• credits

    after a year at u of t you’ll be able to answer this question in your sleep

    August 14, 2020

    HI! This may sound like a dumb question, but approximately how many courses amount to 20 credits?

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    HI back at you! love the enthusiasm.

    another name for credits at u of t is full course equivalents, or FCEs. once you know that, understanding what 20 credits actually means is a lot simpler— it essentially entails that, to complete your degree, you need the equivalent of 20 full-year courses. with very few exceptions, each full year course is typically worth 1.0 FCE, while each half-year (single-semester) course is worth 0.5 FCE. so to finish your degree with 20.0 FCEs, you’ll need to take some combination of full year courses and half year courses that add up to the right amount. you can also think about it this way: if you plan to take 5 courses each fall/winter semester of your degree (which you totally don’t have to, but many people do), then that means you’ll end up with 20.0 FCEs after four years.

    i hope that makes sense! no dumb questions here, since this blog basically exists to help people navigate the tangle of rules and bureaucracy that is u of t. if you want a handy-dandy tool to help you track your credits and programs, you can check out degree explorer.

    but… oh, honey, if 20 credits confused you, you’re gonna love this thing called the 12 distinct credits rule.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  grad school

    y’all are really testing the limits of my all-knowingness

    August 10, 2020

    hi there, I am going into my third year and I took a breadth course this past summer which I NCR/CR’d. I unfortunately didn’t pass and got a final grade of NCR. I am particularly concerned because I want to go to grad school (particularly masters/law). I am in humanities and the course I didn’t do well in was a science course, but its the first time I failed to get the credit for a course. Will it look bad on my transcript and will it greatly impact my admission chances?

    ——————————————

    hello hello!

    don’t feel too bad about the NCR, it happens sometimes.

    i’m not sure how it’ll look on your transcript or how it will affect your grad school admissions, though. admissions questions are always the toughest for me to answer because, as a fellow student myself, i’ve never worked in admissions or gotten to go behind the scenes of the process.

    something i’ve been told by academic advisors, though, is this: usually when you apply for grad school you’ll have an opportunity to explain any personal circumstances that may have affected your academic record. so if there was a serious reason you didn’t pass the course, you’ll be able to provide that reason to the grad schools you’re applying to.

    other than that…

    you could always try checking in with your registrar, who might know more about this subject than i do. but i have a feeling they’ll redirect you to the specific grad school programs you’re considering, since every program has different admissions policies.

    be Boundless,

    aska
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  • bird courses

    sometimes i have more questions than answers

    August 9, 2020

    Hi Aska, I have a question. Is “ITA103: Made in Italy: Italian Fashion from the Theatre to the Runway”, an easy course/bird course? Thank you in advance.

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    hey there,

    i would love to be able to tell you that it is, but i can’t actually lay claim to having taken every single course this esteemed institution offers. i can also see that nothing turns up when i plug the course code into reddit, so there’s no use directing you to that.

    wait, hang on. does this course exist?

    nothing comes up for it in the timetable, and it’s not included under the italian calendar listing. so i actually… don’t really know what to tell you. i actually have more questions for you than answers. why do you know about this course? where are you getting your course listings? is there something you know that i don’t, like a starbucks secret menu, but make it u of t?

    in terms of bird courses in general, though, i always tell people that it’s more important to choose courses that play to your strengths and interests. an ‘easy’ course is super subjective, so even if i had a personal assessment to toss your way, i don’t know that it would be worth very much. plus, if you’re paying tuition, you get more of your money’s worth by investing in courses that make you actually want to engage with the material. a class on italian fashion does sound pretty interesting to me, so if that’s why you’re drawn to it, then by all means— enrol.

    just, maybe, wait for a year in which it’s offered?

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • career choice,  grad school

    your brain > my brain

    August 8, 2020

    Hey, so i had earned a masters degree in physics and education from Pakistan and am currently a new immigrant to Toronto and aspiring to build on my skills (and social circle) to land on a good job by getting into a masters program at U of T. I do have OCT certification but getting into Toronto’s teaching market is quite a daunting job. So, i want to have a advice regarding whether to pursue Masters in: (a) Education Policy;(b)Curriculum development and Pedagogy or (c) Meng in Material Science?

    ——————————————

    hi there!

    welcome to toronto, the city of… the CN tower and… the CN tower.

    just kidding, tons of fantastic stuff here. i hope you’re settling into the city well. at some point (when it’s safe), you should check out kensington market, which is my favourite spot in the downtown area. kensington has great bagels, solid coffee shops, and some of the best fresh produce stores in the city. plus a ton of weird stuff happens there. and if you want a skyline view of your new home, the nexus lounge on the top floor of OISE is the place to go. free to enter and publicly accessible on weekdays, aka way, way more worth it than the CN tower. although i guess there are no glass floors.

    to actually answer your question, i actually am really just a student myself, and don’t know if i’m qualified to give the kind of sweeping career/education path advice that you seem to want. i guess my questions for you would be— how would each of these masters’ programs get you closer to your goals? how do you define a good job, and what are your priorities? what industries do you want to build your social networks in?

    if you’re interested in educational leadership of any sort, the master’s in education policy would probably be the route you want to take. lord knows we need some good educational leaders, especially now. i’d actually never heard of the curriculum development and pedagogy program until now, but i’m sure you’d also be able to do some important work with that expertise. i’ve recently come to appreciate how important curricula are in terms of shaping students’ ideologies and thought patterns.

    the MEng in material science also seems like a solid option for you, given your physics background. i guess engineering degrees are prestigious and tend to lead to stable, high-paying jobs. if that’s what you’re after, then by all means, go for it.

    i mean, maybe it’s not a money grab. i’m sure there’s a lot of innovation and exciting work that’s done in a masters of engineering program.

    if you’d like more information about each program before making a decision, i’d recommend that you reach out to the departments and ask whatever pressing questions you might have. the contact info for each department should be available in the links i’ve embedded above. i’d also go through the curricula and class requirements for each program, and see what gets you the most excited. as i understand, you also have options between M.Ed degrees and M.A. degrees if you choose to go the education route.

    i usually make pro/con lists in a spreadsheet when i have to make decisions like this. map all your options out and decide which ones fit your priorities best. i have full faith in you to make the best decision for yourself. i mean, holy crap, you’re already way more educated than i am.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • residence

    if you want parties you’ll find them, don’t worry

    August 4, 2020

    Hi! I was just wondering which college is the best in terms of res? My friends all say that SMC is a party college so they all want to go there, is this true?

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    hey there,

    there are really only subjective answers to this question. i’d only really be able to give you an accurate take on the one residence i lived in, which was not st. mike’s. which one was it, you ask?

    well some things are meant to remain mysteries.

    i have heard things about parties at SMC, but i have also heard (from an acquaintance who lived there first year) that the rooms are like prison cells and the food is … subpar. something about serving the leftovers from lunch again at dinner? is that slander? please treat this as a rumor, hearsay, whatever. i don’t want to get sued. i am but a broke student blogger; take my word with plenty of salt.

    my thing with this is mainly that if you want parties, you will be able to find them. u of t’s got frats and all. even my res, which was not in any way a party res, had its fair share of parties. in fact, i fully believe that it’s not about where you are, but who you know: some people are party people. they will have access to parties aplenty. some people, like me, are library people.

    anyway, if you want to know what people on campus tend to think about different residences, i have heard some very good things about how nice woodsworth is, in terms of the building’s design and views lol. i also know a lot of people who had super postive, very social experiences at vic’s margad res. new has the best food, hands down, and offers you a traditional dorm experience (although i can’t really say if that will be true this year). that’s about all i got.

    my final note for you: please, stay safe if you’re planning to socialize on campus this upcoming year! i worry about students passing the virus to older profs and staff, who may not have much of a choice to be on campus. not that you have any obligations to me, but i ask that you keep that in mind.

    be Boundless (but not too boundless),

    aska

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  • ccr

    is anything really mandatory in uni though

    August 4, 2020

    is CCR mandatory? like volunteer hours were in high school? i’m a commuter and i’ve been having a hard time figuring out how to participate around campus.

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    heyo,

    as far as i’m aware, CCR is not mandatory! if it is, that’s gonna be a nasty surprise for me because i haven’t really invested a ton in my CCR, lol.

    the CCR is just meant to capture all of your outside-the-classroom learning on an official u of t document, but there’s no obligation, really, to fill it up with things. with that said, i really would recommend getting involved with on-campus opportunities. below are a few opportunities i’m aware of that can count towards your CCR— and some of them will even help you out with your grades!

    if you’re in artsci, you may also have CCR opportunities lurking around at your college. my college runs several councils/organizations that you can get CCR recognition for, as well as a mentorship program. if you’re not in artsci, check out what opportunities your faculty offers!

    apart from that, you can always try checking CLNx for CCR-accredited opportunities. i’ve found a couple decent things on there, and am happy to answer questions about the application process as much as i’m able.

    my best advice, in general, is to go for activities that excite you or seem relevant to the career you want to pursue. you’re going to be super, super busy while you pursue your degree. i do believe you should be doing things outside your classes if you have the capacity to, but you shouldn’t overcommit or you risk burning yourself out. that’s why it’s best to find a few things that you think will be particularly constructive or fun, so that you use your time and energy well and come out with sharper skills. that’s my take on this whole ~getting involved~ thing.

    anyway, it was only just now, at the end of writing this post that i found confirmation that CCR is in fact not mandatory. do with that as you will.

    episode 14 GIF

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

     

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  • FLC

    tag yourself, i’m the eyeball taking the damage

    July 30, 2020

    Hi,

    I am confused. On the FLC website it says groups meet every tuesday or thursday. Could I essentially do tuesdays one sem and then thursdays the next? I’m asking here bc I already sent the m an email but its currently giving out automatic replies. So, I’m really pulling at strings here. If you can’t answer this question its all good

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    sorry it took me a few days to get back to you on this! maybe you’ve heard from the person you emailed already. i was never in an FLC, so i couldn’t initially answer this question, but a friend was kind enough to reach out to someone with FLC experience so i could get something back to you.

    they weren’t 100% sure, but their understanding was that when you join a FLC, you enrol in a group that takes place biweekly. if you see options for tuesday and thursday, there are probably two separate groups that each meet on a different day— one on tuesdays every two weeks, and one on thursdays every two week. usually, you remain in your FLC group for the whole year. if you wanted to switch midway through the year, you’d be needing to switch groups.

    from what i understand, that doesn’t happen very often, but whoever’s in charge of coordinating your FLC will be the best person to tell you whether or not it’s actually possible. in other words, you do need to wait for that response if it hasn’t come yet.

    anyway, shoutout to that friend of a friend for sponsoring this question. many thanks, my dude. here’s a visual representation of me running this blog without the help of other people:

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • enrollment,  enrolment,  wait list

    i have tons of uoft related headaches :(

    July 28, 2020

    Hello! i absolutely love what you do here, it’s so helpful and has stopped more than a few of my uoft related headaches haha. I’m a first year and I got into all of my courses except for CLA160H (in person). There’s 33 people in the class and thankfully I’m the 1st on the waitlist. The online-synchronous CLA160H still has a lot of room so should I wait it out on the waitlist? Are my chances good? Or would it be wise to just enroll in the online class? thanks so much, have a great day!!

    ——————————————

    hey there!

    if you’re first on the waitlist, i’d say that your chances are probably good. the rule of thumb is generally that if you’re in the top 10 percent of a waitlist (in this case, if you are number 1, 2, or 3) the waitlist will move quickly enough for you to make it into the class. if you’re really set on the in-person section, i would say that it’s probably worth staying on the waitlist.

    now, a bit of a disclaimer: i have no clue how the hybrid model is gonna be affecting this rule of thumb, given that one of either online or in-person classes may be more in demand. plus, people’s plans are likely a little more unstable this year than they have been other years, which may affect waitlist movement as well. all this uncertainty is not my vibe.

    but the rule of thumb is what we know, and what we go by. i’m sure people will still be dropping classes/switching courses around. just keep an eye on the waitlist. you might even get off the waitlist soon, if you’re lucky— i’m already off one of mine, and i was in the top 10 percent.

    i hope this helped and that the rest of your course enrolment went well!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • enrollment,  enrolment

    inconsistencies! great

    July 20, 2020

    why can i find some courses on the calendar but not on acorn?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    i’m not really sure. i’ve seen this happen in calendar entries for programs, ie. a program will list a course but when you click on the hyperlink, you get an error. that usually just means a course used to exist but isn’t being offered anymore. but if you’re seeing full course entries in the calendar (you click on the hyperlink and the course description, prereqs etc show up in a different page) that aren’t showing up on ACORN, i have no idea why that might be.

    you could try testing the course codes in the timetable as well? if something doesn’t show up on both ACORN and the timetable, i think it’s safe to say that course isn’t being offered for the upcoming year.

    if a course you’d like to take shows up on both the timetable and calendar but won’t pop up on ACORN, i’d recommend that you get in touch with the offering division and see what’s up. maybe it’s an internal error. i dunno.

    i hope this helped, and good luck with course enrolment!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • economics,  enrollment,  enrolment,  international relations,  math

    wrote this post up so fast my keyboard caught fire

    July 20, 2020

    hi! i’m planning on doing a double major in international relations and public policy in second year. but for first year courses i have to take eco101 and 102 as eco105 conflicts with my vic one course and i want to stay in that program. do i need to take a first year math course with eco 101 and 102? i know that not taking a math will limit choices in eco courses in upper years, but if i don’t plan on focusing in economics is taking a first year math course helpful? thank you!

    ——————————————

    hi!

    i hope this answer is getting to you in time for your course enrolment. i’m pretty sure it is. mannnn every year i forget to budget time for the deluge of questions that surround important dates like first year course enrolment. now i gotta be speedy.

    as far as i know, you’re not required to take a first year math course with eco101 or eco102. i think you may have gotten that idea from the ‘recommended preparation’ line, which states that you should take calculus or advanced functions in order to be prepared for this course. as far as i know, though, ‘recommended preparation’ courses are never a strict requirement. you can definitely get away with ignoring recommended preparation. that’s a choice you’ll have to make for yourself, but anyway, i’m not sure that taking a first year math course alongside eco101/102 would help given that math is recommended preparation? 

    in terms of worrying about future prerequisites, it’s true that math courses are required for many upper-year econ courses. but as far as i can tell, you can definitely complete your IR major without a first-year math course. a lot of the upper-year econ courses that require math are only elective options for you, and you’ll be able to choose other courses from the IR list that don’t require a first year math credit. you can check this over with an academic advisor at your registrar’s office if you want (remember to include your student number if you send an email). but an in-depth perusal of the international relations calendar entry should confirm this. if you don’t plan on taking any of the econ electives, i wouldn’t recommend taking a first year math course, especially if you don’t have a burning desire to learn math.

    i hope this helped! good luck with your course enrolment. also, eco101 and eco102 have kicked the butts of many dear friends of mine, so best of luck. if you pay attention and stay caught up with your work, i have full faith in your ability to succeed in those courses.

    closing this post off with a stupid, vaguely math-related gif i found and wanted to share:

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • economics,  stats,  subject POST,  UTM

    this whole enrolment/POSt thing does get confusing,,, sigh

    July 16, 2020

    Hi! I got into UTM last year for commerce, but didn’t make post. Instead of redoing courses and reapplying, I wanted to do a double major in Economics and Stats. I don’t have all the required courses for that though, so I need to take them next year. However you need to declare a major in order to be able to enrol. How do I go about that? Do I declare my major as Econ and Stats? Or do I just continue with commerce until I have the credits? I’m not sure what to do.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    hopefully i’m getting to this question in time… the first time i read this i thought you were a second year, but now i’m not 100% sure. hopefully you’re a second year and today isn’t your enrolment date. anyway.

    these are my thoughts: you may need to continue with commerce or select other placeholder programs. from what i can tell, UTM’s econ major has a few required courses for admission, which i won’t go into here as they provide several options and i don’t want to confuse you. the statistics major also has required courses. in other words, enrolment in both your desired POSts is limited to people who’ve exceeded a certain grade threshold in the relevant intro courses. since you’ve said you don’t have the requirements yet, you wouldn’t be able to declare a double major in econ and stats at the moment.

    if i were you (which i am not, thankfully, econ is not my strong suit) this is what i would do: stay in commerce, register in the prereqs for econ and stats, get those done, and request the POSts next spring. wait to get into them before you drop your commerce program, and there you go. if you run into trouble anywhere along the way, i’d recommend that you get in touch with the utm registrar, who will be able to advise you!

    hope this helped,,, good luck.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • new college,  residence

    you’re in luck either way, new college has good food

    July 16, 2020

    Hi! I’ve been accepted to New College, and I don’t know which residence (Willcocks 45, Wilson, or Wetmore) to choose. If you were in New or know from friends, could you give me some advice? Also- are LLC’s actually helpful/worth applying for?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    congrats on your acceptance! unfortunately, i’m not in new or close with anyone who’s lived in a new college res. i do sorta know a few people who were in wilson, though, and had a very positive experience in terms of making friends!

    sorry i can’t be more helpful. you can try reddit, if you haven’t already? reddit’s not always reliable, but for things like these (subjective experiences) it’s often the only place to get information.

    as for LLCs: this is such a cliche answer, but like many similar programs, they’re really what you choose to make out of them. some people join them and then don’t engage, but if you put some effort and commitment in, you’ll get more out. LLCs are great because they set you up with relevant connections— it means you’re a lot less on your own than you might otherwise be. you’ll have access to mentorship and a support system, which i definitely think are important ways to help yourself stay grounded in the mess that first year can be (oh, if i knew what i know now…).

    so if you’re interested in an LLC i would recommend giving it a try! my guess is that the programming will look a little different this year under COVID restraints, but i’m sure the teams behind new college’s LLCs are doing their best work right now to make sure you get the best experience possible.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • enrollment,  enrolment,  first year,  one programs

    baby’s first uni course selection

    July 6, 2020

    I’m going into first year Life Sciences this year at U of T in the fall. I know three courses I want to take because of certain admission requirements: BIO120, BIO130, CHM135, CHM136, MAT135, & MAT136. I am not sure to take PHY131 and PHY132 for first year. I want to keep my options open for other programs, but I’m not sure. I have an interest in taking PSY100, but I’m not sure if I could take it. I want to do 5 FCEs but I am not still sure. Course selection is very overwhelming. Any advice?

    ——————————————

    hi there!

    course selection. my favourite time of year. it’s like christmas.

    do i have any advice? hmm. let’s see. if you’re certain about your bio, chem, and math courses, those should occupy 3.0 FCEs. which means you have a few course slots to play around with, even if you choose not to take 5.0 FCEs. i found the adjustment from high school to university a little challenging, so i didn’t take 5.0 FCEs and found it helpful. whether or not that’s the right decision for you is something only you know. i will note, though, that uni can be quite different, and taking a lighter courseload will give you more space to figure things out, like how to prepare for exams and how to use the libraries.

    if you’re undecided, you can always register for 5.0 FCEs and then drop courses later on. u of t has pretty generous course-drop periods, so you’ll have a good amount of time to decide whether or not you want to stay in your classes. plus, that’ll give you a chance to sus your courses out to see if they’re actually worth taking — if you decide to drop down from 5 to 4 courses a few weeks into the semester, you can just drop the elective you like the least.

    regardless of courseload, i always recommend that first years take either a first year foundations seminar or something in the ‘ones’ program, just because i personally had really good experiences in both. the idea of these courses is that they’re meant to help you transition from high school to university. the classes tend to be smaller, the program material is specially selected to be super interesting, and the assignments are more fun/less difficult. you can only take these courses in your first year, so they’re definitely something to take advantage of now. something to note, though, is that you won’t be able to apply the credit/no credit designation to these courses — i assume because they tend to be easier to do well in.

    here’s something else for you to consider: first year is a great time to get your breadth requirements out of the way. if you’re a life sciences kid, chances are you’ll have breadth 4 and 5 knocked out, but you’ll need to take a few classes that are breadth 1, 2, or 3. you can use the calendar to filter through different breadth requirements, in order to find the relevant courses for each category.

    here are my personal recommendations, either drawn from experience or conversations i’ve had with other students. none of these have prerequisites, so you should be able to take them in first year:

    you can also check the u of t reddit or the first year foundations seminar listings for other ideas!

    other than that… first year is a good time to explore different interests and take a few risks! i wish i’d done that more when i was in first year. it’s easy to be drawn to the big, generic classes like PSY100, and miss all the quirkier offerings like “introducing religion: blood, sex, and drugs” or “how to study video games.”

    you mentioned keeping your options open for other programs, and that’s a smart consideration to make as well. if you know what backup programs you might want to take, it’s a good idea to squeeze some of their prerequisites into your schedule, especially if they overlap with some of the courses you’re already taking.

    i know course selection can be overwhelming, but if you use the tools at your disposal— the timetable, the calendar, degree explorer, etc. — hopefully it will be a little easier! that’s about all the advice i can think of right now. i hope this helped, and feel free to send another question in if you’re confused about anything specific regarding course selection!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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