• commerce,  current student,  programs,  subject POST

    following your passion

    March 25, 2023

    I’m currently a first year and I’m planning on going into a commerce program. However, I don’t like math and I literally know nothing about commerce. They say follow your passion, but I don’t have one yet. Stability seems like the next best thing. I don’t know how I’ll survive another year of math, and I def do not know what I want to do with my university life. Would it be difficult to switch from commerce to media/cinima? Or maybe I should take those as minor while commerce is my major?

    hello hello,

    starting off with the heavy hitting questions, are we? seriously this one is a lil too real :’)

    if you’re trying to figure out what to do with the rest of your schooling/life, i guess aska’s a good a place as any to start. but idk if there’s a good and final answer to all that, and even if there is, it probably won’t be coming from some random (albeit extremely wise and knowledgeable) uoft student on the internet, although i’m flattered that you’re asking. ultimately, the answer’s gotta come from you obviously, and it might take some time, but that’s okay. we all go through it. (still going through it.)

    No One Knows What They’Re Doings.Gif GIFfrom No One Knows What They’Re Doings GIFs

    luckily, uoft does give some leeway to us perpetually indecisive students. most arts and sciences programs let you combine different fields and switch things up if you decide to change your path for whatever reason. if you’re interested in media/cinema or another field, you could take one of their required first year courses to see if it’s something you’d like to pursue further. i think it’d be feasible to fit in a minor alongside commerce, but you’d have to plan carefully to fit in all the courses you need (don’t forget breadth requirements, too). degree explorer is pretty great for that.

    it can be hard to completely switch programs in upper years because you’d have to take required courses for programs that might be entirely new to you. it’s technically possible and you could always extend your undergrad later on if needed, but if you feel really unsure about commerce (to the point where you might hate it enough to want to drop the program), it might be better to apply for the commerce program but also take some other electives you’re interested in during second year to fully explore your options. who knows, maybe you’ll find your passion, and if that’s the case, you’ll be set to pivot into it relatively early on. or maybe you’ll still feel unsure, in which case you could still take all the required commerce courses in your upper years and finish with a “useful” degree.

    if you decide to switch out of commerce, it’d probably be easiest to do a major and double minor, or even a double major, depending on what programs/courses you prefer. unlike rotman commerce, for example, which just has three specialist streams and a bunch of focuses you could tack on, other artsci students basically have a paralyzing amount of choice in terms of program combinations (no really it’s great… i love it). if you’re still willing to tolerate some math courses, commerce-related minors like economics, math, or stats, have courses which overlap with commerce requirements that could help you complete your program faster rather than starting in something completely new.

    honestly, your university path is still pretty wide open, so don’t feel like you have to decide everything now. the world is your oyster – a terrifying kind of oyster. and how do you really go about figuring it all out anyway? it’ll be different for everyone, but i’d recommend looking into mentorship programs or events like career nights or program Q&As with upper years or alumni. lots of student associations organize these, and you could also attend more general ones within your college, too. it’s a pretty low commitment way to learn about what these fields/programs are actually like. you can also get more personalized advice from your registrar.

    best of luck!

    aska

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  • admissions,  prospective student,  science,  St. George

    hope in the face of gr 12 calculus

    March 19, 2023

    Hi! So, my top 6 average before I took calculus was a 91, then I got a 60 on my midterm and now my average is an 86. Overall, I took 8 courses this year and most were low 90s with the exception of an 85 and an 88. I’ve completely given up on being accepted into material sci because I doubt they’ll accept me because of my calculus mark, but do I still have a chance for LifeSci? This is about stg campus btw. Please help!!

    hello there!

    a stem kiddo — we love to see it. i gather that your top six average is 86 now including calculus, which was a 60. it’s a tricky situation because your average is technically still in the running for both programs, but they both require calculus.

    just so you know, you won’t actually be admitted for specific programs like material sci in first year, btw. you would have to enter the physical and mathematical sciences stream in the first year, and then apply for the material sciences POSt (specific majors, minors, stuff like that) afterwards. complicated, i know.

    physical and mathematical sciences requires a top 6 average of mid to high 80s, including grade 12 english and calculus, and so does lifesci. they do both recommend mid to high 80s in english and calc though, and it’s kind of hard to say how strict the admissions office is with that requirement.

    i know a few friends who’ve gotten into lifesci with a few marks in the 70s, so i’d say you’ve still have a shot, especially since you did well overall and in your other courses. lifesci is also known to be a huge first year stream, which does improve your chances.

    Doctor Who Dw GIFfrom Doctor Who GIFs

    if you do end up getting into lifesci, a cool thing about utsg arts and sciences is that you can apply to pretty much any program in the faculty for second year. there are some exceptions that are much more competitive, like computer science or rotman commerce, but as long as you take the high school prereqs and do well in the required first year courses, you can still get into materials science or any other program that you might find interesting!

    good luck! hope that helps!

    aska

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  • admissions,  prospective student,  repeating course

    second chances: technically possible, probably hard

    March 5, 2023

    So I failes my advanced functions class and I am retaking it. Am I still gonna get accepted if I have a repeat? I know that Rotman does not count MHF4U but how about Scarborough and Mississauga. Will they accept?

    hello hello,

    so from the utm, utsc, and utsg admissions websites it looks like all of them have the same somewhat vague stance against repeated courses, which is basically that generally they’ll allow it but “urge you to do as well as possible on your first attempt” (and that’s word for word on all three sites — a lot of repetition there, ironically).

    Mr Bean Copy GIFfrom Mr Bean GIFs

    so while a repeated course won’t take you out of the running, it’ll probably be an uphill battle especially for more competitive programs, and students without repeated courses might be given greater preference. to be honest it’ll be really important to try and ace the course this time around to show that ultimately you can do well (yeah i know, no pressure or anything…)

    utm was also kind enough to specify that they’ll only take the highest grades of the repeated courses, but the others weren’t as clear, so as with many admissions-related things, it’s kind of a black box.

    Wnyx News Radio GIFfrom Wnyx GIFs

    you could also apply for special consideration if you have proof of any extenuating circumstances that affected the first time you took the course. no, i’m not gonna link all that for all three campuses but i promise it’s out there and it’s a thing. google is your best friend 😉

    oh also, interestingly, rotman allows repeated courses too, though i was under the impression that they didn’t for some time. like all the others, they also “urge you to do well on your first attempt” and all that, and they do prefer candidates without repeated courses. but as you mentioned they don’t require advanced functions, just calculus and vectors, so hopefully that all goes well in case you’re interested in applying.

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • internal transfer,  Transferring

    goodbye uoft, hello… uoft

    March 1, 2023

    I am an internal transfer student and I have accepted my offer. The conditions are: have CGPA above 2.7 and maintain my current academic standing and if I am currently enroll, do not have any misconduct notes on my final transcript. My question is I dropped 2 winter session courses after I accepted my offer since I don’t need them anymore. I still have 4 winter session courses left. Is this action going to affect my offer?

    hey there,

    if those are all the conditions on your offer, i’d say you’re in the clear. there aren’t any specific requirement on courseload in the uoft internal transfer criteria in the first place, and although they might’ve considered that during admissions in a more ~holistic~ way, i doubt that even uoft would be petty enough to go back and check that after you’ve been accepted.

    No Ones Gonna Know No One Will Find Out GIFfrom No Ones Gonna Know GIFs

    the only scenario that i think might possibly be problematic is if you dropped a course that was a required prereq for entering the program you applied to, since you do need the required high school or university prereqs to transfer. but i’d assume that’s not the case since you said you don’t need those courses anymore. so basically, you’re freeee! take the offer and run! they can’t possibly take it back – unless your cgpa drops and/or your academic standing changes, so just be careful of that.

    Run With Joy Rejoice GIFfrom Run With Joy GIFs

    good luck!

    aska

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  • prereqs,  prospective student,  psychology,  subject POST

    throwback to the psych major era

    February 20, 2023

    hi aska, i’m a grade 12 hs student who got accepted into uoftstg for social science. i’m looking to major in psych, and i failed to realize that uoft doesn’t offer a psych BA. my problem is is that i don’t have the gr 12 prerequisites of calc or bio. my question is: uoft’s social science page they state, “at the end of your first year, you can combine programs outside of your own admission category” does this mean i can double major and enrol in the psych program despite of my missing prerecs?

    hello there young one,

    congrats on your acceptance! so after the barrage of psych major questions we got last semester, i’m prepared — this post from december is all about high school prereqs for psych at uoft and pretty much answers your question i think… (done. that’s it. that’s the post. do i just… go now?)

    but in the spirit of recycling, lemme hash out some of the main things about high school prereqs here… and some other things. basically, after first year, you’ll have to apply for your POSt, which is just uoft’s fancy name for your specific program, which doesn’t have to be within your admissions stream. you can definitely mix and match and jump around different majors/minors/specialists in all different areas of uoft arts and science. but preqrequisites are prerequisites, and the psych programs all list gr. 12 calc and bio as prereqs so chances are you’ll have to get those credits in order to be accepted. you should definitely email the psych department just to check (psy.undergrad@utoronto.ca) with them first, though.

    if you do have to complete those prerequisites, you could try to take them in the summer before university, or through night school/online options if they’re offered by your school board.

    You Thought GIFfrom Swag GIFs

    they should be completed by the end of your first year at the latest, because that’s around the time you typically apply for POSt — although you should also confirm that with the department just in case they ask for the prereqs following a different timeline. hope that helps!

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • certificate,  current student

    (almost) certified conflict manager in da house

    February 19, 2023

    Does anyone know how to access the conflict management certificate from EDS210H5 • Communication and Conflict Resolution at UTM? This course was with Dr. Liz (Elizabeth) Coulson. I couldn’t find it on acorn at all!

    hello hello,

    well this is new – in fact, it’s so new, you’ve earned yourself a brand new blog category… congrats :0

    i’ve never heard of the conflict management certificate or seen certificates available on acorn. maybe it’s like a certification that appears on your transcript? they offer something like that in utm french studies, for example. you could check your unofficial transcript on acorn under academic history to see if it’s been added there.

    i hope that works, but if it doesn’t, well, unfortunately this is probably a conflict that i can’t resolve. but you could try asking classmates from that course or even good ol’ dr. coulson herself. they’d probably know. i mean, someone’s gotta know… right? anybody? help us. please.

    Pingu Shrug GIFfrom Pingu GIFs

    anyhow, good luck, and have a lovely reading week!

    aska

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  • admissions,  cegep,  prospective student

    r score why r u so confusing

    February 7, 2023

    Hello! Im currently a quebec cegep student looking to go into life sciences / animal physiology at U of T and would like some advice on admissions. I struggled quite a bit in calculus this year and my cal 1 grade is only a 72… I was wondering if this is way to low for getting accepted and if its recommended that I retake this course. I’m very worried about this right now so any advice on this or admissions in general is greaaaatly appreciated!!

    hey there,

    i’m so sorry for the long wait on this one, but hopefully this still helps.

    according to the admissions website, cegep students need an r score of mid-20s or higher – specifically, utsg arts and science has an r score cutoff of 26. it does mention that they will see your full transcript with the actual percentage marks, but i’m not sure if there’s a specific cutoff for that.

    you’re probably familiar with the cegep r score, so hopefully that magic number 26 means something to you because frankly after digging around a bit i still don’t really know what it really translates to in terms of a percentage. i mean, you got a 72, but did you really, compared to the course average and then comparing your school to all the other schools… quebec really went all out with this whole scoring thing and tbh it’s just too much stats for me.

    Confused Confused Math GIFfrom Confused GIFs

    hopefully you already know your r score by the time you apply, which will give you a much better idea. if not, it might help to generally follow the recommended grades for the equivalent grade 12 high school subjects? it’s not a perfect comparison since cegep courses might be harder (?) but uoft life sciences recommends mid to high 80s in high school english and calculus.

    based on that, i’d say the safest plan is to retake calc if possible, and aim for a higher mark in the 80s just in case. but then again, if all of your other marks are in the 80s-90s and you are generally at or above the course average, it also doesn’t hurt to try and apply. although 70s might be on the lower side for calc, i don’t think it’s necessarily a dealbreaker, especially if you have a good average overall.

    Just Try It Imane Anys GIFfrom Just Try It GIFs

    best of luck!

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  current student,  late withdrawal,  major,  subject POST

    a little cr/ncr never hurts… (unless it’s a course in your program in which case it sometimes might)

    February 2, 2023

    Hey! I’m a first year student that wants to double major in international relations/ political science. The thing is, I have cr/ncr 1.5 Credits and I also LWD a class. Will this affect my chances of getting into the program, even though I’m doing well in all my other classes? Basically, will my transcript look bad for entry into the program?

    hey there,

    in my experience, the departments only really look at the courses that they state are required to apply for the program. it could matter for things like grad school or professional school applications later on, but honestly for something like POSt, i don’t even know if they have the time to scrutinize every part of your transcript and take note of everyone’s cr/ncrs and lwds.

    i know friends who’ve gotten into relatively competitive programs with 60s or 70s in some electives, but they aced the required courses for their programs. as long as you’re doing well in the courses for the international relations and polisci majors, i’d say you’re in the clear.

    N B D GIFfrom No Biggie GIFs

    some programs might also look at things like your supplementary application or overall gpa (i think? not even sure if there are any that do that, actually), but if they do, it’ll be clearly listed in the program requirements. the one other thing is to make sure that you’ll have completed 4.0 FCEs by the end of first year, which is a common requirement for pretty much all programs i think. just remember that if you got an ncr or lwd, those would not count as completed credits, so you’ll have to be careful about that.

    good luck!

    aska

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  • computer science,  subject POST,  Transferring

    chasin the cs dream

    January 26, 2023

    I am a first year international student who bombed in-stream cs class so I’ll be kicked out of stream. I have anxiety disorder and this term has been too rough for me, especially due to not being able to make good connection with my classmates. I feel so sad I literally cry every time I think about it. Should I transfer to another university. Cuz I can not stay sane due to my workload. I was convinced myself that I’ll be super happy not being a cs major but now I see that cs is what I want to do

    hey there,

    really sorry to hear that things have been rough. the first thing that i’d urge you to do (if you haven’t already) is to visit your registrar or book an appointment with them – transferring is a big decision to make so it’d be best to get some personalized advice, and if you decide to stay at uoft, your registrar can help make sure you get the supports and accomodations you need.

    the second thing is – rather specific, actually – if by chance you go to utsc, there might actually be a workaround for your case, because utsc cs stream students get a chance to redo first year cs courses for better grades to stay in the program (lucky you) – except for MATA31 (if that’s the course you did poorly on, well… unlucky you).

    at utsg and utm, you’d have to reapply for cs programs from out-of-stream. in fact, if you’re at utm you’d only be eligible for the cs minor – the major and specialist are for cs stream students only.

    if you decide to give this a shot, it’ll be really important to get on top of your game academically and sort out the kinds of things that went wrong last semester, for example by getting accomodations from accessibility services, mental health support, or taking fewer courses if you can.

    honestly, considering the competitiveness of out-of-stream cs post, it’s going to be tough and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get in. if you decide to give it a try, i’d say that you should be prepared for the possibility of ending up in a non-cs program. for example, you could do a cs minor, which is typically less competitive, along with other majors/minors in different subjects. or you could look into cs-related programs like cognitive science at utsg, which does include a few csc courses and is also relatively less competitive.

    The Situation Jershey Shore GIFfrom The Situation GIFs

    if you’re sure that you’re really only interested in cs, you can definitely look into transferring. for example, there are plenty of other canadian university/colleges with cs programs that may accept transfer students. if you find a program that you meet the requirements for and also seems like a good fit, then i’d say go for it! i mean, sure, uoft’s got the ~clout and prestige~ but there are plenty of other unis with great cs programs that can also prepare you with the knowledge/experience you need.

    i will say, even though uoft gets the reputation of being so hard compared other canadian unis, that’s not necessarily true. transferring gives you a second chance, but it won’t be a magic button to fix everything because chances are, cs is gonna be challenging at any school. so, regardless of where you end up, what’s really important is to reflect on your experiences and make sure to get all the skills, strategies and support systems you need.

    all the best,

    aska

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  • computer science,  programs,  prospective student

    where do all the cs rejects go

    December 14, 2022

    What happens if you don’t get accepted into the computer science program after first year. I’m asking this question for all three branches of uoft.

    hello,

    you get banished. forever. or what i’ve heard is that you go into math/cogsci/*insert cs-adjacent program*.

    i’m just kidding. (don’t come for me, math/cogsci majors.) the reality is kind of like a mix of these i suppose, and it depends on the campus you’re at.

    at utsg, if you don’t meet the requirements for first year cs stream students (cmp1), you can re-apply from the regular artsci stream, but it’s a lot more competitive. if you just haven’t had the chance to take certain required first year courses, you’ll get until the end of your first summer term to complete them. otherwise, they don’t really give you much leeway for the requirements.

    at utsc, you’re allowed to retake all of the first year required cs courses once, except for MATA31, if you need to get a higher mark to pass the cs stream requirements. after that, if you still don’t meet the cutoffs, you’ll have to apply for a non-cs backup program to enter in second year. you may be able to apply for the cs post as a non-cs stream student but again, spots will be limited and it’ll be a lot more competitive.

    with utm, you’d pretty much be banished, actually. utm only accepts cs majors and specialists that entered the stream straight out of high school and passed the first year cs requirements. if you don’t make it, you could still go for a cs minor, which seems to be open to any student regardless of stream. utm may rule with an iron fist, but they’re also kinda considerate in a way — they’ve put together a list of backup programs that are similar to cs or other competitive programs, which might be helpful. you can check them out on page 4 of this document.

    anyway, hope that helps, and best of luck on your future cs endeavours.

    Hacker Pupper Dog GIFfrom Hacker Pupper GIFs

    aska

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  • current student,  profs

    if only prof requests were a thing

    November 28, 2022

    Is there a way we could… ask UofT to consider someone as a professor? Sounds bizarre I know, but a friend of mine at another uni has this author I love for one of her classes, and the prof is a uoft alum! Just wish I could be her student lol

    hey there,

    as far as i know, there isn’t really a process to do this as students. profs/instructors get hired by applying for postings made by the university. students may have some say in the process by giving testimonials for the candidate’s teaching dossier, but these would be from the students they’ve taught before, not potential future students. which kind of makes sense, because while an instructor could seem great on paper, the experience of actually getting taught by them might be different. overall, it really comes down to the prof actually applying to work at uoft, and uoft choosing to accept her.

    You Have No Power GIFfrom Canttouchme GIFs

    if you’re really interested in taking her course, you could see if it might be possible to audit it? and then you can beg her to come to uoft. i guess this only really works if they’re in toronto or have online lectures, though.

    actually, if you really really want to take her courses, you might be able to do it for credit as a visiting student. you’d have to make sure that the course follows a few eligibility criteria, for example, it can’t be a course already offered by uoft artsci, and it can’t be pass fail, has to be in-person, etc. then, you can apply for a “letter of permission” from uoft which allows you take the course for credit. you’d also have to apply to the university you’ll be “visiting” on ouac, through the 105 application stream. it’s kind of a complicated process, but hey, if you really really want to take that course, it might be worth it.

    Shrug Shoulder GIFfrom Shrug GIFs

     

    hope this helps,

    aska

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  • current student,  references

    stuck in a reference rut

    November 23, 2022

    What should I do if I had a good relationship with a professor and was hoping to get a letter of recommendation from them, but then they sadly passed away?

    hello,

    i’m really sorry to hear that and hope you’re doing alright. as for the letter of recommendation, i think the obvious answer is that you have to ask someone else to write it, unless you’ve already asked this prof and they’ve already written and sent your letter (in which case i suppose it’d still be valid), or they’re writing letters for you from the grave (the commitment!).

    i know it’s tough to have to scramble to put together things like this, but at the same time, assuming you’d left a good amount of time to ask your former prof for the letter, you can hopefully manage to find someone else to write a letter for you by the deadline.

    i’m sure you’ve heard how important it is to ask profs early on so that they have time to respond and write your letter. ideally, you’d ask another prof who you have a great relationship with, but if that doesn’t pan out, i’d say a good choice would be to reach out to profs who have supervised you in some capacity e.g. for a research course, work-study, etc. second to that would be profs who taught you in a courses where you got good grades, hopefully participated a good amount in, and are related to the field you want to go into.

    i’d also consider the prof’s approachability. i’ve met profs who were really student-centred and would go to great lengths to help and seemed to always have the students’ best interests in mind, always willing to give extra support or one-on-one meetings even when i didn’t participate a whole lot or wasn’t very close to them. on the other hand, some profs just seem to be less personable, or less available to give extra help to students – either they’re too busy, or the class is too big, and they don’t seem to offer a lot of time outside of class – that could be a red flag for finding good referees, which requires a good amount of time and energy commitment.

    above all, i’d recommend emailing profs (or if appropriate, talking to them in person) as soon as possible. give them the key details, like your name, when you took their course (and which course), the programs you’re applying to, deadlines, and you can attach your transcript and CV as well, to save them the trouble of having to ask for more info if they need it.

    Bruce Almighty Type GIFfrom Bruce Almighty GIFs

    if you’re tight on time, it’s best to email multiple profs (say, 3-4, or more if you really want), just in case some don’t respond. even if you suspect that some of their references may be more lukewarm, it’s better to ask just in case your other options fall through. a mediocre reference letter is still better than none.

    as a side note, most of this advice is based on grad school applications, or applications in academia, but references for professional schools like med school or law school may differ. from what i’ve heard, letters from profs are a must in academia, while for professional schools the status of the referee may not matter as much as the content of your letter, in other words, a glowing review from a different supervisor/mentor figure, even if it’s not from a prof, could still be very beneficial to your application.

    or maybe you need the letter of recommendation for a job (actually, now that i think about it you haven’t really said much about what the letter is for…) or volunteering or something, in which case it might be even easier to find a different reference that’ll do the job. profs are notoriously hard to reach sometimes so if you can even bypass asking them for a reference and go with a different referee instead, that might work too.

    good luck!

    aska

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  • current student,  declaring absence,  petition

    petition petition petition! (unless you’re not eligible, in which case… don’t)

    November 18, 2022

    Okay so I missed a deadline for a homework because of an illness, and the syllabus tells me to file a petition on Quercus. Where is this petition on quercus?? I can’t find anything there, the only petition thing I can see on uoft is that petition thing for major events. Pls help

    hey there,

    so after a bit of searching around, i’m getting the impression that you’re not really supposed to file a petition in this case, as in, the official arts and sciences petition. these petitions are mostly for exams or late assignments/term work, but by late they mean really late, like after the term has ended.

    i have a feeling that rather than a petition, the syllabus is actually referring to declaring your absence on acorn, which you are supposed to do (just go to the “profiles and settings” tab on acorn).

    There Is A Distinction Theres A Difference GIFfrom There Is A Distinction GIFs

    you should also contact your instructor to confirm, and meet with your registrar, who might be able to help by suggesting other options, giving advice on any documentation you might need to gather, or writing a letter to explain your case to your instructor.

    if you do actually need to make a petition, that would be done using the artsci online form, not through acorn. you should also consult with your registrar first to see if you’re eligible and get details on how to apply. either way, i’ve heard lots of good things from people about petitions, so if you’re eligible to petition for this or other issues later on, it might come in handy.

    hope that helps!

    aska

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