• admissions,  UTSC

    calculus grievances

    January 17, 2014

    Hey!

    I’ve applied to the mental health studies program at UTSC and their admission requirement is only English. Now since it’s related to psychology and the other UofT campuses require Calculus as a prerequisite for psychology, I’m worried that I’m gonna have to take Calculus in university. I haven’t taken Calculus in high school yet (I’m in grade 12) and I am not good in math. I can handle statistics but I don’t know about Calculus. So I need your help! Please let me know if UTSC mental health requires Calculus at alllllllll (even in second, third and fourth year), and also Biology for that matter.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you can take a look at alllll the classes you’ll need to take for the mental health studies specialist here (just ctrl+f mental health studies). it looks like, apart from a couple of data analysis courses, you won’t have anything too rigorous to take in the way of math. so if you haven’t taken calculus, i wouldn’t sweat it! obviously data analysis will be tough, and calculus would help with that, but don’t scramble to take it now if you’re absolutely certain that this is the program you want to do. if the program doesn’t require it, then you should be able to cope without it. same goes for biology; if it’s not required, then you don’t need it (though obviously you can take a look at how much biology is in your future by looking at the courses required throughout the course of your program). otherwise, the university would be LYING to us and that would be ANARCHY, just ANARCHY.

    best,

    aska

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  • colleges

    college one, college FUN

    January 17, 2014

    Hey aska!

    I was wondering how beneficial the One programs at UofT are. Is there a lot of work? Are the classes more difficult? And how exactly are they incorporated into your schedule? Do you take them along with all the other classes you have to take for your program? Thanks for answering!

    Waiting patiently, AFutureStudent

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’d say the college one classes are extremely beneficial, but probably not for ways you can appreciate just yet. firstly, they’re much smaller than a regular class, and believe me, your first year classes are more than likely going to be very, very big. this means that in a college one class, you’ll actually get to interact with your teacher! trust me, you don’t know how cool that is until you don’t have the opportunity to do it anymore.

    is it a lot of work? i’d say it’s not more or less work than a normal class. it’s just a different environment. by the same token, it’s also not inherently more difficult. i mean, you might happen to have a college one class that’s more difficult than your other classes, but it’s not like a rule or something. it’s not like college one classes are structured to be more challenging than regular classes. they’re so diverse in subject matter that you can’t really say they’re all one thing or another, except that they’re all small. they’re essentially the university trying to give you the opportunity to feel like you’re in a classroom, instead of a huge holding pen like in all your other lectures.

    they’re on your schedule just like a regular class. you enrol in the class on ROSI in like late August or whatever, at the same time as your regular lectures, and attend it every week a certain number of times, just like your other classes. i’d definitely encourage you to enrol in one if it piques your interest, or to meet a program requirement, but don’t do it just because you think it’s more prestigious or rigorous than other classes. it’s just a different format, and is not a requirement (unless you’re at vic, in which case you can use it to meet the small class requirement).

    i hope that helps!

    aska

    P.S. I realized that you are referring to College One as a program rather than a class, which makes me think that you are considering it to be like an extra thing on top of what you plan to major/specialize in. don’t think about it like that! you can take as many or as few college one courses as you want – there is no inherent benefit or disadvantage to taking all your college’s college one courses. it’s all about what you want to be learning.

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  • failing,  grades

    praying for a pass

    January 16, 2014

    Hey aska!

    Just got my final marks back and unfortunately I failed bch210 by a few percentage. I’m a fourth year student who was SUPPOSED to graduate this summer… Yeah, ouch :/
    I just needed to ask what kind of official university regulation process I should go through with in an attempt to change my mark- the recheck or remark or whatever its called. The final was mostly MC and there was a tiny bit dedicated to SA questions.
    Also, on a slightly unofficial note, do you think I’d have a chance at getting my mark bumped to the 50 I need by falling on my knees in front of the prof? (: (:

    Thanks for your helppp

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well actually, the university all but OFFICIALLY RECOMMENDS going to your professor and begging down on your knees (that’s what you meant right?? yes of course it is i know it is), but only before the exam. in the aftermath, you need to go through some extra shenanigans for a re-read (if you think it was unfairly marked) or a grade re-check (if you think there’s been a clerical error in marking), and you don’t go to your instructor right away. instead, you go to your faculty registrar’s office, pay a fee, and then your paper can get re-read/re-checked as the case may be. then you go from there.

    keep in mind though that if it’s re-read, your mark might actually go down. also it costs money that you are statistically unlikely to have. so think about it carefully before requesting a re-read/re-check!

    best of luck with it,

    aska

     

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  • admissions,  colleges,  OUAC,  trinity college,  UTAPS

    applying to uni sure is fun

    January 16, 2014

    Hi there!

    I was just wondering if I will get a separate email from Trinity College on how to apply for the supplementary application. I tried going through the link they have on their website but it won’t open.

    Since I had to rank colleges… If I don’t get accepted to the first college, will the second then the next etc look at the application? Or will all colleges look at the application then offer an admission? I’m kind of confused with this process… How will this affect the choices for residence if let’s say I prefer Woodsworth or New College/s Residences over Trinity Residence? Is the deadline February 28?

    When I tried applying to UTAPS, it linked me to the OSAP site.. is it the same application or separate? Also, how big of an impact does extra-curriculars have on getting an offer from U of T (Faculty of Arts & Science)? Is there something similar to a PEY for Humanities students (Ethics, Society & Law) or an internship etc?

    Sorry for all the questions!

    Thanks so much & I hope I hear back from you soon.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m not sure what you mean about the trin application, because it works for me. you should be able to go here, enter your JOINid (which should have been e-mailed to you by the university) and fill it out! if it’s not working, e-mail the college for help (registrar (at) trinity (.) utoronto (.) ca).

    as for colleges, basically, they try to put you in your #1 choice if at all possible. so if you put trin as #1, i hope you’re happy with getting into trin. if you prefer woodsworth or new, put one of those as your first choice!

    Your OUAC application should have been handed in yesterday, January 15th (though it looks like you still can submit the application up until february 28th if you need to). Trinity college doesn’t specify a deadline for their college profile application thingy, but they do have early february BOLDED as a recommendation, so i’d aim for then.

    as for UTAPS, this is the application procedure.

    also lol no, if you’re in the humanities you basically have to fend for yourself. but if you do a bit of careful googling, you’ll find there are lots of private internships offered by companies in the city, that you can apply to all by yourself. there’s also work-study, which allows you to work on campus for actual money! woo!

    ALSO extra-curriculars are not considered for your application to uoft, though they may have some bearing on your trin application, and they are also important for scholarship/grant/bursary applications, which i would strongly recommend you apply for.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • dean's list

    dean’s list, IRON FIST

    January 16, 2014

    Hi Aska,
    I have this little personal goal of making deans list this year (my second year). So far, I’m looking good GPA wise, but I have a question of timeline.
    I know that deans list is calculated at the end of winter and summer semesters at the end of your 5, 10,15 and 20th credit (I think?). I wondering though if it has to be within one school year?
    I took .5 credits last summer (the first .5 credit of my second year), and am enrolled in 4.5 credits this fall/winter.
    If I drop down to 4 credits for fall and winter, and take another .5 THIS summer, will I still be eligible for deans list counting the .5 from last summer (5 credits total spanning 2 summer semesters and this fall/winter)?
    I may have made this sound more confusing then it needed to be…. Sorry…. I hope it makes sense and thank you!

    Dean Machine

    ———————————————

    hey,

    good job on that admirable goal, friend. it’s a very tough one. you must rule your life with an IRON FIST. on the contrary, my goal for this year is to wake up on time and not have to run for the train in the morning. so. i guess that just shows the difference between you and me.

    you’ll be considered after you reach 5 credits, no matter what the timeline is on that. so if you pass 5.0 credits this summer session, then that’s when you’ll be considered!

    good luck to you. i hope you reach your goal…and i hope i reach mine.

    stay cool,

    aska

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  • graduation

    the dean’s promise: fact or myth?

    January 15, 2014

    Hey aska,

    I’m a fourth year student aiming to graduate in June. My GPA is fine, but?I’ve made stupid choices during course selection and now because of course?conflicts, I’m 1.0 credit behind! How does the dean’s promise work??Graduation requests close on the 26th. :<

    ?????????

    hey there,

    the dean’s promise isn’t actually a concrete thing, unfortunately. i know it sounds like it should be. i mean, it’s a PROMISE, right? it MATTERS. yeah, not really. all the dean’s promise really says is that they’ll do everything they can to get you graduating on time, but if you’ve mucked it up past the point of no return, that’s not their problem soz lol.

    so yeah, it’s not super helpful. the action path that it translates to though is talking to your college registrar’s office, some advice they tack on to the bottom of that little summary i linked. at the end of the day, it’s your registrar who’s going to do everything they can to graduate you when you want to graduate. so get yourself on over there!

    aska

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  • career choice

    and dreams of para-para-paradise

    January 15, 2014

    Hello aska!

    Weeeellll here’s the thing. I love history. I did it in highschool, and i plan to specialize in it in university. And I also want to be a teacher. However I’m also good at math, so I’ve heard being an engineer is good for this economy. So I was wondering, if it’s not too personal, if you’ve been through the same conundrum. Whether you’d have to fight society, your pressures, and all that in order to do what you love.

    A person in my mom’s work had even told me that learning Philosophy was for rich people’s children who don’t need their degree, and that there are too many teachers. A relative told me that Uni was expensive so I best do the degree most likely to leave me a job in the end. But I love history – but I don’t like wasting $$$.

    So, I’m asking, any thoughts/personal stories/go-seek-your-guidance…councillor?

    Lots of tickles,

    [name redacted]

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    whoa nelly, have i got war stories related to this. as it happens, my entire life so far has basically been an embarrassingly cliched back and forth between things i WANTED to do and things i thought i SHOULD do. however my life isn’t super-awesome now or anything, so don’t do everything i did just because i did it. i’ll just give you my two cents and then you can think about that and everything your parents/teachers/peers have said, and you make your own decision, yeah? make sense? alright, cool. so here we go.

    in high school, i was good at math. and science. and everything. alright i’ll say it: I WAS GOOD AT EVERYTHING. i think i graduated with a 92% average, and i’d taken calculus, the three sciences and english – that’s not to brag, just to give you someone you can compare yourself to. i went into a life science program for first year and finished that year with an 82%. that’s not that bad, right? i could’ve easily continued on in the program and done reasonably well.

    WRONG. see, this is the thing. i hated my first year. HATED it. and that’s not because i was unintelligent or too stupid to realize that science and math aren’t interesting (because they are) or because i was too selfish to think about what really matters – the money. i had an uncontrollable, visceral reaction to what i was studying, and it made me less inclined to study, and that made me MEDIOCRE. see, the thing people don’t realize is that you don’t study what you’re interested in because you are a selfish prick or a moron who doesn’t realize that you need to somehow get a job out of university; you study what you’re interested in because it’s a SURVIVAL TECHNIQUE.

    if you go into a program you’re lukewarm about, you’re not going to do as well in it as the people who love it. that’s just true. it is in your best interest to pursue the thing you adore, the thing you obsess over, because that is your one fighting chance to be outstanding, and in this economy, as we all know, employers will not accept anything less than outstanding.

    now, i don’t want to sugar-coat things: if you try to become a history teacher, it won’t be easy. you may have to move countries, more than once maybe. you will not have a great starting salary. maybe you’ll have to do jobs out of college like flower-arranging or selling shoes. but i’d say that doing poorly or even mediocre-ly in, say, engineering, because you just can’t produce the passion for it that would make you remarkable, is gonna produce the same result: employers won’t hire you. they’ll hire that guy who can’t STOP TALKING about fulcrums and shizzle that you don’t give two hoots about.

    so yes. i have made the decision to pursue what i love instead of what i “should do.” but i would argue that that decision was a much wiser choice, economically and financially speaking, because now i actually might be able to do really notable things with my career. it’ll still be hard work, but i want to do it now, which means i’m outstripping those “rich people’s children” who are just in it for the lawls. and i think if you consider the logic carefully, you’ll find that the same is true for you.

    right, i’ma get off my soap box now. i hope that helped.

    see ya l8rs,

    aska

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  • admissions

    FAILURE (jk)

    January 15, 2014

    I just would like to know if I fail a course in grade 12, will it affect me?in getting into any of the universities in Toronto?? even if the course I?failed is not a prerequisite for the program I applied for and it’s not in?my top 6

    ?????????

    hey there,

    well, there are 3 universities in Toronto, not counting OCAD. i can’t speak for sure for the other universities, but if the failed mark is not in your top six that’s used to calculate your admission average, i think you should be fine. i mean some programs are more stringent than others, but i wouldn’t worry too much.

    aska

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  • 12 distinct credits,  graduation,  subject POST

    you’ve got the beeeeest of both worlds, mix it all together and…

    January 14, 2014

    Hi,

    I’m a second year student majoring in Bioethics and 2 minors in Biology and Physiology. I know that Bioethics is a arts program, while my minor’s are in science. I was wondering if I would graduate with a B.A, or BSc, or if I had the choice to choose? I’m also kind of confused about the 12.0 different courses rule, how does that apply to my minors since there is quite a bit of overlap between them.

    Thanks in advance!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’d recommend reading this post to understand the 12.0 distinct credits rule. basically, 8.0 of your credits in your degree can overlap – so between your minors and major, there can only be an overlap of 8.0, i.e. 12.0 credits must each qualify as a requirement for only one of your programs (but that post explains it better than i do so def read that). as for your degree, you would get to choose, which is kind of a super awesome thing that not a lot of people get to do. so CHOOSE WISELY (or just flip a coin lol that’ll work too).

    best,

    aska

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  • exclusions,  subject POST

    excluding the peeps from knowledge smh

    January 14, 2014

    Hi aska!
    I’ve read through the numerous responses on exclusions and the like and I have one question that hasn’t been answered (unless it has been making my efforts seem one step short) and my question is, if I have 2 excluded courses, say MAT135/136 and I want to enrol in a subject PoST that requires the two (say, stats for example), will I even be able to because I’ve taken a previous first-year math.
    AStudentWhoseDegreePathIsInJeopardy

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    alright so basically you have one of two options. both require you to schlep over to the department of the POSt that you want to enrol in, unfortunately. BUTTT once you do, the department will either 1) say that your exclusion can sub in as a requirement for MAT135/6, or 2) that you have to take them, in which case you totally can, they’ll just be counted as an extra course. all an extra means is that it doesn’t count towards your degree (that is, the 20.0 credits you need to like, get a degree), but it counts towards your program and as a program requirement for any POSt/grad school/whatever you may want to enrol in.

    i hope that makes sense!

    stay radical,

    aska

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  • engineering

    chemical engineering: yay or nay?

    January 14, 2014

    Hey Aska!

    First, I enjoy the Dan Howell gifs on the prospective students page and Jon Snow as well…I like you already. Anyways, I’m one of the many anxious high school students coming to you for advice! I’m currently in Gr. 11 and have been looking at universities for years (because I’m a massive nerd yup). I’m planning to go into Chemical Engineering and know that tons of schools offer great co-op programs so how does the PEY program do next to integrated co-op like other universities have? Also is the ChemEng course load as tough as everybody tells me? Sorry for dumb questions from a dumb nerd. Time to go back to being emotional over fictional characters.

    Thanks!

    – #1 Nerd

    ?????????

    hey there,

    well first, congrats on your a+ taste! dan and jon also happen to be two of my favourites, and they’re especially convenient because i get to watch them without having to waste time interacting with them as humans! that brings me on to chemical engineering.

    i’m gonna answer your second question first because i think it kind of precedes the question about PEY. first, you have to be sure engineering is what you want to do. then, you can start working out the details. so. is it as hard as everyone says? well, yes and no.

    i’d say that, out of any discipline in at uoft that’s a first-year entry program, engineering has the most intense workload. the general rule of thumb i learned is that arts programs are 10-15 hours of class time a week, science programs are 20-25, and engineering are 30-35. which is why i say that in an engineering program, you can often feel like you have no time to interact with other humans. also, engineering deals with higher level mathematics and physics than any life science program, so it’s just tougher academically. it’s a big step up from whatever it is you did in grade 12, i don’t care if that was ap or ib or whatever. it’s a different environment, and that at least is bound to throw you off.

    however, it’s definitely not impossible. i think (and this is just my humble opinion yadda yadda) that you need two things to do well in engineering: 1) you need to be good at math. obviously.

    2) (spoiler: this one’s more important than the first one) you actually need to LIKE math (and chemistry and physics) – not just what you think you’re going to get out of the degree. if you’re not super great at math but you REALLY LIKE doing it, then you can gain a lot of ground that other people who hate every second of it lose in first year.

    ok, next up: the PEY Internship Program. alright, so the main difference between uoft and other universities is that – big shocker, clue’s in the name – uoft offers an internship program, while other universities offer co-op. that means that instead of doing certain semesters at a co-op job and then coming back to school for a couple of semesters on and off throughout your degree, you do one 12-16 month chunk of work after 2nd or 3rd year. this is good because you get to see what, essentially, working full-time as an engineer as like. it also means that you get paid a lot of money in one go.

    however, you do have to wait longer in the uoft programs than in some co-op programs to actually get a job, and often, your marks etc. will get in the way of you actually qualifying for the internship (no one thinks it’ll happen to them until it does). i don’t say this to SCARE you, just to INFORM you. ultimately, you need to make a choice between an academic program that offers a year-long internship, and a program that incorporates multiple work terms into your studies. capice?

    ok great, well, that’s your crash course on engineering. hope it gave you summat to think about.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • computer science,  failing

    restarting your hardware

    January 14, 2014

    Hi, I am a second year student in Computer science in University of Toronto. I was shocked when I saw my marks on ROSI. I failed two courses that required for next year computer science studies. Actually, I got not bad mark each of them before final exam. Because of some family and relationship issue, I didn’t review much about them before exam. I did really bad in those two final exams. One of them is lower than 40% so that I was considered to be failed on that course regardless my grade before exam. The third year computer science needs 3.0 CGPA. In this case, I have lost completely. I don’t know what to do. I love computer science and programming, I never think I will fail cs course. Is it possible for me to go on in computer science? Please give me some information. Thank you so much.

    ?????????

    hey there,

    well, if you don’t have the 3.0 CGPA to move on, then unfortunately you’ll have to figure out some kind of alternative. it’s supremely uncool, i know, but what can ya do. obviously, i’m not telling you to drop out. i’m just saying you have a choice to make, and it’s in?your hands:?whether that means not continuing with your studies, transferring schools, or changing programs is totally up to you. it’s a personal choice, right, so i can’t tell you what to do. i can suggest some stuff – i’m super good at suggestive waffling – but you have to do what feels right for you (ew i sound like a new-age doctor but seriously in this case it’s true ok).

    i mean if you love programming, maybe there’s another program somewhere that still has to do with programming but better suits your needs. i’m not an expert, but maybe there’s an analogous college program you can transfer into that might be more helpful to you. give it a think over, just for me, if you can; don’t discount the idea just because it wasn’t part of your original plan.

    however if you think about it and you decide that you a) definitely want to stay in the program and b) can do a lot better next year, then you can try to petition your final grade. if you think that your family/relationship issues really were the cause of your low marks, then you might be able to rewrite some exams and/or resubmit some work. the pamphlet i linked to gives you step-by-step instructions on how to do this, but basically the first step is to contact your instructor or the department, depending on who you have access to.

    petitioning your grade may or may not work out, but it’s worth a try if you think that these marks were just a one-time slip-up, and not an indication that what you’re doing isn’t really RIGHT for YOU (there i go with the new-age-yness again ugh). so that’s what i’d recommend. also, if you decide to do that, do it as soon as possible. it may end up being a long process, and you should try and sort it out right away.

    i hope that helps a bit. good luck to ya!

    aska

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  • admissions,  architecture

    i need an idea for OneIdea

    January 13, 2014

    Hi, I want to apply for architecture for 2013-14. This OneIdea essay thing?is really intimidating me. I have no idea what to talk about and the?application deadline is Jan 15, 2014! Could this be about any challenge I?faced in my life? What are they generally looking for with this essay? Some?tips will be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,
    Maryam

    ?????????

    hey there,

    guys, just so you know, you can’t expect an answer within a couple of days of you sending it. it says that on the ask page. i’m not superhuman; i can only go so fast.

    as for your question, i mean, i don’t know what they’re looking for because i’m not an architecture student. i’d advise you to talk to some current students for advice, but since the essay is due so soon, there’s no time for that.

    what i can gather from this?page is that any challenge or problem can be used as an example. since you are applying for architecture/visual studies and they require two images to be incorporated into the essay, i’d say that if you ever created something functional, like a scale model, or a blueprint, or anything at all that you’ve created really, you can extrapolate a “challenge” or “problem” from that. so if you have a couple of sketches already, you can use those as images and then retroactively come up with how that idea solved a problem or challenged you to be creative or whatever.

    honestly, anything at all creative that you have and can take a picture of should be good. as long as you can clearly explain why that thing is significant in some way – like, it illustrated a certain issue, or was displayed somewhere for some reason – i’d say you have a chance. don’t stress if you don’t have anything specifically related to architecture; just pick your best visual work and defend it as well as possibly in your essay.

    most of all, don’t be intimidated by it; it’s just an essay, like any other. actually, it’s shorter than most essays you’ve probably had to write in your life so far. so just write it carefully and as well as you can, and don’t stress, because i guarantee that everyone else feels the same way you do.

    good luck!

    aska

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