems do!)

    if you’re a domestic student (from canada):

    it also differs among domestic and international students. apparently 25% of the student population is international? personally, i was a domestic applicant, so i can’t tell you much about the international experience, but i found getting in to be doable. about 15 people from my high school were accepted that i know of, but i also knew a few that weren’t accepted. from my experience, uoft only looks at your grades and academic average. if you’re a good student and have good grades, you should be fine. i’d certainly say that getting into uoft is loads easier than getting into american schools of the same ranking. but if you’re from the US, you can look here for information on US applications.

    what uoft says they look at:

    there are three areas that uoft say they consider when looking at your application. the first is the ‘general requirements‘ area, which consist of english proficiency and stuff. the second are your ‘program-specific requirements’ — for example, you need calculus 12 for math programs. then third is the area that students worry about the most: your grades for the last two years. specifically, they would look at the grade 11 and 12 courses that are relevant to the admission category you’re applying to, and tend to ignore elective classes. they mostly look at your top 6 grade 12 courses, and if you’re in the high 80s, you should be good.

    overall, getting into uoft is very possible! it takes hard work to get the good grades, but people have done it, and you can too! just make sure to meet all the application deadlines. i’d honestly say it’s more stressful than it is hard, if that makes sense! meeting the deadlines and keeping track of everything is important. i really hope you get in, and that this was somewhat helpful! as always, feel free to ask again if anything’s unclear or you need help with something else.

    over and out,

    Family Guy gif. Peter Griffin frowns as he tries to type with long press-on nails.

    aska

  • academic standing,  admissions,  international students

    a(AHHHHHH)dmissions

    Hey, what are the chances of my offer being rescinded? I got my IAL results and i got 3Bs overall. I had gotten admission into St George Life Sciences with 3 As in my AS. I honestly wasnt expecting the grades to be so bad but the grade boundaries fucked me over. Im worried because some of my units are quite bad, so what are the chances of my offer being rescinded? I reallly dont know what i will tell my parents who already dropped so much money on international flights and the dorms.


    hey there,

    as a fellow student, i know it can hit like a brick when you don’t do as well as you’ve anticipated. it’s honestly so scary and stressful, i don’t blame you for feeling this way. especially as you’re going into first year, i know this is a hectic time of transition when it feels like everything in your life is changing and like everything you do has so much weight to it.

    Cartoon gif. A weary Garfield the cat falls flat on his face into his bed box.

    while i can’t tell you much about the chances of your offer being rescinded, here is what i can tell you:

    you don’t have to do this alone. there are avenues of support available to help you and there may be pathways to explain extenuating circumstances that have impacted your academic performance. your best bet is to connect with your college registrar and talk to somebody about your situation. there are special considerations that can be made, and your registrar will genuinely do their best to help you out. a huge plus with them is that your conversation will be in real time, and you won’t have to deal with me and my little asynchronous answers (online school has ruined the word asynchronous for me).

    overall, there is a lot of support available to help you navigate this stressful time. on top of your college registrar’s academic support, if you need mental wellbeing support, you can check out the services my ssp (student support program) and good2talk.

    anyways, so sorry for the delay in this answer (it’s part of my personality at this point, unfortunately). thanks for your patience, i am sending you love and luck and hoping everything works out!!

    Long Distance Love GIF by Chibird

    over and out,

    aska

  • new kids,  programs

    when oh when does first year end?

    hi, i was wondering: it says you have to apply to POSt after your first year. say i’m going into first year in september 2023. does that mean my first year is over after winter 2024 or after summer 2024?


    hey there,

    *in good witch glinda voice* when oh when does first year end? well, oh well, that just depends…

    star trek GIF by HULU

    assuming you’re enrolled full-time and complete 4.0 FCEs (credits) this year, your first year will be over after the winter 2024 semester. so, in april. (your first year basically just ends when you complete 4 credits.)

    when they say to apply to your POSt after first year, they’re referring to the two POSt application periods. if you’re applying for an open program, you can enrol anytime between march and september. for example, this year, open program enrolment is happening between march 1, 2023 and september 20, 2023.

    if you’re applying for a limited program, there is a “first request period” between march and july, and a “second request period” between july and september. specifically, this year, limited program enrolment dates look like this:

    • first request period:
      • apply from march 1, 2023 – april 28, 2023
      • check results between april 29, 2023 – june 9, 2023
      • enrol by july 7, 2023
    • second request period:
      • apply from july 8, 2023 – august 22, 2023
      • check results between august 23, 2023 – september 6, 2023
      • enrol by september 20, 2023

    generally, you would apply during the first period if you expect to complete prerequisite courses during the fall/winter session, and you would apply during the second period if you expect to complete prerequisite courses during the summer session. if you wanted to look into it, sidney smith commons has a great description of program enrolment need-to-knows!

    best of luck this year. *hands you an ice cream sandwich*

    over and out,

    See Ya Reaction GIF by MOODMAN

    aska

  • admissions,  internal transfer,  Transferring

    this or that: transfer or transfer

    Hi, my goal is to study architecture at UofT and unfortunately I didn’t get accepted. The only program open at UofT when I got my rejection was the visual and performance arts program at UofT Scarborough. My question is do you think it’s smart to go into that program in my first year and then do an internal transfer ? Or should I go to TMU for an undeclared program and so an external transfer? How can I make sure I will get accepted if I transfer?

    Have you ever heard about a similar situation? What was the outcome?


    hey there,

    this sounds like a tough decision. well… good thing i’m here, right?

    Excited Game Of Thrones GIF by Saturday Night Live

    1. internal vs. external transfer

    i haven’t heard of situations too similar to yours, but i have heard of many people doing internal transfers between campuses at uoft. and, take this with a grain of salt, but i’m assuming it would be easier to transfer internally since you will already have been accepted to uoft. especially since they have your transcript already and all your records. and in terms of anecdotal advice, people have said that transferring in from another university is very difficult and strict (harder than admission straight out of high school).

    2. how can i make sure i will get accepted if i transfer?

    while there’s no way to make sure you get accepted in a transfer, you can make your application stronger and more competitive. for an internal transfer: you can read about admissions from UTSC to the st. george campus hereadmission decisions are based on your CGPA, and will depend on whether or not program prerequisites, grade requirements and any other admission requirements have been met. people have said that this application process is not difficult, as long as your grades are fine. though uoft doesn’t give out an exact number, i think if your GPA is above a 3.0, you should be good. in the worst case, people who didn’t get in wrote a letter to appeal the decision, and it worked.

    Movie gif. Colin Farrell wears an oversized jacket on a busy street. He shrugs his shoulders and has an exaggerated frown on his face like he has no clue what's going on.

    for an external transfer: admission consideration is based on your overall academic record and your most recent annual average. competitive students normally have a solid ‘B’ average in their university studies (though this really depends on the program).

    in the end though, for something like this, advice from a fellow student probably won’t cut it. i can’t make a call on what is smart to do just based on your question, as i don’t know the full picture or what would work for you. if you wanted to push for program-specific answers, get in touch with the admissions office in the faculty of architecture. their email is: undergraduate (at) daniels (.) utoronto (.) ca . someone on the inside there might actually be really helpful, don’t hesitate to just ask!

    and overall, talk to the people in your life about what makes most sense for you. i’m sure it will all work out, keep your head up! wishing you all the best. (also, thanks for the patience with this answer).

    over and out,

    aska

  • admissions,  scholarships/bursaries

    don’t worry, that (scholar)ship hasn’t sailed yet

    If i have currently gotten no scholarship offers, does this mean i get no scholarships for my first year?

    do we only get scholarship offers at the time of our admission?


    hey there,

    in general, admission scholarships would have already been offered in your admission letter, especially the larger ones. if you actively applied for scholarships, some may have been offered after admissions, but are most likely done by now.

    however, you still have options going forward! there are three types of scholarships – scholarships for admissions, scholarships for “in-course”, and scholarships for graduation. even if you didn’t receive an admission scholarship, you can apply for in-course scholarships throughout your degree.

    Stay Calm Its Okay GIF by CBS

    you can check out award explorer to search for scholarships. but be sure to filter according to what you’re eligible to, since there are thousands of awards on there. i’d recommend putting in key words such as “first year” or the name of your intended major(s). and, if you’re ever confused about a scholarship, just send off an email to the department offering it – for example, to ask when applications open. they’re normally very responsive!

    over and out,

    aska

  • askastudent love/hate

    long-awaited aska appreciation post

    I just wanted to say thank you for answering all of my questions that I asked while panicking/having a crisis about my life direction. They really helped me feel like it wasn’t the end of the world, cheers. 🙂


    hey there,

    excited finding nemo GIF

    that is so sweet of you! finally, somebody appreciates me for my helpfulness and not just my nose-breaking, mad-scientist-esque, should-be-showered-with-praises-and-secretly-a-celebrity wit and charm.

    being this perfect and flame retardant, you would think i should have a fanbase or at least fan accounts that make edits of me, right? but that area of my life is dry as a desert.

    aska has always got your back, my friend. i’m so glad my answers were helpful. with all these anonymous questions, sometimes i wonder who’s reading them and if i made any sense, so thank you so much for getting back to me, it means a lot. you will always be welcome here in aska-land. *pirouettes out the door*

    over and out,

    aska

  • courses,  enrolment,  first year

    don’t walk, run to enrol in FYF courses

    Hello,

    I’m a St. Mikes student looking to enrol in PSY195. I see this message in the enrolment cart: “This section is restricted to two groups of students. Group 1 is given priority access until July 26. There is no course enrolment on July 27. Beginning July 28, Group 2 can enrol in this section. Currently the following groups of students can enrol in this section:

    • All students in year of study 1 in the Faculty of Arts and Science in the Innis College”

    Does this mean that I will not be in the first group, available to enroll on the 20th?

    Thank you


    hi there,

    i am so glad you’re deciding to take a first year foundation seminar, they’re SO great and i wish i could still take them. (btw if you wanted to, you could check out this instagram page all about FYF courses. just puttin it out there, idk i think it’s cool *waves hands dismissively*)

    I Cant Over It GIF by Schitt's Creek

    yes, you are correct. my divine intuition (the timetable) tells me that enrolling in PSY195H1 S will only be available to first year innis students on july 20th. as a first year st. mikes student, you’ll have to wait until the 28th, when the general enrolment period starts. (more specifically, for first year students, that’ll be at 12 pm EDT).

    PSY195 has a really small class size of 25, which is amazing for making friends, but also means it’ll be harder to get into. chances are, it’ll fill up pretty fast like all first year foundations courses, especially if you have to wait until general enrolment. i’d recommend keeping an eye on the availability up until then so you’re aware of the situation when you enrol. however, i doubt it’ll fill up immediately.

    i just thought i’d let you know about another option, too! if you wanted to, you could consider enrolling in the fall semester’s PSY195 instead of the winter semester’s, since this one is available to you on the 20th. the course is being offered in both semesters, and the enrolment restrictions are slightly different:

    PSY195H1 F (fall semester) is open to all first year artsci students on the 20th. PSY195H1 S (winter semester) is only open to first year artsci innis students on the 20th.

    anyways, best of luck in your first year. live laugh love, be Boundless, be yourself, all that jazz.

    brandon moss baseball GIF

    over and out,

    aska

  • UTSC,  wait list

    wait(list), is this play about me?

    Hi I got waitlisted for a D-level Bio course that I really need to graduate. I’m number 14, and the class has a size of 40 should I wait until September to get in or should I just pick another course? Also, ACORN won’t let me waitlist an extra course because I have added 2.5 credits for each. So I would have to get off the waitlisted course (that I really want) to get into another. What do I do? Thanks!


    hey there,

    wait, is this, cour — is this about — *sniffles* course enrolment? *nose dives into nearby pillow. lets out a gutteral, earth-shattering scream* *after a few moments of silence, looks up, unbothered* i am not currently absolutely losing my mind over course enrolment waitlists.

    homer simpson falling GIF

    anyways, the general guideline is that about 10% of people will drop the course. in a class of 40, you would want to be 4th in line. so being number 14 means its pretty unlikely that you’ll get in. not impossible, but the waitlist does end on september 13th. it also depends on how high the course’s drop rate is, as this differs.

    what you should do depends entirely on how desperately you need this course. i don’t know what year you’re in or how close you are to graduation, so i’m running on assumptions here.

    Explain Premier League GIF by Liverpool FC

    here is some advice if you’re in 4th year and really need this course because it might push back your grad. i’m assuming you’re not, because of the absence of desperation and urgency in your question, but eh, just in case. first, don’t drop the course. go to your registrar for help. i know that st. george students are able to get into mandatory courses they need to graduate, so maybe there’s something similar at utm?

    if you are not in 4th year and still have time left to take the course another year, you could still wait to drop it — while you might not be able to enrol in another course right now, by august 3 you’ll be able to add 3.0 credits on acorn.

    this also depends on if the other course you want is filling up fast. if it’s not filling up fast, i would say wait until august 3, and don’t drop the bio course. but if it is filling up, then decide based on how badly you actually need this bio course. i can’t tell you exactly what to do because i don’t have the full picture here, but i hope this was helpful and you can make a good decision based off this info. sending good luck and good vibes!

    over and out,

    aska

  • breadth requirements,  St. George

    if the multiverse exists, so does a sixth breadth requirement

    I need some options ( very very easy level) for breadth 6/quantitative reasoning. It will be my last missing credit to graduate this fall. Im in dt toronto. I am taking ast101 now for my breadth 5 requirement. I still have to take 0.50 credit in quantitative reasoning… but i need very easy level one because: 1- i am 52 and forgot all high school material ( science/math etc) and 2- i completed a french specialist program ( meaning i am into litterature etc..) Hope. Can help me out. I am willing to finally graduate in fall.


    hey there,

    man, you’ve got me over here quadruple checking my information. but i can tell you that a sixth breadth requirement doesn’t exist, at least not in this universe.

    Miles Morales Marvel GIF by Sony Pictures Animation

    anyways, the quantitative reasoning breadth requirement is only required at UTSC, the scarborough campus.

    since you’re at st. george, there are just 5 breadth requirements to complete. you need either 1.0 credits in four of the categories, OR 1.0 credits in three of the categories and 0.5 credits in the two remaining categories.

    1. Creative and Cultural Representations
    2. Thought, Belief, and Behaviour
    3. Society and its Institutions
    4. Living Things and Their Environment
    5. The Physical and Mathematical Universe

    you can use degree explorer to check your status on this, as well as the rest of the degree completion requirements.

    i hope it all goes well for you and that this is helpful! if not, feel free to shoot me another question.

    over and out,

    aska

  • math,  physics

    today’s dilemma: difficult math, or…… difficult math?

    Hi, I’m going into my first year in september, I want to get into the Physics specialist program. I’ve been debating over whether to take MAT157 or MAT137, since the former looks more interesting but I’m not sure I’ll have the time to study and get a decent grade with the rest of my workload(which is MAT223, CSC108, CSC148, PHY151/152, and three easier elective courses I’m taking for breadth). Thanks!


    hey there,

    okayy physics specialist program, i see we have a math-intelligent one here! (my eyes unfocus in response to too many numbers)

    Animated GIF

    yes, you’re right, it does look like you have to choose between MAT157 and MAT137 for your physics first year completion requirements. i do agree that according to the descriptions, MAT157 does look more interesting. the artsci calendar recommends MAT137, and this is probably because MAT157 is supposed to be the hardest of the first year math courses. though 137 and 157 are both difficult, 157 requires a lot more effort in both its homework and tests. meanwhile, you’ll likely do better in a course you’re more interested in, so i guess the decision would be based on how much you want to take it. just be aware of the level of difficulty you might be getting yourself into in 157 — as a student blog says.

    some MAT157 TAs on reddit have given their answers (8 years ago) on the differences between the two courses. i assume this would still be relevant as the courses shouldn’t have changed much since then. they say MAT157 is more valuable for you if you’re headed in the mathematics direction, which it seems you are. MAT137 is a relatively high-level calculus course, while 157 is an introductory analysis course. both cover some of the same content, but 157 asks you to replicate and do your own proofs.

    there’s also this weird-looking u of t page that describes the differences between MAT157 and MAT137. (but i’m not sure how recent the information is). it says that 157 goes more in depth and consists of more concepts/theorems than 137. the main difference is of skill rather than of content knowledge. and again — in MAT137 you are introduced to proofs, and asked to do simple proofs; while in MAT157 you are responsible for understanding and creating more complex and abstract proofs.

    so both sites basically say the same thing, which probably means they’re both true.

    TV gif. Timmy from Shaun the Sheep blinks and extends 2 thumbs up as a lopsided grin emerges on the side of his face.

    i hope that helps you decide which one is more worth taking for you. i think it really just depends on your level of interest, skill-level, and capability to tackle the difficulty of 157. it’s great that you’re taking a few easier elective courses, that will definitely help! plus, taking 4 courses per semester instead of 5 makes difficult courses much more doable and will help you succeed better! while planning your workload, just keep in mind that you’ll have to take MAT137/157 at the same time as your PHY151/152 as they are co-requisites.

    over and out,

    aska

  • GPA,  graduation,  probation

    the e in student stands for expensive and exhausting, change my mind.

    Hello, I’ve been at UTM since 2013, been suspended twice, currently still on probation but hoping to be done with my credits by august 2024.

    Because of all my F’s on my transcript, it’s really hard to get my gpa up to a 1.5 in order to graduate on time. I have 5 credits left and that would mean getting almost an 80 in most of them by next summer so I can finally be done.
    I don’t want to spend any more time at UTM than is absolutely necessary – I’ve got bills to pay and a life to start so I will work my hardest to get the grades. BUT just in case it doesn’t work out like I am hoping so – has anyone ever heard of someone graduating if they had a gpa lower than 1.50? Through a petition or anything ?
    Thank you for any help anyone can give me

    hi there,

    geez, i’m sorry, that sounds really tough. i wish i could reach across the screen and shower you with good luck, kind professors in your future, and chocolate ice cream.

    after consulting a wise little bird, i can say that graduating with a GPA lower than 1.5  is not possible, and nobody has ever been able to do it. so i hope you’re successful in your plans! i can totally understand wanting to get this done as soon as possible, being a student is expensive and exhausting.

    just a little side note that i thought would be worth mentioning: anyone who graduates with a GPA between 1.5 and 1.84 would graduate without honours, so, for example, it wouldn’t be a “Honours Bachelor of Science” but a “Bachelor of Science”, and same with Arts.

    anyways, dear internet stranger, you can do this!! i believe in you! reference image below of how i look right now cheering you on:

    Anime gif. Bojji of Ranking of Kings pumps his fists in front of him and yells, “You can do it!”

    over and out,

    aska