• admissions

    AHHHHH!

    June 24, 2014

    Will I know which marks are submitted for first year!??? Also do they tell you if grade 11 marks are submitted!? AHHHH

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

    hey there,

    i really hope that there’s just one person who’s asking me this question, and you get progressively more and more panicked and impatient each time you ask it. sorry to make you wait, frantic one, but aska’s got important things to do, y’know? i’ve got my paragliding to keep up with, gotta spend some quality time with my proboscis monkeys (maria’s getting particularly antsy) …lots of stuff.

    come to think of it, you’re probably impatient just reading that preamble, so why don’t we get right to the question?

    OUAC will send your high school transcripts. your?grade 11 marks may be considered?for an?early offer of admission or a conditional offer, along with any in-progress grade 12 marks you may have at the time.

    if you get a conditional offer,?that’s the university offering you a spot based on your grade 11/in-progress grade-12 marks, on the condition that?you?do well?in in your top six 4U/M classes including prerequisites.

    cheers,

    aska

     

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  • admissions

    top six, bottom seven, side eight

    June 24, 2014

    In response to the other anon I have a question about the top 6 too. Can they use some marks from grade 11 in your top 6?

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

    hey there,

    as always, the answer to your question isn’t really yes or no, but is floating around somewhere in the middle, in the land of bureaucratic details, where big institutions like universities are built (gotta love ’em for that).

    the top six specifically are your top six 4U/M marks including prerequisites, not your grade 11 marks. however, when you apply, you probably won’t have finished all your grade 12?classes yet. so the university may look at individual grade 11 marks and your grade 11 average in order to make a conditional offer.

    the conditional offer?(as the name implies) will be finalized?if?you do well enough in your top 6 4U/M courses.

    SO they DO?look at your grade 11 courses, but they’re?NOT part of your top six. geddit?

    cheers,

    aska

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  • biology,  PUMP,  subject POST

    a rock and a hard course

    June 24, 2014

    Hi I’m starting uoftSG as a humanities student, however I love biology and i might want to major in that as well. I took chem/bio in high school but when I checked the prerequisite for chemistry on the uoft site it said I needed functions & calculus as well??? When I took chem in high school I never felt that I needed math. Is there any way around this???

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    speaking as a former life-sci student turned liberal arts bum, math really can be important for bio. if you really want to skip the math, you can, but it’s tricky.

    you don’t need to take calculus in first year as a biology major, but MAT135/6 are recommended corequisites for CHEM138/9, which are required. so, you don’t HAVE to take the maths, but they’re recommended for a reason.

    secondly, there’re these things at uoft called enrolment controls. enrolment controls are basically a horrible horrible thing that make it a lot more difficult for you to get into that cool course you found randomly one lazy Sunday on the course calendar.

    if you take a look at the enrolment controls for BIO130H1, BIO120H1, CHM138H1, and CHM139H1, you’ll see that they all have ‘P’ enrolment controls. that means that certain students get to enrol before everyone else, leaving the rest of you poor souls?to scrounge for spots?on August 9th. lucky for you, these first year bio and chem classes are ENORMOUS, so you’ll probably get into them, but it’s not guaranteed.

    there are a lot of pesky obstacles here, and probably more i haven’t thought of. that’s why you should probably discuss all this with your college registrar’s office once you get on campus. you guys can chat and figure out whether the major is for you, if you can go it without the math, or if you should spend some time catching up, either in night/summer school or in uoft’s PUMP program.

    anyway, take the first-year bio and chem classes – after a year of slogging through lectures, labs and exams, you’ll know what you want to do.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions,  stress

    swerve away from those nerves

    June 24, 2014

    I’m applying to u of t next year but ok I’m really nervous my avg isnt going to be high cause most of my courses I’m taking I’m able to get 85 and up in except for two Maths. The two Maths are going to be included in my top 6 cause religion doesnt count as U and neither does my elective. Any advice on how to not stress? I’m applying for humanities at st george btw

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    despite the fact that i’m pretty sure you’re the same person as this dude, i’m gonna answer this as well, just because you’ve actually technically asked a different question.

    like i said to the other dude, the anticipated grade range for incoming humanities students this Fall is in the low 80s. i don’t know how badly you did in those maths, but it’s probably not as bad as you think.

    as for ways to avoid stress, i’ve written about that before. i could list more things, but to be honest, i’m getting into the first quarter of my life here, and i can already feel my hands WARPING from carpal tunnel, so.

    the core of the matter is this: you have to to realize that getting into uoft is not the be-all and end-all of your happiness. try to get excited about other universities and other opportunities that can make you happy, so that no matter what happens here, it’s not gonna make or break you.

    like, i think uoft’s great. love working here, love studying here (well; i don’t love studying…) BUT i also understand that i am a radiant being of light who will continue to be as attractive, transcendent, and an all-around delight (not to mention conversational WIT), even after i leave uoft.*

    if you work hard and stay meticulous about school, you’ll be fine. but even if uoft doesn’t work out, you are still one COOL HUMAN. so don’t stress, ’cause you don’t wanna wrinkle a face as great as yours.

    cheers,

    aska

    *to be fair, i don’t know if YOU’RE all those things…obviously only aska can be made of the pure, guiding light of knowledge and charm…but you know…you’re probably cool too…

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  • enrollment,  UTM

    course payments make my head spin

    June 23, 2014

    I’m trying to get into an S summer course. I’m the first person on the waitlist. This is my own fault because I didn’t enroll sooner. Today is actually the last day to pay the minimum fee to register. On important dates, it says that July 4th is when they will start to charge late registration fees. But the waitlist for S summer courses ends July 13! My question is will I have to pay late reg fees if I get into my course after July 4th?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    heads up guys, it’s REALLY HELPFUL if you tell me what school you’re at before giving me your question. since i’m a top sleuth, i’m pretty certain you’re a UTM student, but i can’t be sleuthing all the time. detectives get tired, you know.

    i can’t find any evidence that today was the last day to pay minimum registration fees, so i’m just gonna have to trust you on that. also, this is all assuming you’re not in any other courses for the summer.

    if you have already paid and are registered, i would assume that you shouldn’t be charged those late registration fees, regardless of when and if you get put into the course. however, i can’t find any concrete information from UTM about it, so it’s best to contact them.

    if you haven’t paid yet, you’ll probably be financially cancelled, in which case you wouldn’t be able to enrol in courses at all. if this is the case, then you should definitely call your registrar’s office as soon as it opens tomorrow and ask if you can still pay and what the consequences will be.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions,  architecture

    architecture admissions smorgasbord

    June 23, 2014

    Heyy Aska! You’re in Innis College too? No way, so am I!!


    So before I begin, I just wanted to thank you for being such an amazing human being and helping out all these lost souls by answering their endless questions. I cannot begin to tell you how much your witty answers have helped me and/or managed to put a smile on my face on so many occasions. Please never stop doing what you do, and I just wanted to let you know that you’re being appreciated 🙂


    Kso here’s my thing: I just finished my first year at St. George, and I thought I wanted to major in econ, but then I realized how much I sucked so I changed gears into Urban Studies. Recently, however, I started thinking about Architecture, since I’m artsy about literally everything and it has always been a subconscious dream-aspiration for me. But then I thought about how difficult it would actually be and that getting into the program is just wishful thinking, so I pushed the whole idea aside. And then today, out of nowhere, I got hit with the best idea for the program’s O<https://daniels.utoronto.ca/node/2120>ne?Idea supplementary application<https://daniels.utoronto.ca/node/2120>, which you need to complete in order to apply, and I cannot wait to execute it. My question to you is: are there any additional costs involved with the application process? Because it doesn’t say anything about that on their website. I’m also kind of nervous to create something already, because what if they change the application next year? :/ On their website, it just talks about completing the Uoft Internal Application and the One Idea supplementary application.. I couldn’t really check those out because they’re from last year and so they’re inaccessible, but are those really the only two things I should be worrying about? No using the OUAC website? Also, do you have a rough idea of how my CGPA should be in order for me to stand a chance? My average could’ve been around mid 70s-80s, if it wasn’t for a 56 that I got in PSY100.. I wish I could make it disappear from my transcript, but I don’t think there is any way 🙁 Do you? Ughhh so many questions, I’m so sorry for bombarding you, but please try and help a girl out!


    Sincerely, ?

    Forever Confused

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

    hey forever confused (i feel you on that one),

    shucks, aren’t you sweet? you shouldn’t say things like that you know, they go straight to aska’s head. and i’m already the wisest, most benevolent person this doomed planet has ever known.

    the application is?really just based on your GPA and OneIdea essay. there’s always the possibility they might COMPLETELY CHANGE the process this year, but i think you’re safe. still,?maybe just jot down ideas about the essay as you get them, but hold off on writing for now? just in case the essay question changes, or the application process is altered. besides, your writing is probably gonna improve by december. (also, you can still look at last year’s OneIdea question?if you’re interested.)

    by “additional costs,”?d’you mean financial cost? it costs $90 to complete an internal transfer app, but that’s about it. hopefully you should be able to cover that, otherwise you’re screwed for architecture’s tuition.

    there’s no way to remove a?mark from your transcript – that would just be too easy.

    i have?no idea about official or unofficial cutoffs for the program. architecture’s website is vague at the best of times, but it’s completely silent on the topic of grades. if you want to bug architecture about it, then by all means, go ahead. (just don’t tell them i sent you. can’t have any admin staff at uoft after my head).

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. askastudent runs out of innis college but i’m actually a vic student! you could say i’m infiltrating innis’ ranks. maybe i’m planning something. who knows…

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  • enrollment,  ROSI,  subject POST

    learning the ancient tongue of ROSI

    June 23, 2014

    Im entering my second year at uoft and I applied for criminology and equity studies. On ROSI it shows that I have requested to be in criminology but on the home page it says I’m invited so Im confused about how do I accept the invitation when it does show me where. And for equity studies its open but it says the session date is summer 2014 and I have been financially cancelled. Also my course enrolment is open but won’t let me enter courses.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    in a rare and surprising turn of events, your concern is actually not a concern at all! ROSI uses pretty confusing terminology at times, but for you – lucky you – everything is going as it should be.

    if it says invited on the home page under Registration – Fall 2014 (and Winter 2015), that means you’re invited to continue your degree in the Fall, which is good. you do wanna keep going in the Fall, right?

    being invited to a subject POSt is a separate thing. the results for type 2 and 3 POSts shouldn’t be out until july 2nd, so it should still say requested for criminology. go back and check again under the ‘subject POSts’ tag on july 2nd – if you’re invited, there’ll be a button to accept. easy-peasy!

    the current session is Summer 2014, so if you’re financially cancelled, that just means you don’t have to pay any registration fees and whatnot for the summer. if you’re not taking any summer courses, that’s what it should say.

    since equity studies is a type 1 POSt, you should have been just automatically enrolled in the subject POSt. it should say ‘active’ for equity studies under the ‘subject POSts’ tab on your ROSI.

    and course enrollment for Fall 2014/Winter 2015 hasn’t started yet, so that would make sense. while you wait, take this opportunity to rest up and gather your strength before the bloodthirsty warfare that is course enrolment begins.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions

    i’m gonna get an ulcer from second-hand stress

    June 23, 2014

    Two out of my six grade 12 courses are math… I’m applying to humanities and I’m worried its going to drastically affect my entrance. I usually get high 70’s in math or 80 right on. Also. Are you annoyed with all the same questions? I notice you get a ton LOL

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

    hey there,

    well, mi amigo, it is now the 15th anniversary of askastudent and – as always – aska is reliably peeved, aggravated, and generally down-trodden about panicked high school students asking for some kind of black market judgement about whether they’re going to get into uoft.

    but aska will?still answer your question, because this website is nothing if not uncensored.

    the anticipated average of students entering into the humanities for fall 2014 is the?low 80s. i STILL DON’T KNOW if you’ll get in. i don’t know you. i don’t know all your grades in all your courses.* i don’t know the colour of your mom’s hair, and if it’s dyed or natural. there are so many things i don’t know. but most of all: i don’t know if you’ll get into this university.

    you don’t not have a chance if you’re somewhere in or above that anticipated grade range. and if you have just two courses in the high 70s/low 80s, you probably will be somewhere in that range. but other than that, you just gotta let it?play out and see what happens.

    for now, let’s all go out and enjoy the sun, huh? frolic in the great outdoors like the children of yore used to do.

    cheers,

    aska

    *that is NOT an invitation for?y’all to send in your grades. please don’t. it’s not gonna help anything.

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  • enrollment,  psychology,  subject POST

    sighcology

    June 20, 2014

    Hello aska

    I just checked the results of the subject post on rosi. I got refused by all specialist, major and minor of psychology… I thought I could be invited by at least psy minor, so that I would have priority when enroling courses in jul.
    Here’s my question: if I I don’t have priority, is it hard to enroll those psy courses I need to reapply specialist next year?

    ———————————————

    hey,

    geez man, i’m sorry about that. if it helps, psychology is by far the most popular subject POSt in the Faculty of Arts & Science (based on the completely legitimate and scientific fact that aska feels like she gets asked about psych more than any other subject POSt), so you were facing a lot of competition.

    PSY201H1 and 202H1 have P enrolment controls and might be tricky to get into, but if you go on ROSI as soon as the priority lifts, you just might manage it. also, STA220H1 and 221H1 meet the same requirement and have no enrolment controls.

    assuming you took PSY100H1 (which, i mean, how else would you have applied for the POSts this year?) you only have one more 200+ level PSY FCE to worry about. i know it’s a bit daunting that they all have at least a P control, BUT there are lots of PSY courses at the 200-level. there’s bound to be one that doesn’t fill up in the priority period, right? right??

    i think you’ll be okay. however, i would come up with a couple contingency plans, just in case ROSI decides to play the big villain on the day of your course enrolment.

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions

    second semester is so unnecessary

    June 20, 2014

    If I’m worried about my high school average being lower than what I need to keep my acceptance, is there anything I can do to still keep it?

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

    hey there,

    ummm, work harder at school?

    the final admission offer is based on?meeting the conditions of admission as specified by the university. there’s no way to wiggle out of that. but don’t panic if your average drops one or two percent: it’s only an issue if there’s a drastic grade drop, like you go down a letter grade.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • OSAP

    dead and alive lines for OSAP

    June 20, 2014

    hey,

    When were/are we supposed to apply for osap if we’re in second year?

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

    hey there,

    i like how you said “were/are” like you’re already resigned to the fact you may have missed your chance. well, at least you’re prepared for failure. i admire that in a university student – you’re sure to go far.

    there’s no hard-and-fast deadline to apply. OSAP says their deadline is 60 days before the end of the study period for full-time students.?however, depending on if you need to defer your fees or need the money for some other reason, you should probably apply as soon as possible.

    really, to be certain that it would be processed by the deadline to defer?(August 19th?for Fall/Winter), you should have started in late May/early June, just because some students have to take additional/unforeseen steps in their application that may take some time to complete. also, you never know how long it’s gonna take for OSAP to process your stuff.

    if you apply now, you’ll still probably be okay to defer, but you might not actually get the money from them for a while after that, so if you need OSAP for things other than school fees (rent/groceries/leprechaun taxes etc.), you may want to come up with a plan B.

    tldr; go online and apply right away.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions

    capital letters for a capital issue

    June 19, 2014

    SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT I NEED A 90 AVERAGE FOR U OF T ST GEORGE HUMANITIES IS THIS TRUE!? I HAVE 83 RIGHT NOW SOS

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

    hey there,

    is that ‘sos’ like SOS on a boat?? are you at sea and need assistance?? was your last, dying, all-capitals request a desperate inquiry to aska about high school averages?????

    that’s hardcore, man. that’s super hardcore.

    anyway, i don’t know who you were talking to, but that’s not true. there’s no mark you ‘need’ because?there is no exact, cut-off mark, ever. every year, the mark you need to get in depends on your competition, i.e. the other people applying.

    there is an ‘anticipated grade range‘ for incoming students, and for Fall 2014, that range?is “low 80s” for the humanities. now, i’m no mathematician, but if my calculations are correct, an 83% average is…wait, just gimme a second…yes! it’s in the low 80s.

    that’s not to say that you’re guaranteed an offer. like i said, it all depends on how well your peers do and a lot of other factors only admissions know about. however, you’re not out of the running. so you can drop the capitals now. breathe. whew. feels good, right?

    cheers,

    aska

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  • odds are that won't be asked again

    a perspective on global perspectives

    June 19, 2014

    Hello,
    I have applied for the global perspectives community as a 1st yr and I was wondering if you can tell me more about it.
    Is this like a community where people hang out and do things together? Or do people live together in the same residence?

    And also, is there any restriction in terms of the people they accept, i.e. how many people they accept? And if they do accept me, is it autonomic or do I get to think about it for a while (Like the ONE programs where I get to choose whether to participate even after they accept me)?

    thank you and best regards

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it’s everything you just said and more. i like the way you put it: “a community where people hang out and do things together.” that makes it sound really chill and fun. all aspects of university should be like that, don’t you think lectures should be a community where people hang out and do things together. exams should be! come to think of it, that probably wouldn’t help with the learning part of university…

    you will be living in the same residence with your Living Learning Community. you will also be putting on events with them. Living Learning is like the residence experience plus. think of it as a really productive, yearlong sleepover. with less chips. maybe.

    they say that “[a]ll efforts will be made to assign you to your choice of community,” so no, i don’t think it’s the kind of thing where applicants have to duke it out and they only accept a certain percentage of individuals.

    if you are placed in a Living Learning Community, then you’re given a room that’s part of that Community and that’s basically it. you can reject the offer of room i guess, but then it’s up to you to find some place else to live.

    cheers,

    aska

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