• subject POST

    prepare for trouble! and make it double!

    November 15, 2020

    heyo! this might be a silly question, but i was wondering if it matters whether i do a major or minor (i’m in first year right now). does doing a double major make you look “better” in the future, or does it really not matter? thanks!

    ——————————————

    hello!

    i actually think career advising or your registrar would be better qualified to answer this question than i am, but i’m happy to throw my two cents in.

    my guess is that you’re choosing between a double major or a major and two minors?

    personally speaking, a double major was the right choice for me. having two majors means that you have a strong background in two different subjects. that will serve you well if you might want to go to grad school but don’t know what for yet, or if you’d appreciate more flexibility with future job prospects. there’s a decent argument for diversifying yourself by majoring in two pretty different things, or rounding out your knowledge by choosing two complementary majors. meanwhile, i’ve heard that employers don’t care too much about what you minor in.

    i do think double majoring might be a little more intense, given that major programs tend to have more difficult requirements than minor programs. so there is a bit of a tradeoff.

    but this decision really depends on what your interests are, and what’s best for you, right? say you want to pursue three different areas of interest, but have one that you like more than the others— in that case, a major and two minors would serve you better than two majors would.

    anyway, i think you should reach out your registrar’s office so you can talk this over with someone more in-depth! i’ve relied upon the academic advisors at my registrar in order to make many of the important decisions of my undergrad. i’d trust their advice over mine any day— i’m really just another student, and don’t have the experience or broad knowledge that an academic advisor does.

    wishing you good judgement, though, as you make this decision!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions

    not (gonna be) a doctor, shh

    November 15, 2020

    I am currently studying at medical school in my country and I am beginning to think that it just isn’t for me. I am planning to pursue something else. Having said that, I was applying to UofT and I was asked to enter my the schools and post secondary institutions I have attended. Should I include my medical school education in this list or should I only include the high school I went to? Thanks in advance.

    ——————————————

    hello hello,

    i hope i’m getting to this question in time, and my apologies if it’s too late! it can take up to two weeks for me to answer questions on here. in the future, you can actually phone the university’s admissions offices for a quicker response.

    anyway, to answer your question— my understanding is that when you’re asked for your full academic history, you’re meant to include every school you’ve attended, even if you haven’t graduated. that also means you’ll need to send transcripts from every school you’ve attended to u of t for your application to be assessed. again, you can contact the admissions offices to confirm this, but that’s what i know from my experience applying to u of t.

    i hope that helps! good luck with your application, i really hope it goes well and that you get in.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • switching

    she doesn’t even go here!

    November 14, 2020

    I’m currently a commerce student at McGill, completing my final year (finishing in 3 instead of 4 yrs). Over the past few yrs, I’ve become increasingly disinterested by commerce, and finally embracing my natural passion for prison & criminal justice reform. The problem-I have barely anything to show for it, is it still worth applying? This past summer I worked a little in sociology as an RA (in commerce tho) -wrote a 30 page history on the police, attended an academic conf on reinventing police?

    ——————————————

    hi there,

    a mcgill student! wow. don’t get a ton of those around here.

    she doesnt even go here mean girls GIF

    i’m not really sure what you’re applying to, as you didn’t specify? but i’ll do my best to give what advice i feel like i can.

    your natural passion sounds very cool to me— we definitely need good people working on prison and criminal justice reform. i think there’s a lot of value in pursuing something that genuinely interests you, as opposed to something that you’re disinterested in. it’s a little cliche to say, but you only live one life, so you might as well spend it doing something that really appeals to you.

    bucket yolo GIF

    even if you don’t have a lot of experience in the realm of what you want to go after, i’m sure there’s a ton from your commerce degree that would be transferable to that field. think about what you’ve learned from your current program— critical thinking skills, research skills, and writing skills are some things i can think of that would be useful in your desired field. i’m sure there’s also something useful you’ve gained specifically from commerce that would give you an edge in the criminal justice field.

    people switch their career tracks all the time, and it doesn’t mean that they need to start from scratch. you have an educational background that you can use to your advantage!

    anyway, i’m only technically supposed to answer questions that fall within the realm of u of t, but i’ll do what i’d do for a u of t student and suggest that you talk to a career advisor. mcgill’s career advising centre can be found here. a career advisor will be more qualified to talk you through this decision than i am!

    presenting right here GIF by NETFLIX

    best of luck figuring things out! i’m rooting for you.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • CR/NCR,  scholarships/bursaries

    get that bag

    November 12, 2020

    Hi! I was taking a look at the scholarships that Victoria College offers and I just noticed that it talks about how we’re automatically considered for a scholarship based off of our average of 5.0 credits (if I understood it correctly). Is this affected if we choose to CR/NCR a course? I’m also a first year, if that’s relevant for this questions. Thanks so much 🙂

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    according to this vic awards policy document, you’ll be able to complete the 5.0 FCEs requirement with courses designated cr/ncr!

    this is the exact wording: ““Courses with a final status of CR will count as degree credits but will have no effect on the student’s GPA.” Academic records with CR/NCR will be reviewed for in-course awards whereby CR credits may be used to complete a group of 5.0 credits.”

    however, i also found a stipulation about cr/ncr courses on this page: For students who opted into CR/NCR credits for Y and S courses during the recent fall/winter academic year, Victoria College will be limiting the number of CR credits in its assessments for in-course scholarships to be fair to all students. The University will make every effort not to disadvantage students and we appreciate your patience.”

    i’m not sure if a similar awards policy will be in place for this fall/winter session, since the cr/ncr policy for the school year is a bit different than usual. so i’d recommend that you avoid applying the cr/ncr designation to too many courses if you’re worried about awards— but one or two should be fine.

    in order to confirm any of this information, you can also get in touch with whoever’s in charge of awards at vic. this page lists vic.awards@utoronto.ca as the contact email.

    i hope this helped! good luck with the rest of your first year, get that bag.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • switching

    *gasp* a turncoat

    November 10, 2020

    Hey I’m currently a third year student. I am currently wanting to change my degree from HBSc to HBA. I know that I will be starting almost all over again. But wanted to know if that will effect my gpa or transcript?

    ——————————————

    hi!

    sorry for the wait with this answer, i’m trying to catch up on a ton of stuff during this small reprieve that reading week offers. ever since the pandemic hit, i’ve been having difficulty remembering when questions came in and when they need to be answered by. so that’s totally on me.

    so as far as i know, switching your degree type won’t affect your GPA or transcript, in the sense that nothing will be erased. all your credits and grades will still show up as normal. that means that anything you took as part of a science program can be used towards HBA breadth requirements.

    your transcript will probably just look longer than the transcript of someone who didn’t make that switch, since you’ll need to take more credits to complete your degree. individual courses will also hold less sway over your CGPA, since more credits will be counted towards it.

    i’d really recommend that if you’re still weighing this decision, you reach out to your registrar’s office. since the academic advisors there will have access to your full academic record, and since they’re experienced with talking students through decisions like these, i think you’ll find them more helpful than i am.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • admissions,  UTSC

    keeping my fingers crossed for you

    November 10, 2020

    Hi! I’m going to grade 12 in September and I really want to get into the Psychology program at UofT in Scarborough. My grades aren’t the best but, they aren’t too bad either. My average for grade 11 was an 87 and I was wondering if an 87 average is good enough to be accepted.

    ——————————————

    hi friendo,

    sorry your message got so buried!

    i’m not sure if you’ve already applied, but this is what little wisdom i can offer you.

    unfortunately, i’m not aware of any publicly-available admissions averages for UTSC i remember that, at least for st. george, minimum admissions averages used to be available, but i haven’t see any updated ones in a hot minute. so it’s really hard for me to assess whether an 87 average would be able to get you in.

    something you should be aware of, though, is that if you’re admitted to UTSC and decide to attend, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be admitted into the psych program. u of t does this thing called subject POSt (program of study) selection, in which most programs need to be applied to after first year. if you’ve taken a look at utsc’s psych major page, you’ll have seen that there are admissions requirements with specific percentage grades listed. that’s really the only concrete admissions info i can offer you, and i do think it is important stuff to keep in mind if you’re set on attending UTSC for psych.

    sorry i couldn’t be more helpful! wishing you all the best with your uni applications, and thanks again for your patience with my slow response.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    don’t let your dreams be dreams

    November 9, 2020

    Hiya! I’m a smol first year wondering if it’s possible to do a double major and a minor. I really want to do the creative expression and society minor but I’m just not sure if doing a major + 2 minors is best, which is why I’m wondering if a double major + one minor is possible. Thanks!

    ——————————————

    Hi! I was just wondering if it’s possible to do a double major AND a minor. Is that allowed? Would it set me back in my studies? Thanks 🙂

    ——————————————

    hello friends,

    answering these two questions in one go because they’re quite similar!

    Thomas Sadoski Tommy GIF by CBS

    Bull Bullcbs GIF by CBS

    the maximum number of subject POSts you can select is three, as long as one is a minor, so it’s definitely possible to do a double major and a minor.

    that’s actually how i’ve chosen to complete my degree as well, so i definitely see the appeal in it and wouldn’t discourage you from doing so! in my case, there was a minor i really wanted to take for fun, but i also wanted the security of having two different majors. i can tell you that from personal experience, it won’t necessarily set you back in your studies (ie. force you to take more than 20 FCEs) as long as you have some overlap between your programs and plan things out very carefully.

    Suspicious Scooby Doo GIF by Boomerang Official

    i say very carefully, because planning out three programs can get quite complicated and, frankly, stressful. that’s particularly true if you “wasted” a few credits in first year (wasted as in took classes that won’t count to any of your programs), have credit/no credited courses, or need to take courses outside your programs for breadth requirements .

    here’s some advice i would give you:

    • choose programs with at least some potential for overlap. i’m in two majors within the same discipline, so they share a few courses. otherwise, i’d definitely need to take more than 20.0 FCEs to complete my programs. if you have really diverse interests, for example if you want to double major in chem and history, you obviously don’t need to heed this advice. but if you’re not set on specific programs yet, keeping this piece of advice in mind when you apply for POSts will make your life easier.
    • understand the 12 distinct credits rule, which will give you a sense of how many credits you can count towards both your majors. the 12 distinct credits rule won’t apply to your minor, so pile on whatever overlap you can there!
    • find out if your programs offer any room for flexibility. i know that some interdisciplinary programs will allow you to request course substitutions, which can help you seek out overlap between your three programs. i’ve saved myself some credits by contacting the person who administers one of my programs, to ask if they’ll be willing to take semi-related courses from my other program. if that makes any sense.
    • if you run into any roadblocks, get in touch with your registrar’s office. an academic advisor there will be able to help you iron out any issues.
    • keep track of what courses you’ve taken and what requirements you’ve fulfilled. degree explorer is a very helpful tool for this. i also like to use excel sometimes, because i can map out all my courses and colour-code them according to what requirement they fulfill.

    i hope this helped! if you’d like to talk your decision over further, you can always reach out to your registrar, who will be able to provide you with more in-depth advice.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • clubs

    u go, girl

    November 8, 2020

    Hi! A society I applied for has asked me for an interview.. do u have any tips on what to prepare and what kind of questions they may ask? thank u!

    ——————————————

    hey,

    congrats on the interview! that’s very cool.

    the way you said “society” reminds me of my exchange student friend from edinburgh, back in the good old days of … airplanes and exchange students and seeing people outside your immediate household. you’re only the second person i’ve ever heard use that word in this context.

    as someone who’s conducted interviews for student organizations, the first thing i think you should know is that there’s no need to let your nerves get the best of you! think of it as just chatting with another student to see if a position is a good fit for you. if it helps, you can remember that the student on the other end could also be nervous as well. i know that i’m usually nervous when i interview people.

    anyway, here are my top eight club interview tips. i tried to make it to 10, but alas. no thoughts head empty.

    1. research the organization and get a sense of who they are, what they do, and what makes them special. this information will give you an edge when predicting what kind of questions they may ask. it’s also useful to know what you’re getting into!
    2. be prepared to answer super vague questions like “tell me about yourself” or “tell us why you’re interested in this position.” basically, just know who you are, why you’re going into this, what you bring to the table, and what you hope to get out of the experience.
    3. act like a more professional version of your regular self. showing that you have a personality will give the interviewers a better sense of what it would be like to work with you and have you on their team.
    4. build rapport with the interviewer! ask them how they are and make a little small talk at the beginning if you’re able.
    5. give an honest, but not too honest, answer if they ask you about a weakness or failure. most people who have conducted interviews can spot bs and non-answers instantly. don’t say that your weakness is that you’re a perfectionist, or that you work too hard. i mainly add the “not too honest” qualifier because sometimes people say things that get a lil awkward or too personal.
    6. if you talk about a weakness or failure, give the interviewer a sense of what you learned from the bad experience or how you’re working to improve yourself!
    7. if the position is something that requires creativity (writing blog posts, managing social media, planning events, etc.) come up with some innovative ideas for how you’d want to go about doing your job. something that’ll make you stand out if other candidates are being interviewed.
    8. prepare some good questions for the interviewer, in case you’re given an opportunity to ask questions at the end of your time. obviously you’ll want to tailor those questions to your position as well as the group you’ll be working with. here’s a list that might prompt some ideas. i usually like to ask about workload, since i like to know what i’m committing to.

    linking you to a few additional resources as well:

    UTM’s “preparing for interviews” page 

    studentlife’s interview techniques info package 

    u of t’s career community interview videos 

    and for future resources, if you ever want to practice your interview skills with a real person, you can check out this mock interviewers with employers program. 

    i hope this helped and that you saw the post in time for the interview! i did try to get to it sooner but as we all know, the week before reading week is absolutely brutal.

    best of luck! i hope you get the position.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • mental health,  midterms

    midterm blues

    November 3, 2020

    Hi there! So… I’ve been struggling a bit lately. I’m not sure why I feel so overwhelmed and unmotivated all the time. Every moment I spend doing schoolwork is just painful. In high school, I used to be able to snap out papers in 2 hours. Now, it takes me the whole day to just start writing. Is there any way to stop this feeling of hopelessness? 🙁

    ——————————————

    hey there friend,

    it’s perfectly okay and normal to be struggling in uni, especially at this point in the semester. please don’t be hard on yourself for that.

    it’s truly impressive that you used to be able to finish papers in two hours (i could never), but as i’m sure you’re aware, high school and university are not the same! university demands a lot more of you in terms of robust argument and rigorous research/analysis, plus you’re adjusting to new expectations. it took me until the end of second year to feel more at ease with writing uni papers. what i’m trying to say is that it’s valid that you’re having a harder time with papers than you’re used to. papers are hard!

    with that said, is there a way to deal with those feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm? yeah, i do think there is. i’m glad you reached out and asked.

    first, i want to remind you that you don’t deserve to deal with these difficulties without support.

    i talk a lot about resources on this blog, and a lot of that is because seeking out campus resources has made such a difference in my ability to withstand the pressures at u of t. here are some supports that i’d recommend you reach out to:

    if you’re dealing with feelings of hopelessness, this is the main campus support that i’d recommend. when you paid your fees for u of t, you paid for access to u of t’s embedded counsellors, who will offer you five free appointments to help you reach a mental health goal. the counsellor i visited walked me through cognitive behavioural therapy, which i found really helpful.

    i should note, though, that embedded counselling is only available to students who are in ontario. if you want to see an off-campus counsellor, you should be covered for that under the utsu’s insurance plan, or greenshield if you’re a part-time student.

    if booking an appointment doesn’t sound right for you at this time, you can also reach out to the MySSP program, where there are counsellors who will talk you through what you’re experiencing at any time of the day, 7 days a week.

    either way, there’s a lot of value in looking after your mental health when you’re struggling with school. i can’t emphasize that enough. if any of these options appeal to you but seem confusing, feel free to shoot me another question and i’m happy to help you figure things out.

    learning strategists are such a cool resource, and i think they should have them at every school. i think it would help you to book an appointment with a learning strategist to talk through your paper-writing strategies and your lack of motivation. they’ll be able to help you spot what’s not working, what improvements you can make to your schoolwork system, and just generally give you tips, encouragement, and a sense of perspective.

    if that sounds like something you’d be down for, you can give your registrar a call.

    just gonna throw in a side note here: i know sometimes these appointments feel like a waste of time when you’re overwhelmed and stressed and know you have a million things to do, but trust me. they’re worth the time. they’re an investment in your wellbeing and your ability to handle future schoolwork.

    • writing centre

    if it’s papers that are gettin’ you down, the lovely people at your writing centre will be able to help you out a ton. you can approach them at any point in the paper-writing process. i’ve found that sometimes, bouncing ideas back and forth with a writing centre instructor can be a really solid way to jumpstart a paper that really was not coming together when i was trying to tackle it alone.

    if you’ve never been to the writing centre, i wrote a post on approaching the writing centre for the first time, which you can check out here.

    sorry. i dunno why that spongebob gif is so intimidating.

    apart from those resources, here are some of the things that help me, when i’m feeling the way that you described:

    • reaching out to people

    this school year is such an isolating one, and keeping up with the stress of midterms feels so much harder because of it. if you have good people that you trust, i find that it helps to reach out to them and let them know you’re having a hard time, so that you can commiserate.

    or maybe you don’t have people, which is okay and honestly pretty normal right now. in that case, there’s value in seeking out online u of t social events, trying to reach out to people in your classes, or joining clubs. i think everyone’s feeling some degree of isolation right now, and because of that many people are open to making new friends.

    any sense of connection you have will take some of the weight off you, i think. it’s easier to struggle as students together than alone.

    • taking a break

    there’s only so far you can push your brain before it stops serving you, lol. i do my best work after i take a walk or a run, or switch my brain into a non-study mode by cleaning my room/doing chores. if you find that you’re not productive for a long chunk of time, set your work aside. it’s okay to come back to it after a break. you’re a student, not a machine. you’ll do better, more efficient work if you feel refreshed.

    there’s really no use in staring at a blank computer screen, waiting for your paper to come together when you know you won’t type a single line for another eight hours. so do something that makes you feel more like yourself for a lil while. it’ll help, i promise.

    • getting enough sleep

    sleep is a big one for me, personally. whenever it takes me too many days to put a paper together, which makes me feel absolutely useless, i know it’s because my brain and body are drained and i need to start sleeping better. as uni students we run a constant sleep deficit, so i don’t know how practical this advice really is lol. but if you’re able to block out some time for sleep, i do think that will help.

    anyway, i hope that you made it to the end of this post, and there was at least something in here that sparked a little “oh, i can do that, that might help” moment.

    i really do want you to feel capable, motivated, and supported, and wish you all the best of luck with the rest of the semester. you got this. you’ll make it through, and things will get better.

    take care of yourself,

    aska

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  • admissions,  UTSC

    i could be so powerful if i just had access

    November 2, 2020

    Hi! I’m a grade 12 student right now and I’d like to apply to UTSC’s Neuroscience program. However, I’m retaking Calculus and Vectors and Advanced Functions (2 prerequisites) because I took them both in IB in grade 11 and got poor marks (60s). Would they consider my repeated grades? And what percent of people get accepted into this program? Thank you 🙂

    ——————————————

    hey,

    unfortunately, utsc’s repeated courses policy is super vague, and doesn’t really provide a clear sense of how they treat second-time high school grades. you can read it here— i think you’ll see what i mean. i don’t have the access necessary to give you information beyond what they’re willing to release officially, so that’s the policy we have to work with. if you’re really anxious to find out more, you can try contacting the admissions office directly. 

    i also have no idea what percent of people are generally accepted to the program that you’re interested in— programs don’t tend to release this information. if you’re really curious, you can reach out to the department and ask. in general, it’s probably more important to keep in mind what the admissions requirements are, and you can find those here.

    sorry i couldn’t be more helpful! i’m just a student lol they don’t let me into all that confidential stuff.

    best of luck with the rest of your grade 12 year and your uni applications, though! i’m rooting for you.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • first year,  midterms

    i’m not even in first year and my grades still hurt my feelings

    November 2, 2020

    Hi! do you have any advice for handling midterms and feelings of disappointment? I have two more left now and every time I finish one, I feel like I did a good job but I get sorely disappointed with the grades I receive — especially considering I’m genuinely working hard and studying for 2 weeks for one test, etc. I know university is NOT like high school, so I’m trying to keep that in mind, but floundering in first year does not feel good at all, haha! Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    i honestly really feel you on this. during my first semester of first year, i was really overwhelmed and it took me a good many months to adjust to uni. i’d been warned that grades tend to drop by at least 10 percent in the jump from high school to first year, so rest assured that you’re not the only one struggling with lower grades than you’re used to. it’s a common first year experience.

    here’s what advice i can offer to make this easier on you:

    first, it will probably be helpful for you to take inventory of what resources you have to support you through this. first year can be particularly difficult because you’re not used to navigating university yet, and don’t know about all the different ways you can receive help.

    i’ll divide the resource recommendations in this post into two sections. first, let’s start with resources that will help you handle your midterms better:

    1) learning strategists

    while i’ve never visited a learning strategist myself, i’ve heard that they’re really great for helping you reach your academic goals. a learning strategist will be able to give you tips on managing your time and stress, evaluate your study plans with you, and just generally talk you through better ways to learn and thus improve your grade. if you’re in arts and science, you should be able to call your college registrar and request an appointment with the learning strategist. otherwise, i think CLNx also allows you to make appointments.

    i do think this is one of your best bets for learning how to handle midterms well, and whatever skills you learn from your learning strategist will carry over to finals as well.

    2) writing centres

    if any of your midterms are midterm papers, the writing centre will be a godsend. my college’s writing centre has helped me improve my grades on many, many papers. a highly recommended resource. if you’re unfamiliar with the writing centre, this past weekend i did an advice post for first-timers, which you can check out here.

    3) librarians

    if any of your midterms include a research element, you can actually live chat with librarians for research help here. also, i think u of t still does the personal librarian system, which should mean that you’ve gotten an email from a campus librarian who’s offered to help you with research and show you different tools to make your life easier. my personal librarian is my college librarian.

    you’d really be surprised how much wisdom librarians have— they can be super helpful for finding books and papers you might not have come across otherwise, and can also give you tips on how to parse a whole ton of information.

    4) office hours

    if you’re studying really hard and still don’t find that you’re getting the grades you hope for, that’s usually a signal that you should reach out to your profs or TAs for an office hours appointment. clarify their expectations, ask them how they’d recommend that you prep for a midterm, and see if you can sus out what they care most about. what topics do they see as most important? should you memorize things or know how to apply them? only your course instructors will be able to tell you. they’re being paid to teach you, so you might as well ask.

    now, for resources that will help you handle the disappointment (no matter how hard you try, it will still hit you sometimes. that’s what i’m learning as an upper year).

    1) dons, mentors, and other upper years

    upper years have been through it. most of them know how you’re feeling, but have also had more practice putting their failures into perspective and moving on. if you have access to residence/commuter dons, a mentorship program, or any upper years in general, i wouldn’t be afraid to start a conversation with them about dealing with disappointing grades! as an upper year myself, i’m always happy to talk younger students through the emotional struggle of first year. i guess that’s why i run this blog lol.

    2) friends

    honestly, my current favourite way to get over a bad midterm grade is to play an hour of among us with my friends. there’s nothin like a little friendly space murder to make yourself feel better.

    but hey, even before the pandemic, i found that it helped so much to take some time off my studies with people that i like, so that i could come back to studying refreshed and ready to work.

    don’t know anyone, since you’re still in first year? check out your prospective program’s student associations, your college, mentorship programs, and clubs. there will be friendly people going through the same thing as you— don’t be afraid to approach them. some random girl from my class added me on facebook, and now we rant to each other weekly about how frustrating our assignments are. ten times better than slogging through alone.

    3) embedded counsellors and MySSP

    if your disappointments begin to make you feel anxious or depressed, please reach out to one of the mental health supports on campus. you have five free appointments with your college’s embedded counsellor, who will talk you through your negative feelings and help you identify how your patterns of thought might be holding you back. you can call health and wellness to make an appointment with your embedded counsellor. if that doesn’t sound like an option for you, you can also chat with the counsellors at MySSP in different languages, 24/7, even outside of North America. your mental health is very important!

    in case it’s not obvious yet, i really think that reaching out to other people in the university community is the best way to pull yourself through what you’re dealing with.

    other than that, i think there’s value in maintaining a sense of perspective. first year is an adjustment. there is no shame in not doing as well as you hoped to, and things will get better once you figure out what the heck is going on in university. i really had to overhaul my study habits in order to get on my feet. you’ll learn. it’s why you’re here.

    sending you tons of encouragement for the rest of the semester— i’m proud of you for working so hard. keep it up, you can do this!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    REAPPLY? after FIRST YEAR? ah yes.

    October 31, 2020

    Hi there! I’m interested in applying to the University of Toronto, but I’ve heard that once you get in after year 1 you have to reapply? Is this true? I can’t find resources about it online. Tysm!

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    very sorry it’s taken me a minute to get back to you. thanks for (hopefully) not hating me. school,,, it’s so stressful!

    anyway, what you’ve heard is technically untrue, but also sorta not. you won’t need to reapply to u of t in order to stay at the school after first year, but you will need to select a program of study (POSt) combination and apply to that in order to enter your second year of studies. since u of t is extra and only hands out honours degrees, that’ll mean that you pick either a specialist, two majors, or two majors and a minor.

    how stressful it is to apply to your POSts depends on what type they are. if you have something in mind already, you can scroll through this list. you’ll see that different programs have different numerical types, for example type 1, type 2, etc. this webpage does a good, up-to-date job of explaining what those types mean, and how to apply to each one. in general, i like to think of the types as indicating an escalating intensity: for type 1 programs, you’re basically guaranteed to get in, and for type three programs, they’re rigorous as heck. we’re talking interviews, high GPA cutoffs… y’know.

    i hope that helps you make sense of things! you won’t need to make your POSt decision til the end of your first year, although it can be useful to have a sense of direction already when you select your first-year courses, because many POSts have prerequisite first year courses. and the decision isn’t an end-of-the-world situation, because plenty of people switch their POSts after their second year, even.

    also, in the process of deciding on your POSt, you’ll be able to talk to your friends/upper year students, reach out to student unions to talk to people who are actually in the program, and get advice from the academic advisors at your registrar. there will be plenty of support for you when the time comes. the important thing, i guess, is just to know that the POSt selection process is something to be aware of, so that you’re not blindsided by it in your first year. some people are. that always sucks.

    if all this sounds okay to you and you choose to apply to u of t, best of luck with your application! aska is rooting for you.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • housing

    but who knows what the housing market will look like in 6ish years?

    October 31, 2020

    hi there! i’m a high school junior and planning ahead for university is really important, and so i’ve decided that i want to go to UofT for my masters for speech pathology. i’m not sure how much you know about the program, but i was just wondering about living on campus. would it be most expensive than buying an apartment? i live 5 hours from toronto so i’d have to move there obviously, and i know the traffic is crazy, so should i opt for on campus living?

    ——————————————

    hey hey,

    i really don’t know much about speech pathology, but i do know some things about housing at u of t and in toronto, which i’m happy to let you know about.

    so if you want to go to u of t for your master’s rather than your undergrad, the residence you’d be eligible for would probably be graduate house. the only thing that i’ve heard about grad house is that it can be really, really difficult to get a spot at, probably because there are a ton of students applying? you can check out the fees for the different types of rooms here.

    there are two things i’ll note about grad house: first, the fees will change by the time you’re in grad school. second, i took a look at the fees they’re currently charging, and they do seem to be lower than undergrad res fees, but higher than what most of my friends who live off campus pay.

    in your message, you asked about buying an apartment. just in case that’s not a mistake, i guess i’ll address it. living in res will never be more expensive than buying an apartment, but it will almost always be more expensive than renting. basically no one i know owns an apartment in downtown toronto lol.

    here are the five reasons (that i can think of) that might make choosing residence a good option for you:

    • it may be a little easier for you to find a sense of community. student residences usually come with some kind of programming, plus you’ll be living alongside other students who will probably be friendlier than your average toronto neighbour. i met some of my favourite people at u of t on res, although that was undergrad res. this is what grad house says about its programming.
    • living on res will mean that you spend less time commuting, and grad students are really busy, so that time will be valuable.
    • you won’t need to worry as much about things like maintenance, because whoever runs your building will have a system for taking care of that
    • you don’t have to deal with the rental housing market, which in my experience has led to unstable housing, crappy (and v creepy) landlords, and even a renoviction.
    • you will almost certainly have laundry on site, which isn’t always guaranteed if you rent off campus.

    obviously, res is a great option. but i, as well as most of my friends, have needed to prioritize saving money and having more autonomy over the perks of residence. here’s what i think is great about off-campus housing:

    • rent is often cheaper. i know people currently renting single rooms in shared houses for as low as $570 to $700 (they live in the chinatown area, and were willing to hunt around for a good price). i’d say the average monthly rent among the people i know is around $850, which (for a single room) is definitely cheaper than living on res.
    • you have more options in terms of what you want your living space to look like. there are some truly beautiful shared houses in the annex that i’ve seen on facebook. during my second year i rented a room with a bay window, although i shouldn’t say in which neighbourhood. if you want a room with a view, you can look at the bay street condos. apartment hunting can be really exciting!
    • you get a say in the area in which you live. the immediate campus area is great, but i find that the grocery stores are a bit overpriced and most of my favourite things in the city are at least half an hour’s walk away. if you’d like to live in an exciting or interesting neighbourhood, for example kensington market, living off campus gives you the freedom to do that.
    • you have the option of moving in with your friends/other people you trust, which you often aren’t guaranteed when you live on res. on the flip side, if you don’t have anyone to move in with, you may end up living with random people, which can be either super great or super terrible.
    • there are fewer rules regarding what you do with your space. when i was in res, pets weren’t allowed, and parties with alcohol needed to be pre-approved. there’s definitely more freedom off-campus, if that’s something that’s important to you.

    anyway, if you do decide to look for off-campus housing, i wrote up a post a while ago that might be helpful. you can check it out here. if you’re primarily concerned about cost and don’t give a crap about all the other opinions i threw at you, off-campus housing would be the way to go.

    i hope this helped! best of luck finishing your high school journey.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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