askastudent - your student life specialists

fees, first year, no one asked

psa about paying tuition fees

October 4, 2024

hey divas,

today i have for you a super-fun-and-definitely-not-boring psa about your finances.

^live footage of me when i’m reminded we live in an economy and money exists. if this is also you, i promise i’ll keep this short.

so september 30th just passed, which was the deadline to pay your fall tuition fees. but you knew that, right? …right?

well, i sure hope most of you paid your fees. but for those of you who were like me in first year and did not know such a deadline existed, this is a message for you! (and don’t you dare say it’s just me, i know y’all are lurking out there. i saw y’all in the registrar’s office asking about fees just last week).

so i’m here to tell you that if you missed the deadline to pay your fall fees, you will be ok. although the official deadline happens on september 30th, there is a grace period of 15 days!

what does this mean? well, it means that late fees will not be added to your account if you pay your fees by october 15. so if everything shows in your acorn account before october 15, you’re all good to go.

i do however, recommend paying your fees as soon as possible, because they may take a few days to process through the system, depending on how you’re paying them.

and if you’re already registered, you won’t be removed from your courses. i know that this is something a lot of you are scared will happen if you don’t pay your fees right/miss the deadline, but it will NOT happen! you’re safe, and so is your spot in your courses.

finally, this last part is relevant to people living in a student residence. you might have already registered with a payment during the summer, so you think you’re all set for this deadline. BUT, residence fees show up in your account later on, after you’ve already registered. some people don’t realize this and think they already paid their fees. so if you are in residence, make sure to also pay your residence fees, which had the same sep 30 deadline.

and that’s all. i hope you all appreciated this psa and feel better about your fees. i also hope you all enjoyed reading about finances for however long it took you to get through this post. i however, will never get that time back.

over and out,

aska

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internal transfer, rotman, UTSC

make those moves!

October 2, 2024

Hello there,

I hope you are doing well.

I currently am a first year student in UTSC for social science and my goal is to switch to it’s for rotman commerce. I know it is a big shot but rotman commerce is my dream school and I really want to switch. I am taking microeconomic, calculus for management and macroeconomics to help me switch to rotman. Do you have any recommendations of what I should do or if there are any other courses that I need to take?

Ragards

hey there,

what you’re wanting to do here is an internal transfer, which is a switch between two separate faculties. in your case, these faculties would be UTSC and rotman commerce.

so here’s the thing: not all departments actually accept transfer students.

rotman is sorta-kinda-maybe one of these departments, with exceptions. officially, they say that they “don’t generally” accept external transfers, which would be students from other universities (according to this website). as for internal transfers within U of T, they say “successful transfers into rotman commerce are very rare”, but students in the faculty of arts and science can apply.

however, there is nothing officially said about whether students from UTSC can apply for an internal transfer into rotman, so the first thing you need to do is determine if an internal transfer is even possible for you. i’d advise that you get in direct touch with the department for that — you can contact them by email or even show up in person to their academic services/admission office on 125 st. george street if you are so inclined.

i would ask them whether an internal transfer from UTSC to rotman is possible. and if it’s not generally done, whether there any special circumstances or any possibility at all of allowing it.

and yeah, i know that’s all kind of a bummer BUT please don’t let it get you down. the good news is, you are able to still study business at the scarborough campus’s department of management. this department is really good and offers great programs.

and with this, you would still be able to get a U of T business degree in a high-quality program — that stands for itself. getting a U of T business degree holds prestige/value for hiring no matter the campus you get it at. (i could have used the word aura here but i will not be caught using gen alpha lingo today).

that’s all to say, i’d encourage you to reach out to the utsc academic advising and career centre, because they can really help you figure all of this out, 1. in the case that there are exceptions that will allow you to apply for an internal transfer OR 2. in the case that you’re applying for the department of management at UTSC. book an appointment with an academic advisor! it will make things a lot clearer, since they know a lot more than students do.

and that’s it from me. personally, i think it’s really great that you want to study business, definitely go for it! a lot of people are too scared to pursue the program that they really want, so kudos to you for taking action on this. best of luck with everything, you’ve got this! i’m cheering you on.

over and out,

aska

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academic standing, health and wellness

nooo don’t suspend me how will i bench press

September 27, 2024

can probation/suspension students use the gym or the counselling people? is that allowed? or are we no longer considered students???

hey there,

ok so this is sort of an interesting one because there’s nothing official said about this on any of the U of T websites. so we’re gonna have to rely on our sleuthing and reasoning powers here.

first off, probation and suspension are two different academic standings (here is some Official info on that). when you’re on probation, you’re still enrolled as a student, but your grades are sort of put on watch. the best way i can think of explaining it is, it’s basically academic purgatory lol. you’re not quite suspended, but you’re also not in good standing. it’s sort of the buffer zone before getting suspended, where you still have the chance to pull your grades up and get back into good standing — but if you don’t, you’ll get suspended. you can read more about the specific GPA’s that determine all this on that site i linked.

meanwhile, when you’re suspended, you’re technically not enrolled/registered for the school year, so everything sorta goes on pause.

can you still use the gym?

using the gym and (some) of the libraries would require that your T-card works. however, your T-card would not work if you’re suspended.

the biggest determining factor here is incidental fees. if you’re suspended, and you aren’t registered for the school year, you won’t be paying your fees, which is what gives you access to the gym in the first place.

i guess you could separately pay to access some of the gyms though, like the hart house gym, which i know non-U of T folks can pay to use.

can you access counselling/mental health services?

by counselling services, i’m going to assume you mean health & wellness services and registrar counselling?

again, the services provided by health & wellness are covered through incidental fees and that makes me think that maybe you won’t have access.

BUT i did some digging and found this one person on reddit (keep in mind, idk how reliable this is) who was asking a similar question to this just last month. they were asking if they could still go to their mental health appointment if they were placed on 4 month suspension. they then came back to update us (king behaviour, imo) that they were still able to go to their appointment! so it seems like you’re not automatically kicked out of the system if you’re suspended.

so it seems to me that if you already have an ongoing relationship with someone at health & wellness, it’s worth reaching out directly to them for clarification. they might be able to continue working with you, especially if your suspension is short, but you’d need to confirm that. like for example, if you see your therapist every week and get suspended, i don’t think you should get cut off from therapy? there has to be a way around that.

it’s just if you’ve never gone, and try to initiate something after you’re suspended that you might run into issues, i think.

so ultimately, your best bet here is to double-check with health & wellness to know for sure. if they don’t have an answer, maybe your registrar’s office will.

because even in the worst case scenario in which you are completely cut off from accessing health and wellness services, you won’t be completely stranded. if you’re suspended, you still have access to your registrar’s office for support and advice. (this fact comes directly from my registrar). they will be able to offer you counselling services and mental wellness support — and some colleges or faculties might have specific resources or guidance for suspended students, so definitely check them out.

sooo tldr: if you’re on probation, you’ve got access to gyms and counselling services. if you’re suspended, no access to gyms, possible access to health and wellness counselling, definite access to faculty/college registrar counselling.

and, yeah! i hope this was helpful. best of luck to you, feel so free to reach out again if you have more questions!

over and out,

aska

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applying for U of T, extracurricular

hmmm very suspicious ha ha of you

September 20, 2024

Hi, I was wondering how universities ensure that people’s extracurriculars are credible. Like do they call the schools/ check Instagram posts of the club or make you upload certificates or something? Also, would they suspect someone if they have “too many” extra-curriculars.

hey there,

might you be asking because you’re one of those people with a suspicious number of extra-curriculars?

nah, jk. there’s no such thing as too many extracurriculars, in my opinion. if you can handle it, you can handle it. and if so, wear that proudly and put it on your resumes/applications! i think the likelihood of them thinking you’re lying is pretty low, and the best plan is to just be honest (and show off that resume!!).

that’s to say, biggest side-eye to anyone who lies about their extracurriculars. lying about your extracurriculars to get into university would be crAzy when you’re applying to a university that (for most programs) only looks at your grades.

because at least in U of T’s faculty of arts & science, you pretty much just input your grades to the system, upload your transcript, and call it a day – at least that’s how it worked for me when i applied.

outside of the faculty of arts and sciences however, they do ask for some sort of supplemental application. this is the case for the rotman business school, the engineering faculty, architecture faculty, and the faculty of music. (not an exhaustive list, just the main ones i can think of out there).

and that brings me to your question. how do universities ensure the credibility of your extracurriculars? do they ask for paper proof? do they call your school? do they show up at your front door step? is that why you had to put your address in your application?

well, considering U of T – like most large universities – receives tens of thousands of applications each year, they aren’t able to lean into that level of helicopter parenting. most of the time, if they do ask you to write about your extracurriculars, applications will explicitly say whether or not they will be verifying those extracurriculars.

often, there will just be a box where you write the name, email, and phone number of a couple people who can be your reference for that extracurricular. they could say something like, for example, “we may reach out if further verification is required”. in other words, they might not actually contact the references you put down. other times, they will definitely reach out to that reference and say something like “we will reach out for an informal assessment via email or phone”.

so overall, i hate to say it, but the way universities ensure the credibility of your extracurriculars just depends on the university and program you’re applying to. they all do it differently! but if they do plan to verify anything, you will know ahead of time and it will be you choosing who they might contact as verification. as in, they won’t randomly call up your school out of the blue.

as for certificates, i also don’t think they’ll ask you for these as paper proof of extracurriculars. the only instance in which i’ve seen these required is if you’re asking to use something for university credit, which wouldn’t be part of your application anyways.

anyhoo. i hope this was helpful and answered your question! best of luck.

over and out,

aska

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academic standing, probation, suspension

stay strong, soldier

September 13, 2024
i went into school thinking i was on academic probation (i guessed because my marks weren’t good and i did a little bit of reading and i fit the bill) but i got that confirmation from OSAP and not the school. i got info from osap asking me to write an action plan on how to improve in the summer. so i was thinking i was on probation from the summer to the fall semester.

today was the first day and i was trying to sort out my courses and get some help with planning and i found out i’m actually suspended! i got no information whatsoever from the registrar about the probation and nothing about the suspension. i sent in an appeal but i’m so scared. i don’t have a good support system at home and i don’t know what to do.

i know i did bad but i was miserable doing a program that my family wanted me to do. i went in today to switch my major to make myself less miserable and i find out i can’t even take these classes. i’m scared and sick and sad and confused. what do i do??

hey there,

man, that’s tough, i’m sorry this is happening.

i hate that you didn’t get any notification or warning before it happened. like – what!?? it also sucks that you had to pursue a program that you didn’t want 🙁

well, what i can do for you is try to explain how this whole suspension thing works, which might help you know what your next steps could be.

so first of all, on the artsci website, there’s a page called “academic standing” that details the exact conditions that determine your academic standing. your standing is evaluated at the end of the fall/winter school year and at the end of the summer. and there are four types of academic standing you might fall into during this evaluation:

1. in good standing

this is when your CGPA (cumulative gpa, which basically is just your grades from all your years spent at U of T) is 1.50 or higher.

2. on academic probation

this is the stage i believe you were at before you got suspended, and it happens when your CGPA is less than 1.50.

and here’s where it gets a little complicated. the bridge between academic probation and suspension is a tough one, and i really wish U of T made it more clear!

you mentioned that you thought you were on academic probation and then all of a sudden you were suspended. here is why i think that might have happened — on the website, they give this explanation:

“if you are on academic probation and at the end of the next session in which you are registered, you have a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 and an annual GPA (fall/winter session) or sessional GPA (summer session) of less than 1.70, you will be suspended.”

basically, your sessional GPA is what really matters here — not your overall gpa, just the gpa from the most recent session.

here’s an example to illustrate this better:

let’s say we’ve got a student, and his name is bob. bob has a gpa of 1.40 at the end of the school year in april, 2013 (better times, man). so he’s put on academic probation. he doesn’t take summer school, and then enters the next fall/winter school year in september, 2013. then, bob takes some classes like the uni student he is. but, during the school year, bob doesn’t do too well (he’s going through it). so he comes out of the fall/winter session with a sessional gpa of 1.55 and a CGPA of 1.48.

does bob stay on academic probation or does he get suspended?

well, although his sessional gpa is above 1.50, it actually needs to be above 1.70! so there are three reasons why bob is going to get suspended:
1. 1. his CGPA was below 1.5 last year, which put him on academic probation (kind of like a watch list)
  2. his CGPA was below 1.5 again this year (so now we’re looking at his sessional gpa)
  3. his most recent sessional gpa is below 1.70
so then, bob is suspended for one calendar year and can’t register for the fall/winter school year in september, 2014. if his most recent sessional gpa had been above 1.70, he would have just stayed on academic probation and avoided suspension.

i hope that helped clear things up ? i definitely wish the system was not like this, but…. once again, U of T is showing how *sparkle emoji* institutional it is. (it might be too bold of a subtweet to add here, but you know that thousand yard stare meme? yeahh..)

3. on suspension

the next type of standing is suspension, and i’ve kinda already explained how you get here with my amazing story about bob. but, something else to note is that there are two suspension lengths that students can receive.
1. one-calendar-year suspension, if it’s your first time being suspended
2. three-calendar-year suspension, if you’ve already been suspended before (this sounds so rough omg)
4. refused further registration

annnnd the final type is when someone comes back from a three-year-suspension, and during the next school year, came out with a sessional gpa of less than 1.70. in this situation, you’re refused further registration in the faculty of arts and sciences (indefinitely? forever?).

so yeah. that’s my long-winded explanation of academic standing, but i think it’s really important that all students have a good grasp of how this works.

next steps

as for your next steps, i would say that the best thing to do at the moment is to book an appointment with your college registrar’s office. as intimidating as it might sound, they really know the system best and will be able to help you best, since they’re literally professionals who are paid to do it! they’ll be able to provide you with your best steps forward, which would definitely be helpful during this stressful time. also, they can help you plan out possible steps towards switching your major — because this is another confusing process that will be hard to plan out by yourself.

so please don’t hesitate to do this! it’s my #1 piece of advice for you rn.

and also, submitting a petition would be my next piece of advice for you, but i see you’ve already done that. again, your college registrar’s office can definitely help you out with this, especially if you submitted a lift-of-suspension petition. i’d encourage you to read up on all the info about that here.

honestly, other than that, i’d just say to please take care of yourself! i understand that this can be really distressing, but you come before school! as much as school matters, please take the time to process things and make sure you’re okay mentally and physically before powering through it all.

so yeah. let me know if i can help out more! i’m sending so much love, you’ve got this!

over and out,

aska
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admissions, applying for U of T, UTM

chronically confused

August 14, 2024
Hi I want to apply to study Communication, Culture, Information & Technology at University of Toronto Missisigua And I am quite confused on their website I am seeing the deadline for early admission is June 27th but sometimes I see January 15th I am pretty confused when does early admission and regular admission open and what day do they end?

hey there,

ok yeah, i took a look at the CCIT and UTM websites and it is a bit confusing as to what the dates and deadlines are.

well, here is my summary of the admissions deadlines according to this UTM dates and deadlines page:
- november 7 is the “recommended application deadine for early consideration”
  - december 15 is the “recommended document deadline for early consideration”
- january 15 is the “application deadline for all applicants on OUAC”
  - february 1 is the “document deadline for all applicants”
as you can see, it might be confusing because there are different deadlines for your application and getting all your documents in. the gist of it is that november 7 is the early admission deadline and january 15 is the general admission deadline. apply for the early deadline if you want to be considered in the first round of offers, but apply before the general deadline if you want more time to get everything together. but keep in mind, some spots may already be filled by early applicants by then.

meanwhile, later on in the spring, you’ll have acceptance deadlines (for you to accept U of T’s offer):
- may 1 is the acceptance deadline for canadian and international applicants
- june 3 is the acceptance deadline for ontario applicants
however, the website says that with these acceptance deadlines, you might have a different, specific date as stated in your offer letter.

it seems to me like there is no deadline on june 27. i searched that date up on google with the “must include” function and nothing relevant came up for CCIT admissions. but, i do see a july 12th date on the same dates and deadlines page i’ve been talking about. it says that the “application deadline dates for september 2024 entry” was closed on july 12, 2024.

soooo yeah. that is super confusing. personally, i think the july 12 date seems way too late to be an application deadline. when i applied to U of T st. george campus, the deadlines for me were also november 7 and january 15. so my honest student-to-student advice is to just stick to that and ignore the july 12 date.

HOWEVER, i am not involved in the admissions process and before following what i say, you might want to confirm it. the easiest thing to do in this situation is to just send in a quick question through this page.

anyhoo, good luck with your application!

over and out,

aska
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courses, wait list

my olympic sport is uoft course enrolment

August 14, 2024

why am I refused to a course that I’m waitlisted?

hey there,

alright, so you were refused from a course that you were waitlisted for.

well, i’m gonna be honest, there are multiple ways i could interpret this question. i’m not too sure whether you’re asking why you were waitlisted, or why the waitlist closed, or if you were just mysteriously refused from a course.

sooo i’m gonna address all these situations just in case. i hope that’s alright with you.

1. being waitlisted

the critical info you need here is that being waitlisted for a course means that you’re not in yet because the course is full. it’s essentially a “lineup” for the course. i know this can be disappointing and a little (or a lot) stressful, especially if you need to take that course to get into or complete your program.

but it happens because U of T needs to regulate the class sizes in order to organize classrooms, or something like that. in my experience, the max class size is just the number of seats in a classroom. sometimes they are able to expand and switch classrooms if there’s a lot of people on the waitlist, but most of the time you just have to wait it out and hope for the best.

a general rule of thumb is that if your spot in the waitlist is within the top 10% of the class size, you’ll get in. so if the class size is 70, then you’ll be fine if you’re in the top 7 of the waitlist. (you’ll be able to check what number you are on the waitlist on acorn, at the bottom of the “courses” page.) but, keep in mind that this rule really depends on the level of interest for the class and is just a rough estimate.

if you’re still waitlisted but pretty high on the list when classes start, don’t give up hope! in the case that the class is pretty big (aka over 40-ish and not a seminar), and it’s held in person, you can technically attend lecture until you’re off the waitlist. how will they know you’re not supposed to be there? 😀

i know people who have done that, and it’s worked for them. this allows you to not fall behind if you get into the course a few weeks after the start of classes. sure, during that time you won’t have access to the quercus page and course resources, but you can befriend someone who does!

don’t worry about keeping an eye on your waitlist rank though. when a spot opens up, you’ll be automatically added into the course and you’ll receive an email.

2. waitlist closing

next, maybe you were recently booted from the waitlist.

well, waitlists do have a closing date each term, which happens a few days before course enrolment closes. these dates will be listed on the academic dates & deadlines page. after the waitlist closes, spots in courses will be available on a first-come first-served basis. so this is the one case where you do have to obsessively check the course availability — whoever catches an open spot and enrols first gets it. at least, during the few days until enrolment closes.

3. refused enrolment in a course

that brings us to my last guess. you were refused enrolment in a course.

well, there are a number of reasons why this might have happened. but the #1 reason why this happens is because you don’t meet an enrolment control and aren’t eligible to take the course.

for example, you’ll be refused enrolment if you haven’t taken the required pre-requisites or co-requisites. or, the course might only be available to students in a certain program or year. in fact, some courses even require separate application and approval processes through the department. regardless, these should all show up under the course’s enrolment indicators on timetable builder.

the only other reason i can think of is, maybe you might have reached the course load limit, which is 6.0 credits for the fall-winter session combined (max of 3.0 credits per semester). or maybe your academic standing is affecting your enrolment? this would only happen if your GPA is less than 1.5. but, i’m not super sure how this works.

overall, i would highly encourage you to contact your college registrar if you’re in this third section where you were mysteriously refused from a course. they are more knowledgeable on the behind-the-scenes aspect of course enrolment and would be able to help you figure out the reason why this happened.

and, yeah.

i hope one of these options was relevant and answered your question. if not, well. so much of this job is a guessing game, i’m bound to get it wrong sometimes.

best of luck, i really hope you figure it out!

over and out,

aska

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academic standing, admissions

so. that’s kinda scary

August 8, 2024

Hi! I’m stressing out right now I was admitted to UofT for environmental science and the requirements for my offer were to get a 70% in english (which I achieved), and a overall average of 75%. I ended up finishing with a 73.33%. And I received an email saying since I didn’t achieve the average my offer may be revoked. Do you think it will be revoked or should I be okay? How likely is it that my offer will be revoked. Thanks!

hey there,

hmmmm, interesting. most admission offers i’ve heard of provide much more ominously vague conditions, like “maintain your academic standing”.

i’m sorry this is happening, it sounds like a really uncertain and upsetting situation! but honestly, i gotta say, as a fellow student, i am not really in the position to be telling you whether or not your offer will be revoked. i’m not involved in the admissions process at all, so that’s not my place of authority and i don’t wanna tell you something wrong in a consequential situation like this.

i feel like i’d need to see the exact wording of that email to really determine how likely it is that you’ll be revoked. it does say on the admissions decisions page of the artsci website that “students who don’t meet the required conditions by the posted deadlines can expected to have their offer rescinded”. and if you received an email saying you didn’t meet the conditions, well, it does seem pretty likely.

but, i’m not sure how often U of T rescinds offers (i don’t have any mutuals who this happened to). reddit, which keep in mind is not so reliable, says it doesn’t happen often and that it requires a huge grade drop of more than 10%. so who knows.

regardless, you might wanna prepare yourself for either situation. here are some options i’ve heard of:

apparently there might be a form linked in your conditional offer where you are able explain the extenuating circumstances behind a grade drop.

i’ve also heard you might be able to take summer school to improve your grade average. i’m not sure how this works though, you’d have to directly contact enrolment services to find out if it’s possible.

so yeah, i know it wasn’t much but i hope this was somewhat helpful. good luck!

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, engineering

young engineer will not go crazy today, no siree

August 6, 2024

Hey, I want to get into mechanical engineering in uofstg and I’m grade 11 (well going into grade 12 since it’s summer) and in ontario with a 87 average. I’m in HOSA but didn’t make president (I thought I would). My school doesn’t have many clubs but I want to be more involved with stem club next year. I just wanted to know how competitive my program is and my chances of getting in regardless of grade 12 (I am hoping to do better next year). I’m shaking in my boots because I really really want to get in. I keep pretending like I won’t go crazy if I don’t get in but I just might.

hey there,

i get how stressful it can be during this stage of high school, right before university application season starts! “shaking in your boots” is such an accurate description of that time.

but,

i’m not an engineering student so i can’t speak from experience as to how competitive admissions is. to be honest with you, all you can really do to figure out your chances of getting in is to do some casual internet sleuthing (aka research) on U of T websites.

so you want to get into mechanical engineering. well, engineering programs are definitely among the more competitive programs at U of T. but, your 87 average does fit within the range listed on the FAQ page of the engineering website — here, they say the grade range that you need to be competitive for mechanical engineering is high 80’s to low 90’s. keep in mind though, being within this range “doesn’t guarantee admission”, as they’ll always say.

on this page, it also says that your admission average is computed based on a select group of pre-requisite grade 12 level courses. under the ontario school system, those are english ( ENG4U), advanced functions (MHF4U), calculus and vectors (MCV4U), chemistry (SCH4U), and physics (SPH4U). this tells you that you’ll want to especially do well in these courses, since admissions will definitely be looking at them.

meanwhile, you’re right that your extracurricular activities matter too — for both admission and scholarship consideration.

the engineering school’s admissions requires that you submit an online student profile, through which you’ll input your grades, describe your extracurriculars and send in some “get to know you as a person” video responses. you’ll have access to this though the engineering applicant portal once U of T receives your initial application on OUAC (ontario universities’ application centre).

keep in mind though, that your extracurricular activities don’t need to be engineering-related. they can also include athletics, arts, community involvement, and paid or volunteer employment. for this section, i think it’s great that you’re a part of HOSA and that you’re gonna get involved with stem clubs!

anyways. it seems like that’s it. these are just the admission areas you’ll want to make yourself as competitive as possible in. to directly answer your question, i can’t really tell you

“congrats, you’re competitive!”

or

“man i’m sorry you just won’t cut it”.

because like, i’m not an admissions officer, nor have i applied to engineering myself.

but it seems to me like you’re in a pretty okay position right now. engineering is very hard to get into, but i think you are able to craft a strong application from here on out. i think just work really hard in grade 12 to get the highest marks you can, and really sell those extracurriculars in your student profile.

all in all, i believe you’re fully capable of getting in if you set your mind to it and really commit yourself during this last home stretch. lose that fear of failure, you’ve got this!

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, campus, psychology

where.

July 14, 2024
Hello, I am interested in applying to the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. I would like to know which campus offers the best program for that. Additionally, I would like to inquire if it is possible to apply for admission immediately after completing Grade 11, with the potential for a conditional offer based on an average score above 95% in Grade 11 (through Tvo ILC), without having started Grade 12. And what will be the admission steps?

hey there,
1. which campus is best
first of all, great question. it can be really hard to choose which uni and campus to attend, because that’s where you’ll live your life for the next four+ years. when i was at that stage, i felt a lot like this:

i can tell you that psychology at U of T is going to be really good no matter which campus you choose. but if you wanted to know which one was best for that program, it really depends on what you’re looking for.

st. george is the biggest campus and it’s downtown. so that will mean it has more research opportunities in more areas, because of how connected the st. george campus is. like, there are a lot of U of T affiliated companies in different sectors that will take U of T undergrads looking for experience. the psychology has a great page where you can check out research opportunities here.

as for the other two campuses, i don’t know much about UTM, but UTSC in scarborough is known for being the co-op campus. so if you’re looking for co-op opportunities, that’s the place to be. for example, at UTSC you can take the co-op program in psychology, which is a work integrated program that combines your studies with paid work. this can also be great if you want to earn some money while being a student.

i’d say both co-op opportunities and research opportunities are really important for psychology because it’s difficult to get job experience as an undergrad when you’re a psychology student. so it just depends on what you prefer.

meanwhile, you should also choose the campus based on its environment and how it would work for you, as each campus has different pros and cons. like, do you want to live in the downtown core? do you want to live in a smaller campus? do you like nature? noise? etc.

if you’re curious, you can check out this page that goes over what makes each campus unique.

2. can you apply for admission now?

so unfortunately, it is not possible to apply for admission immediately after completing grade 11. this is because you need to be at least enrolled in grade 12 courses before you can be considered for admission.

according to the admission dates page, the early application date is november 7 while the deadline is january 15. so you’ll have to wait for the fall of your senior year to apply, around late september or october. you can apply for early admissions even if your grade 12 marks are not out yet, but you do need to be in grade 12. there’s not really a way around that.

finally, if you’re still undecided on which campus to choose, i’d encourage you to reach out to a recruitment officer, as they can probably tell you more psychology-specific things about each campus and help you make your decision.

anyways, hope this was helpful, good luck!!

over and out,

aska
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campus, choosing, competition, courses

day 47389 of asking you to be more specific

July 7, 2024
What courses do you think are the least to highest in competitiveness. And also what campus do you think are the least to highest in competitiveness.

hey there,

well, as you can see on the U of T course timetable, there are almost 8000 courses offered during the fall/winter school year across all its undergrad faculties.

you want to know which of these are the least to highest in competitiveness? have i got a list for you, ranked highest to lowest in competition:
wait maybe applied game theory should be number one, cause that’s crazy. do they apply? game theory? in class? against each other? for grades? who cares about deathly crimes (aka emotional warfare) when you’ve got grades on the line.

ok don’t take anything i just said seriously. i’ve just been emotionally scarred by some classmates.

jokes aside, realistically, there is no way of saying which of the 8000 courses are highest and lowest in competitiveness without taking all of them or having some sort of crazed opinion-based database. unfortunately, the closest U of T students have ever come to making one of those was the anti-calendar, which mysteriously died out sometime in 2011.

the only actual general knowledge on competitiveness at U of T is that the rotman business programs are definitely every-man-for-himself. i know several people in rotman, and not only is it super difficult to get good grades there, you have to be extensively involved in extra-curricular programming and clubs. the vibe is that there’s a lot of fake sucking-up and networking in those circles. i heard they do peer evaluations after some group projects, where they have to prepare an argument to present to their prof as to why they should get higher grades than their group members who “did less work”. brutal, i tell ya.

so as you’ll probably guess, competition also depends on the size of your program. i think with really popular programs that have limited enrolment, you would encounter more competition in class rather than in open enrolment programs. some of the smaller programs also have more tight-knit communities, where everyone is more welcoming and kind to each other. i’d say this is definitely the case with niche social science programs.

from past research, i’ve heard entry into the computer science program is really competitive, though i’m not sure how it is after you get in. and, i took some political science adjacent courses and those were pretty competitive compared to life sci courses i’ve taken. in poli sci/public policy/peace conflict and justice courses, i guess you’ve just got a concentration of people who want to be world leaders or politicians, so you get the vibe.

honestly, it would be a lot to give my opinion on every single one of the 700 programs U of T offers, so maybe give me a shortlist of ones that you’re curious about instead?

as for competition across the three U of T campuses, i can actually tell you about that because i can actually count the number on one hand :D!

based on what i’ve heard from people who have taken classes in all three campuses, UTM (mississauga) is the most competitive, UTSG (st. george) is in the middle, and UTSC (scarborough) is the least competitive. however, that’s not to say every single UTM course is competitive, i think it just depends what your specific program would be.

anyhoo, hope this somewhat answered your questions? if not, i hope you enjoyed my yap session.

and if you really want an answer, don’t hesitate to shoot another, more specific, question!

over and out,

aska
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choosing, commuters, friends, fun & places, gap year, housing, money

in this essay, i will-

July 6, 2024

hello! i got accepted into uoftsg and i’m split between whether or not i should do a gap year. i just graduated highschool, and my plan was to do my undergrad and graduate in 2028 with an english degree and a business certificate.

if i go into uni for this fall, the pros are:

i’ll keep my academic momentum going and i’ll be with some friends from this year who are also going to uoft. i’ll also be out the house more often and away from my family (i live in an emotionally draining environment, parents are uber-religious christians and big members of our church while i’m a closeted bisexual + athiest!) and uoft is far from our town (~1hr drive)

the cons are that i’ll have a lot of stress from commuting so much (~2hr commute to and from campus multiple times a week). there will be some financial strain, as i’m depending on OSAP and UTAPS. i don’t have an RESP or anything saved. commuting will also rack up additional costs over time, too. aside from going to the commuter’s orientation, i’ll have a lack of social integration @ school and i don’t want to feel alone outside of classes, or limited because i’ll have a train to catch ;(

if i try and defer my acceptance and take a gap year, i’ll be able to save up money working to purchase the things i need for school (laptop, school supplies, books, etc.). i could even afford residence (the dream) if i work multiple jobs. i’ll get more time to plan and develop the skills i’m embarrassed about not having like learning how to swim, getting my driver’s license, building a resume, and getting some official job experience.

the cons are that i’ll have to live with my family during that time and idk if that’s the best for my mental health. part of why i chose uoft wasn’t just because it was a strong choice for my desired program, but also because it’s far away from home with so much social opportunities in a big city that i’ve never been able to experience! like pride parades, concerts, etc. i’ll have to delay those plans for a year then bunk it with students a year younger than me if i can afford residence my first year, but that’s just a small petty con lol. i’m mostly worried about not doing what i planned then deciding i don’t want to go to post-secondary since i’m working and making money. i also don’t know if i’ll have less opportunities for scholarships since i won’t be direct-entry into post-secondary.

i’m unsure of what to do—it’s a big dilemma that’s been on my mind for a while. my friends say to give it time and do what feels / seems right. i’m unsure of who else to ask about this, and the deadline to defer is around august (?) i think. please let me know what you think and if there are any resources i can look into or areas (like registrar or advisors) that i can ask about this decision. thank you so much in advance, have a great day. ?

hey there,

omg i feel you, my friend. this sounds like a really tough decision, thanks for reaching out! as a U of T student and person who knows part of the situation in which you’re coming from, i might be able to pitch in. keep in mind, this is all kind of coming from my personal experience, so take from it what you will!

friends/dorm

first of all, yes. it’s nice to go into uni already knowing friends in your year. i will say though, that it doesn’t matter as much as it might seem to. knowing friends in your year is only a big pro if you’re in the same program as them and can take the same classes. otherwise, you’ll have to make time to see them outside of class/studying — and in that context, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the same year. in uni, you’re bound to make friends across different years, because the classes are very mixed and there’s much less of a divide between years like there is in high school.

for example, i went into U of T with like 10 people from my high school, and even if we were all in the same year, we were in different programs so i didn’t see them outside of class time unless we made an effort to. like, it’ll sort of be the same way if you were in first year and they were in second year, do you know what i mean? you won’t be in the same classes either way.

next, in terms of bunking with students a year younger than you. i can see how this might seem annoying, but again, once you get to uni, you’ll realize that people really don’t pay much notice to age differences less than 3 years. there are SO so many people who take gap years that it’s completely normal for first years to be between 18-20 years old. you’re at the same life stage, and that’s all that matters to people. half the roommates i’ve ever had were gap-year people, and it’s so normal.

some facts: depending on the residence that you’re in, you’ll also be living with people older than you, like second, third, or even fourth and fifth years. in classes, there are students of all ages — even people who are in their 40s sometimes (i had a 70 year old in my class once). if you’re below the age of 23, nobody cares. you can be a 20 year old in a first year course or an 18 year old in a third year course, and it’s all chill.

overall, yes, friends are very important during your time at U of T, but you will make strong friendships regardless of if you take a gap year or not! i hope that makes sense.

moving out/commuting

ok, this is a big one. considering the home situation that you’re in, moving out/being out of the house sounds like it would be really important for your mental, social, and emotional health. and i’m so sorry to hear that you have to deal with that, i know it can be tough.

if you were to go into school this year, a 2 hour commute to and from campus sounds like it would be extremely tiring. it also would take up a lot of your study time, to do that for 4 hours a day. i know some people who’ve had a similar commuting length, and they’ve said it can get really difficult, especially during exam season. like, some exams can be 7-10pm one night, and then 9am the next day. taking classes in the morning is also difficult. i know a guy who had to wake up at 5am every week to make it to our 8am class.

if you’re studying english, the exam part shouldn’t be a problem for you, since you’ll have final essays to do instead. but the business classes will definitely have final exams.

so overall, it’s pretty difficult to have a 2 hour commute, but it has been done.

my question is, would it be possible for you to get an affordable place near campus that isn’t a student residence? i know you’ve mentioned that financially, residence isn’t feasible for you this year. but there are a lot of more affordable alternatives out there.

although U of T dorms like to announce that they’re oh-so-affordable, they really are on the more expensive side of rent options on/near campus. (especially ones that require a meal plan, those are a literal rip-off, it’s insane). if you want a ball-park idea, check out this page that lists the rent prices for residences last year. while you look at this, keep in mind that the yearly rent goes up by like, at least 1000$ every year, so it’ll be higher this year. these prices make me want to cry lol.

however, i’d say if you want social integration, dorm is definitely the place to find it.

affordable housing

here’s what i’ve found during my hunt for affordable housing this past year. the most affordable option is something called “co-op” housing. i know some people who love living there. co-op housing includes rows of old victorian houses right on the west border of campus with around 8-10 people per house (each in their own single room, i think). according to a recent Varsity article, they charge about $650 to $800 for a single room per month, which is quite literally the cheapest option you can find downtown. i heard some houses also have veggie gardens!

another option you might want on your radar is tartu student residence. it has a more expensive range than co-op housing, but is still much lower than college residences on campus. tartu’s cheapest room is a double-shared room for $712/person per month, and it is right on the north edge of campus, on bloor street. this is a great place, as i’ve heard from my many friends who live there. if you wanna know more about this, let me know.

those are just the most affordable places i know that are on campus. however, it is also possible to find affordable places within a 15 minute walk to campus, or even a 30-min transit. if you’re interested in renting off-campus, i’d encourage you to check out this crash course post i have about navigating the toronto housing market.

fun and finances

anyways, yea. i honestly chose U of T for the same reasons. it being far from home and with social opportunities in the big city is a huge pro. i can tell you that it’s everything i hoped it would be and more, in that area. but all of that fun will still be there in one year.

and as you said, keeping your academic momentum going is important. it will be difficult to get back in the swing of things, especially considering how academically rigorous things are at U of T (particularly in those business classes). however, it’s not a make-or-break factor. if you have the commitment and work-ethic in you, you will be fine returning after a year.

i think the real make-or-break factor in this whole situation is financial feasibility. i think your plan of taking a gap year to work and save up money is really smart, if you need to do that. just keep in mind, there are several strategies and programs in place to help with the financial strain of studenting.

you mention getting a laptop — and yeah, i would say that’s pretty important to have in uni. that’s pretty much the only “school supplies” thing you’ll need. however, there are free computers to use at the libraries. as for books, you can get them second-hand, or find them for free online, which is what i do. (i once spent 7 hours searching for a free version of a textbook that i needed. and you better bet i found it :D).

another option i’ll throw out there is getting a part-time work-study job during the school year, like working front desk at one of the dorms or something. there are chill, flexible student jobs that exist on campus which might be a possible source of income during the school year!

in terms of scholarships, i’m personally not aware of scholarships that require you to be direct-entry into post-secondary. you can read up on scholarships here. there are so many avenues of getting scholarships. there are college-specific awards, application-based admission awards, and also numerous english degree-specific awards. you can search for those using the award explorer, just make sure to filter your search since there are thousands on there.

resources

finally, resources. before you make a decision, i highly recommend that you reach out to your college registrar for some professional advice. there, you can speak to academic advisors and financial advisors who can help you navigate this. they are really kind and genuinely helpful, so don’t hesitate to make an appointment with them!

anyways.

i hope this all made sense. this is a tough decision, but i trust that you’ll make the right choice for yourself. from the sound of it, you’ve thought this out a lot and you’re considering a lot of important factors. i really tried to condense this down lmao, so feel free to reach out again if you have any further questions about what i’ve said here.

good luck, you’ve got this! so much love for ya.

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, polisci

good plan, my man

July 2, 2024

If My grade is 50% in Grade 11 but I have to retake it and I get an 80% can I still apply for an early admission to University of Toronto to study Political Science.

Just to let you know regarding my last question I am an out of province student.

hey there,

first of all, that’s a good plan to retake it. definitely do that.

but when you say your grade is 50%, are you referring to a single course or your overall GPA? those are two very different things. if it’s just a single course, and you’re doing fine in your other ones, you might be fine. for political science, which is under the social science admission stream, the one high school course that really matters is ENG4U. other than that, you have some leeway room because they’ll look at a group of your top grades.

can you apply for early admission to U of T?

well, yes anyone can apply for that, it’s just a matter of getting admitted. if you retake a course during the summer before grade 12, then your grades will definitely come out in time. but if you retake that course during grade 12, your new mark might not be released by the time admissions looks at your transcript. so ultimately, yeah you can apply, but having the “early” part matter depends on if your marks are also released early.

all in all, just do your best! i’m sure you will get a higher mark your second time around, you’ve got this! i hope this was helpful, good luck.

over and out,

aska

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