• admissions,  subject POST

    helpin’ a wee one through the labyrinth of subject POSts

    March 7, 2014

    Hi Aska,

    I’m having a bit of issue here and I was hoping u could help?

    I recently got accepted to life scienece program in UT, as well as commerce?in UTM. (Since I can’t decide between psych. and marketing so I thought I?apply for both)

    Anyway, I was told that you have to do bio, chem and all that as a life?science student, but I didn’t do any of those in yr 11/12, and I’m much more?interested in social science. I applied for? L.S just for psychology and?now I’m worried that it might leads to a dead end.? Since there’s no way I?can handel bio/chem at university level.

    So my question is, as a life science student,? will I be able to choose any?art&science course I want in UT, and after 1st yr? apply for any major?
    (What about rotman?)?Or am I stuck with life science if I choose st george campus? (In which?case I will have to choose UTM)

    I hope you get what I’m saying. lol. and many thanks.

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

    hey there,

    alrighty, there seem to be a lot of questions here, so fair warning: this question might run a bit long. i’m SORRY. i can’t help how USEFUL and KNOWLEDGEABLE i am.

    first thing: let’s examine how much chem and bio you actually have to do for uoft psych, ’cause there’s a reason it’s called “Life Sciences & Psychology,” and that is that the program is a little different from the rest of life science. so, i’m going to be looking at the courses you have to take for the psychology specialist – all that ‘specialist’ means is that you don’t have to take on another program. if you were to do the psychology major, for example, you’d have to take on another major or two minors on top of that according to uoft’s rules?(go to (b) under ‘General Degree Requirements’).

    so, for the specialist, all the requirements are ‘PSY’ courses. i don’t see any bio or chem courses. one thing you should take note of though is that the psychology programs at uoft do involve a fair bit of math. in order to get into the program, you have to have completed grade 12 calculus. once you’re in the program, you’ll also have to do a little bit of math in the form of PSY201H1 and PSY201H2, or Statistics I and Statistics II.

    now, just because you’re not compelled to take any courses that start with ‘BIO’ or ‘CHM,’ doesn’t mean that there won’t be some biology involved in your study of psychology. some courses will touch on anatomical and biological aspects of the brain, like this one, for example. but by and large, this program seems to focus on a social science approach to psychology.

    my advice would be to take a look at the PSY courses offered in 2nd, 3rd and 4th years and see how interested you are in them. also, you’ll have to take PSY100H1 in first year in order to apply to the psychology specialist, major or minor, so use that course to gauge how interested you are in the subject. if, by the end of first year, it turns out you don’t like psych as much as you thought, you can always apply for a different subject POSt (that is, program of study, i.e. a combination of specialist/majors/minors).

    the fact that you’re a life science student in first year doesn’t really mean anything – you can apply for any subject POSt in the faculty of arts & science, provided you’ve completed the prerequisites, at the end of first year, in april. that’s why i’d advise you take a look at some other programs you might be interested in now, ?so that in first year, you can complete prerequisites (if there are any) for some other programs you might be interested in applying for. first year is a time for exploration, especially at uoft, so take advantage of it!

    as for rotman, you can apply after first year, but it’s very competitive – most people in rotman apply from high school and enter the program in first year. if you want to try to apply to rotman after first year, you’ll need to have completed RSM100Y1, ECO100Y1 and MAT133Y1 in first year.

    if you’re considering commerce at utm, i’d advise you also take a look at some of the courses you’ll be taking?throughout your four years of the program, so you can be more informed when you make your decision.

    alright, so i think i’ve covered all your questions – i told you it’d be long – but if you’re unsure about anything else, just e-mail me right on back. cool? have a swagtacular day.

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • probation

    three campuses’ probation organization enumeration

    March 6, 2014

    Hi Aska!

    So just to clarify, if I only attempted 3 credits this whole year at UTSC can I still be put on academic probation?

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    so, i’ve recently answered two questions about this, one of them about utm and the other about utsg. i guess i should thank you for asking about the third campus, one because it completes the holy trinity, and two because the rules surrounding academic probation at utsc are a bit different from the other two campuses.

    so at utm and utsg, you have to have attempted 4.0 credits (that is, stayed enrolled in the course and not have a LWD or WDR on them) for you to be considered either “in good standing” or “on probation.” at utsc though, if you’ve attempted 3.0 credits or more, not 4.0, you can be put on academic probation. so, you will be put on probation if your CGPA is less than 1.60 (on the other two campuses, it’s 1.50), and if you’ve attempted 3.0+ credits.

    that all make sense? cool. i really hope all of you guys asking about probation don’t actually get put on probation. i’m rootin’ for you, ok?

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • summer

    some err

    March 6, 2014

    Hi, I am a first year student and I am not sure how enrolling in summer courses will work. Seeing as when registration begins for summer school, we will not have our final marks for Y or S courses and will not have it on our record as a credit yet, how will it work if the summer course we want to take requires a certain amount of credits to be completed? Will we still be able to enrol in the course if our grades are good and it is certain that we will pass? Also, will we be able to enrol in summer courses even though we have not yet been able to select a subject POSt, again because we will not have our completed credits on our records until exams are over? Because if we have to wait until those credits are put on our record, registration for summer school will be over by then!
    Please let me know if you know!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if i know? IF? oh my dear friend, aska ALWAYS knows. there’s no question about it. you should just assume.*

    your question is one a lot of first years are probably worrying about, so thanks for taking one for the team and asking it. i can just tell you’re going places in life. fortunately for you, you’ve got nothing to worry about.

    the university knows your marks won’t be out by the time you have to enrol. they say that as long as you “expect” to finish at least 4.0 credits (if you’re in first year) by the end of the term, then you can go ahead and enrol in summer classes.

    also note that if you finish this year year having completed under 4 credits, you’ll be considered a first year, which just means that you won’t be able to enrol in second year courses during the summer, most of which require you to have completed at least 4.0 credits by the end of this term. but if you think you’re going to finish the term with above 4.0 credits, you’ll be able to enrol in second-year summer courses (assuming you’re going to complete the prerequisites, if any, for those courses, by the end of this term).

    as for subject POSts, you don’t have to be enrolled in a program in order to take all summer courses. some courses will be restricted or limited to students in certain programs, and they’ll be marked by the enrolment indicators R or P, but that’s certainly not the case for all courses. you can see if the course(s) you want to take are limited/restricted here.

    best,

    aska

    * This is a lie. I lie. Everyone lies. Welcome to the real world, kid.

    Read More
  • psychology

    psyduck

    March 5, 2014

    Hi,

    I’m pretty set on doing a major in Psychology – but how likely is it that I will get into psychology??I know they say the average to get in is 75% in psy100, but how accurate is that?

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    now children, here we see a question that sharply contrasts with the one below it, in that it provides almost no contextual information for aska to work with. there are a lot of mysteries here. is the askee a first year student? are they talking about the major only? their question says they’re set on doing a major, but the subject line of their e-mail said “Majors and Minor.”

    i don’t mean to be catty, dear askee. it’s just that it’s gonna be tough for me to be very helpful if i don’t know a lot of this information. fortunately for you, aska is more or less a wizard when it comes to deciphering these kinds of mysteries. so let’s work some magic.

    i’m gonna assume you’re a first year student. if you’re not, then you just need to have completed PSY100. if you are in first year though, you need to have completed PSY100 with AT LEAST a 75%. that’s an important distinction. it’s not an average of 75% for people who are accepted. you need to have a 75% to be considered – but how high above that you need to get to actually be accepted depends on the competition in your year, i.e. how many other people have applied and what they got in PSY100. as for how many people applied, the school doesn’t publish those numbers, but you can take a look at how many other questions about psychology i’ve answered to try and get a gist of it. same thing goes for the minor, except the cut-off is 73%, not 75%.

    i wish i could give you some more precise numbers as to how likely you are to get in, but unfortunately, they just don’t tell me that kinda stuff. just do as well as you can and prepare a backup in case it doesn’t work out.

    good luck,

    aska

    P.S. i get a lot of questions about psych and i am running out of clever title ideas that relate to psychology. please consider this a formal invitation to send me psychology-related punny titles at askastudent ( . ) innis ( at ) utoronto ( . ) ca. because aska’s a collaborative experience. yeah.

    Read More
  • probation

    an academic probation administration clarification

    March 4, 2014

    i’ve been avoiding asking until now but you literally just answered a question that is so similar to mine. this one?https://askastudent.utoronto.ca/?p=7033?the probation equation (and summer consideration). i’m in almost the exact same situation except i’m only taking? 3 courses and in that person’s ask you said that they won’t get kicked out but i checked that probation link and it says

    Students who have a Cumulative GPA (CGPA) of less than 1.50 at the end of an academic session after which they have attempted 4.0 credits, will be placed on academic probation. Students returning from suspension will have a status of on probation.

    is it different for me because i’m only taking 3 courses like if i fail all 3 will it be different for me because i didn’t attempt 4?
    i’m so sorry to make you sorta repeat yourself but i literally went on the blog like 10 minutes before writing this and saw that question it’s gotta be fate or something.

    will i be suspended for a year automatically or do i get put on probation, if i fail all 3?

    thankyou thankyou thankyou you’re an angel for answering.

    EDIT:?hi again. i just realized that i gave you a very shitty description of my situation and i wanted to give a bit of a better one.
    (sorry if i’m crowding up your inbox, i know it can take up to two weeks for you to respond when there’s a lot of questions, so i just wanted to make my situation clearer.)

    okay, i was taking a total of 4 credits at the beginning of the school year, but i dropped one of my 0.5 credits (so late i didn’t get a refund) and i did an LWD for the other 0.5 credit. which left me with 3 credits.

    i don’t think i’m going to fail all 3 courses but i’m a pessimistic person and i want to know what will happen if i bomb the exams and do end up failing all 3, like what’s the worst case scenario.

    does the dropped course and LWD course count as attempting 4.0 credits?

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

    hey there,

    i’m an ANGEL? no one’s ever told me i’m an angel before! you hear that, mom?! someone on the internet thinks i’m special. HA.

    in all seriousness, thank you for being so thoughtful and clear in your question. it’s a breath of fresh air from the key-smashers who ask, “wot r mah chances of gettin’ in to engineerin’. btw u suk aska xoxo.”

    also, you should never avoid asking me a question! i love your problems. even if your question is mind-numbingly stupid, what’s the worse that could happen? i’ll make fun of you, you’ll call me names in your head and vow never to visit this STUPID WEBSITE AGAIN – and life goes on. or maybe i’ll even be able to help you out. so please never feel too timid or whatever to ask a question, no matter what it is. and don’t worry about being repetitive. i’m used to repetitive questions.

    just a note before i answer your question: the person in the post you quoted is a utm student. always be careful when you’re reading a post to take note of the campuses before applying them to your own situation, because not all the rules are the same between campuses. because you haven’t specified your school, i’m just gonna assume you’re from utsg.

    k, so if we go here?and take a look at academic standing, we’ll see that you can go on probation if you’ve “attempted” 4.0 credits. you’re right to ask what “attempted” means; it’s kind of unclear. but, if you go to the asterisked footnote, you’ll see that LWDs and WDRs don’t count as attemped credits. so we’ve got one credit down: your LWD. now go check your other one that you dropped on ROSI. is it marked WDR? if so, then that also doesn’t count as an attempted credit. either way, you’ve either “attempted” 3.0 or 3.5 credits, according to uoft.

    which all goes to say that since you haven’t “attempted” 4.0 credits, you will have a final standing of “not assessed”, regardless of what you pass or fail, which, as far as i can tell, doesn’t have any practical or consequential meaning whatsoever.

    of course i’d encourage you not to fail, just for like your own sake or whatever, but you know, that’s all just by the by.

    i hope everything goes well for you this year, my friend.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • failing,  summer

    the probation equation (and summer consideration)

    March 3, 2014

    I’m gonna start by thanking you first because I’m gonna go off on a bit of an emotional rant so I probably won’t remember afterwards. So thanks for your help.

    I fucked up, I fucked up so bad. I’m a first year at UTM and I’m failing all four of my courses. It’s not even from not understanding the material
    either, I just never showed up to lectures and tutorials and procrastinated and got sidetracked by work and a family illness. Point is, it’s my fault, I was cocky and I let myself get distracted. I could have handled things better, but I didn’t and I know that and I want to fix it now.

    I’ve been kicking it into high gear this past week and I plan on trying hard to at least pass. But worst case scenario, I fail all four courses, will I get kicked out of school? And if I’m allowed to stay, I know I’d have to get my GPA up next year, but I’d basically be looking at a 5th year of school right? And would a summer course change anything? I know people with low GPAs are discouraged from signing up for summer courses but I also think that if I buckled down and focused I could pass a summer course, but would getting a single credit in the summer just fuck things up, am I better off just accepting that I’ll be doing a 5th year and retaking the courses I may or?may not fail in September?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well thank you for coming here. being proactive and seeking help is so much better than having a panic attack and crying about it (which is how i dealt with first year). so good on ya.

    first thing: they’re not gonna kick you out right away, even if you fail all four courses. if you finish with a GPA under 1.50, you’ll be put on academic probation. what that means is that the next semester you take, you will have to get above a CGPA (that’s cumulative grade point average) of 1.50 to be taken off probation. if you get below a CGPA of 1.50, but a sessional GPA above 1.70, you’ll do the next semester on probation as well. if you get below a CGPA of 1.50 AND below a sessional GPA of 1.70, you get suspended for one year. so even in the worst case scenario, you don’t get kicked out. if you don’t know what your GPA is, you can figure it out with this and this (just go to page 11 of the powerpoint).

    if you are put on probation, i would recommend that you not take a summer semester. summer school’s really tricky because it moves quickly, and if you’re trying to get above a 1.50 CGPA to get yourself off probation, you’ll want the best possible circumstances in your next semester to get those marks. if you wait until fall to do your first term on probation, you’re more likely to do well. consider that.

    if you don’t get put on probation (i.e. if you finish this year with a GPA above 1.50), then sure, take a summer course – if you think you can handle it. like you say, doing one credit over the summer can mess things up by giving you more than you can handle, so just redoing first year without trying to catch up in the summer might be the best choice. but you shouldn’t feel bad about that! a lot of people take five years to complete their degree.

    you also may want to consider if university is really for you, or if maybe you need to take some time off before coming back to uni. i understand that certain specific circumstances contributed to what’s happened to you, but i’d recommend you take some time to self-reflect, and ask yourself whether what you’re doing/studying is the best use of your time. your time belongs to you, right? so use it how you want to.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • odds are that won't be asked again

    i’m late, i’m late, for a very important date

    March 3, 2014

    Hi ASKA

    So basically my course has a late penalty of 2% a day including weekend, but the prof doesn’t allow electronic submission and the department of Polisci is closed on weekends and I can’t submit my essay over the weekend earning 4% extra penalty. Can the Prof do this?

    ———————————————

    hey there DUDE,

    great question. it’s always a good idea to keep on top of what your profs are doing, to make sure they don’t try to get up to any SHENANIGANS when you’re not looking. you know how sneaky those profs can be. sneaky, sneaky…

    unfortunately, uoft has basically given instructors free reign when it comes to late assignments. according to section 8.1 of the academic handbook, profs don’t have to accept late assignments at all if they don’t want to. if they do have a late policy, as long as it’s clear and published in the syllabus, they can basically do whatever they want. the handbook says that “you are allowed wide latitude in…this [late policies],” as long as it’s “fair, equitable and reasonable.” that’s uoft lingo for “NO RULES! GO WILD!”

    although to be honest, that’s a pretty standard late policy that you’re describing. most profs include weekends in days that things can be late, even if you can’t actually hand in the work over the weekend. it’s just meant to encourage you to, you know, hand stuff in before the weekend. comprende?

    i hope that assignment doesn’t go too horribly, man,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  international students

    watch aska struggle with an exotic education system and laugh at her

    February 28, 2014

    Hello, I am a Canadian student who lives in Lebanon. I attend a french school called College Notre Dame de Jamhour.I am in grade 11 and I am thinking of applying to University of Toronto for 2 years of Biology, Chemistry, Math and Physics in order to get into the PharmD program.I’ve been searching a lot for the average grade accepted students have, unfortunately I haven’t found much.I know exactly what courses I have to take to get into PharmD and I know exactly how the PharmD program works, my only concern is my getting into UofT in the first place.I would really appreciate it if you could tell me what are my chances of getting accepted:SAT 1: Reading: 630 Math: 800 Writing: 620 SAT 2: Math level 2 800 French 800 Plus I am planning on doing the SAT chemistry subject test and the TOEFL during the summer.My average grade is 16/20 in the french scaling system.I won the national competition in Robotics,I have a piano and guitar diploma,I have been practicing martial arts for a very long time now and I’ve won tournaments ( boxing, wrestling, judo, kick boxing, jujitsu…).
    I was hoping if you could tell me what are my chances of getting into UofT in order to start studying chemistry, biology, physics and math there, of course in order to apply to PharmD after 2 years.
    Thank you very much for your time

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i gotta say, it intimidates me a bit when people send me super formal questions, ’cause it makes me feel like they expect a super formal answer. i hope you know that i’m not like, an authority or anything. have you read this blog, my friend? ’cause otherwise, you’re about to be severely disappointed.

    however, i’m not completely useless. i can tell you what the university expects, which is that you fulfil the prerequisites and get your diploma. but i’m sure you know that already (i’m not even sure i linked to the right education patterned system, to be honest. i think i did. also, when you say you wanna study math, chemistry and physics, i’m assuming that means you want to get into the Life Science stream).

    now, about what you’re really asking, which is the time-honoured question: “WhAt arE my CHAN ceS Of getTI Ng iN???!?!?!!11!?” that’s a bit hard for me to tell, because i have no idea what those marks mean, but according to this handy wiki article, a 16/20 is tres bien, which in my books translates to a 90%+. with that kind of average, i’d say you can basically assume you’re going to be accepted (assuming of course that you’ve met the prerequisites; for you, i’m guessing that would be math, physics & chem and biology-ecology in the sujets terminale, but your school administration or uoft admissions know that better than me, so i’d recommend asking them, if you don’t already know what the prerequisites equal to in your system).

    when it comes to extra-curriculars, i have to once more break a young student’s heart and let you know that it actually doesn’t matter at all what extra-curriculars you have. being good at martial arts and robotics is awesome, and will help you with scholarship applications and probably with being a good student at university, but it’s not considered as part of uoft’s admissions decisions. sorry, friend.

    i hope that helps! and remember: you’re in grade 11, and you’ve got lots of time to figure all this stuff out, so don’t worry yourself too much. life has a way of sorting things out one way or another. try to sit back and enjoy the ride. you’re doing great.

    best,

    aska

    Read More
  • residence,  UTSC

    bein’ school-ist to UTSC

    February 28, 2014

    Hello,

    I’m currently a student at UTSC but was looking to do a semester at utsg while also living on res there. When I applied, I didn’t get into utsg so the option of the res isn’t even available on myres. Would I have to transfer and be a utsg student to stay on res there during my semester? Please help me out.

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’ve done a lot of searching around for this question, just ’cause I’ve never had one like it before (you can congratulate yourself on being so unique). unfortunately, despite the awesome uniqueness of the ask, i have to give a kinda disappointing answer.

    i wasn’t able to find any reference to UTSG accommodations for non-UTSG students. even the independent residences seem to only provide residence to students on the downtown campus. i’d suggest trying to get onto the waitlist, but if UTSG residences aren’t appearing on your myres at all, then i don’t know how you might do that.

    if you’re up to spending upwards of $5000 for one semester, you can take a look at these B&Bs available through Uoft’s temporary housing page. although i’ve gotta say, that’s hella expensive, and it makes a whole lot more sense to me to spend, like $1000 or so commuting for the semester, than $5500 living in the city. but hey, it’s totally up to you.

    as for transferring, most undergrad programs can only be transferred into for september, since a lot of our courses are a year long, rather than a semester. i doubt you could pull it off, if i’m being honest.

    so yeah, i couldn’t find much, but i am just a peon in the goliath that is the uoft machine. if you want to make sure there are no other options available, i’d suggest calling housing services at 416-978-8045. that way you can hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

    sorry, i know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but commuting’s not so bad! this morning, i was twenty minutes late to class because my train was delayed, then a crazy person started talking to me while I was trying to buy subway tokens, then my token didn’t work and i had to wait in line for five minutes to buy another one!!!! so you see, it’s not all bad.*

    best,

    aska

    *no, seriously, i’s not always that bad. i just try to be funny on here. am I funny? please love me.

    Read More
  • biology,  subject POST,  summer,  UTM

    get into health 4 sum wealth

    February 27, 2014

    Hi, im in first year and i somewhat screwed up and am left with 2.0 credits i really want to get into biology for health sciences but some of the courses require chm 110 and 120 which ill be doing over the summer. Do you think ill be granteed a spot in my subject post after i complete chem over the summer. Im really confused and disappointed in myself some encouragement would really help.

    – Amanda B.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    first, let’s do practical stuff, then encouragement.

    so, we gotta see what kind of subject post biology for health sci is. if we look here, we’ll notice that the bio for health sci major has some requirements for enrolment. they are: a) completing 4.0 credits, b) completing the prerequisites listed and c) having a CGPA of 2.5. health sci is a type 2 subject POSt (just ctrl+f ‘biology for health sciences), which means that only people who have fulfilled the given requirements can enrol. however, it is not a type 3 subject POSt, where even if you’ve fulfilled the requirements, you still might not get in because of the competition. in this case, if you did a), b) and c), you’re guaranteed to get in.

    because of that, if you successfully complete your chem courses (which are prerequisites) in the summer, and keep your GPA above a 2.5 (and assuming you fulfilled all the other prerequisites), you’ll be all set to enrol in the subject POSt! you’ll just have to do it in the second request period (see page 8), between june 17 and september 22nd, after you’ve received the marks for your summer chem courses. and that’s all there is to it.

    one thing i’m a little confused about: you said you’re “left with 2.0 credits.” does that mean that you failed 2.0 out of 5.0 credits this year, or that you passed 2.0? if you passed 2.0, then you’ll have to do one more credit over the summer to fulfil requirement a) completing 4.0 credits. just keep that in mind. other than that, i don’t see any immediate problems.

    k, now for some encouragement. well, my trans-campus friend, let me tell you something: you are great. you have almost survived your first year, and you’re still intact enough to have goals for yourself and aspire to greater things. you’re not just sitting miserably in your bedroom, smoking by a window and wishing your life was sepia toned. you go out there, and work, and ask questions when you need to! that’s awesome. pushing through is awesome. keeping on keeping on after you’ve disappointed yourself is awesome. and trust me: first year disappointments? we’ve all been there, and we got through it. and so will you, because you’re amazing (dare i say, almost as amazing as aska).

    i wish you the best of luck with your summer courses, Amanda B.

    cheers,

    aska

     

    Read More
  • Transferring

    you all want in to uoft for the great weather, right?

    February 26, 2014

    I have a question, when should I hear back from U of T? I am close to the end of my degree in Sociology and Anthropology. I am switching majors into psychology or Neuro. I chose both options. I had a 3.77 GPA annual average and this year it is 3.9 so far. However the catch is I am taking my last math now. I fucked up my previous math in college. Other than that my cumulative GPA average is 3.40. After I am done this semester, it should jump up to 3.65 average overall because I am retaking a course I fucked up. What do you think my odds are of getting in?Sincerely,A Montrealer whose scared

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

    hey there,

    ahhh, i’ve missed these “am i going to get in???” questions. they’re comfortable and familiar, you know? like your favourite pair of bootie slippers.

    alright friend, i understand that transferring is a very nerve-wracking situation. believe me, i was exactly where you are this time last year. however, your GPA is in pretty good shape. Uoft transfer students usually have a solid ‘B’ average, and you’re already well above that, even if you stay at a 3.40.

    of course, you’re looking to get into specific programs, and they might be a little more difficult to get into. however, if you’re looking to get into the neuroscience major, that shouldn’t present many problems. as long as you’ve completed the appropriate first-year courses, you should be fine. the neuroscience major is a type 1 subject POSt?(just ctrl+f neuroscience), meaning there’s unlimited enrolment. translated from uoft jargon, that means that you’ve got no competition. as long as you meet the requirements, you’re in.

    the psychology major is a type 2L subject POSt, meaning not everyone who fulfils the requirements gets in. you can take a look at the requirements here?to see how you measure up. basically, it all depends on how well you did in your equivalent of PSY100.

    the one thing i want to mention is that if you’re ‘nearing the end of your degree,’ i’m thinking that you’re in your third or fourth year, so you’ll only be eligible for a maximum of five transfer credits. meaning you might have to stay at school a little longer to finish this degree. just a heads up.

    good luck! hope to see you groovin’ on campus soon.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. You’ll probably hear from them in late to mid-March!

    Read More
  • subject POST,  Transferring

    trans-fur-ing

    February 25, 2014

    I’m not sure if you’ve answered a question similar to this one already and?I’m sorry if I’m making you repeat yourself, but I couldn’t find anything?similar to it on here, so here goes.

    I’m a first year UTM student, I was taking four 1.0 credit courses, but I?ended up dropping one, so I’m set to end this school year with only 3?credits. According to all the the Subject POSt stuff I’ve read you need 4?credits to actually be placed in second year courses and the like.

    So my question is this, if I take a course in summer school, do I only get?to pick my courses after I’ve completed the summer school course, which?would limit my options, because the longer you wait to sign up for courses,?the less room there is. AND, if I’m not confident enough in my ability to?learn course material at an accelerated rate and don’t want to take a?course during the summer, how does the Subject POSt thing work? Would I be?barred from all second year courses until I completed a fourth first year?course? Meaning I’d be stuck with only first year courses if I don’t take a?course over the summer?

    Thank-you for your help.

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

    hey there,

    don’t apologize! i’m glad you took the time to read the site a little before asking a question. you’d be surprised how many people e-mail me “whaT CO lLE gE shO Uld I ?g O tOO?@?!!?11?!1?” before reading a single word of this blog.*

    i’ma start by saying right off the bat that this is a really tangled question. it depends on your specific case, like, what subject POSt you want to enrol in, whether you have the prerequisites, etc.

    however, if you do do this course in the summer, you will have to wait until september to pick courses and enrol in a subject POSt. you will be at a disadvantage for course enrolment, but it won’t be impossible. if you want to learn the specifics about waiting lists, which you’ll probably have to deal with in this scenario, you can go here.

    if you didn’t take the summer course, you wouldn’t be?barred from taking courses in the fall?- sheesh, that sounds so violent! you just likely wouldn’t be put in a subject POSt yet, and would have to wait for the following april to enrol in one. all that means, practically speaking, is that some courses will have enrolment controls that will exclude you from taking them. if you’re looking to get into a highly specialized subject POSt, that may present a problem. but lots of courses at the faculty of arts & science have no prerequisites or enrolment controls (i.e. you can enrol in them even if you’re not in a subject POSt), including 2nd year courses. that just may or may not include courses you want to take.

    so yeah. there’re a lot of ifs in this answer, i realize, but i think, no matter how it pans out, everything should turn out alright. it just may take a little longer than you expected!

    cheers,

    aska

    *college question askers, you know i love you best. that’s why i tease. ’cause of the love. i know you read this blog. we have a special relationship, you and me. always.

    Read More
  • Transferring

    take on me (take on me), take me on, to uofteeeeeee!

    February 25, 2014

    heyhey! i’ve got a 3.35 gpa right now, but it’ll likely drop down to a 3-ish by the end of the term. i’ve also applied to transfer to st. george’s arts and science faculty from utm, this year (2.5 gpa is minimum, right?). i know these kinds of Q’s are very common but i’m desperate and this is my only choice right now. i’m also only taking 3.0 creds this year (its my first year). have u heard success stories from peeps in similar a situation?

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

    hey there,

    firstly, a couple of things to clear up: uoft says that students eligible to transfer usually have a B average. in uoft GPA lingo, that translates to a minimum 3.0, not 2.5. so keep that in mind. however, “usually” does allow for some leeway, and i’m not an admissions committee, so i can’t say anything for sure – but they do say explicitly that transfer students typically have a B average, so if you can try and keep it at at least a 3.0, that would be to your advantage.

    secondly, about your 3.0 credits. if you want to transfer into a subject POSt, or program, you’ll typically need to have completed at least 4.0 credits?(i’m linking to woodsworth college’s explanation because the artsci website is down right now, thanks a lot uoft, but the same information is given by artsci). with only 3.0, you may have to start your second year as a first year student again, that is, someone who’s not in any specific program. however, those specifics are something you can talk with your registrar’s office about if you get accepted. and that’s certainly not ME. i can’t register people (registrar people? registrate? what’s the verb for that anyway?)

    what was i talking about? right.?having done 3.0 credits probably won’t impede your actually getting admitted to the university.

    so yeah, i can’t give you like, “76% of people in your situation were admitted,” but what i can say is that you do have a chance. so good luck.

    best,

    aska

    Read More