• first year,  midterms

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

    November 2, 2020

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

    ——————————————

    hey there,

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

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

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

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

    1) learning strategists

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

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

    2) writing centres

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

    3) librarians

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

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

    4) office hours

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

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

    1) dons, mentors, and other upper years

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

    2) friends

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

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

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

    3) embedded counsellors and MySSP

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

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

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

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

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    REAPPLY? after FIRST YEAR? ah yes.

    October 31, 2020

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

    ——————————————

    hey there,

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

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

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

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

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

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

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • housing

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

    October 31, 2020

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

    ——————————————

    hey hey,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • 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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