askastudent - your student life specialists

choosing, programs

hear me out what if we made no decisions ever

June 23, 2023

Hello so I am a first-year student, but I started in September 2020. So for the past two years, I was not doing well at U of T and I took a break for a year. So I am coming back in September, and I do not know still what to major in. To be honest, I started at U of T almost 3 years ago. I spent my entire life until last year just focusing on my studies and wanted to take a break. I want to continue my studies and finish what I started. I booked an appointment with an advisor. Any advice?

hi there,

good job, you’ve already done the best thing you can do right now — booking an appointment with an advisor! it’s also great that you took a break. breaks are important.

here is a bit of anecdotal advice from me (an all-knowing deity, ofc). first off, don’t worry, you are not alone. in my first year, every single person around me was very confused and unsure about their major, and it was pure chaos, people changing their minds back and forth between programs the whole year.

if you’re not sure what you want to do with your major yet, you can think about jobs you can picture yourself doing, areas of interest you have, and particular courses or subjects of study you enjoyed from your first year. or, you could think about what kind of job you want, and look up what majors those job postings are looking for on websites like indeed. it would also be smart to take advantage of the fact that you’re surrounded by successful and experienced professionals at u of t: if you end up in any classes that intrigue you, it’s worth trying to get to know your instructor to learn more about the field. finally, the people closest to you, who know you well, can give really valuable advice from an outside perspective.

once you come back to school, it’s worth looking into peer mentorship programs. plenty of people have been stuck on what they want to do, and fellow students who’ve figured it out may be able to help you navigate the confusion. there are several listed here (along with one that is academically focused). but the truth is that lots of people don’t know, and people switch their programs in third year, fourth year, and beyond. again, (i know this does not help but) it’s normal not to know!

choosing a major can feel really overwhelming and unsteady. it made me wish i never had to make any decisions. there are so many exercises meant to help with the decision, and so many points of advice coming from everyone around you, but at the end of the day no quiz or person can tell you what to major in, and you’re going to have to listen to your gut.

with all that said, in these big decisions, don’t freeze up out of fear of making the wrong decision. there’s this quote from sylvia plath’s “the bell jar” that i think about all the time, about how choosing one thing can feel like giving up on everything else. but then if you freeze up and choose nothing because you want everything, the options might pass you by. meanwhile, i am a strong supporter of having a wide range of dreams and not having a set box of what you want to be in the future. i think there’s a bit of excitement, beautiful possibility, and relief in not knowing what you want to do! you will do fine and be amazing, i believe in you.

i hope everything goes well, best of luck!

over and out,

aska

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u of tears

u of tears

June 22, 2023

Why is it that even though most people find uoft hard , they continue to go there like aren’t there any other options maybe an international student has to go there but other domestic students go there? even though it deflates your grades or leads to mental health issues like depression or anxiety , it is literally called U of Tears. Why would you willing subject yourself to this if you had a choice as opposed to someone who came from another country but did not know the school’s reputation’s

hey there,

so sorry for the late reply, this kinda got lost in my inbox 🙁

to answer your question, it’s probably because U of T students ~~are pain-loving masochists~~ love a good cHallEnge. we’re obviousLy here for the ~~stress and suffering~~ academic rigour and world class Profs, and are definitely not being forcibly iMprisonEd here against our will!

ok… some of the above is true. the real truth is, U of T is probably not the best fit for everybody. maybe you come here in first year with big dreams of a big city and Boundless opportunities. maybe you just wanna go to school in toronto without having to say you go to tmu. maybe you want to avoid america. maybe it’s the most feasible uni for you financially or logistically. maybe you’re here for the prestige and all that. maybe you think you’ll be special and none of these U of Tears things will actually affect you — maybe you’re right.

i think its funny how you’re suggesting that international students get blindsided by the U of Tears reputation, and that nobody in their right mind would come here otherwise. but despite its reputation, i do believe there are several things that explain the appeal of U of T — if some 97, 000 students decided to go here, we can’t all be crazy (right?).

my favourite thing about U of T is its location: toronto is one of the most exciting cities in Canada! being in toronto means being surrounded with lots of extracurricular and professional opportunities, which can have a really good impact on your career, and is also just nice for overall life quality. there’s always something going on everywhere, and so many learning opportunities for every field you could be interested in. the faculty at U of T is also top tier. you can learn from some of the top instructors and researchers in the country, many of which are doing very cool work! along with this, there are lots of programs and courses that aren’t offered at other universities, which was definitely a factor in my decision to go here. this school has SO many cool courses that are unique, niche, and specific, and can make school kinda interesting and *gags* enjoyable.

also, U of T is highly ranked, if that matters to you.

U of T is called “U of Tears”, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the only way to experience the university. grade deflation, which is a big con, also isn’t universal – i’ve heard things about it happening in some departments, but don’t believe it’s equally as bad everywhere. that’s not to say studying at U of T isn’t hard. it is. to be honest, a lot of your time spent as a student might feel a bit like this:

but, there are ways to make it manageable: finding a good supportive community on campus, choosing a program that you really care about, getting to know your classmates and instructors, knowing what support resources are available for you and accessing them when you need them. in general, it’s really important to have strong support networks! the main thing i’ve heard from people is that U of T can be isolating under certain circumstances, because of how big the university is. having friends and family that you can lean on throughout your degree makes a big difference for how you experience the highs and lows.

over and out,

aska

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prereqs, repeating course

the sky’s the limit! and by “sky”, i mean “second time”

June 7, 2023

Do extra repeated courses count as prerequisites for a course?

hi there,

ah, a short, sweet, and simple question. i like it. i like you.

yes. according to the academic calendar’s policy, you are able to repeat a previously passed course to meet a prerequisite.

here are some things to note about extra repeated courses: first, they don’t count towards degree credit or your GPA, and you are only allowed to repeat the course one time — you won’t get a third try at it. also, you have to request to enrol in one at your college registrar’s office. and finally, if you reaally want to make sure that it would be counted, you could check with the department that’s requiring the prerequisites by emailing them.

over and out,

aska

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engineering, internal transfer

how to get your steps in (towards a biomedical engineering degree)

June 6, 2023

Good afternoon. I have been admitted to Life Sciences to start in fall 23. I would like to proceed to Medicine after graduating but I find Biomedical Engineering also interesting. Please advise what steps I should take to keep my options open (and strong) to be able to transfer to Biomedical Engineering after the first year. Many thanks in advance.

hi there,

congrats, and welcome! just one clarification: are you trying to take Biomedical Engineering for your undergraduate or graduate degree? i may know everything at U of T, but — and i say this with love — i have questions about y’all’s questions sometimes.

in the case that you’re asking about being admitted to the Biomedical Engineering undergrad program, the application requirement is that you have to be in the Engineering Science program. in order to apply to the Engineering Science program, select the application option that matches your academic history on this website, and go through the steps it provides. once you are admitted, declare the Biomedical Engineering major by adding it to your program planner through degree explorer.

so you’d essentially need to transfer from Life Sciences to Engineering Science. this is not simple and will entail undergoing an application process for an internal transfer to the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. with transfers between faculties, admission is based on your overall academic record and is a rolling basis — so you would want to apply early, even though your deadline would be Nov 7. you should definitely talk to an academic advisor at your registrar about this application process to make sure you aren’t missing anything important.

if you’re asking about doing Biomedical Engineering as a graduate degree: what you’ll need to do to prepare for a potential Biomedical Engineering graduate degree depends on which specific program you have in mind. but it’s also unclear if you want to take Biomed Engineering at U of T or elsewhere?

either way, i’ll give you some advice based on U of T. you can read about the Master of Engineering program on the departmental website. here, it tells you about the application process and important details, such as what the prerequisites for the Master of Engineering program are:

a four-year bachelor’s degree in engineering, or its equivalent, with an average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 grade point average scale (i.e., mid-B) in the final two years of study from a recognized university.

proof of English-language proficiency is required for all applicants educated outside of Canada whose native language is not English. view the BME English-language requirement policy to determine whether you are required to take a language test and for a list of accepted testing agencies and their minimum scores required for admission.

according to that, it looks like you’d need an undergrad engineering degree to do grad studies in Biomedical Engineering. basically, your key takeaway here is: if you don’t transfer into engineering during undergrad, your options for biomedical engineering unfortunately will not be kept that open.

best of luck in everything, friend!

over and out,

aska

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choosing, courses, new kids

a user manual on courses that you should, probably, read

June 5, 2023
This may be a really stupid question, but could you explain courses (their typing(?) clusters(???)) as well as the course selection process and what needs to be considered? Every time i think i got everything i need to know im hit with new terminology i do not understand ? for context im an incoming (hopefully) part-time student at utm, class of ‘27, planning to transfer out by first year but will pursue an english maj philosoy min creative writing min courseload if transferring doesnt work out

hi bestie,

no worries, this is not a stupid question. i see you’re encountering first-year’s overwhelming task of deciphering the online labyrinth of “important-uni-things-you’re-just-expected-to-know”.

the good thing is, courses aren’t as complicated as they seem at first! tbh, i think the problem is that a lot of first years just don’t know where to find the right resources. or, they’re like me and gaslighted themselves into thinking it’s all common sense — what my high school chemistry class used to do before a test. as fun as that is, please don’t do that.

anyways. there are several U of T pages that describe everything you need to know about courses. to begin, i would say your best bet is to read through how to use the artsci calendar. this page explains pretty much all the basics about courses and programs, such as how courses are abbreviated on the website, and what things to keep in mind when choosing courses. among what is outlined on that page, understanding course codes is the foundational thing that i would highlight. for example, ENG110Y1 can be broken down into:
1. ENG – indicates department, ENG = english.
2. 110 – indicates level of difficulty. the “100” means a first-year level course, and 200-level courses are recommended to take in second year as they are more difficult. and so forth with 3rd year 300-levels and 4th year 400-levels. while an upper year can take easier courses, it would be hard for a first year to take a 3rd year course.
3. Y – the “Y” or “H” indicates the credit value. Y = full course, 1.0 credits, and H = half course, 0.5 credits.
4. 1 – indicates which campus offers this course. 1 = St.George, 3 = UTSC, 5 = UTM
when choosing your courses, you should take note of prerequisites (courses you need to take before another course), exclusions (courses that are so similar you probably shouldn’t take both), and co-requisites (courses you should take at the same time). if a course has any of these, it will say so on the timetable, degree explorer, and acorn. you should also know that there are four types of classes: lectures, tutorials, practicals, and seminars, explained, again, in “how to use the artsci calendar“. and a side note of personal advice — although you’re a part time student, i would highly recommend making space in your schedule to take first year foundation courses, those were my favourite classes in first year. but the best thing to consider in course selection is to make note of important dates so you don’t miss them (wouldn’t that be silly): such as priority course enrolment for first years, which starts on July 20th.

now in terms of your question about typing and clusters, i’m not sure what you mean by typing, as “type” is mainly used for program types. meanwhile, clusters are just categories of courses within a program. typically each program will break down its large list of courses into similar-subject categories. for example, your english major seems to have three clusters that you need credits in: 1. “indigenous, post colonial, transnational literatures”, 2. “pre-1800 english literature” and 3. “theory, language, critical methods”.

see? not so bad.

finally, i will leave you with even more resource avenues you can look into if you want to know more. there’s an awesome new student guide to planning and enrolling in your courses, with important dates and how to pay your fees. sid smith also has a simple page on how to enrol in courses. UTM’s 2023 course enrolment workbook is “to be posted soon“, and course enrolment workshops could be helpful for you. then, if you really want to know everything, as you say, you can go down a rabbit hole reading through the artsci’s course planning and course enrolment pages (but i really don’t think you need to).

best of luck in your plan, i hope it all goes smoothly.

over and out,

aska
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first year, internal transfer, switching

i don’t want to have to deliver unfortunate news, but

June 2, 2023

Hi there!

I am an incoming 105 first-year who has applied to Psychology at UTM, and is hoping for guaranteed residence as I’ve submitted my residence application before the deadline. I’d like to switch my program to Social Science at UTSG instead, and I was told by the Faculty of ArtSci that switching admission categories was not going to be a problem.

If I am admitted to Psych, what are the chances I could request/apply for a switch or internal transfer to UTSG Social Science before starting in the fall? Would I also be allowed to switch my residence application/admission to UTSG, and could I still retain my theoretical guaranteed spot, or would it be considered a rolling admission and I may not be offered residence? I understand I can apply as an Internal transfer with OUAC in November, but I am hoping to avoid having to take my first year in a completely unrelated program, and campus.

Hope that makes sense. Thanks so much for your time and much love.

hi bestie,

much love right back at you.

yes, it’s true that switching admission categories once you’ve been admitted to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences isn’t a problem – you don’t really need to do anything. the only thing to note is priority enrolment for classes, which just means you sometimes have to wait an extra week or so to enrol in certain classes offered by a program you’re not in. but, this is definitely not anything to worry about.

so what you want to do is called an internal transfer, which you’d need to go through another admissions process to do. you seem aware that you’ll just have to make sure you meet all the prerequisites and then fill out an internal application by the deadline for your faculty (arts & science for you). but generally, you can’t do an internal transfer at this time of year.

you can reach out to the UTM registrar to see if they’ll tell you differently, but as far as i know internal transfers are only done through OUAC, and you would have to do this during the normal application period (which is more than a few months past). so unfortunately, you might need to take your first year at UTM, as it may be too late. and, i guess if you can’t transfer right now, this also answers the residence part of your question.

i hope this was helpful and not too discouraging. best of luck!!

over and out,

aska

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biology, wait list

“english or biology?” is like saying “lotion or paint?”

May 10, 2023

Hi aska, its me again (UTSC transfer) and I was also considering the Conservation EEB to take with PoliSci, but the only summer course offered is BIO120 first subsession (emailed bio120 office and they said I could take it even without gr 12 bio), what are my chances of getting past the waitlist? EEB125 is also only offered in the fall, do you think I could catch up and still graduate in 4 years or should I just go with English as my second major? Tysm

hi bestie,

i see you’re back.

for your own sake, i don’t think it makes sense to settle for English if it’s not your first choice—English and Conservation Biology are very different majors (as if you don’t already know that). and, as i said before, catching up from an 80% course load in first year is very doable. while some of your EEB courses aren’t offered in the summer, there are so many course options to earn credits from. taking EEB125 in the fall is perfectly fine, as lots of people take their program’s first year courses after first year.

in terms of BIO120, the general rule of thumb about waitlists is that about 10% of people will drop the course (not to mention the people who will drop from the waitlist). from a quick check of the artsci timetable, i can see that BIO120 has 189 spots this summer, so as long as you’re in the top 19-ish of the waitlist, you’ll most likely get in. so no need to worry, you’ll be fine. after all, this isn’t ticketmaster or the eras tour we’re dealing with here.

i hope this is helpful, sending encouragement and good vibes!

over and out,

aska

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academic offense, chatgpt

chatGPT? more like chatGPTea

May 8, 2023
Hi, I as just accused of using chatgp for an assingment worth 5%. I had two draft’s open. Before I submitted I went downstairs and they were left unattended. Someone had gone upstairs and had messed with them. When I came back the document was already downloaded but I didn’t think much of it and submitted. I have messages with the person who indirectly confesses to messing with it. They case is going to the chair and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want this to drag on.

hey there,

first of all, omg???? i’m sorry that happened to you, that seems like some emotional damage.

second, to answer your question. to be honest, the best thing i can tell you is that you should probably go see your registrar about this. book an appointment with an academic advisor there. it will be super helpful because:
1. they are professionals and have lots of experience with this
2. they can provide you with strategies, resources, and support
3. they can’t use anything you say against you!!
you can also consult UofT’s downtown legal services clinic for free legal advice during this—they have experience advising students on academic offence cases.

so you’ve said that your case has already gone to the chair, which is “Level 2” of the academic offence process. at this point, what happens next depends on when you admit to the offence (i don’t know if you’ve done that yet). because if you don’t admit to it, your case can go further up to the dean or the tribunal. if you’re worried about what might happen to you, don’t worry, you shouldn’t be suspended or have any serious sanctions, since your assignment was only 5%. a possible consequence for assignments worth less than 10% is receiving a mark of zero for the assignment. also, showing remorse for the offence can have an impact on the sanctions you receive.

over and out,

aska
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credits, polisci, transfer credits, Transferring

ur not special (said in solidarity)

May 5, 2023

Hi aska, I’m a transfer student from UTSC and I only took 4 credits thinking it was full time but apparently 5 credits is full time — im gonna take some courses for english and PoliSci in the summer (I took POL101 and 106 to make the FCE) so I can get into the Polisci post and get access to 200 level English courses. I’m planning to take summer courses for my whole 4 years — would it be possible for me to graduate in 4 years even with the transfer (and credits that are now just extra/breadth) and the only 80% courseload in year 1? Thanks!

hi bestie,

trying to graduate in 4 years after taking an 80% courseload in first year? sorry bro, but. you’re not special.

i think you have a chance here, assuming i understand your situation right and haven’t lost my marbles yet. overall, you need to check off completion requirements in two areas to graduate: degree requirements, and program requirements. using degree explorer is a great way to check your current status on the requirements in both of these areas.

technically, 4 credits per year is a full time course load, since 3 is the minimum to be a full time student according to the academic calendar. but, it’s true that it is recommended to take 5 credits per year to complete the minimum of 20.0 credits within 4 years. with that said, i know several people who take 4 credits during the school year and then take 1 credit during the summer to make up for it, adding up to 5 credits per year. depending on how many courses you take, it could be possible to complete 20 credits by your fourth year—during the summer, there is a max of 1 credit (2 courses) per term, so you could complete 2 credits through the 2 summer terms. if you do that each summer as you’re planning to, that would help a lot.

meanwhile, you should also keep track of what courses you need to complete for your polisci program. here, i can’t give you specific advice since i don’t know what courses you’ve taken towards your degree.

overall, it’s hard for me to say anything definite on your situation since your timeline here is a bit unclear and i’m not sure how many transfer credits you have. i would highly recommend that you visit your registrar to get a more specific answer, and spend some time mapping things out with them.

over and out,

aska

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academic offense, current student

the (possibility of a) suspens(ion) is killing me

April 18, 2023

I was flagged for an academic integrity violation. First offence and it was an exam. Will I get suspended?

hey there,

to be honest, i don’t know. you might get suspended. you might get away with a “written reprimand”. if it was for something relatively severe like cheating on purpose, i’m pretty sure you’d get a zero or some other mark penalty on the exam at least. all of these, and others, are listed as “possible sanctions” for cheating on a test, and it’s up to the dean to decide the outcome.

Fingers Crossed I Hope So GIFfrom Fingers Crossed GIFs

they do consider the context though, like the number of previous offenses, severity of the offense, and if you honestly admit to the offense as soon as possible. the fact that it was your first offense does help your case, and i’d recommend being honest about the situation and communicating professionally to show that you understand your mistake. the artsci website has some info on key steps you can take if you get caught up in an academic offense case, like contacting downtown legal services for advice (it’s free! and they have services catered to students).

hope that helps,

aska

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CR/NCR, current student, psychology, St. George

those pesky program requirements

April 15, 2023

Hi! Hope you’re doing well. For my psy major one requirement is 1.0 credits in cluster A and 1.0 credits from cluster B in 200 level classes. I did really bad in one of my cluster B credits (think 50-60s range). I was thinking of using cr/ncr since it would be bad for my gpa which is already pretty mid. Since it’s technically a program requirement I know it’s not allowed but couldn’t I just remedy that by taking a different cluster B class in a different semester? Thanks in advance

hey there,

so sorry for the late reply, i don’t think you can do cr/ncr anymore but hopefully this is still somewhat helpful. i think you’ve got it right, it should be fine to cr/ncr that course as long as you can take a different one for your program requirements (which seems to be the case for the psy major). the cr/ncr course just won’t count towards your major/program, obviously.

Superstore Amy Sosa GIFfrom Superstore GIFs

best of luck!

aska

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prospective student, rotman, St. George

chill out rotman you’re scaring the first years

April 5, 2023

likely will be starting at rotman commerce in the fall. my question is, could I transfer from rotman to programs like utm commerce or utsc management? it’s been my dream program for a long time, but it wasn’t until the moment I got accepted that I started panicking about actually surviving rotman. realllllyyy want to make sure there’s a way out if I end up getting mauled in my first year lol

hey hey hey,

congrats on getting in! i don’t know what rotman horror stories they’re telling to make you all so anxious before uni even starts, but i guess it doesn’t hurt to have a backup plan…

Ready Perfectly Overly Cautious GIFfrom Ready Perfectly GIFs

anyway, in case you get mauled and rotman doesn’t work out for whatever reason, there are definitely decent ways to get out. utm commerce and utsc management both accept “internal transfers”, which are just transfers from other uoft campuses. i don’t know how difficult it is to actually get in, but at least the rotman math, commerce, and econ courses set you up pretty well for the prereqs to transfer.

there might be a few restrictions, for example, the utsc management programs with co-op (oooo fancy) only accept transfers straight out of first year, so if that’s something you’re interested in, you’d have to start planning early on. i don’t see any requirement of that sort for utm management/commerce but you could contact the program advisor directly to make sure, because i know some other competitive programs also only accept students straight out of high school or first year.

another backup could be transferring into other utsg arts and sciences programs, like economics, which is usually a bit easier/more straightforward than trasferring campuses.

hope that helps!

aska

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daniels, prospective student, St. George

architecture and more

April 1, 2023

Hi. Variations of these questions have been asked and answered, but I guess I’m looking for the mechanics of the whole thing: first, have been admitted to Daniels in Architectural Studies and hope to pick up Art History as a second major. How easy is this to accomplish? What steps are involved? Second, how do non-Daniels electives work? Say I’m interested in an elective in English Lit or Archaeology or photography. Would I be able to tack these on and when? Third, any way as a Daniels student to do a business certificate? Thank you so much! You’re an amazing resource.

hi there and congrats!

although i can’t speak from personal experience (i took a nap in the daniels building once, does that count?), as a daniels student you are definitely allowed to enroll in other arts and science programs or electives and there are certain pathways that allow more flexibility to do this within your degree requirements. computer science and rotman commerce are the two main exceptions though – they have higher “deregulated” program fees and are basically gatekept from daniels students and also all the other artsci students, so you’re really not missing out on anything overall. all the typical artsy (and science-y) courses will be available to you.

in terms of scheduling different courses and programs, as you may know, you need 20 FCEs (“full course equivalents”, which are essentially full-year courses or credits) to graduate. architecture studies students have to do a specialist in architecture studies, which is like a major but more intensive, with more courses. the comprehensive stream of the architecture studies specialist (a mouthful, i know) is a good option to complement a second major because it only has 10 required FCEs, essentially taking up half of your degree courses. the other streams are more specialized, but would require 13 FCEs. for example, the art history major requires 6 FCEs, and you also have breadth requirement courses which are required for graduation and can include up to 4 FCEs of courses from different subjects, which all starts to add up.

depending on the number of required courses you end up with, you might have space left over for other electives too. as far as i know, you can add any electives you’re interested in during course selections as early as your first year. the only potential limitation is that some courses may have priority enrolment for students in a specific program or stream, so it might be harder to get into really popular ones, but most of the more intro-level courses that people usually take for electives are pretty open.

as for your last question, rotman does offer a “certificate in business fundamentals” for all artsci students (including daniels i assume) which requires 2 FCEs, so you can totally tack that on. like, when uoft said you can build your own degree, they meant it.

Possibilities GIFfrom Possibilities GIFs

it gets pretty hectic trying to keep track of all the different programs and courses you want, so i’d recommend keeping everything organized on degree explorer. also i will say, while it might be tempting to do ~all the majors~ it’s definitely not required and depending on what you find interesting/useful, it might not even be the best way to go about it. electives can also give you a way to dive into different fields with more flexibility. although having a fancy title on your transcript also is kinda cool, too, so there are advantages either way i suppose.

good luck!

aska

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