• book and media studies,  courses,  english

    i’ve taken at least 2.5 courses i should know

    July 15, 2014

    I’m going to be a first year Humanities student at U of T starting in the Fall. I’m thinking about double majoring in English and Book & Media Studies once second year comes around. The problem is that I have no idea what courses I should take because there are really any specific course requirements for either program. I got accepted to Innis One, so I know I’ll be taking two half credit courses. I have no idea what to do though. Any suggestions for courses? Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well congrats on having your interests so coherent and figured out already. aska also happens to be in an english POSt, and that’s about all the assurance you need that a subject POSt is going to absolutely blow your mind.*

    as for courses, you’ve got quite a bit of flexibility, especially in your first year. however, to make sure that the POSts are right for you, it’s a good idea to take one or more of the first year courses offered by the department.

    ENG140Y1 and ENG150Y1 are the first-year courses offered by the English department. aside from being really great classes, a lot of people who will end up in an English POSt take them, and it’s nice to be have the same knowledge foundation as everyone else in your major.

    there are no first-year Book & Media Studies courses. i’d recommend that you take SMC188Y1, which can go towards fulfilling admission requirements for the POSt, but it looks like you can’t take the course if you’re in innis one. you might consider taking Book & Media’s introductory course, which is SMC219Y1. think about it carefully, though, because it is a second-year course, which some first-years can find a bit overwhelming. but you know – you could be a child prodigy. who knows. anyway, it’s your call.

    generally speaking, there are a myriad different courses that can nicely complement English and Book & Media Studies. i found that taking a couple of Classics courses is nice for an English major, because a lot of the old-as-sand literature you’ll be reading will reference ancient Greek and Roman myths and stuff. Latin, Celtic Studies and French are pretty good supplements to an English POSt as well. finally, a couple History courses could nicely contextualize what you learn about in your Book & Media courses.

    also, it’s a good idea to take a couple breadth requirement courses while you’re in first year, if you can. the quicker they’re out of the way, the easier it is for you, though they only need to be done by the time you graduate.

    cheers,

    aska

    *no, i don’t think my rampant narcissism is a problem. why?

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  • 12 distinct credits

    20+ credits stand before me, but only 12 can be distinct

    July 15, 2014

    I am doing a major and 2 minors which means i can overlap 3 FCE’s, that can go towards my 12.0 different FCE courses. By the end of this year, I will have the 12.0 done counting the 3 FCE overlapping so does it matter if I overlap more courses among the programs to complete the 6 min 3/4 level?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the 12.0 distinct credits rule is one of the trickiest to follow at this university, but as long as you complete 12.0 FCEs during your degree that apply to only one subject POSt each, you’re safe. if you’re unsure about whether you’re meeting this requirement, Degree Explorer does a pretty good job of tracking it for you.

    if you’re not averse to meeting with real human people to discuss this, i’d also recommend going to the registrar’s office to make sure everything is fine and dandy. they’re not that scary. promise.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • international students

    what’s the one kind of ship that never sinks? citizenship!

    July 9, 2014

    hey! my nationality is greek and I also live and go to high-school in greece. but my mother was born in canada and so i got the canadian citizency. According to these facts am I considered domestic or international student if I apply to UofT?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m flattered that someone all the way in greece somehow found this website and thinks i’m official enough to answer this question for them, but sadly, i’m not even close to that.

    if you’re a Canadian Citizen, then i’m inclined to say that you would be domestic, but PLEASE?contact CIE and talk to them about it. you can discuss your exact situation with them, and they’ll know for sure one way or the other.

    it’s a pretty important distinction, not least because of the massive difference between domestic and international fees, and it’s also a complex one, so i don’t want to make a casual assumption that might turn out to be wrong. you don’t want to turn up at customs in Canada thinking you’re domestic when it turns out you’re international, and neither does aska. so do yourself a favour and phone/e-mail the rad folks at CIE.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S.?if anyone is even THINKING?of commenting on the title and saying that friendship is the one kind of ship that never sinks, not citizenship, then why don’t you bike over to my kindergarten friend Suzie’s house, and try to tell her that we’re still friends even after the SPECTACULARLY RUDE incident in Mrs. Patterson’s class when she beheaded my Barbie. yeah. citizenship is government-sanctioned, y’all. friendship can turn into a Barbie bloodbath as soon as you drop your guard.

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  • subject POST,  UTSC

    applying late, testing fate

    July 9, 2014

    Is there a deadline for current students wanting to apply and switch into a limited program, such as Computer Science or New Media? To clarify, if I am in my third or fourth year, is it too late for me to get into one of these programs? I am a 3rd-year student in Mathematics who wants to get into one of these programs. I know I will be held behind by some terms, but I just wanted to know if there’s still a chance.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    based on that exotic program i’ve never heard of, i’m gonna guess you’re a UTSC student? my detective skills are really starting to approach master level with you guys leaving all these SUBTLE HINTS about where you go to school instead of just saying it outright. is it a test, i wonder? should i be getting ready for the final showdown? or are you all running from the law and you don’t wanna reveal your campuses to me? you’re damn miscreants, every single last one of you. i just know it.

    anyway.

    the new media major had a May 1st deadline for its supplemental application this year, so it looks like you missed the boat on that one. also, they specify that “[a]dmission is by competitive application at the end of a student’s first year,” so it’s unlikely that they accept people after second year.

    the deadline to apply for computer science is august 2nd, but the department states that “[s]tudents are admitted to the second year of the program,” which, again, probably indicates that they don’t accept people after second year.

    sometimes, if you beg and bribe and cry-scream into their faces enough (read: call the department and politely explain your situation), it’ll turn out that they’re?willing to consider accepting a handful of students after second-year. obviously it depends on the program, but you’ve got nothing to lose by contacting them (here’re the contacts for computer science and new media).

    good luck and i hope it all works out, chum,

    aska

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  • first year,  subject POST

    not yet, little seedling

    July 8, 2014

    Hey I’m going into my first year this September and I need to enroll in two Subject POSts in order to get my Honours Bachelor of Science. I was wondering what Subject POSts codes I would use to enroll into Computer Science and Actuarial Science? Please and thank you.

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

    hey there,

    it’s inspiring how eager you are (especially in the face of aska’s shocking continual apathy towards absolutely everything) but you have to wait until you’ve completed at least 4.0 credits?to enrol into subject POSts. if you’re a full-time student, that should fall between April and September?after you complete first year. there’s a more detailed timeline of subject POSt enrolment here.

    when that time comes, there’s a full list of codes for every subject POSt offered in the Faculty of Arts & Science here.

    for now, enjoy the glorious freedom of getting to take the courses you want, exploring everything you’re interested in, and feeling as though the possibilities of your life are NOT?limited to falling asleep in front of the TV at 9pm with an unopened stats?textbook in front of you.

    best,

    aska

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  • computer science

    you should see me twerk tho

    July 8, 2014

    Hi Aska,

    First of all just wanted to say I’m a huge fan. Your like the Hannah Montana of the internet, student by day, mentor my day as well. Anyway you know what I mean. So I was wondering if I can take computer science courses having never taken computer science courses in high school. Is that possible? Is there beginner computer science classes or naw.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    omg i’m so touched. that is like the highest compliment i’ve ever been given, and i’ve had my fair share of teachers use my work as examples in class. mostly in primary school, but, you know, i think it still counts.

    generally speaking, no, you don’t need previous experience in computer science to take a computer science class. there are a couple different ‘beginner’ classes you could take. CSC104H1 is the gentlest, baby introduction to the discipline. CSC108H1 is a bit more practical, and introduces you to programming languages and other things that the tech guys at Aska HQ know more about than i do.

    however, CSC108H1 has a ‘P’ enrolment control, meaning that you can only enrol in it once the priority period has been lifted – that’s August 8th. so you’ll have to wait for the horde of first-year comp. sci. students to enrol before picking through any spaces, but if you somehow manage to get into the course, that’ll probably be what you’re looking for.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • enrollment,  prereqs,  ROSI

    ROSI isn’t magic

    July 8, 2014

    Hey there!

    So I’m planning out my courses for Fall 2015, trying to prepare for the impending bloodbath of Course Enrolment. There is a course I don’t meet all the prerequisites for that I wish to enrol in, and I have obtained permission from the professor to take it. His only concern was that when enrolment comes around I might be automatically be flagged by ROSI as not having the prerequisites and therefore not allowed to add the course, he wasn’t sure but wanted me to find out in case he needed to do anything on his end to let me in. Do you know if I will be automatically blocked by ROSI? Does it have some kind of self-monitoring system?

    Thanks 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you already talked with a prof about a course you’re taking in Fall 2015? can’t you just…take the prerequisites…this year?

    i’m gonna trust that you just made a typo and meant Fall 2014, but otherwise, this is an entirely different question. anticipating the bloodbath pretty far ahead, you know?

    ROSI isn’t like, a sentient creature, though it seems to have enough hang-ups and tantrums to qualify as one. it doesn’t know automatically if you meet the prereqs for a course. so you’ll be able to enrol in the course, but the department that administers it has total discretion to kick you to the curb at any time if you don’t meet the prereqs – usually near the beginning of the semester.

    since the department’s staff are the ones who pull people from courses, they need to know who gets a free pass. i would go talk to the department that runs the course as soon as possible, preferably with a letter from the prof explaining why you’ve been allowed into the course. if they approve it, then you should be able to enrol in and stay enrolled in the course, no problem.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • online courses,  UTM

    what is the internet?

    July 7, 2014

    Hi,
    I am currently a first year student in UTM. Unfortunately, due to my health situation, I may not be able to continue the next semester. I plan to postpone it and take online courses instead. I was wondering if you could tell me: Can the online courses be counted toward my final credits? That would be a great help! Thank you for your time and effort.
    Kind regards.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    online courses work the same way as regular courses except that they’re, well, online. so they count for credit the same way regular courses do, and you register for them on ROSI like with any other course.

    i don’t know what your plans are, but there isn’t a huge selection of online courses, so i hope you weren’t planning to do a full semester online. (so much for millenials living on the internet. sometimes i can’t even get internet connection to go on facebook while i’m in lecture?- it’s like i’m a cave person).

    there’s a full list of online courses here.

    hope your health situation clears up, mi amigo.

    best,

    aska

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  • UTAPS

    throwing shade at capitalism like a left-wing twenty-year-old idealist do

    July 7, 2014

    what is UTAPS? Do I have to repay it? or is it not even something that gives me money…

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you’re in the position of wanting higher education and not falling into the income bracket of people who for some reason have easier access to it than everyone else regardless of academic merit (hashtag shade @capitalism), then UTAPS is there to help you out.

    UTAPS is uoft’s financial aid backup plan. if you apply for OSAP (slash whatever student financial assistance is available in your province/territory), and OSAP gives you the maximum amount of aid, but?you still need more in order to cover your schooling, UTAPS will cover that.

    you don’t need to apply for UTAPS separately. just apply for OSAP/your province’s financial aid, and if necessary, UTAPS will supply any remaining grant money to your student account.

    UTAPS is a grant, not a loan, so you don’t repay it. i’d say that’s lucky, but if you’re getting UTAPS then you’re also loaning the maximum amount of money from OSAP possible, so maybe it’s not so lucky.

    cheers,

    aska

     

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  • admissions

    BRUH

    July 7, 2014

    I’m getting like 83 in english Is that good enough for humanities IM STRESSING BRUH

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

    hey there,

    dudes, i can’t tell you that.?i’m not some clairvoyant who can make admissions decisions based on very small bits of information about your academic history.

    lemme tell you all the things that make this question hard to answer:

    1. is this grade 11 english or grade 12 english?

    2. how are your other courses??if english is your lowest mark, that’s a very different situation to if it’s your highest. one mark?doesn’t dictate the admission decision.

    3. even if i knew all your marks in every course, i have NO IDEA if it’s good enough. it all boils down to how good your competition is. maybe your marks will easily soar above everyone else’s, and maybe they’ll plummet far below. it all depends on how everyone else is doing and how you’re doing in all your other courses.

    here’s the anticipated grade average of incoming students in Fall 2014 – you can compare your own average to that to see how you’re shaping up, and hopefully that can alleviate some of your stress (aska hates it when y’all stress). but remember, like my opinion, it’s only a guideline. ultimately, the people who know for sure are admissions, and they keep screening my phone calls.*

    cheers,

    aska

    *for some reason, they?don’t?appreciate me calling their office and leaving voice-mail messages in the early hours of the morning demanding to be admitted into their secret, cool club of elite uoft staff. admissions won’t admit me; irony of the century, amirite?**

    **this is a joke. admissions and i are on great terms. learn about sarcasm, jeez.

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  • alcohol

    is this the police testing me

    July 4, 2014

    Hey,

    i’m a first year (going into second year) but unfortunately have a birthday rather late in the year (still 18). As a result my social night life has been quite stunted. I was wondering if there are any cool places that are 18+, or where they let in/ allow underage drinking. Any other fun things to do downtown?

    any tips are appreciated,

    Just looking for a good time 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well friend, i’d rather not endorse underage drinking on here, partly because i don’t want to be nabbed by the cops, but mostly because drunk frosh on campus are frickin’ annoying, and i don’t want to advertise?more ways to get drunk?to any froshies that may read this in future. if i may offer my opinion, drinking at clubs is stupidly expensive anyway.

    as for sober events, there’s a nearly endless list of things to do. might i recommend following @torontoist on twitter for daily updates about city events, or scrolling through their events page. they post about cool stuff happening in toronto every day.

    the toronto fringe festival is happening right now, which you may enjoy if you’re one of those wretched THEATRE NERDS. fringe festival plays?are not only really cool, they’re also – the holy grail of student events – CHEAP, at only $12/ticket.

    in keeping with the nerd theme, nuit blanche and TIFF are really over-advertised BUT?not overrated events, especially if you don’t take them too seriously and go with friends (aska spent half the night last year walking around nuit blanche without shoes, because her boots were too painful. she got some strange looks from strangers, but in her pain-induced haze she saw some weird art and had good middle eastern food at 2am, so it was a night well spent).

    speaking of gastro-intestinal needs, might i recommend some rooftop patios courtesy of blogTO (pauper’s pub is within a student budget and their rooftop is really nice).

    for your ear-holes,?the phoenix?and bovine sex club always have cool concerts going on, and you missed NXNE this year, but give it a go next year if you haven’t already. also, i guess you have to go to sneaky dee’s before you move away from toronto, because it’s like an icon or whatever.

    finally, when your parents come to visit for the weekend and need proof that you’ve become a cultured torontonian, may i recommend?a boat tour from?the harbourfront. it’s chock-full of educational, wholesome, family fun!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    why would you apply to such intimidating POSts again are you a viking

    July 4, 2014

    Hi Aska!

    As you probably know, second years received their invitation/rejection from?subject posts at UTSG.? I have a couple of questions.

    1.? A couple of my applications for Type 3 subject posts still say?Requested.? Is there still a chance?? Why has a decision not been made yet?

    2. If you are rejected form a Type 3 subject post that does not have a?second application period( ie. 3 – no), would you be able to apply for it?in the future?? Is there a limited number of times to apply?? I applied to?both the Biomedical Toxicology and Pathobiology specialists.? Are you only?able to reapply to these specialists a certain number of times or during?certain years?

    Thanks!

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

    hey there,

    wow, those are some scary-sounding POSts. my fondest memories of high school chemistry involve pretending to blow people up with imaginary cesium. good for you for persevering into actually serious science!

    1. if it says?requested, then of course there is still a chance. uoft’s site does?say that results are available july 2nd, but if you scroll down on the subject post enrolment page a bit, you’ll see that they say: “[b]eginning July 2, you must log on to the SWS and select “subject POSts” from the main menu...” the important wording there is “BEGINNING July 2nd” – meaning?that while the goal is to get all offers out by the 2nd, it doesn’t always happen that way.

    so i don’t think this is anything more serious than a run-of-the-mill departmental delay. however, you’re totally justified in calling the department and asking for an ETA if you’re nervous.

    2. generally, you can make changes to your POSt every year you’re in school between april and september, but not all POSts allow application by students after first year. biomedical toxicology says that “[s]tudents wishing to enrol?after?their second year who have taken?PCL201H1?will be considered on a case by case basis.“?

    pathobiology?doesn’t make any specifications?about whether you can apply after first year. i’m doubtful, since they say on the calendar that “[e]ligibility will be competitive and based on a student?s marks in the 3.0 required first-year courses” specifically, but you can always call the department to double check (EDIT: i called the department to double-check, and pathobiology is strictly an apply-after-first year kinda deal).

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    ditching my subject POSt

    July 3, 2014

    Hi, my name is [redacted]?and I am currently pursuing a major in Computer Science at UofT: St. George. It is going to be my first year but I am currently debating on whether or not I want to major in Computer Science. I am thinking on majoring in Mathematics or Actuarial Science. What would the process be in switching into one of these courses? Please and thank you.

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

    hey there,

    i’m not certain on the wording of this, but?from what i understand, you’ve either just finished first year and are in the process of choosing subject POSts now, or you’re going into first year this coming september.

    doesn’t really matter either way, i guess. subject POSts can be added, deleted and changed between april and september every single year you’re in school.

    (brace yourself: uoft administrative jargon ahead).

    computer science is a type 2L subject POSt, meaning only a limited number of applicants who meet the requirements get in. actuarial science is a type 2 POSt, meaning that as long as you meet the requirements, you’re eligible to enrol. finally, math is a type 1 POSt, meaning that as long as you’ve completed 4.0 credits when you request the POSt, you’ll be instantly enrolled.

    the process for trying to add POSts is slightly different depending on the type. you can see the timeline and enrolment process for each type?here. also, keep in mind that just one major is not enough?- uoft needs you?to do two majors (or one specialist, or one major and two minors).

    cheers,

    aska

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