• sociology,  subject POST

    POSts sociable with sociology

    June 19, 2014

    Hi! My question is regarding a sociology major. I’ll be starting my first year this fall at the St. George campus and don’t want to specialize in soc but am having trouble deciding on what to double in. I can’t double with psych because I did not take calculous (which is a prerequisite), and the St. George campus does not offer communications as a major. What would you recommend as a good major to double in with sociology? Ps, I’m horribal at math

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the good thing about uoft is that you have one year to figure out what your subject POSt will be, so if you don’t know right now, that’s kind of…like…the point.

    i mean, having a plan is great and all, but the reason first year is special is because you don’t need a plan. right now, you have the really rare opportunity to make a decision based entirely on your own, personal preferences. and you can use first year to figure out what those preferences are.

    other than just waiting the year out and seeing what happens, another great way to discover cool new POSts is by searching through the course calendar to see if anything is especially interesting to you. for example, while we don’t have a communications program, we do have a semiotics and communication minor you may be interested in?

    you also might wanna contact the Undergraduate Sociology Students’ Union. i know they’re more about organizing events and stuff, but maybe one of the staff will be an upper-year sociology student who’s willing to share their experiences with you and counsel you a little. (if someone from USSU is reading this and you guys really hate counselling younger students, i’m sorry. have a consoling cake).

    finally, an end goal can often clarify things. i don’t want you to feel under ANY PRESSURE to contort yourself academically in order to get on a certain career path, but if there’s a job you’re really interested in, taking courses related to that field can help you see if that career is right for you.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • failing

    a failing fact

    June 18, 2014

    heyy

    I have failed few courses last year (first year), and I was wondering if I?can retake those courses…??will my marks be replaced on my transcript? will it be an average of the?two??

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

    hey there,

    since you don’t actually get credit for failed courses,?you can retake them. the mark for the new courses will appear on your transcript as well as the failed marks, and both marks will be weighted equally.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • enrollment,  registration,  UTM

    enrolgistered

    June 18, 2014

    Hi, I was just wondering how do you know if you’ve successfully enrolled at utm? I’m pretty sure I have but I want to double check…

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m not sure what exactly you’re asking, so i’m just gonna answer every interpretation of the question i can think of and cover all my bases.

    if you mean, “how do i know if i’m enrolled in courses?” then: course enrolment at UTM doesn’t start until july 3rd for first-years – you can see your start time for enrolment beginning on June 27th. course enrolment has already started for all other years.

    in both cases, you enrol in courses online through ROSI. ROSI will tell you if you’re successfully enrolled in each course as you enrol in it.

    if you mean, “how do i know if i’m registered at the school?” then: if you’re a first-year student, all you’ve gotta do is accept your offer on OUAC and pay or defer your fees by August 19th. if you’re a returning student, make sure to enrol in subject POSts (if applicable) by August 29th, pay minimum meal plan/rez fees by August 15th, and pay or defer your school fees by August 19th.

    regardless of your year, your status appear on ROSI as “invited” starting about the beginning of july, until you make the minimum tuition fee payment, and then it will appear as “registered.”

    cheers,

    aska

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  • extracurricular

    i’m legitimate. who says i’m not legitimate? show me that list.

    June 17, 2014

    is your co-curricular record really anything important? does it mean anything really special in comparison with just doing curricular outside of uoft?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the co-curricular record is kinda weird because it’s REALLY NEW, so it’s hard to say yet how it’s gonna work in the real world. however:

    the point of the co-curricular record is that the university can verify the legitimacy of certain things you do, which is pretty cool. like, for example, i could put on my resume, “sasses people online for the university of toronto,” but it just feels like it would have more clout if it said “askastudent” on a university-verified document. employers would probably take me more seriously.

    as the university puts it, having your university involvement officially documented is an “awesome opportunity.”

    on the other hand, is it absolutely vital? i don’t think so. maybe, as it gains more popularity and more and more schools start doing it too, you’ll have a leg-up on people who don’t have it. but, especially right now, i don’t think that doing extra-curricular work outside of uoft is worse because it’s not within the university, or that an activity in school is somehow not valid because it can’t be put on your co-curricular (remember, not everything at uoft is eligible to be on your co-curricular record). references and resumes are still the main venue for employers to make judgements about people.

    however, the CCR is not just a document that supplements your CV. it’s also part of a database of activities and opportunities available on campus, which is pretty helpful. no need to traipse across campus to dilapidated houses looking for this or that club. you can search and discover all in one place online.

    so basically, it’s a pretty cool thing and worth looking into. but if you don’t have the time, you’re okay.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • askastudent love/hate

    origin stories

    June 17, 2014

    How did you manage to procure this job? And should I be interested once I actually join U of T, is there a chance I could take your job? (Not by force of course, but you would step down and I would step up.)

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, lemme tell you how it all went down. my family was spending the summer at this random lighthouse, which is really far away on this teeny little island off the coast of England. i live with my aunt and uncle and their son. i’m not super close with them, but, i dunno, i was kind of excited to be spending the summer away, y’know?

    there weren’t enough bedrooms for us all in the lighthouse – i mean it was this rickety old thing, my uncle even bought a gun in case we were attacked – so i had to sleep on the bottom floor. i remember i was just about to turn eleven years old. i wasn’t able to sleep because i was too excited about my birthday. i lay there, on the sandy floor, counting down the seconds to midnight.

    then, when the clock struck twelve, there was this crazy loud knocking sound at the door. i jumped up and stood there, petrified, as the knock continued. then the door actually completely broke down and there was – no lie – a GIANT at the door.

    he walked in and eyeballed me. then he said, “yer an aska, harry!”

    but it doesn’t happen that way for everyone. some askas back in the 1400s pulled swords out of stones (weird, right? why would you put a sword in a stone? you keeping it warm, or something?), some had to complete 12 tasks (to see whether the aska was a well-rounded student, i guess), one aska blinded a cyclops, and one aska killed Ned Stark. recently, all the applicants had to battle to the death during this really intense game in an alternate reality where jennifer lawrence is a brunette.

    and some askas just apply to the job on CLN, ‘cuz it’s a work-study position.

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  • subject POST,  Transferring,  UTM

    subject POSts, lamp posts, fence posts…all your posting needs

    June 16, 2014

    Hi, I am a transfer student and was admitted to UTM BA recently. The program I chose on OUAC is economics, I was wondering do I need to do the subject post thing? Or after the credit of assessment is done, they will put me? Speaking of it, do I have to send another transcript from my previous university again, since I’ve already sent it for the application.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, congratulations to you! i hope you enjoy the incredibly fun to pronounce city that is Mississauga.*

    one of two things will happen with your subject POSt: either UTM will put you in one (they’ll let you know which one, but it’ll likely be an economics POSt), or you will have to pick one for yourself (that’ll be online).they say you’ll be “contacted by email regarding registration workshops which will be held in May and June prior to course enrollment,” so if you do have to pick a POSt yourself, they’ll walk you through it.

    i don’t think so? if you’ve already applied through OUAC and completed a transfer credit assessment, you should be good to go!

    cheers,

    aska

    *Missy saw gah, miSEE!(sauga), missisaug-UH, etc. etc. etc.

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  • admissions,  international students

    who was even awake during grade 7?

    June 16, 2014

    Hello!So I am a high school student from Central America who desperately wants to study at UofT.I have some questions that I hope you may have the answers to:
    Does UofT consider your GPA or average? So… when they look at your transcripts do they look for your GPA or do they look at your percentage?
    From what grade does the university consider your grades? From 7-12 or 9-12 or 10-12… etc.
    As an international student, can I work to earn money while at the university? Do I get a work permit too?
    I came across this?http://www.adm.utoronto.ca/pdf_applications/int_student_app.pdf?and I was wondering do you know how many applicants applied? How many got selected? Any statistics on what their averages were… anything of the sort??
    I hope you have a lovely day, and thank you for your time!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    at your tender age the only things you should desperately want are naps and that nice, central american sun that all us torontonians would give multiple fingers for. alas, the heart wants what the heart wants. who am i to disagree?

    1. uoft considers whatever form your grades happen to come in; if that’s a GPA, they consider your GPA. if it’s percentage, they consider percentage. if it’s IB points or fairground tokens or whatever system your school has dreamt up – they’ll consider it. just go here, put in which country you’re from, and they’ll tell you exactly what the requirements are for the program you’re applying to.

    2. hahahahahAHAHAHAHA. imagine if they considered all your grades from grade 7-12. the vast majority of people from my high school wouldn’t have made it to university. that would have made me so happy…

    no. they only look at your grade 12 marks, and occasionally your grade 11 marks, if you’re applying for early admission. again, just look at this page and it’ll tell you exactly which courses are considered for your program.

    3. there is a work experience program, but it looks like it’s being tinkered with at the moment. you can also work on-campus, off-campus, and even on co-op. you don’t even need a work permit.

    4. not only do i not know how many applicants there were, but i can’t even find any other information about that scholarship. which is a bit baffling; my Googling skills are usually impeccable (i look on the second page for stuff. yeah. i’m dedicated to my art).

    not to fear, there are still lots of opportunities for you to fund your education.

    keep in mind that uoft also automatically considers you for $2000 entrance scholarships based solely on your marks – no application needed. same goes for your college (though the value of the scholarship depends on the college).

    you can look here for all the admission scholarships offered by the university. and there are even more scholarships offered through the centre for international experience.

    hope you have a rad year, and hope to see you at uoft sometime soon!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions

    ok but really like are you definitely 100% sure

    June 13, 2014

    So when it is required that you need an average in the low 80’s they mean that your top 6 must average out low 80’s right?

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

    hey there,

    i’m assuming you’re the person who asked this question. you’re pretty worried about this, huh? did you get 85% in everything except for one course where you got, like, 14% or something?

    yes. that is what that means. official, 100%, aska-proof answer. swear on my heart and hope to die stick-a-needle-in-my-eye.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • residence

    “you hecked up” – kanye west

    June 13, 2014

    hi
    So i was admitted to UC, and I have applied to UC? my residence already. However, I actually really like the residence in Vic.?

    Am I allowed to do residence in a different college???

    If yes, does a lot of people do that? And since I have already paid the deposit for UC, is it too late to change anything now??
    thanks.

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

    hey there,

    kanye shakes his head

    according to the call i just put in to the Super Secret Office of Knowledge,?it’s “not likely” you can?change rez’s?once you’ve made a deposit. you can e-mail housing ( . ) services ( at ) utoronto ( . ) ca and they may be able to do something to help you out, but your odds aren’t great.

    once you express your interest, it’s a done deal. residence is kind of like getting married in that way – you can’t back out after the fact, no matter what the bride is like. see, this is why i was yelling at y’all back in april?to figure this stuff out. you think it’s annoying, and then you realize?I?WAS RIGHT.

    why not give?UC?a try? and be grateful that you’ve got a ROOF?over your HEAD. aska doesn’t?live in residence, y’know – she just?huddles with strangers?in libraries all day long. at night, we sleep?on top of each other in subways. and when it was winter, we just gritted our teeth and yelled into?the wind to deal with the pain. who needs all ten toes? kids these days are soft, i tell you, SOFT.

    seriously, the UC residences are cool. and?if, somehow, you STILL?don’t like it after?you’ve moved in, you can always change residences next year.

    best,

    aska

    P.S. i had to Google “Kanye laughing” for this post and this is what comes up in the image search. i feel like it’s a good reaction image, but for WHAT, i don’t know yet…

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  • admissions

    didn’t your school tell you this

    June 12, 2014

    Question about admissions: does u of to look at your entire overall average or the average of your top 6 marks?

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

    hey there,

    they take the?average of your top six 4U marks, INCLUDING?prerequisites – regardless of if your prereqs are in your top six or not (that one’s important. don’t think you can wiggle out of doing badly in calculus and still get into computer science. the university wasn’t born yesterday, you know).

    ttfn friend,

    aska

    P.S i linked to the admissions page for humanities/social science but it’s true for all areas.

    P.P.S. that all took a lot of time to link i hope you click on a few.

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  • OSAP

    tfw the government doesn’t make any sense anymore :((

    June 12, 2014

    Hello!

    I need to know whether or not OSAP checks your credit score/file every year you apply. I know they do when you initially apply but I need to know whether they do one every single year you apply or just the first time. My ID was stolen last summer and now my credit score is completely screwed but its not my fault! So i need to know whether I should alert OSAP of the fact that my credit score is bad because of fraud or whether it will be okay and I will still be able to receive OSAP despite my credit score being terrible.

    THANK YOU!

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

    hey there,

    ugh, i dread OSAP questions. how can such an important organization?have such a crap website? and why does there have to be?the whole circus of looking on the OSAP website to find info, and then having it refer you to your school’s financial aid office, then the financial aid office referring you back to OSAP…and on and on??

    buttt i’ll answer your question because you used a lot of exclamation marks and seem so enthusiastic about this whole thing.

    i went online and looked at OSAP’s definition of a credit check. they say that?”if you?re older than 22 and have never received an?OSAP?student loan the government will conduct a?credit check?to review your credit history.”

    the way?i read that is, “if you’ve never received OSAP before, we’ll do a credit check,” i.e. if you have received it, they won’t do one. also, according to this helpful ryerson site?(no longer active), students who have already received OSAP in previous year don’t get credit checks.

    so i wanna say you’re safe, BUT since i couldn’t find any up-to-date information on a UofT page, if you wanted to make absolutely sure (’cause credit’s like, pretty serious business or something i don’t know i’m not an adult), it may be a good idea to call enrolment services and have them confirm it for you.

    also, i’m sorry that person stole your ID, that’s really horrible. i hope they buy something with it and then choke on the receipt.

    best,

    aska

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  • computer science,  grad school

    are you asking me for math help.

    June 11, 2014

    Hi there! I’ve visited your website for guidance and I’d like to ask a question personally. I’m a first year CS student. I dropped one course and failed 3 courses-2 of which are required to get into the CS program. I’m taking all three this summer and so far so good–I’m not messing this up again. My annual and cumulative GPA is really low…a little over 1.5. I’ve been thinking about the future and if grad school is something I’d want to do later on and now I’m worried about what I’ve done. If I do extremely well in these classes(90+), will it increase by GPA by much? And is it too late to get a GPA around the 3.5 or above area for when I graduate? Thanks a lot!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m so glad you’ve found my ramblings helpful! i like to imagine that some of you come here for Guidance capital-G, and not just for gifs or to send me into a college-question-related torpor.

    unfortunately, i can’t answer your math problem because you didn’t give me all the variables. how many credits did you finish with in first year? was the course you dropped a 0.5 or 1.0 credit course? these things will affect your CGPA and i can’t figure it out without knowing them. besides, i’m not a calculator, dude. here’s your calculator.

    anyway, while the cut-off for UofT’s M.Sc. in Applied Computing (i’m just gonna go with that degree because you didn’t specify a program) is a 3.3, it’s only over the last two years of your undergrad degree. so even if you did muck up first year, it’s not game over yet. but:

    there are two general reasons people do not-so-hot in first year: 1) they weren’t ready. uni moved too fast and they underestimated it. it takes them some time to find their groove, but when they do, it’s smooth sailing. if that’s your situation, then you should 100% go for grad school! but if it’s reason 2) you’re just not motivated because you’re not enjoying yourself, then it’s NOT WORTH IT.

    so while you’re doing that trademark student move of calculating potential GPAs (“so, if i get a 76% in this course…no, let’s say 78%, i can definitely get a 78%, then…maybe…my parents will love me…“), also think about whether this is really right for you. are you overwhelming yourself for good marks or do you feel like you can handle the work? and can you see yourself working as a slave to our mechanical overlords for life’s important questions?

    cheers,

    aska

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  • dentistry,  subject POST

    dentists scare me. stay back.

    June 10, 2014

    hello,

    so I’ve been thinking about these questions for a long time but i can’t find an answer and frankly there is no one i can ask to help. so i just finished my first year here at uoft in life sciences and now is the time to choose posts. my goal is to study dentistry. i have applied to a specialist in neuroscience and a minor in psych and i was thinking i should do a combination of those( neuroscience specialist and psych minor) or a major in neuroscience and a major in biology which is a type 1 post. however, i have heard that neuroscience is really hard and if i dont wanna go to medical school and am aiming for dental, then i should choose something easier. the problem is I don’t know what the best post to get into is if you wanna become a dentist. so i was just wondering, what should my post be? or should i just go with neuroscience and biology(major+major) or neuroscience and psych(specialist+minor) ?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    so, you wanna grow up and be a kid’s worst nightmare, huh? well, good on ya. i’d like to be that, too, but unfortunately i don’t have any qualifications to back me up and apparently whispering, “Count Olaf is near!” at random children in grocery stores is “rude” and “unsettling.” whatever. talk about prejudice, right?

    the academic requirements for uoft’s DDS program are fairly general and you could probably fulfil them with either?combination. also, decisions are not completely based on your grades: your DAT score also plays a part – so whichever POSts?you choose, it’s not gonna make it or break it. which is comforting.

    both the neuroscience major and specialist meet nearly all the academic requirements all on their own, but keep in mind that one pesky requirement that all science students hate: the humanities requirement. it’s just one full-year course, and if you already took one in first-year, you don’t have to worry about it. if you didn’t…

    hold tight now, ’cause i’m about to do some really dry calculating:

    the neuroscience specialist is 11.0 FCEs (not including first year courses), and the psych minor is 3.0 FCEs (not including PSY100Y). assuming you’re taking a regular course load, that gives you 1.0 spare FCEs, which may have to be used for that humanities req (though there is the possibility of a couple of courses overlapping, i.e. satisfying requirements for both POSts). so your first combination is a pretty tight fit – however, if that’s the one you feel comfortable doing, then absolutely go for it.

    your second combination comes to a total of 11.0 required courses, not including first year (again, there is the possibility for a little bit of overlap between required courses, but remember the 12 distinct credits rule). this combination gives you a bit more wiggle room for courses.

    at the end of the day, i can’t make this decision for you. and i really shouldn’t – i can’t even tell you the difference between neuroscience and psychology (they both have to do with the brain, right? which one’s the one where you lobotomise people?). but i do know this: you should always go with the thing that makes you feel like you’re on top of the world. also, because dentistry does have quite a high CGPA requirement, you should go with the thing you think you’ll do better at (how did you do in PSY100H1? in BIO120H1 and BIO130H1? these things can help you decide).

    and if it turns out you’ve made the completely wrong decision, you can always change your POSt this time next year.

    best of luck (you sadistic tooth demon),

    aska

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