• colleges

    u of t needs a sorting hat

    November 25, 2020
    Hello. I’m an international first-year applicant and I was trying to rank colleges and I couldn’t find the one that fit me best. I’m looking for something with a nice clean residence and most importantly, a place where I can make a lot of friends and meet nice people. I would say it would be nice to have good food but a meal plan isn’t necessary. I’ll tell you what i found about all the colleges so you can help me pick out a fit for me.
    1. I ruled out St.Michael’s because I heard that it’s very religious
    2. I also ruled out Trinity because from what I’ve heard, I wouldn’t be able to get along with the students there
    3. I ruled out Victoria because I heard all the students there are artsy and that it’s far from the rest of the campus
    That leaves the other 4
    New College seems like a nice place, but I’m not sure how the students there are like and whether I’ll be able to get along with them or not.
    I don’t know much about University College other than the place looks nice and the people seem to be outgoing. I heard the food is bad though and I don’t know much about the residences there.
    Woodsworth seems to have a great residence, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to make friends there because I heard it’s mostly mature students and upper-year students.
    I also don’t know much about Innis and its residences.
    Please respond as soon as possible. Thank You.
    ——————————————
    hey there,
    sorry it took me a while to get to this! for future reference, it can usually take up to 14 days for questions to get answered on here— for more urgent questions, i usually recommend that you contact the appropriate u of t office, for example admissions.
    anyway, someone really ought to create a sorting test for colleges because this question comes up a TON.
    here’s what little disorganized wisdom i can offer you, if you haven’t submitted your application already:
    • if you’re interested in good food, new college has the best dining hall on campus, hands down. but if you can cook, innis and woodsworth are good choices as well because their residences are equipped with full kitchens and there’s no mandatory meal plan— meaning you can choose what you eat, when you eat it, and how much you spend.
    • it’s true that woodsworth has a great residence! their study rooms have gorgeous views and if you luck out, so will your dorm room. i wouldn’t worry too much about woodsworth being mostly mature/upper-year students, because this is the first time that i’m hearing about that as a problem. there will be plenty of first-years at woodsworth for you to mingle with!
    • if you’d like to be super close with one or two roommates (assuming COVID-19 is in the past by your first year), UC and new college offer a classic dorm experience. if you’d like to mingle with a slightly larger group of 4-5 students in a more apartment-style setting, i’d choose either innis or woodsworth. in my experience, the classic dorm experience does tend to be more social, whereas the apartment-style experience offers you more privacy and independence.
    • i don’t know much about UC’s food or residences either— which probably just means that the UC res experience isn’t particularly remarkable. if things are really bad or really good on campus, you tend to hear about them.
    • i will say that UC has some really great clubs and associations— UC is a bit of a larger community compared to colleges like trin and innis, so that means there’s more variety in the student life there. UC also has several student lounges, one of which serves free cookies on weekdays during a regular academic year. not all colleges are that lucky.
    • during a regular academic year, woodsworth has free pancakes every wednesday for all students!

    • in terms of student spirit out of your remaining four choices, i’d say that innis and UC students tend to be prouder of their college affiliation, in comparison to woodsworth and new students. i’ve heard that few woodsworth students care very much about their college, but then again i’ve never been a woodsworth student so i wouldn’t know.
    • innis is the smallest of your remaining four colleges, and i’d say it probably has the most tight-knit community of them as well. i’m a bit biased here, but innis is known for being welcoming and wholesome, if that’s something you’re into :’)
    • if you’re worried about proximity to the heart of campus, UC and new are certainly more central than innis and woodsworth are. woodsworth can actually be pretty far, too— it’s the furthest north of all the colleges on st. george.  but i wouldn’t worry about this factor too much— even in the snow, a few extra minutes of walking won’t hurt you too much, and you’ll barely notice after a while. plus, the likelihood is that you’ll have classes all over campus anyway, so you’ll usually be far from something.
    if you’ve already submitted your application, or if you’re still stuck after reading this post, try not to worry too much! at the end of the day, your college is most important for administrative purposes (it determines what registrar’s office you visit, some of the scholarships you’re eligible for, etc.).
    if you’re looking to make good friends and meet new people, i’d say that’s possible at every college, even the ones you’ve ruled out. the most important thing, i’d say, is to put yourself out there. attend events, say hi to new people, ask them if they want to study together sometime or hit up a free food event with you. add them on social media and stay in touch. plenty of students are looking for new friends in your first year, and if you’re approachable and confident enough, i can see you thriving socially no matter what community you get dropped into.

    … and honestly, if you want a clean residence, that’s going to depend more on the roommate you end up with (which is more or less out of your control). even apartment-style dorms can get messy if you live with messy people. trin, though, is a little special for one particular reason: they get a free weekly cleaning service. lol. because of course they do.

    be Boundless,
    aska
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  • admissions,  colleges

    ! prospective ! student ! alert !

    November 21, 2020

    hi! i’m applying for september 2021 for social sciences (and probably some other programs) and i was wondering what the differences between all the colleges are? do i have anything to do with them if i have to learn from home? what’s the point of them? side question, do you have any tips for (possibly) incoming students?

    ——————————————

    hello hello,

    colleges! the classic admissions question.

    so to give you the rundown, colleges are basically smaller communities within the very large faculty of arts and science. some of these colleges, like victoria and st. mike’s, used to be separate universities that were absorbed into u of t like a baby eating its twin in the womb.

    your college affiliation is mainly significant because it determines which registrar’s office you go to for administrative services and academic advising and which residence(s) you’re eligible to stay at. you’re also eligible for certain scholarships and resources at your college that other college’s students won’t be allowed to apply or qualify for. apart from that, your college can often become the student community that serves as your home base, since there are college-specific clubs, student governments, and newspapers that you can get involved at.

    if you’re planning to learn from home (to be fair, we don’t REALLY know what september 2021 will look like yet), your college will still matter for all those reasons except res. if you’d like to make an informed decision but aren’t concerned about res, i’d pay particular attention to what clubs and scholarships are available at the colleges you’re interested in, as well as the general character of the community (which you can read about on reddit* or get ~ vibes ~ about on instagram).

    you should also note what you need to do to get into the college of your choice. some colleges, like victoria, trinity, and innis, will only consider you if you place them at the top of your rankings list. victoria and trinity also require supplemental applications.

    anyway. do i have any tips for incoming students? heck yeah i do.

    depends on what you wanna hear about. i guess i’ll throw some generalized tips at you:

    • be aware of what program selection is! in short, when you’re admitted to u of t you’re not really admitted to a program yet— you’ll need to go through a second admissions process after first year. it’s a good thing to be aware of because if it hits you like a surprise… well, that’s a lot of unwanted stress.
    • start learning what it means to take care of yourself and your mental health before you enter university. that’s vague, and i’m sorry, but it really is something good to start thinking about. university (at a normal pace, anyway) will strain you like few other things and it’s good to start building habits that will enable you to endure it. for me, that would have looked like beginning to visit a counsellor while in high school.
    • enter university with an open mind and some confidence in yourself! if i could do my first year again, i would tell myself that there’s no good reason to feel like an impostor and that there was a lot i could achieve at this school. i definitely wasted a lot of time in first year held back by impostor syndrome, which seems to be relatively common at u of t.

    i hope this helped! good luck with your uni applications process— i hope you get into everything you want and that you make the right university choice for you. and let me know if you have any specific questions re: tips for incoming students.

    be Boundless and stay safe,

    aska

    *obligatory note: take things that you read on reddit with a grain of salt! r/UofT makes things sound a lot scarier than they really are sometimes, and not all the academic information on there is correct. but for things like gauging the character of different colleges, you can’t do much better than a crowdsourced opinion.

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  • clubs

    ah yes, the page with all the options

    November 15, 2020

    Hi! I’m in my first year and online and I was wondering if you knew how we could possibly join clubs? I visited the page with all the options but it doesn’t actually tell us how to join? Thank u!

    belated welcome to u of t! i definitely sympathize with how difficult it can feel to get involved with campus activities this year, and am really glad you reached out.
    my guess is that you probably visited ulife, where the most central listing of u of t’s clubs is located. ulife can serve as a good springboard to getting involved. my advice would be to go through the listings and jot down a few clubs that seem particularly appealing to you.
    then comes the slightly more difficult part: tracking those clubs down. i’d recommend using social media to do so, particularly facebook and instagram. all the clubs and student organizations that i or my friends are involved in have a presence on at least one, if not both, of those platforms. that’s where word about online events, challenges, and office hours will go out, plus you can send DMs to an instagram or facebook page to ask how you can get involved.
    for example, the vietnamese students’ association posts a cute lil instagram graphic whenever there’s something going on. the chemistry students’ association also posts updates on their instagram. i see VUSAC posting a lot of event news on facebook.
    tl:dr do a lil social media stalking and you should get a sense of what events are running! i’ve never encountered a u of t student group that’s not welcome to having people join casually, at any point in the year— you can drop in to an event and meet some new people, or you can reach out directly and ask about getting involved. sometimes there are mailing lists you can sign up for, or exec boards with empty spots— won’t know unless you ask.
    i hope this helped!
    be Boundless,
    aska
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  • 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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