• 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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  • admissions,  subject POST

    i also have major questions tbh

    December 12, 2019
    double major questions: do I need to take certain prerequisite courses for BOTH majors I want to take in my first year of uni? would I apply for both majors using ACORN after my first year? I’m struggling to figure out how the degree combinations work with the 4.0 credit requirements and all that. thank you in advance!
    ——————————————
    hey there,

    i’m not too sure what you mean by 4.0 credit requirements– does this refer to… a program requirement? a course requirement? i know i’ve registered in courses that were only available to students with 4.0 credits and above, which basically just means they’re not available to first years. or maybe what you mean is the 4.0 credits of overlap you’re permitted between two majors that each require 8.0 credits each? i’m wracking my brain here, man. i can’t figure out what you’re gettin at.

    to answer the questions i feel like i can answer, in general, yes, you do need to take certain prereqs in first year for whatever programs you’re considering. that’s true whether or not you’re taking a double major. they’ll be considered for admission to whatever programs you apply to at the end of your first year. you can find those prereq listings on the arts and science calendar— just search for the programs you’re interested in, or browse the alphabetical directory.

    i say in general because there are exceptions. for example, certain programs (usually type 1 programs) don’t have first year prereqs. you can register in english, forest biomaterials, or diaspora and transnational studies without any first year prerequisites, for example. although, i should note, if this applies to you it would certainly be helpful to take program courses in first year, even if they’re not necessarily considered prerequisites. doing so will help you get a feel for what that program is like, as well as allow you to start counting courses towards program requirements earlier on.

    check out this webpage to find out what program type your prospective majors would be. this one, meanwhile, is supposed to tell you what your application periods are– it hasn’t been updated yet, but i anticipate it should be soon. and yes, you will request/apply for programs on ACORN once those application periods open up.

    if you’d like help figuring out how your degree requirements work, feel free to send the specifics my way and i can try to help make sense of it! i’ve spent a lot of time doing that kinda stuff because my own programs are a little whack and require a heckin’ lot of forethought to be able to complete in 20.0 credits. otherwise:

    be Boundless,

    aska

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  • admissions

    look ma, i’m an insider

    December 12, 2019

    What are some pros and cons of going to UofT? I really want an insider’s perspective

    ——————————————

    wild. this is more open-ended than the essay prompts on my exams. what’s expected of me? i do not know. as with everything else in my life, i’ll probably overshoot, but, hey. i’m guessing you’re not here for ambivalence and mediocrity anyway.

    i feel like this is actually a really case-by-case thing. as in, what’s a pro for me may not be a pro for you. but i can give you my list and you can see how ya feel about it.

    off the top of my head, here are the definitive wins of being a student at this school, as far as i see it:

    • the downtown campus. it’s beautiful, especially in the fall, and has a lot of stories to tell.
    • heckin’ number of clubs (and libraries! some schools have 2, we raise you a whopping 44.)
    • academic diversity— there are a bunch of pretty niche programs here that i don’t believe are widely offered at the undergraduate level, like urban studies or bioethics. there are also some really cool courses— i believe the executive editor of the walrus taught a one-time-only course on #metoo and the media this year.
    • top-notch profs, doing some of the coolest research. i’ve had more phenomenal profs than i’ve had terrible or even mediocre ones, which i think really speaks to the caliber of people this school employs. this is obviously a very subjective assessment, but that’s been my experience thus far.
    • a lot of departments are very well-connected in terms of opportunities. the peace, conflict, and justice program, for example, places a lot of students with NGOs like amnesty international.
    • the innis cafe
    • lots of options for a sense of community, because as a large school there are so many different small communities on campus
    • plenty of coffee shops all over campus. i can’t find any comprehensive lists (maybe i should write one!?!?) but here’s a blog post that runs you down a few. suffice it to say that there is always one within a 5 minute’s walk of you, no matter where you are on campus.
    • some pretty cool places to study, like the OISE lounge with a view of the skyline or the gerstein journal stacks with the glass floors
    • i’ve met a lot of really cool peers, working on everything from chemistry research to podcasts to magazines. i was at a holiday art gallery last week, and there was a ton of impressive student art. this school has a lot of creative, driven, and friendly people, which can be intimidating but is mostly pretty inspiring.
    • because the student population is large, some pretty sick events happen on campus. we recently had the some of the raptors come give a mental health talk at one of the on-campus athletic centres, with a performance from jp saxe. it was free. hart house theatre also puts out some really quality shows.

    here are some unexpected, slightly questionable wins:

    • bigger school, more free food. if ya know where to go and have the time to make trips, you can snag some. first year, i remember scavenging multiple meals in a row, although it was admittedly a lil sketch at times. there are also pretty regular free snack events.  happy to do a detailed post on this if anyone’s interested.
    • also more free coffee.
    • more places to nap.
    • more places to exercise, if you’re into that. we have, like, three gyms?? and a lot of fitness programs.
    • the work-study program.
    • corncoming
    • i guess u of t is prestigious, so your parents can flex it if they care about those kinds of things.
    • apparently we get employed. this one better be true.

    some things i, and others, have mixed feelings about:

    • the city of toronto. i could probably write a whole post just on this. toronto can be a massive pro for some people and a massive con for others. it’s often considered one of u of t’s biggest draws, but i think if you’re not from around here the reality of living in downtown toronto can be a tad bit different than expected.
      • the cute: something’s always happening. it’s a real great city to be a young person in. just being out on the streets walking, you see a ton of really quirky, interesting, and fun things. no matter what you’re into, chances are you’ll find it here (unless you’re into the stars, i guess, or nature, or small-town things. you’ll need to leave downtown for that). there are also so many professional and learning opportunities in this city for you to take advantage of.
      • the not so cute: personally, i’ve felt unsafe in the city a few times. nothing’s ever happened to me, but i take precautions. the rental market is also less than ideal.
    • robarts
      • this article lists it as part of a ‘top 10 reasons to go to u of t’ kind of thing. i’m personally not a fan, but it does make for a decent overnight study space. i guess it’s a good example of brutalist architecture, if you’re into that. it seems like most students love to hate robarts. it’s one of the few things a student population this large gets to bond over. but at the end of the day, we all end up there anyway. while we’re on the subject, can anyone tell me what’s so special about the 12th floor, please?

    some less fun things, because really these are just inconveniences but i like to complain:

    • the ttc always seems to be late, but that’s not a u of t specific thing.
    • dunno how important the movie college experience is to you, but sports aren’t really that big here unless you’re in an athletic/intramurals community. as in, we don’t have any iconic games or anything that everyone goes to. i guess in general we’re a little starved for school spirit.
    • our grading system seems to differ a little bit from some of the other ones i’m aware of. it’s harder to get a 3.0 here than it is at mcgill or ubc, because the percentage threshold is a bit higher. granted, our cutoff for a 4.0 is 85 instead of 86, but i didn’t even know you could get a 4.33 at places like ubc, queens and ryerson until yesterday. we cap at 4.0 here, and those are relatively rare. i guess 4.33s aren’t that relevant when you consider that.
    • the food in robarts is subpar— i’ve heard the rice in the burritos isn’t fully cooked sometimes, and i wouldn’t doubt that?
    • queen’s park being under construction all the time makes me sad & makes the walk from victoria college to con hall feel so much longer. it also occasionally floods, which is annoying.
    • don’t walk across king’s college circle in the spring. also slightly flooded, and you might wipe out.
    • the snow and frostbite temperatures are not terribly enjoyable. my ideal lifestyle does not involve a daily trek through the snow, in temperatures so inhospitable that your nose hairs freeze.

    and the reasons that, despite actually quite enjoying this school, i have the occasional angry day of… anger, and think it kind of sucks:

    • the hustle culture and competitive nature of being a student here– this piece from the varsity gives you a better sense of perspective on this than i could. it’s not as impossible to do well as people make it sound, but you will definitely need to grind if you’re planning to take a full courseload and be involved in the community. with that said, there are supports in place to help you out when things get rough, like your registrars, embedded counsellors, and teaching staff. you can thrive and have a good experience here, but you need to be well-equipped and well-supported in order to do so.
    • the way things seem to pile up at the end of the semester. i guess this is true of university in general, but things don’t feel very well-paced to me— they’re slow until after reading week, at which point you don’t really breathe til finals are over. keep in mind this does vary widely by program, but we’re talking about the pros and cons here as i see them, so…
    • the bureaucracy. u of t has so many rules. the teaching staff and admin are expected to play by them, which means that quite often, you won’t be able to get an extension without some kind of doctor’s note or documented proof of exceptional circumstances. it can sometimes feel like there’s a lot of red tape to jump when you’re trying to get accommodations without being registered with accessibility services. i wouldn’t say i feel treated like ‘just a number’ in general, but i have seen the system be quite unsympathetic to certain circumstances.

    well, there ya have it. you asked for a simple, clean-cut pro-con list. i raised you an entire spectrum. enjoy, and feel free to ask follow-ups if anything gets too confusing.

    be Boundless,

    aska

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