• writing

    we <3 the writing centre

    October 31, 2020

    hi! do you have any tips on how to approach the writing center? i’m a first year and i want to make sure my papers are the best it can be; it’s just hard when there’s still that high school tinge to your writing if you know what i mean haha. should i be approaching the writing center before or after i’m done my paper? i have no idea how this works. thank you!

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    i really love my friendly local writing centre, so i’m really glad you asked!

    when i was in my first year, i also remember being super confused as to how the writing centre works, but i was too scared to ask and didn’t end up going for a long while. so kudos to you for reaching out. transitioning to university-level academic writing is definitely challenging, and it’s important to have some kind of support instead of figuring everything out yourself.

    my brain is absolutely fried from midterms. have you also found that being a student during a pandemic is so HARD? so uh i’m just gonna brain-dump all the advice i can think of, i hope that’s cool with you.

    first, to answer your question about when to approach the writing centre, you can ask the centre for help at pretty much any point in the process of writing a paper! you can go when you just get the assignment and ask for help outlining/brainstorming, you can go if you get stuck midway through, and you can certainly go at the end when you have a finished draft ready for review. you can ask for help with citations too, or request advice honing a thesis. heck, you can even bring your readings and notes in and ask for help processing information. writing centre instructors understand that papers are a process, and they’re quite happy to meet you wherever you are.

    in terms of choosing an instructor to book with, it’s a good idea to ask around. upper-years at your college, particularly the ones in humanities or social sciences, should have a good sense of which writing centre instructors are popular, particularly kind, particularly effective, et cetera. i picked my go-to writing instructor by asking my friends who they liked, and i’m really glad i asked because it saved me the trouble of feeling things out for myself.

    the process of booking and getting ready for an appointment goes kinda like this: you decide you need help, you figure out which writing centres you’re eligible for (your college plus the colleges affiliated with any courses you’re taking, ie for help with a VIC279 project i could go to the vic writing centre), and you enter the appropriate writing centre portal. then you figure out what a good time is for you, check your preferred instructors’ availability, and follow the instructions to book an appointment with them! appointments are usually 50 minutes long, and instructions for accessing them virtually should be provided. i think different instructors/centres have different preferences for meeting. these days, it’s useful to have your assignment on a google doc that you can share with the instructor, so that the two of you can track suggestions and comments as you look the piece over.

    one last pro tip: be strategic about booking your appointments. by the time i hit second year, i realized that a good system for me was to sit down at the beginning of the semester with all my syllabi, and map out all my deadlines. then, i go into the writing centre portal and book appointments right before the deadlines of my biggest term papers. popular writing centre instructors will be hard to get a hold of at the busiest times of the semester, and if you’re sure that you want a slot, it’s best to snag one early. i book mine right before the deadlines because i like to have my final drafts looked over, and as a side effect that forces me to finish my toughest papers early. if you want help earlier in the process, then budget for more time between your deadlines and your appointments. i don’t know what other writing centres’ rules are, but i think mine allows me to book up to three appointments at once, one per week, with a limit of eight per term. get a sense of what the rules are, when you might need help, and book accordingly.

    i hope this helped, and happy halloween!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions,  pharmacy

    (i don’t really know what pharmacists do but they seem nice!)

    October 20, 2020

    Hi, I’m a grade 12 student and I’m interested in going to u of t so I can become a pharmacist in the future. I just have no idea what I’d be applying for since I couldn’t find a program that covers all the subjects I need to take. Would majoring in biology be good for that? I asked my guidance counsellor and he said to just apply for life sciences in general but if I apply for that, will I automatically be put into the courses that I need to take? Thank you!

    ——————————————

    hello hello! a future pharmacist, how exciting.

    i’m not super familiar with what it takes to become a pharmacist, but i’ll try to answer this. your guidance counsellor is correct that, for now, you should apply to the life science category. that’s because you don’t actually apply for a major as an incoming student— program of study (POSt) decisions are typically made after your first year, once you’re a little more familiar with the university and its offerings! as a first year, you enter the faculty of arts and sciences enrolled in a stream: life sciences, humanities, physical + mathematical sciences, or social sciences.

    (i do remember selecting a program of interest on my OUAC application, but you’re not held to that program once you get admitted. i don’t really even know why they ask you to select one. you can just pick something generic, don’t stress about it.)

    once you’re admitted, that’s when you should start thinking about what POSts you’re interested in, because you’ll need to account for any POSt admissions requirements as you plan your first year courses. if you’re interested in pharmacy, i’d recommend that you take a look at the undergrad pharmtox program offerings. i have a friend considering pharmacy who once mentioned that these programs were good for pharm! you can also reach out to your registrar’s office and book an appointment with an academic advisor, if you want someone to talk your program choice through with.

    after first year, once you’re enrolled in a POSt, you won’t necessarily be automatically enrolled in the courses you’ll need in order to be admitted to pharmacy school later on. that’s where tools like degree explorer come in: you can grab a list of the requirements from your preferred pharmacy program, and try to figure out how they fit into your degree using degree explorer.

    that planning shouldn’t be too hard. just going off of the good ol’ leslie dan PharmD requirements, it doesn’t seem like you’ll need a particularly complicated or specific combination of courses to get into a pharmacy program.  just 1.5 FCEs in chem, and 1.0 each in bio, mathematics, and humanities/soc sci. you’ll probably knock out the humanities/soc sci requirement just by virtue of fulfilling your breadth requirement, and most lifesci students will take a couple different chem/bio/math classes anyway. i know different schools have different requirements, though, so definitely check out the programs you’re really interested in and see what they want from you!

    anyway, one more resource to refer you to: if you don’t know of her already, you should check out @shelbypharmd on instagram. i’m in no way affiliated with her, but i see her on my explore page sometimes and it seems like she has some really solid tips for getting into (and surviving) pharm school. maybe some of those tips will be useful to you!

    i hope this helped, and that the rest of your senior year of high school goes all right. best of luck with university applications season!

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • cinema studies,  first year

    first year, what a TIME, truly.

    October 20, 2020

    hi! so i’m currently a first year student at u of t and it’s been a bit rough.

    i’m finding that i hate the majority of my courses and wish i hadn’t enrolled in the ones program i’m in. it’s making uni life a bit difficult, and i’m trying to push past that (because i know uni is what you make of it) but imposter syndrome and these feelings are making it difficult and stressful. do you have any advice for dealing with those feelings?

    i also recently did a midterm and got a 74, which put me in a bit of a shock because i expected and wanted higher. i’m also upset because i’m finding that i’m interested in working in film production and such, but i didn’t take any cinema studies courses and cin105 seems to be the prerequisite for the majority of courses after first year. it’s too late to switch courses now, since cin105 is a full year course. how should i manage that? do i just take it in second year? will that cause me to fall behind for all the requirements of a cinema studies major? i know this ask has a lot of questions, and i’m really sorry about that! i just really want (and need) some advice 🙁 thank you in advance ????

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    welcome to u of t! i can definitely relate to first year being rough— holy crap, i mean, i didn’t know anything about how anything worked. everything scared me. i never felt like i belonged and i had no idea what i was doing program-wise. what you’re feeling is not uncommon, especially in first sem of first year. uni feels like a plunge in the deep end when you’re new to it. so i don’t want you to feel that it’s your fault things aren’t going perfectly!

    anyway, buckle up. since i can relate to your situation, this is gonna be a long post, and i’m gonna throw everything i got at you.

    all right. let’s start with impostor syndrome. from my conversations with fellow students, i’ve found that it’s super common to experience impostor syndrome at u of t. even though i’m an upper year now, i still struggle with it on the regular: do i belong here? am i good enough? why does everyone else seem so cool and smart and capable?

    there’s something about the intensity of u of t and the calibre of other students that just sows doubt in your head. but here are some ways to start nudging that doubt away, so you can focus on what you’re here to do. (small content warning: mentions of anxiety!)

    1. don’t be afraid to reach out if you need help! a lot of my first year struggle could have been reduced if i’d known how helpful people at U of T are. your profs, TAs, academic advisors, learning strategist, embedded counsellor, etc. are all getting paid to help students like you out! chances are that you also have peer supports available to you, via dons, mentorship programs, course unions, and clubs. for almost every problem you run into during first year, there’s someone in the university community who can help you work through that problem. re: your midterm, i know the feeling of that first time getting a disappointing uni grade, but it will be easier to bounce back if you go to office hours and chat about the exam with the prof!
    2. invest in a sense of community. in my experience, isolation amplifies impostor syndrome, and university is so much easier and more fun when everyone struggles together! if you have trouble meeting people (because ZOOM UNIVERSITY), check out college/student union/newspaper/club events. there are definitely some running over discord and zoom. add the people you meet there on social media and start a conversation! and don’t be scared to approach people, many of us are down to make new friends.
    3. surround yourself with good people, who see your value and hype you up instead of tearing you down. in my experience, people who experience impostor syndrome tend to be ones who are sensitive to external affirmation or a lack thereof. if someone makes you feel crappy, give yourself permission to take some space from them. if someone makes you feel like you can handle anything that comes your way, be conscious about checking in with and supporting them, and allow yourself to receive that support back.
    4. don’t push yourself too hard. remember that outside of your GPA and classes, you’re a real person! not a machine! be gentle with yourself accordingly. you’re a person and you’ll make mistakes. you also deserve to sleep, drink water, eat properly, and spend some physically-distanced time with your friends.
    5. don’t put others on a pedestal. this is something i catch myself doing all the time! you know gerald over there with the 4.0 GPA, who’s president of two clubs and already has a summer internship lined up? he probably looks great on paper, but we don’t know anything about what his life is really like. it’s not fair to yourself to compare your full reality with a slice of his. many of the geralds in my life have debilitating anxiety and also feel like impostors, but you wouldn’t know that unless you were very close to them.
    6. look after your mental health. if your impostor syndrome intersects with any type of mental health concern, however mild, i’d really recommend that you give health and wellness a call and book an appointment with your college’s embedded counsellor. i finally caved and saw my embedded counsellor last year, and i wish i had gone earlier. to my understanding, all u of t students get 5 free appointments with an embedded counsellor, who will walk them through cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with the goal of helping them overcome a mental health challenge. CBT taught me to ask myself if my anxious thoughts were grounded in reality, and if they were moving me towards my goals. spoiler alert: they all were not.

    so those are the pointers i can offer. beyond that, there’s also some really helpful writing on impostor syndrome in campus newspapers, that i think it would be worth taking a look at. khadija alam at the strand wrote a beautiful reflection on working through impostor syndrome last year. willow cabral and adina heisler at the varsity also have some useful insights on and stories about the subject.

    as for your cinema studies dreams, you can totally take cin105 in second year! i know a ton of people who change their mind about their program of study during first year, and then have to take the intro courses later on. i’m not super sure how much that would cause you to fall behind, though. that would be a conversation to have with an academic advisor at your registrar’s office.

    i will note that, even if taking cin105 in second year does mean falling behind, i wouldn’t let that stop you from majoring in cin studies if you’re really interested in working in the film/tv industry. like i said, first year is a normal time to change your mind, and switching program plans before you start second year is much better than sticking with a program you’re less excited about. plus, the cinema studies program is really cool! i know a girl who just graduated from it in the spring, and already has a production credit on a film.

    this post got long. hope you made it to the end, and that my answers were of some use to you. wishing you all the best this year <3 hope you can tell how much i mean it by how many words i threw at you lol.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions,  covid-19

    ma’am, this is a global pandemic

    October 13, 2020

    Hey, so I’m a student in grade 12 looking forward to applying for the concurrent program however, i know they need experience but what if i wasn’t ableto get a lot of experience because i was still in high school and then covid quarintine struck which completely blocked my chances now that i was older and able to get more volunteer experiences relating to teaching. Is that going to affect my application and get denied? Im so stressed about this 🙁

    ——————————————

    hello hello,

    this is the first i’ve heard about any concurrent program at u of t— do you mean the concurrent teacher education program? it looks like that program hasn’t been doing direct admission from high school for several years, so if that’s the program you’re after, you may want to look into other options.

    anyway, i know that the issue of experience is something that’s causing a lot of anxiety for senior high school students. the thing is, it’s hard for me to say whether how much a lack of experience will impact your application. i’m not an admissions officer and as much as i wish i had the inside scoop on this stuff, i don’t.

    it may be worth contacting whatever department you’re applying to and see if they’re willing to answer your questions. that’s usually what i recommend for admissions questions.

    if it helps at all, what i can tell you is that normally, when you apply, you’re admitted based on how you compare to the others in your application batch. if everyone’s missing out on experience right now (which is quite likely), then you won’t be at any distinct disadvantage for not having experience. most students are in the same boat. i mean, the world is still in crisis!

    an idea— is it possible that you can get creative with your application? for example, you could explain your situation, and then include any experience that might be transferrable to teaching, ie. peer tutoring, academic clubs, or any extracurriculars with leadership. if your school has a guidance or academic counselor, it’s possible that they may be able to provide you with advice on how to put a strong application together without experience. see who you can reach out to for help.

    final words: i know admissions season is incredibly anxiety-inducing. remember to take breaks from applying/studying/working and drink water, stay connected with the people you love, and go outdoors if you’re able. when i was doing my apps a few years ago, they seemed like EVERYTHING. and they are incredibly important. but do what you can to prevent yourself from dissolving into a puddle of stress, yeah?

    best of luck with applications and the rest of high school! aska is rooting for you.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • odds are that won't be asked again,  subject POST

    this week has felt like two years hbu

    October 4, 2020
    Hello there, I’m in a tricky situation that’s kinda rare. Couldn’t find any cases to reference to, so here I am. Long story short, Low CGPA, have 6 credits left to complete. But got removed from the program, since I didn’t meet the cut off. Went to the chair of the department, nothing useful came back. So should I switch a program to start fresh? Took me 3 years already in the school but it seems nothin’s worth it. Any suggestions would be great. Thank you.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    happy october! hope you’re doing all right in this extremely chaotic world. i’ve been doomscrolling my way through the week and watching too much CNN. if ya know what i mean.

    it makes sense that, as you said, your situation is quite rare — i’m not really aware of any programs that require you to keep a certain CGPA, if that’s what you mean by “didn’t make the cutoff.” so, should you switch programs and start anew? it’s always difficult for me to provide clear answers to these kinds of questions. here are some factors i think you should weigh:

    1. is there a program similar to the one you were removed from? something you’d be able to use your current credits towards so that you wouldn’t have to necessarily start from scratch? for example, i had a friend switch from international relations to disapora and transnational studies in her third year— apparently there were enough similarities between the two that she was able to do so without too much inconvenience.
    2. is there a program that really gets you goin’? something that you’re intensely curious about, can see fitting into your interests well, or will help move you towards your goals? i know a few people who picked programs they weren’t into, just ’cause they thought they should, and it made their degree extremely difficult to complete. picking a program you care about will make finishing your degree feel doable.
    3. do you have the resources, stamina, and time to add a year or two to your degree? if you switch to a completely different program, it’s likely that you’ll need to take quite a few more credits before your degree is complete. is that a sacrifice you’re willing and able to make?

    if you answered yes to any of the above, it’s probably worth it for you to consider switching programs.

    i think it’s also worth considering what your alternatives are. were you doing a double major in two different programs, or perhaps a major and two minors? is it an option for you to take another program you’re already enrolled in and specialize in it instead? or maybe you were already a specialist and that’s why you feel like you’ve been backed into a corner. i dunno. this is a lot of guesswork,,, honestly, you might benefit from an appointment with your friendly local registrar’s office. personally, i find that it’s really helpful to talk things over with an academic advisor who has access to things like my academic record. you might benefit from the kind of advice an advisor can dispense.

    anyway, just to sling a lil encouragement your way (cause god knows we could all use some right now): i know school is tough and seems pointless sometimes. you weren’t explicit about what other options you were considering, but my sense is that you’re feeling lost and are maybe even thinking about giving up. and you know what, if this isn’t the right time and place for you to be pursuing a degree, then that’s all right! but if you want to stick around and are just discouraged, i do think that you can find a path to finishing your degree that makes sense to you. talk things through with people, if that’s something that helps you. make pro-con lists. explore your options. whatever you ultimately decide, i trust that you know what’s best for yourself. as one of my friends likes to say, this problem will have its place. things will turn out all right.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • deferral,  fees

    release those fees!

    September 22, 2020

    hi! if i deffered my tuition fee, when is the last day I can pay it? nslsc still hasn’t released my funding ?

    ——————————————
    hey there,
    the problem you’re having isn’t unheard of, which is why fee deferral exists in the first place! but it’s actually been quite difficult for me to find the answer to your question. i’m not 100% versed in how student loans work across the board, unfortunately, especially since i’m not from ontario and have zero experience with osap.
    this is what i’ve managed to figure out: apparently nslsc is what releases your OSAP funds to you. you probably already knew that, but i’m learning this for the first time. if that’s the case, you have until september 30 to pay your fall tuition fees. as far as your winter fees go, you have until january 31, 2021. 2021? what a foreign concept. i feel like i’ve been stuck in 2020 all my life. technically, your service fees won’t start accruing until around two weeks later, so if you need a day or two extra i think that’s normally okay. u of t affords a bit of a grace period, since funds don’t always get processed right away. after that, you have until april 30, 2021 until a financial hold gets placed on your account, which will block you from future registration. if i’m somehow wrong and your funding isn’t connected to OSAP, you can check out this page, which will give you the fee deadlines for other types of tuition deferrals.
    i hope this helped! actually, i hope that this post is now irrelevant and that somehow, right after you asked your question, nslsc released your funding. that would be nice. that’s the kind of ideal world i wanna live in.
    be Boundless,
    aska
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  • petition

    take care of yourself, bro

    September 17, 2020

    I failed a course this summer due to horrible health issues. I ended up writing the deferred final exam and I’m scared they won’t accept my petition to late withdrawal without academic penalty…. I’m thinking of taking a year off because of my heath so I can eventually get back to studies. And I was thinking if this WDR request gets denied could I CR/NCR Petition it? So it’s going to be NCR, however I do need this credit for my program requirement… so if it’s NCR would that create problems?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    i’m so sorry you had to deal with those health issues! it’s been a minute since you asked this, so maybe you have the results of your petition already, but i’ll do my best to answer this anyway.

    i’m not really sure if you can petition to cr/ncr a course if a WDR petition has been denied. that would be a question to email or call your registrar’s office with. but if you do successfully petition to cr/ncr the course, that will throw a wrench in your plans whether or not the final designation is cr or ncr. that’s because the cr/ncr designation can’t be used towards program requirements.

    if this course fulfills a flexible requirement, ie. “take 2.0 FCEs from either list A, B, or C” you’ll need to choose a different course in order to fulfill that requirement. if this course is a rigid requirement, as in you need this specific course in order to complete your program, you’ll likely need to retake it. i know that you can retake failed classes, but i’m not 100% sure if you can take classes designated ncr. my gut says probably yes, but my brain says email your registrar and confirm since the rules and regulations don’t make that explicitly clear. but if you can retake passed courses (with restrictions), you shoulddddd be able to retake ncr-designated courses.

    (off topic, but did you see that video of that one professor who commissioned a video from snoop dogg to drive home the point that his students should read his syllabus? apparently he spent like $700ish on it? wild.)

    anyway, the arts and science students’ union (ASSU) is considering advocating for the cr/ncr deadline to be pushed until after final marks are released, so that people who are in your situation don’t need to jump through so many hoops. if you’re interested in seeing that go through, you can show them the support they need by filling out this google form. 

    best of luck with everything, and please take a year off if you need to! if i’ve learned anything from this year of absolute chaos, it’s that your health is really the most important thing and there are no substitutes for looking after it. wishing you a smooth recovery <3

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • work-study

    what if we… applied to jobs we aren’t qualified for… haha jk… unless?

    September 9, 2020

    Hi I just checked out Clnx as I was looking for a part-time and people told me it’s best if I can get one through UT’s work-study program. However all the positions I saw were meant for higher-years. Do you know any jobs that will take first-years? Or is work-study typically not a first-year thing?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    first years are definitely eligible for the work-study program! i know it can be a bit tougher to find jobs that feel like they’re geared towards u of t newcomers, but i’d encourage you to apply to anything you’re interested in, even if you don’t think you’re qualified. i’ve definitely seen a few openings that i think would make sense for a first-year to go for, like basic office jobs or assistant positions. you can also think about what strengths and interests you have, and filter the job postings accordingly— for example, i know a girl who got a work-study position doing some illustration and graphic design. for creative or skill-based jobs like those, i don’t think it would matter very much what year you’re in.

    if you don’t see anything that makes sense for you to apply for, i think some places are still adding work-study positions right now, so i’d recommend checking the site regularly up until the deadline to apply.

    if you need any help with your resume, cover letters, or interviewing skills, you should check out these career-advising appointments available to u of t students. they’re able to dole out some fantastic advice, most of which an average person wouldn’t know, and can even advise you on your job search in general.

    i do agree with whoever told you that the work-study program is a good idea. i’m a work-study student myself, and find that it affords me a ton of flexibility with my work hours that i probably wouldn’t have otherwise. plus, it’s super useful to work with a university faculty, college, or program, since it gives you a lil inside look at how things work at this school. i learned so much more about u of t from my work-study program than i did from literally anywhere else. aaaaand you get CCR recognition, which is always a win.

    anyway, sending you some physically-distanced encouragement with this weird, weird SNL gif i found. don’t let your first-year status hold you back in your job search!

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

     

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  • quercus

    what’s the dealio?

    September 8, 2020

    hi! it is currently September 08 (two days before the semester starts) and none of my courses are up on quercus yet. What’s the dealio?

    ——————————————

    hey there!

    my guess is that either you’re a wide-eyed first year— otherwise, you’ve somehow managed to consistently get profs who are more on top of their work than the ones i’ve gotten. i wouldn’t worry too much about courses not being up on quercus yet— i’ve literally had quercus shells posted sometimes a week, a week and a half into the semester. i get that late quercus shells are even less ideal this year, given that many classes are online.

    if you’re really worried about it, once the first day of that class has come i’d shoot a polite email to the prof just to check in. but i anticipate that some profs are probably doing some last-minute work and their quercus shells won’t be ready for launch til right before the class starts, which is my best guess as to why you’re in this situation today.

    tl:dr don’t worry too much! and good luck with the semester.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • graduation

    “the final degree” hmm sounds like a climate change horror film haha #ecoanxiety

    September 2, 2020

    hey!! I was wondering if that when you double major in a BA/BSc, what does it say on your degree when you graduate? Do you get to pick whether you want the final degree to be a BA or Bsc? I’m currently enrolled as an honours BSc

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    i believe you do get to pick what your degree reads when you graduate! you can find that info on this webpage— you’ll see that it says whatever’s on ACORN will be your default degree, but you can get in touch with your registrar to change that to another degree you qualify for. so in your case, your default would be an HBSc but you could technically graduate with a HBA as well. i’ve also heard (though i can no longer find any evidence of this) that you can ask to have both an HBA and a HBSc on your diploma, so if that’s something you’re interested in, you could probably inquire about it as well?

    one more note on this topic: i’ve heard that if you’ve chosen a POSt that goes above and beyond your requirements to graduate (for example, a minor on top of a specialist, or on top of two majors) that POSt won’t be shown on your diploma unless you ask for it. if that’s relevant to you, it might be something to keep in mind as well.

    man. thinking about graduation makes me a little sad. i hope that when my time comes, i get to have a real ceremony.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • extracurricular,  greek life

    everything scream queens told you is probably a lie

    August 29, 2020

    hey! im going into my first year and i was really considering joining a sorority since it seems like a good way to make friends, network, and do some philanthropic work. I’m just worried that it’s going to be too clique-y and it’s not going to be as happy and inclusive as they advertise it to be. i know that the panhellic community isn’t affiliated with uoft but do you have any advice or knowledge about what Greek life at uoft is actually like?

    ——————————————

    hello!

    these are definitely some valid concerns. while i’m not a member of the panhellenic community myself, i do know some people who have joined sororities and seem quite happy there. they seem great for networking and developing a sense of community at u of t, and i know a number of them offer leadership development opportunities as well.

    in terms of whether or not it’s as “happy and inclusive” of a lifestyle as it seems, that’s probably a super subjective assessment that only someone in a sorority would be able to make. all i know is that hazing isn’t really as much of a thing in canada as it is in the states (in other words, it’s not allowed). i’ve seen that the president of one u of t sorority has written about the racism and exclusivity built into the greek life system— you can read more here. there’s also a little bit on reddit about u of t sororities here, although reddit should typically be taken with a grain of salt when it comes to accuracy. i just like the note from one redditor in the thread pointing out that you can ask sorority members about their experiences during rush. that’s as close as you can get to knowing what it’s like in a house without actually joining it.

    if you decide to go ahead with joining a sorority, it might be worth it to look into the different philanthropic and social activities each house engages in, to get a sense of which one aligns best with what’s important to you. what values does each house have? what sets it apart from the others? knowing that kind of information well in advance will help you get the best experience out of a sorority, should you choose to join.

    anyway, you can find more information on u of t sororities, including recruitment, here. sorry i can’t be more specific about what kind of cliques and exclusion might be involved, but wishing you the best of luck with making this decision!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • programs,  transfer credits

    give us priority enrolment!

    August 25, 2020

    hey! really appreciative of what you’re doing here 🙂 I’m a UTSG student and I need to take PHL281 (biothetics) as part of my program (health studies). But, no priority so the waitlist is super long (40% would need to drop lol). PHLB09 at UTSC shows up as transferable to 281 on transfer explorer, and it has lots of space and a great prof. does that mean I can take it and have it count towards my major reqs? i should email the dept, but I don’t know how to write that email/what to say :/

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    this is one of the most annoying things about course enrolment at u of t, tbh… i wish they’d provide priority enrolment for all program requirements. it makes things so hard when the school doesn’t give you priority for courses that you actually need in order to complete your degree.

    as far as i know, if PHLB09 at UTSC is transferrable to the PHL281 at UTSG, you should be able to take it. it might be even easier than normal this year, with hybrid/online classes. i agree that you should probably email the department and double-check. you can keep the message pretty brief. here’s a suggested email from me if you’re not sure what to say:

    “Hello (name of person),

    I’m emailing with a question about a Health Studies program requirement. My name is ______ and I’m a student in the Health Studies major. My student number is _______.

    I haven’t been able to get into PHL281 for this upcoming academic year, but according to Transfer Explorer, PHLB09 at UTSC has been accepted in the past as a transfer credit equivalent to PHL281. I’m wondering whether or not I’d be able to to take PHLB09 in place of PHL281 and have it fulfill the program requirement.

    Thank you for your time and I look forward to a response!”

    i’d also shoot a quick email to your registrar, just to check what else you need to do in order to take a UTSC course and have it count towards a UTSG degree. i’m not sure if this is a letter of permission situation or not, but there are likely other hoops you’ll need to jump through in order to be 100% certain you can get credit for the UTSC course. i think you’ll almost definitely need to interact with the transfer credit department at some point. your registrar will know what to do. don’t forget to include your student number in the email so that they’ll get back to you sooner!

    i hope this helped and good luck.

    be Boundless

    aska

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  • petition,  suspension

    two thumbs down

    August 16, 2020

    Hi, I am a student at UTM. I recently got suspended due to academic probation. A mark for a course from winter 2020 was inputted late thus resulting in my suspension. The university has allowed me to continue with my summer semester and I was very motivated towards CCIT as I wanted to switch from commerce. My CGPA for my summer session has improved significantly, as it is above 1.50 and I was wondering how I can highlight this in my petition for early return/lift of suspension. Any Tips?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    geez, if a mark was inputted late, doesn’t that mean you got suspended for something that literally… was not under your control? maybe i’m misunderstanding something. but if that’s the case, that’s dumb and we don’t like it.

    for this, i would actually reach out to your registrar for advice if you haven’t already. usually i get a wave of suspension questions in the spring right before the summer sem starts, so i can’t remember encountering a case like yours before. an academic advisor might be able to give you better guidance on how to make your petition as strong as possible.

    with that said, if your CGPA is above 1.50, that means you’re in good standing. personally, i would recommend emphasizing that in your petition statement, along with the efforts you’ve gone to in order to bring your CGPA back up. you don’t need to write a novel— something concise will do— but anything to show that you deserve an exception should help. maybe even throw in a little “this is how i plan to keep my GPA up moving forward,” i don’t know?

    best of luck!! i hope your suspension gets lifted early.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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