askastudent - your student life specialists

first year, philosophy

is it philosophical to be ambivalent

July 26, 2018

Hi, I’m going into Life Sci this fall and I was wondering if Philosophy will be a heavy elective to take in my first year?

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hi!

oh god, i hope i’m not too late with this one, since first year course selection is TODAY!!!

i’m really bad at answering these kinds of questions, ‘cuz i think that how “heavy” a course is is totally subjective. like, i’m reeeeeeealllllllly bad at math, so even a “bird” math course would feel like a huge feat to me.

in my very humble opinion, the most important part of deciding whether or not a course is a good elective is whether or not you’re interested. personal anecdote: when i was a wee first year, i took a science course as an elective that i wasn’t all that interested in (i just wanted to fill up my timetable and i thought fulfilling my breadth requirements would be a good idea). unfortunately, because i had no interest whatsoever in the subject material, i ended up doing really badly in the course. womp womp.

so, i can’t really say whether or not philosophy would be too “heavy,” that is really a judgement call that only you can make. think hard, potential future philosopher.

good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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academic standing, first year, probation

0 to 100 real quick

July 25, 2018

last year, as a first year, I took three courses a semester. I failed all of them. current gpa is 0.00 and cpga each sem is obviously 0.00. I’m now on academic probation. My question is do i just redo first year then? take all those courses again? or am I screwed beyond help?

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hi!

from what i understand, you currently have less than 4.0 FCE completed, meaning that you are still considered a first year student. in that case, you’ll need to take the first year courses that’re required for your intended POSts. so, you are sorta kinda “redoing” first year.

being on academic probation, you do have to get your cgpa up to 1.50 and sgpa up to 1.70 by the end of the year in order to be back in good standing. hopefully someone will have already explained to you what being on academic probation entails, but in case they didn’t (and also just as a brief refresher!) being on probation basically means that you are restricted to 5.0 FCE in the fall/winter term and 2.0 FCE in the summer term. it also means that if you don’t get your sgpa up to 1.70 at the end of the next school year, you will be suspended.

i highly suggest going to see an academic adviser at your registrar’s office if you haven’t done so already. they’ll be able to tell you more about being on probation, give you some great advice to help you do better in the future, and direct you to other on campus resources that’ll help you out. i also suggest making an appointment with a learning strategist at the academic success centre who can help you learn better, which should (hopefully) help you do better in school. you can also attend workshops and access peer support through the academic success centre. all really good stuff.

i hope this helps. school is really hard, and paired with the other stuff that happens in life (family, friends, jobs, mental health, etc etc etc) it can feel impossible at times. but with a little bit of support, i’m sure you’ll be ok. as the patron god of toronto would say, go from 0 to 100 real quick. i’m rooting for you!

xoxo,

aska

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eeb, exclusions, UTSC

the strange world of exclusions

July 24, 2018

Hi!!

I took off the winter semester due to personal reasons however now I’m interested in coming back in the fall so I’m also trying to catch up on classes that I missed out on during the winter semester. I’m interested in taking an EEB major or specialist (not sure yet) but that means that I need bio130 which isn’t offered in the fall(only the winter). I know UTM and UTSC both offer the same course under different course codes (BIO152 and BIOA01H3) in the fall and I’ve decided to go to UTSC for that course since it makes more sense distance wise and also scheduling, but bio130 and bio120 both come up as ordered exclusions for BIOA01H3 and I don’t know what that means or if I can even take that course now, since it’s not under exclusions either.

Also if I’m taking a course at UTSC do I need to notify my registrar/program coordinator because I’ll want the BIOA01H3 to count as bio130 for a requirement for the program I want or can I just take it and it’ll just transfer automatically.

I know this is a lot all at once, sorry!! I’m just super confused and any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

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hi!

welcome back!

as you said, BIO120 and 130 are exclusions for BIOA01H3. basically, if a course is listed as an exclusion, you can’t take the course if you’re taking (or have taken) the excluded course(s). you can check out the faculty calendar for more information on exclusions.

hypothetically, BIOA01H3 is equivalent to BIO130. however, i don’t know whether or not the EEB department will accept BIOA01H3 as a part of their program requirements. i would definitely get in contact with them directly to see if they would accept BIOA01H3.

since you’ve also taken some time off, i suggest making an appointment with an academic adviser at your college registrar’s office. i personally find it really helpful to talk to someone about my academic plans and to have a capital-A Adult tell me that i’m on the right track. they’ll also be able to give you more detailed information on taking courses at another campus, if that’s the route you decide to go down.

hope this helps! sorry that i couldn’t really give you a concrete answer either, but equivalent courses at other campuses and figuring them out always throws me for a loop. and i don’t wanna lead you astray or give you bad advice.

good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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academic offense, UTM

how do you plead?

July 23, 2018

Hey,
I am a first year student in the Life Sciences Program and I am currently taking STA215H5 in summer school at UTM.
We just had a term test (worth 20%) and I was caught with a formula on my hand – we had no authorized aids allowed other than a calculator. The instructor asked to speak to me after the test was over and I semi-admitted to it and she said that since a TA had seen me looking at my hand she was gonna have to report me (she said that this was evidence)
I have never in my life done anything like this before and I’m not sure why I did it now I guess I was nervous?
I tried reading some of the documents and procedures on the universities site but they co fused me even more. I plan on admitting guilty if I talk to the dean or anyone else. But I am really scared right now and I don’t know what to do or what will happen!?
Please give me a little bit of information as to how this might proceed.

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hi!

so, i’d like to apologize for how long this response has taken me. i know that it’s a really stressful situation to be in, and i’m sure waiting for my response doesn’t exactly help.

i’m not sure if you’ve been officially charged with an offense yet, and you didn’t mention being charged. of course, it’s been a while since you’ve first sent me this question, so things could’ve changed. i’m going to answer your question and give you advice as if you’ve been charged.

according to utm’s academic integrity website, i think that what you described to me would have been a violation of section B.I.1(b) of u of t’s code of behavior on academic matters (“to use or possess an unauthorized aid or aids in any academic examination or term test or in connection to any other form of academic work”).

if, after the meeting with your instructor, they think that you have committed an academic offense, they will forward the issue to the departmental chair or the vice-dean/dean. after that, there are a few places that the case could go. check out this link for a flow chart that explains the process in which academic offenses are handled. since you are planning on admitting that you committed the offense, a sanction will be imposed by the office of the dean.

in terms of what sanction they may impose, the utm academic integrity website says that the range of consequences for this offense includes “a reduction of not less than twice the value of the exam, work, and test and/or an annotation on your academic transcript.”

unfortunately, i don’t have tons of advice about academic offences or academic integrity, but i hoped that this helped a little. i would get in contact with someone from the office of the dean who’ll be able to give you more information. their contact info can be found here.

dealing with academic integrity can be absolutely terrifying, but it’ll be ok. i wish you all the best.

xoxo,

aska

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Chestnut, residence

almost too specific

July 23, 2018

What are some tips for choosing a room at chestnut residence? I heard the elevators rarely work or break down a lot. Is that true and if so how often? Also how often are fire drills? Do the rooms offer some sort of soundproofness like regular hotel room doors do?

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hi!

i’m not too familiar with how chestnut works, but i’ll try my best.

according to their website, there are various living learning communities and themed floors in chestnut. there are some floors that are open to students in all programs of study and some that are for specific programs (for example, there are engineering floors, life science floors, humanities floors, etc). there are also floors for people with shared interests. there are also floors for people with the same interests, such as the arts and culture floor and the health and wellness floor. the living learning communities are a good way to meet people with shared interest or people who you might have classes with. i suggest that you go through the list of living learning communities that they have listed on their website and pick a floor based on the community that you’d like to be a part of.

as for your (very, very, almost too) specific questions, i really have no idea. you should contact the people at chestnut directly and check out their FAQ.

i hope this helps!

xoxo,

aska

PS- yes, i know that those are walnuts, but i couldn’t find any chestnut gifs.

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admissions, applying for U of T, engineering

please don’t fire a canon

July 20, 2018

Hi,

I want to apply to uoft and fall under a student that would apply using the 105D.

My college counsellor is telling me that I need to start looking at which essays I need to write and I don’t know if I need to write any essays. I’m thinking of applying to engsci. Do I need to write an essay?

Thanks.

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hi!

after checking the engineering website, i can officially say that it is VERY HARD TO NAVIGATE. engineer a better website, engineers.

ok, it’s actually not that bad. sorry, engineers. i’m still kinda mad about that time you fired your stupid canon in front of my res room in first year.

anyways, after clicking through too many links, i finally found this link with detailed information about the student profile that you’d need to set up.

while there isn’t really an “essay” you have to write, there is a section where you need to “detail” your academic history and your extracurricular involvement. i don’t know whether or not that’s in essay format or if you just fill in the blanks. maybe it might be like a short sentence answer deal?

there is also a section in the application called the “online student profile” where they ask you three random questions and you have a limited amount of time to answer them. you will need to answer 2 of them in a video (it looks like you need a webcam and microphone to do the student profile) and one of them in writing. this might be what your college counsellor means when they say “essay,” but there isn’t really anyway to prepare since the questions are random.

you should get in contact with the faculty of applied sciences and engineering and ask for more information regarding the application. check out their contact info here.

i hope this makes sense. good luck with your application!

xoxo,

aska

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enrollment

go for it (cautiously!!!)

July 19, 2018

Hi,

I’m a 3rd year neuroscience and immunology major. There’s a requirement that’s needs 1 credit from like a choice of 4 courses and I’m trying to avoid one of those courses like the plague (I’m not interested and I’ve heard it’s really hard). However, all of the remaining 3 classes conflict with another class I need to take this year and the one I’m trying to avoid doesn’t. Should I just push this requirement to 4th year and hope they won’t conflict next year or just take the one I’m trying to avoid? Thanks so much.

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hello!

first, let me apologize for my slow response. i know that third year course enrollment has already happened, meaning that you’ve already made your decision re: the required course, but i hope that this answer still helps you (or someone else, maybe!)

this is something that is totally your choice. i understand why you’d want to avoid a certain course, we’ve all been there. however, it is a little risky to wait until your final year/ push the requirement til 4th year. certain courses may not be offered anymore or the conflict may not have changed.

if that’s a risk you’re willing to take, then…. go for it. (my inner type- A is freaking out right now!!!!)

good luck, i hope that helps!

xoxo,

aska

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commerce, french, near and middle eastern civilizations, non degree

an especially confused mood

July 19, 2018

Hello ASKA!

Hope your summer is going well. I’m going into second year at UTSG, doing my BComm in Public Accounting. The thing is that I also planning on a major in French Lang & Lit, which y’know, is nbd, but uhhh I was also interested in minoring in NMC? I’m cool with not doing the full minor and just getting the language certificate for Arabic but I think that I’d be going over 20.0 FCEs no matter what? PA is 15 and French is 7, and a minor, as you definitely know, is 4. Req 1 for my specialist says “At least 20.0 Credits from”University Course(s)”” (Not sure why university courses needed to be in quotation marks but ok, degree explorer.) which makes me think that it’s cool if I go over, but would I need to pay more? What happens if I fulfill all the requirements for the B.Comm and still want to keep going? Should I finish the MAJ/MIN stuff before my specialist requirements? I know that it’s fine to go over 4 years, and I’m planning on doing summer school anyways so I’ll prob be paying for extra tuition no matter what but like, is there an additional fee for going over 20 credits?????

woW those were a lot of question marks, but I am in an especially confused mood. I had an appointment with my registrar earlier but I forgot to ask so I’m just shouting into your asks here.

As an aside, I really love your post titles! Thanks for your patience with our questions.

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hello!

THANK YOU FOR NOTICING MY TITLES. tbqh, they’re the hardest part of every response and i (sadly) spend an inordinate time making them up.

anyways, the answer.

first, for something this long-winded, complicated, and specific, you really should get in touch with your registrar’s office. as you mentioned, you’ve already had an appointment with your registrar, but this really is something that is worth going back for. they can actually dig up specific info for you that i don’t have access to (i’m powerful, but not that powerful).

you’re right when you say that it’s fine to go over 20.0 credits– that’s just how many you need to graduate. basically, you don’t get to graduate until you actually request graduation. also, there’s isn’t any additional fee for going over 20 credits, just the tuition fees you would be paying anyways.

something that you could also consider is coming back as a non-degree student after finishing your bcomm. non-degree students are students who’ve already earned a degree from the university and are taking courses without working towards a degree. you could be taking courses to get into a graduate program or self-interest. i don’t know why you wanna do both a bcomm and a major/minor in arts programs, but i respect it. i see you. game recognize game.

anyways, if you’re just looking to take french language and literature and nmc courses out of self-interest, looking into coming back as a non-degree student after finishing your bcomm may be a good option.

if you want to do the french and nmc programs at the same time as your bcomm, then i suggest going back to your registrar to discuss your options.

hope this helps!

xoxo,

aska

PS- i literally couldn’t come up with a title for this–i got performance anxiety!!

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programs, switching, Transferring

goodbye science hello arts

July 18, 2018

Hey Aska,
Im currently enrolled as a BSC specialist student, but want to change to a double major BA. I meet the transfer credit requirements for my double major BA and have the grades for it, so should the switch go smoothly? Thanks!

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hi!

i’m a little confused by your question– you gotta be more specific!!!!

i assume that you’re a student in the faculty of arts and science and you’re trying to just switch from a science specialist to an arts double major? i’m just gonna answer the question as if that’s what you mean.

so, within the faculty of arts and science, you don’t need to “transfer” any credits over if you’re switching programs within the faculty. all you need to do is change your POSt. if, as you say, you’ve met the requirements for the arts double major that you want to switch into, then there shouldn’t be an issue with switching from a science program to arts programs. just don’t forget that if the program(s) you’re interested in is a type 2 or 3 program, you will need to apply by august 29th and if it’s a type 1 program, you have until september 19th to add the program on ACORN. check out this link for more info re: the dates and program types.

if you’re actually a transfer student from another school, campus, or faculty, then there’s a totally different process that i don’t really feel like detailing for you right now. check out our “transferring” tag for more information on that specific circumstance.

good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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quercus, syllabus

what is math

July 17, 2018

Hello im a first year student and im taking Statistics course but idk if a graphing calculator is necessary (and i dont even have one). Could you please suggest me one?

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hi!

unfortunately for you, i’m REALLY bad at math, super ignorant regarding math and stats, and i don’t even know what a graphing calculator is (and i’m kinda scared to ask).

if something like a calculator is required for the course, you should find out when you get the syllabus for the class, just as you would with a textbook or any other class materials. this could be when the prof puts the course up on portal (or like, quercus now? am i spelling that right? qwirkcus? not sure), or during the first week of classes.

hope this helps!

xoxo,

aska

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neuroscience, newly admitted

xoxo anon internet entity

July 17, 2018

Do you know anyone who graduated in four years with a neuroscience major? I want to know which courses they took over their four years because I seriously don’t know what to take, and I need to plan ahead to make sure I have the correct pre-requisites.

Thanks!

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hi!

i don’t PERSONALLY know anyone who fits this exact description, but i’m sure they’re out there.

judging from your question, i’m assuming that you’re an incoming first year who’s interested in neuroscience as a potential major? hopefully that’s what you mean!

the neuroscience major is a 2L (limited) program. meaning that you need to apply for the program after first year, and that there is a limit to how many students they admit into the program.

so, if you want to do a neuroscience major, you will need to complete BIO130 with at least 55% and CHM135 and CHM136 in order to be eligible to apply. meaning that you should definitely take those courses during your first year so that you can apply for the major after. check out this link for all the requirements of the program, which’ll give you some idea what courses you’ll be taking in later years.

as for seriously not knowing what to take in your first year, that’s ok! at u of t, most students take 5.0FCE (full course equivalents) worth of courses per year. this allows students to graduate in four years (5 credits X 4 years = 20 credits needed to graduate). at u of t, first year is general. meaning that you aren’t tied down to a program of study (or POSt, in u of t lingo) until after first year. so, you can kinda take whatever you want. of course, as i mentioned above, you should keep your desired programs in mind and take the first year prereqs/ courses involved.

another thing to keep in mind is that you need to complete either a specialist, two majors, or a major and two minors in order to graduate. so, if you want to do the neuroscience major, you will need to pair it with another major or two minors. i suggest that you look through the programs that are offered in the faculty of arts and science and pick some that might interest you. then, you can pick your first year courses based on the prereqs for the other programs you’re interested in.

oof, that’s a lotta info, especially for someone who isn’t even technically in first year yet.

i highly suggest making an appointment with an academic adviser at your registrar’s office. some registrar’s offices even have their own first year adviser!

i hope that this all helps, i know it can be super overwhelming when some anonymous internet entity just throws info at you.

good luck!

xoxo,

aska

PS- don’t forget that you can check your course enrollment start time on july 20 and you can start enrolling in courses on the 26th.

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ccit, first year, newly admitted, UTM

sorry for shia

July 13, 2018

Hi,
I’m an incoming freshman and I am COMPLETELY lost about which courses I’m allowed to take, in which campuses, which faculties, basically everything.
I’ve been accepted to CCIT and I know there are two prereqs I need to take in my first year. Other than that I know nothing, zero, nada. Please help.
Thanks

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hi!

first, i want to apologize for how late this answer is. i was on vacation for the last month and a half! even aska deserves some time off.

second, welcome to uoft!

so, based on your question, you’d be enrolled at the utm campus (which is the only campus that offers the ccit program). however, you aren’t TECHNICALLY in ccit. ccit is a limited enrolment program that you have to apply for after your first year at utm. according to this link, you need to have completed at least 4.0 FCE (full credit equivalents) and have achieved at least a 65% in CCT109 and CCT110 (which are the two prereqs you already know about).

as for other courses you’re “allowed” to take, the world is yours! however, you should look into what other programs you are interested in apart from ccit. ccit only offers a major program, which means that you need to take another major or two minors in conjunction with ccit in order to fulfill the requirements of a u of t degree. just remember that all u of t students must be enrolled in either a specialist, two majors, or a major and two minors. for more info on degree requirements, check out the academic calendar. it’s a good idea to check out all the programs that utm offers and see what you may what to do with your ccit major and then take the required first year courses so that you can apply for the program in your second year. for a list of all the programs and their requirements, check out the academic calendar.

another thing that i 100000% suggest is making an appointment with an academic adviser at the registrar’s office. they can answer more specific questions that you may have and give you some great advice on anything academic-y. do it. i promise you that you won’t regret it. DO IT.

good luck!

xoxo,

aska

PS- sorry, i really really couldn’t resist the shia gif.

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OISE

RIP con ed

May 24, 2018

I am a concurrent education student at york going into second year, would i still be able to transfer to uoft’s con ed program even though its closing this year?

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hi!

unfortunately, because oise’s con ed program is closing this year, they will not be accepting any more new students.

you can check out the oise website for more information on heir other programs, but for now, their con ed program is closed and not accepting any new students.

xoxo,

aska

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