• admissions

    a funny joke that’s worth reading

    April 10, 2014

    Here’s the sitch I’m in grade 11 and getting high 80’s and 90’s in everything except biology (high 70) Will this affect my entrance next year? I want to apply to st george

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

    hey there,

    i doubt it, dude. your grade 12 marks are generally more important than your grade 11 marks (and by generally, i mean in every case except early admission, which is when the university sends out a handful of admission offers in december to people who applied in october/november; but don’t worry about that). you should just go by what they say here; since they’re only talking about grade 12 marks there, that’s what you should focus on.

    also, i guess it’s around the time of year when i’m going to be getting a lot of questions like this, so YO, GRADE 12’S, LISTEN UP: i don’t have much to tell you about admissions that isn’t on the admissions website already. like, i can probably share a personal anecdote or say something funny about your question, but usually, the admissions website and this document?are basically what i’ll be referring to to answer the bulk of your questions.

    now for something funny, as advertised.

    are you ready for this though. i don’t think you are.

    what do you call a really fast zombie?

    …

    ….

    a ZOOMBIE! ha!

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • residence

    choosing a residence building

    April 10, 2014

    Hi 🙂 I received residency offers from SMC for the coming year, I was wondering out of the 4 buildings at SMC, which one is recommended? I really just want a room that has good natural light, but I can’t really find any photos of inside of the buildings.

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

    hey there,

    unfortunately i don’t know off the top of my head because i am much too lame to live downtown, but the thing that would be most helpful for you, i think, rather than trying to find pictures, is to go on a residence tour. especially now that it’s going to be nice and sunny for a while, it’ll be the perfect way to figure out exactly how you feel about each residence building.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • career choice

    career choice SHOWDOWN

    April 10, 2014

    Hey Aska,
    I’m in a real dilema here. I just got accepted into OISE J/I program, and I’m excited and all, but the horrible job market for teaching in Ontario is a real bummer. I also got accepted into nursing, but after a 5 year undergrad experience, I’m not too sure I want to go through another 4 years. Nursing is great but the shift work and immense stress is also troubling. Plus OISE is cutting half its program and extending the program from 1 year to 2 years starting in 2015. I’m at a lost here, and I’m really not sure where to go next year. Please offer me some advice ='(

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it seems to me you’ve already done some research on this. you probably know more about the job market for teachers in Ontario than i do, and you probably know more about nursing. i could dig up some statistics for you that might tip you one way or the other, but i feel like you can do that on your own, so i’ll just try to change your perspective a bit.

    to me, whether you do 2 years or 4 in school is not the main concern. either way, in under a half a decade, you’ll be finished with school, and ready to spend at least forty years on one career. since that amount of time massively eclipses the time you’ll spend in school, i think you need to focus on that. the question, then – which i will continue ramming down all your throats ’til you’re sick of it – is what you’ll enjoy more.

    if you really want to be a teacher, then having to travel to another country to teach shouldn’t be enough to put you off that career. of course, moving is demanding, and trying to do your job in a culture (and sometimes a language) you are unfamiliar with is incredibly hard. shift work is also hard, especially in such a physically and mentally demanding job as nursing. but, like, life is hard, you know? jobs are hard. i have the best job imaginable, and sometimes even i wake up tired and don’t want to commute for two hours to get to it, and sometimes i mess up at work and i feel stressed out about my mistake for the rest of the day. it happens.

    no matter what you do, your job is going to come with roadblocks. but the career you pick needs to be something that you love enough that you are willing to push through the roadblocks. and yeah, i think those roadblocks should be part of the consideration: are you willing to move province or country if you can’t find a job teaching in ontario* are you willing to work long shifts at strange hours? but also, consider what it is you really want to spend your life doing. i know that’s easier said than done, especially when there’s no way for you to test-run the job, so to speak, in a volunteer or internship position.** but that’s the thing that should ultimately determine your decision, i think.

    sorry i can’t give more help than that. hopefully this gives you something to chew on, at least.

    best,

    aska

    * by the way, i understand that it is super tough landing a teaching job in toronto, but it’s not impossible, especially if you start applying for tutoring jobs and stuff now to build your resume.

    **though if you?can get a volunteer position at a school or hospital, i’d highly recommend it; that’ll definitely well-inform your decision.

    Read More
  • 12 distinct credits

    aska learns how to succinctly explain the 12 distinct credits rule (whoo!)

    April 8, 2014

    whats the rule on courses that qualify for both your majors? do they count for both?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the rule is called the ‘12 distinct credits‘ rule. a quick (but not foolproof!) way of calculating the number of credits that you can share between majors is to add together the number of credits that both majors require, and then subtract 12.0: the remainder is the number of credits which can be applied to both majors.

    however, it can be pretty tricky to keep track of this yourself, so feel free to check with your registrar’s office to make sure you’re following this rule properly. degree explorer also does a good job of monitoring it as well.

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • courses

    missing an interview

    April 8, 2014

    Hi,
    Okay I’m going to be honest I’m pretty sure I messed up. I wanted to take?Chinese and you have to go to an interview, but a last minute home
    emergency thing happened, I had to skip out on the rest of the day,?including the interview and couldn’t get anywhere near an internet?connection or a keyboard until a good 6 hours later. I emailed the?coordinator and said I was sorry and it was all my fault, but I still want?to be able to take Chinese even if it means next next year, how fucked am I?in terms of, “the coordinator thinks you’re a douche”. I don’t know how to?navigate this situation, I don’t know if this will affect me badly, or if?it will seriously hurt my chance of getting into the class. I’m dumb I?know, but HOW dumb and HOW much trouble am I in. I really needed this class?for my EAS major and now I’m panicked and dejected and I’m afraid I should?never go near the department again and learn Chinese from the internet.
    – please i need some advice/help

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

    hey there,

    ok, firstly – calm down. e-mailing the coordinator was the best possible thing you could do. i don’t know how the coordinator will handle the situation, and i don’t know enough about the program to even begin to speculate, so i’m not going to. the one solid piece of information i could find about these interviews is this:

    “Those who are enrolled for a course or waitlist on ROSI who fail to follow the instructions and attend the interview/placement test for their course (if applicable) will be automatically removed by the department. Alternative interview or test times are not available.”

    however, don’t take that as gospel. if the coordinator e-mails you back, you may be able to work something out. if not, hey, there’s always the next enrolment period.

    i hope it works out,

    aska

    Read More
  • Toronto

    just give up now

    April 8, 2014

    Hi, I have a simple question. How to survive winters in Toronto? Any tips?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    here’s a tip: abandon all your pride. just do it. because if you don’t, you’ll convince yourself that there’s a chance that you can get through the winter in little boots and cute, tiny jackets. you’ll believe you can get through the winter alive and still look cute as heck.

    well, i tell you what’s gonna happen if you choose to believe that: you’ll spend 5 months slipping and sliding around on the ice, cursing the wind that blows right through your jacket and leaking water from your nose that freezes on impact with the air. at that point, you won’t care that you look cute. you’ll hate yourself for looking cute.

    so, in the name of your own sanity, just accept that you’re going to spend the better part of the school year looking like a fleecy manatee. buy warm, columbia jackets. buy real boots. buy a hat that fully covers your ears – cute little beanies that hang off the back of your head ain’t gonna cut it. buy real mits and a thick scarf.

    if you’re going to be commuting to school – or even for the walk between your residence building to class – you should have a playlist on your phone/music player of songs you actually, currently like. otherwise, you’ll drive yourself insane taking off your gloves every three minutes to skip to the next song you can tolerate in your library.

    warm tea or coffee can make even the most blizzardy day a little better, especially in the morning. yeah, you might burn your tongue, but you’re a torontonian now. you’re hardcore. some fried taste buds before class won’t shake you.

    if you’re gonna be living in residence, buy some portable heaters. notice i made ‘heaters’ plural.

    and finally: try and enjoy it! if you’ve never had a winter in Toronto or even Canada, your first one is going to be a little magical, no matter how much you despise the cold (and believe me, i despise the cold). build a snowman with some friends. go skating in nathan phillips square. walk along the harbourfront while it’s snowing. enjoy the christmas lights along bloor street. hold hands with a crush in the name of ‘warmth.’ and try to remember: spring will come back eventually.

    i hope that was helpful!

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • grades,  UTM

    professional writing? pah. I’M a professional writer. totes.

    April 4, 2014

    Hello! I’m a first-year student from UTM and plan to minor in Professional Writing and Communication.. However, I’m not satisfied with what I’m getting right now in WRI203 (basically the intro course) (my midterm is a 77 which is defs okay, but I’m VERY sure that’s gonna plummet in the end). Is it really going to be detrimental for me to repeat a course in the future? Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well here’s the thing: if you pass the course, you actually can’t repeat it unless it’s required for the subject POSt you want to get into and you didn’t get the required mark the first time around. now, WRI203 is a prereq for the minor, so you’re good there, but unless you get under 70% in the class, you can’t retake it. that might seem like bad news, but on the other hand, you’re guaranteed to get into the subject POSt as long as you get above a 70%, since it’s a type 2 POSt!

    if you happen to get lower than 70% and decide to repeat it to get into the subject POSt, i don’t think that should be very detrimental at all. i assume you’re asking about grad school when you say “IN THE FUTURE,” but grad school isn’t the same as like, someone who wants to get into med school and has an LWD on their transcript.

    repeated courses are not an awfully big deal – the only effect will be on your GPA. but most grad schools don’t even consider first year when calculating the GPA of an applicant, so i think you’ll be alright. as for jobs and stuff, one course is not even worth thinking about for the employer, don’t you worry.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • subject POST

    oh you kids and your ultimately detrimental, high standards

    April 4, 2014

    Hi aska!

    I’m a first-year student at UT and planning to do a specialist in actuarial science. (“Students must take MAT137Y? and obtain a minimum grade of 65 and ECO100Y and obtain a minimum grade of 70 in order enrol in the specialist or major program in actuarial science. Enrolment in the actuarial program generally occurs between 1st and 2nd year after the two required courses have been completed with the minimum required marks.”)

    Including one course i took last summer(MAT138H1S), if I pass all the course this year, I will have 4.0 in total( PHY131H1F, MAT137Y, ECO100Y, MAT223H1S, CSC108H1S).

    I totally screwed my first-year, I feel depressed every day and night. I m not making excuses, i should have handled it better.? I might not able to obtain the minimum grades, both mat137 and eco100,? i only have a 63 for MAT137, and a 59 for Eco100.

    The worst scenario: I failed my eco100, am i gonna get kicked out?

    The second worst scenario, I passed my eco100 and mat137 with poorly grades, am i allowed to retake them next year in order to get in the actuarial science program?

    Thanks.

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

    hey there,

    firstly, don’t be so hard on yourself. you don’t know how many e-mails i get from first year students in variations of your position. whether the program/university wasn’t what they were expecting, they weren’t ready academically, or they just couldn’t put their heart into it, it’s all legitimate. so don’t beat yourself up about it, k? i mean, calculus almost sent me off a tower in first year, so.*

    if you fail ECO100, you won’t get kicked out of school, if that’s what you’re asking (is that what you’re asking?). you won’t even get put on probation unless you finish first year with under a 1.50 GPA, so don’t stress about it.

    since ECO100 and MAT137 are requirements for the actuarial science subject POSt, you can retake them next year – they’ll be designated ‘extra’ courses and won’t count towards your degree or CGPA, but they’ll be considered for admission to the POSt when you apply (go to 2. under “Extra” Courses: 100-series, Repeating and Excluded Courses).

    good luck my friend,

    aska

    *fun story about my calc 2 prof: he was the most beautiful man i’ve ever seen in real life. he was in his mid-thirties, he had a penchant for wearing plaid shirts with his sleeves rolled up halfway and – get this – he had tattoo sleeves on both arms. and they didn’t look stupid, either, if you get what i mean. he also had studs in his ears and beautiful, brown eyes. he taught calculus at 8:30 in the morning three times a week, but guess what? i always went. those tat sleeves were probably a big part of why i got a good mark in that class.

    Read More
  • petition

    a certain petition decision?

    April 4, 2014

    Hey, I was just wondering if there is any possible way to repeat an EXT course. I need at least a 63%? for program requirements, the first mark for the course i got a 58, the second time i got a 60. I petitioned to be put into the class again and it got refused. Is there any other possible way I can get into this course again or talk to anyone that can help me or are there any solution you can give me without telling to just go into a different program? The course i need i MGM101 btdubs.

    thanks for taking time in reading this

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    umm…um…

    k usually, petitioning is like the last resource when it comes to going against the rules in this place. the one thing you can do is appeal your petition, but don’t think that appealing is just like ramming against a wall until it gives. you should only appeal 1) if you speak with a registrar and they think it’s worth it – they usually know if it’ll work or not, 2) if you have “further information or further arguments to make in support of your request,” and 3) if you are able to do it within 90 days of the decision made on your petition.

    if you’re just gonna go back to them and say, “please please please have mercy,” they won’t take kindly to it. trust.

    so yeah, that’s an option, but i’d say it’s not a great one. i mean, definitely discuss it with your registrar, but i feel like you’ve given them all the information you possibly could about the situation.

    at the end of the day, man, there are a lot of programs out there. some might not be so hard on you, you feel?

    best of luck,

    aska

    Read More
  • subject POST

    uoft webpages like the moving staircases in hogwarts

    April 4, 2014

    Hi,
    I was hoping you could help me figure out why I can?t enrol into the “Creative Expression and Society Minor? offered at Vic. I can?t find the course code for it and it?s not listed within the options of Subject POSt codes.
    Thank you!

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

    hey there,

    i have a strong suspicion that they’ve changed the page that all the subject POSts and codes are listed on, but in any case this is the code:?ASMIN2741. i went onto ROSI myself and tried adding it as a subject POSt, and it worked as it should, so give it a go!

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • colleges,  Transferring

    should i stay or should i go now

    April 3, 2014

    I basically chose my colleges at random and got accepted to St.Mikes (which was my first choice). However..I feel like Trin or Vic would be the better choice since I’m going into Poli Sci and hopefully Law if all goes well. I will be a commuter so is it really a big deal? Also..what are some ‘legitimate’ excuses for transferring to different colleges?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    honestly, i don’t think it’ll be a huge deal, even if you weren’t a commuter student. the only way that college choice will really affect you will be through the scholarships you’ll get to apply for, the registrar’s office you may or may not deal with, and maybe there’ll be some extra-curriculars that are college-specific.

    that said, i think you should really give st. mike’s a chance before you think about switching. i’m willing to bet you’ll find it’s such a peripheral part of your life that you won’t bother trying to go through the process of transferring.

    there’s nothing that vic or trin could give you that st. mike’s can’t, in terms of your academic program. you say that you think vic/trin will be better because you’re going into poli sci, but ask yourself why you think that. what do you think those other colleges can provide a poli sci student that st. mike’s can’t; a more active student union? i don’t think that’s true. better work/volunteer opportunities for poli sci students? well, that’s all organized through the department of poli sci anyway. and finally, your college choice will not affect your academic ‘reputation’ or whatever when it comes time to apply to law school. trust me.

    however, if you spend some time as part of st. mike’s and you find that you’re participating in vic or trin student life so much more – i.e. you do extra-curriculars there, you’re taking their ‘one’ classes, or maybe you have a part-time job there, etc. – then you can inquire at your registrar’s office about a transfer. or, if you’re adamant right now that you made the wrong choice about colleges, you should “contact [your] desired College as soon as possible to see if this is a possibility.”

    but if you want my honest, personal, organic, Ontario farm, 100% grain-fed opinion: it doesn’t really matter. i would just go with the flow for now. who knows? st. mike’s may surprise you.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • courses,  psychology,  UTM

    admissions psychles

    April 1, 2014

    Dear Friend,

    I hope you don’t mind, this will be half ranting along with the question.

    I was accepted into the Commerce program at UTSG. I was unable to fulfill the first year requirements for the program, hence I was declined my place in the program. I unfortunately did not have a backup plan, I ended up making last minute decisions and end up in the Mathematics specialists program. After taking mathematics courses, I realized it was not my field. In the meanwhile, I took electives in anthropology, religion and psychology. I soon realized I was very into the psychology program, hence decided to get into psychology.

    Currently, I’m taking Psychology courses at UTM, even though I am not officially in the program. I am with high hopes of getting my transfer approved (touchwood). So far, I have 12 credits at the end of this year, as in April 2014.

    I know I need 20 credits for graduation in my program. I was wondering, I wanted to take extra courses in psychology, would I still be able to Do you know if I go pass my 20 credits by taking psychology, will they accept my grades?

    I would ask my registrar, however every time I come out of there, I always feel gloom for some reason.

    Thank you for taking out time to read out my rant. I appreciate any sort of help you can give me.

    Sincerely,

    ~ A student attempting to regain control in her life.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i haven’t been able to find any concrete information about this online. the fact is that each campus and department does things a little bit differently with respect to this issue, and osap also may become implicated if you take more than 20.0 credits as part of your degree, so it’s best that you speak to…yeah, i’m gonna say it…

    …the registrar’s office. it might be time to get over that feeling of gloom, buddy, ’cause the registrar is hella helpful. they should know exactly how your school/program handles going above 20.0 credits. and just so you know, i work in a registrar’s office. and we have an absolute WHALE OF A TIME*.

    if it’s really stressful for you in there, just bring a sippy cup of warm milk in with you or something, idk.

    sorry friend,

    aska

    *that may be because i always bring an inflatable whale to work with me. but you know. i can’t be sure.

    Read More