• mental health

    take care of yourself, friends (cw: mental health)

    January 16, 2020

    Not a question but I feel like U of t needs to do a better job with mental health awareness.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    if you’ve bothered to put this question through, then you’re probably aware this is a common sentiment on campus. since you (so very kindly) clarified that this isn’t a question, i don’t really know how to answer it. i fully agree with you– this school has so far to go in terms of  students’ mental health. mental health awareness, response, support… you name it. i know this firsthand.

    i tried to book an appointment with my college’s embedded counsellor last wednesday. i was put on hold for around 20 minutes, hung up on, put on hold again, and then transferred to a voicemail. i have yet to get a call back. the only more frustrating experience i’ve had with u of t phone lines was at the beginning of last semester, when i was on hold with the bookstore for probably about three hours total, because i kept getting disconnected.

    this isn’t really to complain so much as it is to acknowledge the reality of going to this school– while there are so many fantastic resources here, like your registrar’s office (which you should visit if you have problems accessing resources), it feels like many of them are understaffed and overwhelmed. with that said, i would still encourage people to call/visit health and wellness— it has saved a good number of people, and i may have just called at a bad time. i’ll likely be contacting them again myself.

    i’m not one to place uncompromising blame on the administration, and say that they don’t care and nothing is being done– i’m well aware that more people than ever before are trying to access mental health resources, and improving the system’s response to that won’t happen overnight. but man. it needs to happen sooner. some people are angry. i’m just tired.

    so i understand where you’re coming from, and feel it too. at the same time, though, i’m happy to say that progress is being made. sometimes i feel like the culture of negativity at this school can add an extra weight when you’re struggling with your own mental health, so at this moment i am taking it upon myself to remind everyone reading this (and myself) that not everything is garbage. i’d like to highlight some of my favourite mental health initiatives that i’ve become aware of in the last year:

    the innis college mental health skills certificate

    innis has become the first college (that i know of, anyway) to implement this level of mental health training for students. it was rolled out last semester, and is basically a series of training and skill-building sessions meant to bolster awareness of resources, counteract stigma, and identify “mental health challenges. full participation enables you to qualify for CCR as well as a certificate!

    the innis administration has been really great in seeing the need for a program like this, designing it, and responding to feedback. i’m excited to see how this certificate continues to develop for future years.

    hart house’s in conversation on student mental health

    this was an event that took place in october, aiming to promote mental health awareness. while i wasn’t in attendance, i heard it went quite well and i think it’s strong evidence of student/admin collaboration in bringing mental health awareness to the forefront of discussion. several faculty and college representatives were brought on as speakers, and the whole thing was organized by a student committee. maybe we’ll see more of these events in the future?

    mental health trainings

    for those who are interested, there seems to be some presence of mental health training sessions on campus. safetalk helps with mental health literacy and responding to/supporting individuals with suicidal tendencies. identify, assist, refer is an online training module– i’m not the clearest on what it does, but it seems to be a u of t affiliated mental health resource open to students. i’m sure there are others i’m not aware of, as well.

    how many lives 

    i’m not sure how often this gets updated, but it’s a platform for students to share their stories re: mental health, in an effort to raise awareness. the thread speaks for itself, should you choose to check it out.

    mindfest

    u of t psychiatry is running an event march 11, 2020 from 9:30-4:30. its website states that it’s “a mental health fair that raises awareness about mental health and battles stigma by encouraging discussions about mental illness.” there are supposed to be resources, workshops, and speakers at this thing. could also be worth checking out.

    as you can see, i’m doing my best to rail against total disillusionment. does u of t have a mental health problem? yes, undeniably. is all lost? i don’t think so.

    there are times that, as much as i love running this blog, i become really acutely aware of the powerlessness of my position. at the end of the day i’m just an anonymous student blogger, and i can’t do as much as i’d like to change the way things are. i guess i have a platform, and i hope to use it well.

    please reach out to someone if the hopelessness gets to you, yeah? i always recommend your registrar. if you need help reaching out, shoot me a message and i will do what i can to help connect you to resources and support. this goes for everyone reading this blog, not just the person who asked it. take care of yourselves, friends.

    anyway, thank you for your patience while i tried to find the right words to answer your not-a-question.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • wait list

    let the games begin

    January 16, 2020

    i saw others were asking you about waitlists now so I just wanted to drop my question in too! When does the waitlist usually close? I know its today but the calendar just says end of the day so should I be ready with sword in hand at 11:59 PM? Also, it’s my first time actually being on one this late in the game so if you’ve got any tips and tricks (or occult rituals, I’m not judgy) to nab an open spot I’d appreciate it!

    ——————————————  

    hey there,

    i’ve been told that the waitlist closes tonight at 11:59, yes! if you’re not ready with sword in hand, i don’t know what to tell you. i hope you know i’ll be real disappointed.

    haha just kidding i don’t think jumping on it at midnight will necessarily be the make or break factor. it’s basically down to whether you’re the first person who wants in to reload ACORN if someone drops between tonight and the 19th.

    i’m not an occult expert, although wouldn’t that be cool? i’ve sat in a chapters in front of the wicca (?) section and cracked the books on auras and crystals open, but can’t say i learned anything substantial. the only tip/trick i have for ya is to just check as often as you can without going mad. it’s a game of luck. i hope for your sake you have good odds.

    wow. geez. that was too much of a throwback for me. i’m out.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • breadth requirements,  first year,  religion,  wait list

    oh the agony of being waitlisted

    January 14, 2020

    hi! i’m a 1st year and i want to fulfill br 2 this sem. i want to take rlg101 but i’m 15th in a class of 250. do you think i have a chance of getting in anytime soon or should i just go with my 2nd choice (rlg 235 – also does anyone know anything about this course? would you recommend it based on workload/evals/etc?)?

    —————————————— 

    hey there,

    the general rule for waitlists is that if you’re in the top 10% of the waitlist, you have a good chance of getting in. what that means is that as long as you’re in the top 25 of a waitlist for a class of 250 (as you are) you’ll probably be fine.

    i would note that this depends on when you joined the waitlist, as well. i don’t really know how this rule works (it’s just been repeated to me by so many people that i’m assuming it’s legit) but it would make sense that if you join a waitlist relatively late in the game, perhaps the top 10% will already have moved? if you’ve been on it for a while, you’ve got a higher chance of moving up, i think. because i don’t know much about your situation, i don’t know what to recommend you do– maybe just decide based on what i’ve told you, or book an appointment with your registrar if you really need help making the decision?

    unfortunately, i’ve asked around and came up with nothing on rlg235. you can try messaging the religion undergraduate students’ association on facebook, because i figure if anyone knows anything, your best bet is someone there. there’s nothing on ratemyprof for the prof, either. sorry i can’t be of more help, but i do think you should try reaching out to the rsa!

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

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  • library

    which of the 44 libraries do you mean tho

    January 10, 2020

    hey *waves from across the planet* do you know how far the library is from the innis college? much thank *disappears from line of sight back into far away country*

    ——————————————

    hey *waves from across the planet* do you know there is actually a library inside innis college, on the second floor? and if you mean robarts, it’s just across the street. other libraries linked here. much thank *disappears from line of sight back into far away country*

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • anthropology,  subject POST,  UTM

    tis a learning process, i am learning

    January 9, 2020

    I posted this before but didn’t make it clear I go to UTM, which made it confusing for you, I’m sorry. I would like to apply to the Anthropology Major (Science) program at the end of this school year. I am in my final year and will have completed all the requirements for the program by April 2020, however my CGPA is below a 2.00 at the moment and they require a 2.00 for program enrolment. I am not planning on doing any post-graduate studies, I just want to graduate.
    Would I still have a chance in any way to make it into the Anthropology Major (science) program if I were to apply today? Is there a letter I can write? What can I do? I am slowly bringing my crap average up from what it use to be, but it may not be above a 2 by April. It is a type 2 post, but has some requirements.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    got it! everything makes sense now. if a campus isn’t mentioned, my default is typically st. george, but i guess i should be looking things up for all three campuses when something doesn’t make sense. will keep that in mind for the future. thanks for being patient with meeee 🙂

    i see the 2.0 CGPA requirement you were referring to now. mainly, my answer remains the same: you will still need to wait until march 12 at the earliest to request your program. should you get admitted, you’d accept your enrolment between may 10 and july 26. so you still wouldn’t be able to graduate in anthropology for june.

    your best option is still to get in touch with the department and see if there’s anything that can be done. they’ll be the ones to advise you whether there are letters you can write, and tell you to whom you should be writing. i think you should also hit up your registrar— book an appointment with them and explain your situation. they might be aware of more possible avenues you can take, beyond what i can offer you.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • exams

    the exam dungeon, you say?

    January 7, 2020

    Hi, I was wondering what the policies are regarding reviewing exams ? Do we just receive a final grade for the course or do we get to know what we received on the exam as well? – a confused freshman (p.s. happy holidays!)

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    assuming you’re an artsci kid, the faculty of arts and sciences does exam viewings around the end of january. you’ll need to beat everyone else out for a heckin’ valuable exam viewing appointment, and there’s a list of instructions you’ll need to follow for your lovely visit to the exam dungeon (they’re pretty strict).

    i think what you’re actually asking for is a little simpler, though. my guess is if you just wanted to see your exam grade and nothing else (ie. it wasn’t posted on quercus but you have a burning curiosity as to how your ACORN mark is broken down) you could probably try emailing your prof or TA, and if they can’t help you, then the department. i don’t think your college or faculty registrars would have access to that info.

    hope this helped and that you had a good holiday! enormous sorry for not getting back to you earlier– the aska inbox was super backed up over the break, and to keep myself sane i opted to sleep and recover from the semester instead of working my brains out, so i could come back in full force for january. thanks for understanding, friend.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • 12 distinct credits

    all of life is pain!

    January 7, 2020

    i’m thinking of double majoring, and some of the courses i can take for it are included as being able to count for both majors. (soc and wgs). if i take one of those courses that are in both lists, will it only count towards one of the majors, or both?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    allow me to complicate your life and introduce you to the 12 distinct credits rule. it’s this weird lil u of t quirk designed to marginally ease the sufferin’ of students who are taking multiple related POSts.

    to quote myself, because if my profs can do it so can i:

    “a quick (but not foolproof!) way of calculating the number of credits that you can share between majors is to add together the number of credits that both majors require, and then subtract 12.0: the remainder is the number of credits which can be applied to both majors.”

    so the answer to your question is that it depends. as long as you ensure you have 12.0 distinct credits, courses from both lists will count towards both degrees. in your case specifically, a wgs major requires 7.0 FCEs, as does a soc major. generally, what this means is that you can have 2.0 credits’ worth of overlap between the two– this equates to two full-year courses, four half-year courses, or a full-year course plus two half-year courses.

    hope this helps!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • suspension

    happy new year

    January 7, 2020

    if u get suspended for a year, do you get an email or letter at home informing it?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    sorry for the delay with this answer– i had to wait until the university reopened to check for you, but it seems like you just get emailed with your updated status. like overhead projectors, course selection books, and grades that come out on time (ACORN what’s UP), letters home seem to be a thing of the past.

    i really waited til a whole decade passed to shoot this one back to you. big sorry.

    if you’ve been suspended and have concerns, i would recommend giving your registrar a visit– they’ll be able to walk you through your next steps, answer any questions you have, and refer you to resources you might not otherwise be aware of. even if you don’t have concerns, it’s a 10/10 thing to do. feel free to let me know if you need anything, as well!

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • economics,  grad school

    at u of t we can only count to 20

    December 23, 2019

    Hello, I’m doing a bachelor of economics and I have a gpa of 3.01/4.33 (which makes 2.80/4 I guess). At the end of Fall semester, I think I’ll get 3.10 or 3.15 out of 4.33. (2.90 out of 4). But, I will only have 63 credits completed. Do you still think I have a chance to enter UofT and get admission for a Master in Economics ? Will they consider the number of courses completed ? Thank you!

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    gotta say, you’re not doing your undergrad at u of t, are you? i found out a few weeks ago that other canadian schools were handing out GPAs on a 4.33 scale and, well, man. had no clue what to make of that. anyway, it took me a hot minute to figure out what you meant by 3.01/4.33 and 2.80/4. how’d you even convert that? i have questions.

    unfortunately, because u of t operates on a weird system, i have no idea what 63 credits even means. here, one semester-long class is typically worth 0.5 credits, and we graduate with 20. i don’t really know what the conversion rate (???) is for the school you go to, and don’t even have enough to gauge what year you’re in. third…?

    in general, though, i usually have to answer questions about grad school the same way. it’s best to get directly in contact with the program you’re considering– or in other words, go right to the source.

    what i can tell you is that you’ll need a solid mid-B average (around 75%)  in your final year of study in order to get into u of t for a grad degree in econ. that’s a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. i don’t know if you are in your final year of study, but that might be something for you to consider. according to this econ department webpage, to be competitive you might need to meet even higher thresholds– we’re talking a last year GPA above an A-, and a CGPA ‘above the mid-point between B+ and A-,’ whatever that means. they list a few other ‘qualities of a successful applicant,’ including high GRE scores, so that might be worth giving a look.

    i guess they’ll probably consider your number of courses completed. if there’s a reason why you haven’t completed as many courses as you’d have liked to, there’s usually a box in the application to write that reason in, or provide any other explanations for academic abnormalities. other than that, you’ll have to compare your situation to what the econ department provides as its application guidelines, and decide for yourself what your chances are. i’m a student, not an applications officer :/

    be Boundless and happy holidays,

    aska

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  • wait list

    shh. not a calculator

    December 21, 2019

    Hi, I’m currently number 16 on a waitlist for a Class that has 80 spots. I know about the top 10% rule, but right now Im in the top 20%. What are my chances?

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    honestly… it’s really hard for me to say what your chances are. if there were a formula for calculating this, i could plug and chug it, but unfortunately there isn’t. even with the top 10% thing, that’s just a guideline– waitlists move differently, and personally i still get a lil nervous when i’m in the top 5%. there’s never any guarantee– sometimes the waitlist won’t budge, which i wanna say is especially true for required courses with very limited space. and sometimes it’ll blow through. but there’s no general rule.

    but if you really wanna know, i don’t feel too great about your chances in the top 20% of the waitlist. personally, if it were me and i didn’t really need to take it this semester, i would take it another sem, or find an alternative. that’s just me. obviously it’s totally up to you what you choose to do.

    if for some reason you absolutely need to take this course, check out this life @ u of t blog post on the dean’s promise, and see if you qualify. that’s the only loophole i’m aware of, and i figured i’d give you the heads up just in case.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions,  internal transfer,  transcripts,  Transferring

    someone’s jumping ship from utm or utsc

    December 21, 2019

    hey do you know if i need transcripts (from uoft and/or high school) to apply for an internal transfer to utsg?

    —————————————— 

    hey friend,

    i started an ouac internal application myself to figure this out for you, so here’s hoping they don’t actually hold me to finishing this lol, i am happy where i am.

    under the ‘transcript requests’ section of the application, you will be required to have transcripts sent directly from whatever your high school was, as well as from your current u of t campus. this u of t website also says that yes, they will be looking at your full academic history to evaluate your application.

    hope this helped and best of luck with your internal application!

    be Boundless and have a good winter break,

    aska

     

     

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  • admissions,  economics

    you totally just asked your question twice i see you

    December 20, 2019

    Hey, how are you?

    I am a grade 11 student and I want to pursue law in the near future. I wanna do undergrad in econ, and I was looking but I couldn’t really figure out the cut off average that uft looks at when deciding on applicants. I have many extracurricular activities, so I’m not really worried about my supplementary application. But basically my three questions are:
    1. what average do I need to get in ENG4U to get accepted into Econ undergrad?
    2. What average do I need in grade 12 math courses?
    3. What average do I need overall?

    ——————————————

    hey, I am looking at Econ undergrad requirements, and I can’t figure out what is the cut off average to get admitted into this program. I know we have to take ENG4U and grade 12 math, but I can’t figure out what averages you need in these courses, and what average you need overall to be admitted into the econ undergrad program. Also, I would love some advice about this decision I may make, because I wanna pursue law later on.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    are you… the same person? or two people with eerily similar questions? i don’t care, i’m just gonna write one post up. christmas is in five days and i have ten questions to get thru, some of which are very perplexing. plEASE LET ME take a BReaK 🙁

    all right. let’s see. it’s not easy to find anymore because the google search result for it brings up a 404, but if you go through the artsci website itself there is this chart with admissions averages for each program. econ falls into the social sciences admissions category, so whether you’re from ontario or another province  you’ll need an english grade in the low to mid 80s with an admissions average of about the same. i’m guessing you’re an ontario kiddo, though, given ENG4U.

    as for grade 12 math, i have a lil nugget of insider’s knowledge from the registrar’s office for ya. they’ve switched up the way they do admissions for this year– as long as you have your grade 12 math requirement, it doesn’t really matter if it’s super high. they’re not looking at it as rigorously for your batch of admissions. so don’t worry too much about blasting your grade into the sky. just get it done and under your belt, bud.

    dunno if you were hoping for law school advice as well, but given that you didn’t directly ask any questions, i’m assuming my job here is done today.

    be Boundless,

    aska

     

     

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  • fees,  graduation

    it’s the finaaaaal countdooooown

    December 20, 2019

    hi, I am currently facing a huge problem. I am a 4th year student that only have 3.5 FCE left to graduate this summer. I requested a per-course fee tuition in this fall, and unfortunately, I late withdrawal a fall course due to many reasons. And the course that I drop is mandatory for me to graduate. However, I cannot add the winter course on ACORN. Could you tell me that if I take this class in winter will my per-course fee be altered to program fee? And I will pay much more tuition to get this final 0.5 FCE done.

    ——————————————

    hey there,

    sorry for the wait with this answer– i finished finals real recently and am super behind on my inboxes! like super super behind lol i don’t think i’ve ever let it get this bad, i am heckin’ sorry and promise i’m getting on top of it. i’ll split this post up to answer each of what (i think?) your questions are, to make sure everything gets covered:

    per-course and program fees

    this is, in general, how fee assessments work. whatever F and Y courses you were registered in on september 19, as well as any S courses you’re in on jan 19, will be added up and used to determine how you’ll be charged. or at least, this is true for domestic students in artsci. if that doesn’t apply to you, you can check other faculties as well as fees for international students here. once you hit a total of 4.0 credits, you’ll be paying program fees instead of course fees. which, like, we don’t love, but…

    you mentioned having a late withdrawal done, which means you were registered in that course past september 19. unfortunately, that means that course will be factored into your total. if you were registered in 3.5 FCEs total before deciding to drop it, then registering in another 0.5 FCE for winter will probably switch you over to program fees. you should definitely not quote me on this, because i don’t really know the specifics of your situation, but that’s generally how it works.

    how much more tuition will you pay to finish the final 0.5 FCE? 

    if my assumption is right and adding that 0.5 FCE will switch you from course to program fees, then you’ll pay the difference between program fees and what you’re currently paying. if i’m wrong and you’ll stay at course fees, then it’ll be however much it costs to take another course.

    without knowing your program and whether you’re domestic/international, i really can’t give you an accurate estimate– if you’d like me to, i’m happy to if you send in a follow-up question with your faculty, program, and student status??? otherwise, fees.utoronto.ca will be your best friend, but it can be a lil hard to decipher. lemme know.

    why can’t you register in the last 0.5 FCE you need?

    you might need to ask your registrar to switch you over to program fees, so that you can register for that last half-credit. that’s my theory, anyway, as to why ACORN is blocking you from that last 0.5 FCE. i can’t think of any other reason why it would be doing that if you’re in good academic standing.

    mostly, i bet you would benefit from giving your registrar a visit. i feel like they’d be way better equipped to help you out, especially if this is a situation that’s worrying you that much.

    go to your registrar.

    did i mention… checking out your friendly ol’ local registrar?

    you know what to do.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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