• colleges

    i won’t fear when people like you are here

    June 9, 2014

    Hi, I’m from Singapore and I recently got accepted into UTSG
    I got placed into Woodsworth College, fear not, this message is not about which college is better but rather about what is the point of a college?
    Has I understand it, it doesn’t matter which college you chose because you have access to any courses and you can even live inside the residence of an other college.
    Thank You for your time and answer
    Best Regards

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    congratulations on your acceptance! and welcome to the four-year party that is uoft. by party, of course, i mean constant panicking about what the future holds, arguing with roommates about everything from Rilke to Riemann sums, and eating dinner about five hours later than normal people. it’s awesome.

    your question is a very understandable one. i haven’t met a single person at this university who doesn’t think the college system is confusing – however, it does actually serve a purpose other than just turning first-years against each other.

    since the Faculty of Arts & Science is so big, the job of dealing with students is split between seven colleges. the college you belong to has a file all about you, and acts kind of like the main office in a high school. you’ll go to your college registrar’s office for academic advising, for example. that includes crying about your grades, trying to figure out what the heck you’re gonna do with your life, and all that fun stuff that comes with a wholesome, university experience.

    each college also has its own student committee/council/union type deal. they run your frosh week and college-specific clubs, and make other important decisions about which i only have the vaguest ideas. you can read about a couple of them here.

    importantly, if you’re dirt poor but have something more than “good at blowing bubble-gum bubbles” on your resume like me, colleges have their own unique scholarships that are available only to students of that college.

    your college might offer cool, extracurricular programs that are unique to that college. UC, for example, offers a mentorship program for its students.

    finally, if you’re interested in taking any College One classes, you can only take the classes from one college. that doesn’t necessarily have to be your college, but most people take the College One program at their college – in fact, many people base their college decisions largely on the One program offered by that college.

    and i see you picked up on the taboo question. good on ya. you’ll go far, young grasshopper.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • engineering

    *sidles up to you and slips a hard hat out from under my jacket*

    June 9, 2014

    what can you tell me about the U of T engineers?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i like how you worded this question. it makes me feel like you whispered it from underneath your cowboy hat, after coming up to me in a smoky bar. “what can ya tell me ’bout these engineers?”

    “nothin’ i ain’t said before,” i mumble back, taking a puff.

    “nah listen,” you say, grabbing me by the lapel, “you tell me what i need to know, or i’ll kick ya so hard you’ll land back in ya mother’s womb.”

    maybe that’s how it went down in an alternate universe. i hope so, though in our reality it’s probably closer to this. either way, i’m gonna answer your question, because i’m a pansy who can’t deal with being beaten up – in any dimension.

    uoft engineering’s academics are something you can and should definitely read about to get a feel for what engineering is like for students. however, i think what you’re asking is what the students themselves are like.

    well, engineering students- i’m assuming you’re talking about the students, even though you just said “engineers” in your question – are pretty isolated at most schools, and uoft is no exception. engineering is in its own faculty separate from artsci (the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering), which means you take different courses from most uoft undergrads. engineering also has its own clubs and student society separate from artsci.

    this, plus the general first year in which all engineering students take the same courses, and the fact that you’re in these classes together for 30 hours a week, means that most engineering students* develop a really strong relationship with their program/faculty.

    in the best cases, this relationship results in camaraderie and a sense of solidarity among students. in the worst, you come off like a self-absorbed cactus to everyone else not a part of your little nucleus of supersaturated engineering culture.

    but you, i can tell, are not a self-absorbed cactus. you’re here at the Askastudent Saloon, after all, and only the classiest of the class come round these parts! so if you don’t want to get lost in engineering’s (only sometimes) elitist atmosphere, then the solution is very simple – just don’t. if you can, try to participate in communities outside the faculty, and always make sure that you’re actually enjoying everything engineering has to offer, and not just following the herd of hard hats ahead of you.

    engineering is so intensive because it should be – in my opinion, it’s the way all programs should be. you learn a lot, you prepare for the working world, and along the way the school provides a supportive community for students. if you actually want to be an engineer – if physics and math make you feel that special tingly sensation in your chest – then uoft is a great place to be. if you cling to the school’s/faculty’s reputations just to make yourself feel better about a life choice you didn’t really want to make, then you will turn very prickly very quickly. but you don’t have to be that way, my friend. as long as you’re doing it for the right reasons, you’ll have a blast.

    cheers,

    aska

    * #NotAllEngineeringStudents

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  • admissions

    you best take that mark and feel blessed

    June 6, 2014

    Hello,
    I’m currently a grade 12 student in Vaughan Ontario. I am taking Grade 12?University Advanced Functions. I’m currently at an 87, and am not pleased?with my mark. If I were to retake this course, what would be the?consequences?
    I am interested in going into computer sciences.
    Thanks.

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

    hey there,

    whoa there, son. an 87% is a good mark. most kids would cry for joy if they finished with an 87% in a first year math course, you know. i guess it’s like they say: you don’t?know what you’ve got ’til it’s?gone.

    anyway, i’m assuming by the fact that it’s June and you’re talking about retaking a high school course that you’re going to be taking a victory lap? if you do,?you should know that calculus is a requirement for uoft comp. sci.?now?that is the course you should be focusing on. it’s required and it’ll definitely be included in calculating your admissions average. advanced functions is less important: it won’t be included?unless it’s?in your top 6 4U marks.

    also, the school’s not so hot about repeated courses. so there’s really no good reason to repeat it.

    plus, you’ve still got exams to bring your mark up! so SMASH?that?functions exam, and finish with the mark you’re hankering after – not just for the school, but also for you. because you’re a perfectionist.*

    cheers,

    aska

    *to be fair, so am i. i reworded that punchline like twenty seven?times before settling on leaving it the way it was to start with, so.

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  • askastudent announcement

    plug that leak

    June 5, 2014

    yo homeskillets,

    this is your once-in-a-blue-moon reminder that askastudent now has a tumblr page. WoWOWOWowowowoWOWOWowowoW!

    i know that not everyone has tumblr, and in fact, that some people are really against tumblr, ’cause you think it’s a black hole of gifs and pictures of girls holding starbucks cups. fair point. but if you do have it, it’s an easy way to keep up with aska, because i post a notification on there every time this site’s been updated.

    also, you don’t need a tumblr account to view aska’s tumblr. you can see it all without having to sign up.

    along with notifications of answers posted on here, i’m also putting up tips, making people aware of deadlines, posting cool uoft pictures, and just generally jamming with other uoft kids. it’s a fun time.

    check it out if you want. if not, hope you have a rad day and get to see a bunny or something else cool like that.

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  • graduation

    how to graduate without wetting yourself – a guide

    June 5, 2014

    despite the ongoing?catfight?between mid-lifers about who or what millenials are up to, you’re the only person who has full control over what your life will look like after graduation.?if you believe the media, our generation is supposed to be full of spoiled brats who don’t know a good thing when it whacks them upside the face.

    well,?i might be?lazily whiling away all that?free?time us darned university students have, but now that gravy boat has sailed for all you new grads. so here are some ways to deal with that perilous Real?World adults are always warning us about:

    1. use the career centre!?if you’re a recent grad, you can still use uoft’s job board?to search for jobs. you can also attend the career centre’s incredibly helpful events. just log into your CLN account?for a list of upcoming ones.?for example, tomorrow, UTM is holding an event called ‘Now That I’m Graduating What’s Next?’ why not register and mosey on over there if you’re at UTM?

    2. if you don’t have a job lined up right away, that’s fine. there’s no shame in taking refuge in your parents’ attic for a couple of months while you try to figure out what on earth you’re going to do with yourself. after all, harry potter lived in a cupboard for a decade plus and he turned out okay.

    3. DON’T watch doctor phil thinking he’s gonna help you get your life together. you’ll just spend the entire day watching daytime TV and?you’ll find yourself going on tangents about pancakes at any interviews you get.

    4. if you’re gonna try to get a job, do it right.?make sure you’re giving good interviews,?learn about how to create an awesome application, and buy some ace interview outfits.

    5. if you’re not sure where you want your career to go, broaden your horizons. consider a college diploma. talk to your parents’ friends who have exotic jobs you’ve never heard of. search that soul up a bit; it’s gotten a tad dusty.

    6. also check out these 100% SRS USEFUL TIPS from internet sensation and fully employed person lex croucher:

    i hope you have a fabulous time out there in the big wide sand pit of life. go on and make a sand castle.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • Transferring

    loading…loading…loading…

    June 4, 2014

    Hi im a transfer applicant, transferring to arts and science. It has been June already, and my application is still pending. Does that mean my application is not up to average and just waiting for people to decline theirs and then offer me? My friend already gotten his offer in the same program and we did everything together, time wise.
    Thanks

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

    hey there,

    nah, i wouldn’t jump to any conclusions like that.

    according to the school, decisions are made “on an ongoing basis,”?- well, the basis is still going on, and the deadlines are a bit different for 101 and 105 OUAC applications (which might be why your friend has already heard back), so just?keep checking your join UofT?account.

    if you want?to know WHY THEY’RE DOING THIS TO YOU, it could be that some of your documents weren’t available to the school?until late in the game. whatever the reason, you should hear back from them very soon. yep, it’s almost over -?the days of holding your breath every time you log onto OUAC and stress-destroying your stomach lining are nearly behind you.

    that said, i know?waiting around can be pretty?nerve-wracking, so why not go out and try to distract yourself a little?in the meantime?

    best of luck with your application!

    aska

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  • askastudent love/hate

    i feel as though my hands are tied

    June 4, 2014

    Are you paid to answer questions? Or are you just that nice?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    hmm, the binary you’ve set up is giving my a squirmy feeling in my belly. do you have to do something pro bono (as the lawyers would say) in order for it to be good? is someone who, day in and day out, assists students with the red tape and confusion of life at uoft, STANDS BY THEM all the way from grade 12 to graduate school, a saint? and are they relegated to demon status if they’re compensated monetarily for their positively monumental efforts?

    does the VEHEMENT HYPOCRISY of a capitalist society that both shames and prioritizes the collection of WEALTH stretch so far as to CONDEMN aska, all alone in her little lifeboat, barely afloat as she SELFLESSLY attempts to pull distraught seafarers out of the increasingly intimidating swells in the TUMULTUOUS OCEAN that is TORONTO?

    can’t i be nice AND paid???

    …yeah, i am. i’m paid to answer questions. i certainly don’t get paid to be nice (or beautiful; that’s just an added benefit 😉 ). as much as i would like to think that i could maintain this blog on the side of my studies without being encouraged to do so by employers who are extremely patient and understanding of all my laziness and craziness, that’s probably all vanity.

    aska wouldn’t exist if it were just up to me, one slightly insane student up against the entire university. it runs with the (pretty generous, considering the entire site is really just me trying to keep the sonic meme alive) help of the university.

    so that’s that. if you’re sitting there gritting your teeth and going, “i can’t believe she gets to do that for money while i have to carry boxes/wait on drunks/stock shelves for minimum wage,” then not to fear! askastudent is a work-study job.

    there are many work-study jobs offered by the university of toronto, some of them like mine, some of them not, but all of them pretty cool. if you’d like to apply for one, keep an eye out here; the fall/winter jobs should be posted around august.

    plus, you know, when i eventually graduate/mess up here, you can always have a go at my job.

    cheers!

    aska

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  • OSAP

    the school’s got your back on this one

    June 4, 2014

    hey aska! I got an OSAP question for you! so I applied for summer OSAP and currently my status says ‘school must confirm enrolment’ the fine print says “Your school must confirm enrolment no later than 30 days before the end of your study period”. I only took classes for the first semester meaning the last day of my study period is June 27th?. what will happen if the school confirms my enrolment to late?

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

    hey there dude/dudette/non-gender-specific dude-person,

    if you applied for OSAP correctly and on time, the school should already have confirmed your enrolment to OSAP.?it’s possible OSAP are being slow pokes and not showing this on your OSAP account yet, but that’s all them. just this once, there’s nothing you have to do to help along the process.

    if you really want to make sure about the status of your OSAP app*, you can definitely contact?enrolment services to double-check that everything’s going smooth as peanut butter**, but i don’t see any reason to panic?just yet.

    cheers,

    aska

    * hey, i rhymed. see, mom? taking poetry pays off.

    ** NOT the chunky kind. what am i, an animal?

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  • polisci,  sociology,  subject POST

    POSt rants: the SEQUEL

    June 3, 2014

    need advice- don’t know if i should do a major in sociology or political science? i’m going into second year….what if i want to switch after if i don’t like the one i choose? will it add time to my program?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, political science and sociology are both type 2 subject POSts, so if you haven’t applied to get into them yet, you’ll have to wait until the second request period to apply. which puts you in the same situation as this person. just a head’s up.

    you do have the opportunity to change subject POSts after second year – to a certain extent. if it’s a type 1 POSt, you can enrol at any time. additionally, quite a few type 2 subject POSts (including politics, by the way) will allow you to apply after second year. uoft’s good that way.

    whether you’ll have to do a few extra courses in the summer, or even during an extra term, to fulfil the requirements for whichever POSt you finally choose, really depends on which one it is. what i would do is sketch out a plan of all your undergrad years (including all the courses you’d want to take) for every possible combination of subject POSts you’re considering. then you can figure out which ones are doable, and how long it would take to do them. alternatively, you can make an appointment with your college registrar and do more or less exactly that together.

    regardless of how adamant you are about taking sociology or poli sci, both of them are type 2 POSts, which means you’re not guaranteed enrolment yet. so, if i were you, i’d make sure i was enrolled in two type 1 majors already, just so that you have programs to fall back on if either poli. sci. or soc. don’t work out.

    finally: which one should you pick? geez, man, i don’t know. i don’t know what you like, or what you’re good at. do you have another major your heart is set on? because otherwise, you could just double-major in soc and poli sci. if it’s just a matter of not knowing what you really want, yesterday i wrote a HUGE block of text advising someone on how to pick subject POSts, so i’d recommend you read that if you’re really feeling torn.

    i know there are so many POSts it can sometimes make your head spin, but don’t worry, you’ll figure it out.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    apply to your heart’s desire, young grasshopper

    June 3, 2014

    how many subject posts can i enroll in?

    *** how many subject posts can i apply to?

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

    hey there,

    i have a feeling you sent in both of these questions and just want me to answer the second one (that’s what that row of asterisks means, right? right? i’m up to date with online?communication, oh yeah). however, i think both questions are pretty good general knowledge, so i’m just gonna go ahead and answer them both. look at me, doing the extra credit. if only my poli sci prof could see me now.

    1) how many subject POSts can you enrol in?

    you are required to take one of:

    – two majors
    – one major and two minors
    – one specialist

    if you’re really raring for a challenge, you can attempt other combinations. POSts that are tough to pull off but within the realm of possibility include: two majors and a minor, or a specialist and a minor. unrealistic and impractical POSts include: two specialists (you’ll be here for like eight?years, just get another degree, mate), or?a specialist and a major (same deal). also, ROSI doesn’t physically allow you to take more than three POSts. of those three POSts, only two can be majors or specialists. so none of this ‘oh three majors?would be fun!’ business. you’ll forget what your own degree is, let alone do well in all your courses.

    2) how many subject POSts can you apply for?

    there’s really?no application limit. here, it says that you can only enrol in one type 3 specialist (and lists acceptable combinations of POSts with certain type 3 specialists), but states that “you can apply for as many as you want.”

    there doesn’t seem to be a limit to the number of type 2 POSts you can apply to,?either. from the same page: “You can add requests for as many subject POSts as you wish, but remember?if you are invited to all of them, you can enrol in no more than three, of which only two can be majors and/or specialists.” also, the school?encourages you to line up some type 1 POSts in case you don’t get into the one(s) you applied for. and so do i. can’t count your chickens before they hatch, you know. they might turn out to be dragons.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    a ranty rant about subject POSts. yay!

    June 2, 2014

    Hi,

    I’m going into my second year at the St George campus, which means it’s time to choose majors and minors.

    I was wondering if you had any advice about choosing from my options.

    I’ve applied for a major in Health Studies (which I’m really hoping to get into because it’s really interesting to me) and a major and minor in Psychology, but I can’t decide what combination of POSts I should choose.

    My first option would be to do a double major in Health Studies and Psychology.

    I really enjoy psych and I did very well in PSY100. My only concerns are that Psychology might be really difficult and it might not be a good degree to have, since so many people at UofT do psych.

    My other option is to do the major in Health Studies and a minor in Psychology and a minor in Environmental Studies. This way I won’t have to do too much psych, plus my friend who is an upper year student told me Environmental Studies might not be too difficult. But, the problem is that I only like a few courses from Environmental Studies so I would have to be very picky about the courses I choose.

    Thanks for listening to my rant, I’m really stressed out about this decision.

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

    hey there,

    no problem at all, compadre. rants are my absolute favourite kind of question. in my opinion, ranting is the first step to figuring out your problems. once you’ve angrily typed it all out, you can start sorting through it. also, they give?me an opportunity to rant, which is always appreciated.

    first, i’d like to nip in the bud an especially hardy strain of problematic thinking that keeps cropping up around here. you said that psychology “might not be a good degree to have, since so many people at UofT do psych.” no!! don’t let that influence your decision!?you can’t base career decisions off of what is popular/”useful”/”prestigious.” school and life are both much too rough for you to try and do something you don’t enjoy. if you don’t love it, you will inevitably fail. if you do, you at least give yourself a fighting chance. also, “useful” and popular things go in and out of fashion, you know. ever heard of the dot com bubble?

    besides,?a supersaturation of the market with B.A.s in psych?does not a supersaturation in psychologists make. you need a Ph.D. to become a clinical psychologist, and not everyone is going to make it that far. as for those with a bachelor’s?degree, there are a myriad career options available to you – so there aren’t a million people after the same handful of jobs, if that’s what you were thinking.

    if you do the minor in env. sci. and a minor in psychology instead, then, admittedly, you won’t have to take too many courses to complete the env. sci. minor. but?what’s the point of taking 4.0 FCEs in a subject you’re just taking because you think it’ll be easy? and what if it’s not easy? what if you get stuck in a full-year course with a really hard prof, in a subject you’re only lukewarm about? your emotions should be BOILING HOT about the thing you’re studying!

    i understand that neither health studies nor psychology are a walk in the park. these are competitive, challenging subject POSts. if you can’t reasonably expect yourself to do well while trying to double major them, then of course, i’d discourage you from it. however, if you’ve done well in first year with courses similar to the ones required by these POSts, then you?can’t not do it just because you think the competition will be too fierce.?if you did well in PSY100?and enjoyed?it, well, i’d say that’s a significant indicator of your interests?and abilities.

    ultimately, the last thing i want to do is stress you out more. subject POSts can be changed if, after second year, you find that the double major is just too difficult. however,?you don’t know how difficult it is?yet, so you can’t make a decision based on your (or your friends’) perception of how hard it may be. and?i can’t tell you how hard it is either, because a) i’m not in either of those POSts and b) difficulty is subjective based on who you are. that’s why it’s impossible to try and make a decision based on what’ll be easy. you have to make it based on what’ll be enjoyable.

    if you’re feeling conflicted about what you’ll enjoy the most, the solution is very simple. just lay down somewhere very quiet, close your eyes, and listen carefully to your own head. don’t try and bully it around. ask yourself, “if money/parents/ego weren’t an issue, what’s the thing i’d most want to do?” or, alternately, “if i had an eternity to myself in a huge, empty library, what would i start reading first?”

    whether the book is by Freud or Goodall, that’s gonna be your answer.

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • colleges

    college-hopping

    June 2, 2014

    what’s a solid reason to switch colleges? if i told them i wanted their scholarships and the exclusive clubs, would that be enough? having a good (3.5+) GPA help?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m a bit afraid of your tone there, amigo. “would that be enough” kind of implies to me that you’re looking for the perfect words that are gonna unlock the key to your college’s heart. unfortunately, there are no secret phrases that will guarantee you a transfer.

    having a higher GPA definitely does help. i don’t know of any clubs that are specific to one college, but hey, there are lots of weird clubs out there. maybe there’s a whole world of secret, college-exclusive societies that i don’t know about because i failed their secret admissions test. if there is something specific to one college that you desperately want to be a part of, for sure mention it in your communication with the registrar.

    talk about scholarships too, if you’d like – personal finance is important, and if that’s part of your request, the registrar will take it seriously into account. make sure to do your research though; you may not necessarily be eligible for certain college scholarships in the first year you’re a member, particularly in-course scholarships. if you’re entering your final year of school, then changing colleges may not be the best idea.

    again, this isn’t a game. there are no specific reasons that the registrar takes more seriously than others; you just gotta play it straight. just note that certain colleges (innis, for example) aren’t currently accepting applications for transfers, though others (like UC) are, so you may want to double-check with the college you’re trying to woo.

    also, just a note: if you’re going into first year and panicking because you didn’t get into the college you wanted, my standard advice is: give your college a test-run first. you’ve got lots of time to transfer during or after first year if you find it’s not for you, but i wouldn’t bail just yet. if you don’t know what it’s like yet, you shouldn’t knock it, right?

    i hope you find the college of your dreams, my friend.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • probation,  UTM,  UTSC

    this generation is going to the dogs

    June 2, 2014

    Hi, if I get placed on academic probation from utsc, will a letter be mailed to my house?? I dont want my parents to find out

    ———————————————

    Hi,

    I was wondering if u of t sends a letter of probation to your house. Or do they just tell you by email?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i woke up at 6:30 this morning, all fresh and ready to take on a new day at Askastudent HQ. “what will the bright-eyed, spry, driven youth of uoft ask me today?” i asked, feeling a tingle of anticipation (or possibly a tingle from lack of blood circulation; it’s difficult to tell the difference) at the thought. maybe they’ll ask me how to broaden their opportunities outside the classroom! or perhaps they’ll inquire whether they can help with the growing homeless dog population in toronto!

    i get into work, big smile on my face, sit down at my computer, and what do i find? not one, but TWO questions about how to PULL A FAST ONE on your parents! do kids really do this? just lie to their parents like that? in my day, kids didn’t lie to their parents. in fact, they were so honest that one of my friends snuck out?every night to the forest behind her house to pick wildflowers for her mother. how dedicated is that?

    anyway, as SHOCKED and APPALLED as i am by this blatant lack of respect, this uncalled-for SNEAKINESS may work out for you. according to the UTSC calendar, “[s]tudents who are on academic probation, suspended or refused further registration are emailed” (that’s under the first heading, ‘Grade Reports.'”) at UTM, “[s]tudents whose academic performance has resulted in probation, suspension or refusal of further registration will be notified by e-mail.”

    UTSG students are less fortunate: your probation letters are mailed to your mailing address. tough luck, kids.

    UTM and UTSC students, technology is on your side. for now.

    cheers,

    aska

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