• prereqs

    transparency is the thing to be

    April 1, 2014

    Hey aska,

    I was wondering, if i were to be granted to a course by the faculty without taking its prerequisite, will the course still count towards my degree and fulfill any subject post requirements?

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i mean, yeah, as long as the department/professor gives you permission, i think it should be fine. just make sure you go about getting permission the right way, i.e. get it in writing yadda yadda so you have definite proof. when the people who check over all students for prereqs get to you, you’ll need to present proof that you are allowed to stay in the course.

    if you do that correctly and pass the course, i think it should count. but you should definitely ask the department you’re dealing with about it. after all, they’re the ones who decide what counts towards their programs, and in situations like this, it’s always best to be completely transparent and have open communication with the people who are bending the rules for you.

    stay groovy,

    aska

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  • plagiarism,  suspension

    darth vader voice: do your exams

    April 1, 2014

    If I get suspended for academic misconduct from April 4th 2014, what will happen to my other courses?? Will I be permitted to write my exams and finish those courses off?
    -happily ever after

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    ok, i couldn’t find a uoft document that confirms this, because i guess it’s not something the school thinks to clarify for some reason, but i checked with the omniscient beings who sometimes float through my workplace, and you are expected to finish off your courses this semester. if the suspension is effective april 4th, that just means you’re not allowed to register in summer courses.

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions,  rotman

    some conjecture about rotman. b/c that’s the best i can do

    March 31, 2014

    Hey, i have a question regarding Rotman Commerce Acceptances. My top six marks right now (with the pre req Eng4u and Calc) are:

    English: 86
    Law:90
    Physics: 92
    Accounting: 93
    Philosophy: 93
    Calculus: 70

    i know that Rotman commerce says calc has to be at least an 80, but my midterms haven’t gone through yet for this semester, and I am taking calc this semester. If I raise my Calc mark by the end of the semester to around 85, can I still get acceptance from Rotman commerce, even though my calc mark on my midterm on OUAC will be around 70?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    aww man, you’re probably not gonna like this – not ’cause i’m about to give you bad news, just ’cause you seem like a real go-getter, someone who likes to hang their hopes on solid facts. and i don’t really have any solid facts for you, because (despite my frequent letters to their office) i have not yet become rotman commerce. i can’t imagine why; i would be great at making admissions decisions.

    here’s the thing: the only solid factual thing rotman has said about the timing of admissions offers and stuff is this:

    “Most offers of admission are made in late-May. By this time, Rotman Commerce and the University of Toronto will have received comprehensive information regarding your academic record, extra-curricular involvement and supplemental application. This timeline ensures that we have sufficient information on which to base our admissions decision and that applicants are evaluated concurrently.”

    you can find the source of that quote here. now, i don’t know what the most updated information is that they will have by late-May. if you go here, they say that “[a]dmissions decisions are based on mid-terms marks and then final marks are used to satisfy offer conditions,” but i don’t know which semester they’re talking about when they say “mid-term marks.” i also don’t know how many offers are made later than late-May – like, what does “most” mean – 60%? 90%? i’m not sure.

    as you can see, it’s all kind of imprecise.

    so there’s some information that points to the fact that they might base “most” of their admissions decisions on second semester marks; i’d understand if that’s not precise enough for you. if you want some more exact information, i’d suggest you call rotman directly.

    sorry for the mediocre assistance.

    best of luck!

    aska

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  • OSAP

    plot twist: something involving osap works out well

    March 31, 2014

    Hi aska,

    I hate to bother you with an OSAP question and I think I already know the?answer, but I just wanted to double check.

    So, I was a full time student at the beginning of this school year, but I?dropped some courses and ended up part time by beginning of second term.?But I’m planning on going back as full time in September.?I didn’t apply for OSAP last year, but I’m going to apply for the 30% off?this year (I qualify financially). Will my full to part time switch and?being in my second year affect anything? Or is it pretty straight forward?as long as I’m signed up for a full course load for next year?

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

    hey there,

    my experience with osap applications is that they ask for your program and student status in the year that you’re asking for OSAP only, which would be next year for you. so i think you’re right; just go ahead and apply, and it should be fairly straightforward from there!

    and don’t worry, you guys never bother me. i’m an incredibly bored little hermit, so a chit-chat is always welcome.

    best,

    aska

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  • probation

    probation explanation replication

    March 31, 2014

    Hey,

    So it’s almost the end of this year and I got admitted but on a 3.0 credit restriction (because my grades dropped at the end of grade 12). But after the end of the fall term I dropped a half credit and I was put on osap probation. Yesterday I realized I am probably going to fail calculus so I made a late withdrawal. So obviously this year wasn’t the best for me. On the universities website it says that after attempting 4.0 credits will your academic standing be assessed. So does that mean I won’t be put on academic probation at the end of the spring term? If so will that mean after another attempted credit I will be put on probation (unless I do really well)? Or do they mean that they will assess my standing after 3.0 completed courses. Because I wanna redo calc in summer school, I know I can do better this time I just slacked off for most of the year :(. If it helps both the courses I withdrew from were LWDs for total of 1.5 credits.

    Thank you in advance.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    right, so if you go here and scroll down to ‘Academic Standing,’ you will see that yes, you get assessed after you’ve attempted 4.0 credits. LWDs don’t count as “attempted” courses, so yeah, whenever you get up to the 4.0 credit mark, then you will get assessed. so if you finish this year having attempted 3.0 courses (which i think is what you’re saying?), then the next 1.0 credits you take will bring you up to 4.0, after which point you’ll be assessed. when that happens, if your CGPA is below 1.50, then you will be put on probation.

    read up on that document i linked for more information, ’cause i just kinda gave you the cliffnotes version of it. however, yeah, if you’re gonna do a course in the summer, be aware that it’s pretty crucial that you do well. you may want to consider redoing calc in the fall term, because spring courses move twice as quickly and can be kinda soul-destroying and hard to keep up with. if you’re really confident that you can do awesome though, then go ahead. destroy that course and bring up your GPA! whoo. *waves pom-poms*

    best,

    aska

    P.S. This is utsg information. if you’re not on the downtown campus, the information may be different! go here for an explanation of utm’s policy and here for utsc’s.

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  • engineering,  subject POST

    let the record state that i love engineers and think they are fab

    March 28, 2014

    Dear aska,

    I’ve noticed that engineers can take an arts and science minor, does that work both ways? I’m almost done my 2nd year and I double major in chemistry and physics but I’ve been thinking to switch into engineering, but that seems to be a painful process so minoring seems like the next best thing.

    Sincerely D

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it looks like only people pursuing a BASc can take engineering minors. sorry, man. curse those engineers!* maybe you could take a minor in math or computer science? i know they’re not exactly the same, but beggars can’t be choosers, y’know.

    cheers,

    aska

    *If there are any engineering students reading this: i’m kidding. please don’t ruin the structural integrity of my house.

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  • courses,  enrollment

    kin you do it?

    March 28, 2014

    Could you tell me a little about the kinesiology program at u of t? ive heard that if you want to become a PT it can be difficult bc kin students have low priority when it comes to choosing classes and they dont get to take the classes they need as prereqs. im kind of worried as I want to study PT in the states after u of t

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

    hey there,

    i certainly can! now, i don’t know if you’re planning on transferring or you’re still in high school, but you seem not to be familiar with the different faculties at uoft, so i’m just gonna quickly explain how they work over here. basically, most undergrad programs are administered by the faculty of arts & science. ignoring prereqs and enrolment controls, courses in artsci are kind of a free-for-all: you can take any course within the faculty.

    however, kin is administered by the faculty of kinesiology, and according to page 8 of their course calendar, most of the courses you take will be ‘KPE’ courses – that is, courses administered by the faculty of kinesiology. students in artsci must “petition for permission to register in the course for degree credit” if it’s outside of their faculty. meaning that when you’re in kin, the courses you’re required to take are the ones you’ll be taking, basically, since kin students are the only ones who have easy access to those courses.

    when you graduate, you’ll be graduating with a B.KIN. from the faculty, which will have included courses almost exclusively about kinesiology and work placements. if you want to study pt in the states, i’d say this is a great degree to start with, though of course, i encourage you to see for yourself whether the degree is for you.*

    best,

    aska

    *I wanted to test for myself how suitable the B.KIN. is for someone interested in a Doctor in Phyical Therapy (which I’m presuming is what you’re interested in?) so I picked a school at random from the wikipedia list of schools that offer that degree, and took a look at their entry requirements; the B.KIN. provides all those courses as part of its degree, as far as i can tell.

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  • admissions,  psychology

    one more time (we’re gonna celebrate)

    March 27, 2014

    Hello,

    I am currently a second year student studying psychology. But the the thing is I’m not officially studying psychology because I am not in the subject post. I took PSY100 during the summer and got a mark of 81. I applied to the second round of enrollment and got rejected for both specialist and major. I really want to do a specialist in psychology. I took 1 credit of 200-level psychology and got an average of 77 for both. All I need to do now is take PSY201 and PSY202. Assuming I get a 75 average for both, what are my chances of getting in? I know you can’t give me a proper percentage or odds but do you happen to have some anecdotal references like a friend per se that got in to the specialist with similar marks or maybe even a different type 2 subject post? I also took a 300-level psych course and I’m planning to end the course with around a low 80, do you think this would be taken into consideration? My whole situation is really killing me right now because I’m planning to go to summer school to take both statistics but if my chances of getting into the specialist isn’t great then I probably wouldn’t go on with summer school because I would rather just transfer schools. But I really don’t want to transfer schools because I am really beginning to like U of T. I don’t mean to be pushy but realistically am I in a good position?

    Thank you

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    this is a super respectful question, which i really appreciate. unfortunately, i don’t have much anecdotal info to help you out. since i’m part of the HUMANITIES SCUM, all my informal/non-registrarial knowledge is related to humanities, and specifically language and classics, programs. however, i’ll try to just reason it out and give my own opinion, though, like i say, i’m not admissions, and this is really just my opinion based on what you’ve told me.

    just to get everything in order for myself, this is how your marks stand:

    PSY100: 81%

    PSY2**Y: 77%

    PSY201/202: 75% (projected)

    alright, so given admission requirements after second year, i’d say that, even if your chances aren’t great, i think they’re better than when you applied in first year. firstly, i’m sure waaaay fewer people are applying after second year. by this point, most people have either realized they’re not actually interested in psych, or they’ve just given up. the fact that first year applicants have to have finished PSY100 with an 80%, and second-year applicants just have to have passed it, makes that crystal clear for me.

    secondly, there are probably fewer people in second year who have completed the requirements and still qualify to apply. the number of people who take PSY100 and have a shot at getting into the POSt is staggering; by second year, that number is much smaller.

    as to the 300-level course, i really don’t know. i mean, they say they don’t consider that. would it give you an advantage? maybe, but it’s hard to say for sure without any hints from the department.

    so, realistically, I’d say your acceptance is not certain – psych’s still a really popular subject POSt – but i think you’ve got a good shot. besides, transferring to another school after second year is rough. take it from a transfer veteran: even if you don’t get in, you’ve got a better chance carving a new path for yourself here in third year than trying to adjust to a completely new environment and system of classes.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • colleges,  Transferring

    a mysterious connection

    March 27, 2014

    i’m in the process of an internal transfer. i recently emailed the program director of the program i want to apply to about next steps and he asked me which college i intended to transfer to. he hasn’t emailed back in 2 days. can i hope that he’s pulling strings and talking to registrars about my application? is there precedence of this happening before? if this is possible then he is the best human on this planet. also this is a mighty fine blog you’re runnin’ here!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m a little confused about your question (i always say that, don’t i?) i’m wondering why your college choice is relevant to the program you’re transferring into; because it shouldn’t be. whatever college you join has no bearing on your application to whatever program it is. so why the program director cares about your college is beyond me. i assume you need to rank your college choices as part of your application in order to transfer – just like you need to provide your name and date of birth – but like i said, it’s not related to your academic program.

    either way, program directors are busy, busy people, so give him a couple of days to respond! and maybe ask about the relevance of your college choice to the program, and whether there’s some other consideration to do with colleges that i can’t think of that is related to your program.

    if for some reason he is involved in your application to transfer generally, outside of academic program, then i guess he just asked because that’s information that’s relevant to your transferring? either way, i wouldn’t worry too much about it, because it shouldn’t have any connection to whether or not you get into the program you want!

    best,

    aska

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  • admissions,  humanities,  psychology

    apparently hard work pays off in this life

    March 25, 2014

    I just got accepted into University of Toronto for Humanities and I’m super duper excited! :DIt’s amazing to know that my hard work pays off in the end. However, I do have a question that I didn’t think of before I applied…I got accepted into the Humanities program and I don’t really know what that means for me.I am going to major in English/History/Linguistics.. but I may want to major in Psychology.Am I able to do that even though I was only accepted in Humanities? Am I able to take the Intro to Psychology course? Thanks so much for helping me out and making my experience at UofT a lot easier 🙂 you deserve a gold star- Excited Accepted Student

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    yeah…hard work totally, uh, pays off in the end…*coughs* *laughs nonchalantly* *trips over a mountain of lies*

    but good job on getting in. no, really, that…yeah. that’s great. i’m glad you’re excited. try and maintain that as long as possible.

    as for PSY100, you can take it regardless of your stream, but if you want to actually major in psych, you need to have taken, along with intro to psych, grade 12 calculus. that’s pretty much non-negotiable, but they will accept people who have taken uoft’s PUMP program instead, which is basically a grade 12 catch-up calculus course in university. so look into how hot you are about doing that (slash night school slash summer school slash whatever other acceptable alternative you can dream up) before you set your heart on a major in psych.

    also, i hope that when you say that you want to major in english/history/linguistics, you mean like, you want to major in one of them in addition to psych but you haven’t picked one yet, because four majors is just CRAZY TALK! tbh, any combination of those three POSts might make a great double-major combo; english/history is a particular favourite of a lot of my english major friends. i personally am an english specialist because i’m HARDCORE, but that’s just me.

    however, if you really are set on psych, like i said, you’ve got options.

    and by the by, i ALWAYS have a gold star. always.

    best, my blissfully excited froshie bestie,

    aska

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  • odds are that won't be asked again

    all the best, my surgical warrior

    March 25, 2014

    hey there

    i’m probably going to have relatively major surgery at the end of the summer so i’m probably going to have to take off a semester to heal. do i have to do anything for this? like do i have to notify someone or do something special or do i just only choose winter courses during course selection??

    thanks!!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    yo, firstly: good luck on your surgery! i hope it goes as smoothly as possible, and that your recovery is super-quick.*

    there’s nothing really official you have to do. if you’re a downtown student/your campus has yearlong courses, then you’re going to have to do enrolment in august anyway, so just make sure to only enrol in winter term courses. in this case, your course load means you will probably be paying part-time fees, because you’ll most likely be taking few enough courses that you have part-time status (i can’t say for sure – if you want to know for sure, talk to your college registrar).

    if you’re at UTSC, which i believe goes on a trimesterly basis, then you’ll do your enrolment for january and not september – though i’m not sure if that will involve any kinda formal process, so talk to your registrar’s office about it to make sure.

    as well, if you’re out of school for more than 6 months, you’ll have to start paying OSAP back (if you have OSAP) after the 6 months is up, unless you can get continuation of interest-free status. so either talk to the NSLC or make sure you’re prepared to make a few months’ payments, if you’ll be out of class for more than 6 months (remember the summer is included in that).

    if you’re unsure about any of this stuff, just talk to your college/school registrar’s office about it, and they should be able to walk you through everything.

    best,

    aska

    *also, while you’re at the hospital, see if you can tease a free lollipop outta the doctors. they’re always up for that.

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  • accessories,  humanities

    all you people with late essays, take note from this planner

    March 24, 2014

    Hi!
    I am a prospective student who is applying to u of T next year. My average is around an 84 or 85 and I am applying to Humanities. However, I am taking math next year which sort of lowers my average. If all my other courses are in the high eighties or more and my math is about a high seventy low eighty, will that have a major impact on my entrance?
    Thanks.

    Hi Aska,
    I was just wondering what a good high school average would be to get accepted into U Of T St. George for the humanities stream.
    thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i started to panic a lot when you said you were applying – THE DEADLINE WAS IN JANUARY WAT R U DOING – but then i read “next year” and took a deep, calming breath. you’re not late, you’re just early for next year.

    now, i understand math is a low point for you, but hopefully you can still calculate an average*. let’s say you get an 85% in all your courses next year except math, in which you get an 80%. that would make your average an 84.2%, which is right in the anticipated acceptance range for humanities?for this year. that’s assuming, of course, that you’ll be taking 6 courses next year. if you take more than that, then the math might not even be relevant if it’s not part of your top 6 best grade 12 courses (including program prereqs), which is what the university uses to consider you for admission.

    so no, i don’t think it will have a huge impact on your admission. and if i could just give a word of advice? i know it’s hard not to worry about getting accepted to uni before you have been accepted to uni, but humanities at uoft is not all that difficult to get into. if you’re planning this far ahead and your marks are almost certainly going to end up in the mid-80s, then maybe it’s time to start doing the preparing no one thinks about: what kinds of things do you want to do once you’re actually in school? do you have ideas for part-time jobs you might want to apply to internships clubs you wanna join? projects, either independent or school-mediated? all this stuff is just as important as your program and degree, so if you want to channel your nervous energy about uni into something, maybe try channelling it into that!**

    best,

    aska

    * I say that, and yet the other day I started to panic that I wouldn’t have enough money on my Presto card for the week because I’d divided 35 by 5 incorrectly.

    **also, prom dresses/tuxes. about 40% of your time next year will be dedicated to that, whether you like it or not. so BE PREPARED.

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  • subject POST

    rock-hard 6.0 100-series rule?

    March 24, 2014

    Hey so I’m currently a second year student, and I really need help deciding?what my next moves will be, since registrar is totally useless and never?help.?SO here’s my story:
    First year – got accepted into business management.. yada yada.. did NOT?get accepted into my subject post for that. But, I took an elective to go?with earth science and I loved it!?Second Year – Absolutely love earth sciences, taken every second year?course for it currently offered, and completely excel in it. I now want to?specialize in earth sciences.?My problem however, is that I have already taken the maximum number of?first year credits, but I have never taken first year math, chem, or?physics, and I NEED those.?Where do I go from here? I don’t quite understand the whole limitation on?how many first year credits you can have.

    Please help! 🙁

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

    hey there,

    well, first of all, congratulations on figuring out what you love. that’s incredible difficult, and you got it all sorted out by second year.?secondly, you can’t have more than 6.0 100-level credits for your degree, but if you need them for a subject POSt, then you can still take them.

    i can almost hear you blinking in confusion from over here.

    basically, if you’ve already taken 6.0 100-level credits and you take more, they won’t count towards the 20.0 credits you need to get your degree, but they will count towards any program that you may need them for. you can take all the first-year math/chem/physics that you need for earth science, but they won’t increase your overall credit count for your degree. does that make sense? you can read about it here?under “Extra Courses: 100-series, Repeating and Excluded Courses.”

    so feel free to take the courses you need over the summer and/or next year. all the specialists for earth science are unlimited enrolment/type 1’s, so you should be able to enrol in the subject POSt no problem, even before you complete those first year courses. as long as you complete them before graduation (and in time for any courses you want to take for which they’re prereqs), you’ll be all set.

    best,

    aska

    P.S. the title of this post looks like it’s written in an alien code that only uoft students can decipher, and that makes me chuckle. if the complexity of your school’s rules are ever getting you down, take comfort in the fact that you are an expert in the complex and specific dialect of Uoftian, and highly-trained scholars will probably have to specialize in it in future generations in order to understand it.

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