askastudent - your student life specialists

economics, enrollment, first year

economics makes me a confused puppy

January 29, 2018

I received an acceptance letter from the university of Toronto, it stated that I have been given admission into the school of applied social sciences in woodsworth college. I wish to pursue economics and in the letter it was nowhere mentioned that I have been admitted to the economics course.

I wished to enquire what is the process of getting the course(economics) I want in college?

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hi!

first year in the faculty of arts and science at u of t is general. this means that you have free reign over what courses you take, as long as you keep your intended programs of study (POSts) in mind. so, you should to take a look at the calendar (which is where every course and program in the faculty of arts and sciences are listed) to see which programs interest you and then take those courses in your first year at u of t. you apply for programs after you’ve completed 4.0 FCE, generally between your first and second year.

so, if you wanted to study JUST economics, meaning that you would be doing an economics specialist, you would first need to enroll in the economics major. to do that, you need to get at least 63% in ECO101/102 OR 70% in ECO105, AND 63% in MAT133 OR 60% in MAT135 and MAT136 OR 55% in MAT137 OR 55% in MAT157. you can check the link for more information (and a better layout tbh, i just have no idea what the most comprehensible way to type that information is). after a year in the major program, you can apply for the specialist program. the details for how to get into that program can be found here.

i hope that makes sense.

basically, for your first year, you can take anything you want (keeping your desired programs and their requirements in mind) and then apply for programs between first and second year. so, if econ is what you have in mind, then you’ll need to take ECO101/102 or 105, MAT133 or 135/136 or 137 during your first year so that you can qualify for the economics major.

i suggest making an appointment with one of the academic advisers at your college (in this case, woodsworth) registrar’s office. some colleges may have a first year adviser who would be able to give you tons of information. to be honest, i’m feelin’ a bit like those confused puppies up there over these econ requirements (also, wouldn’t it be fun if aska was run by a puppy? how cute!!), so checking in with someone at a registrar’s office would be really, really helpful.

i hope this wasn’t TOO confusing. best of luck and see you in september!

xoxo,

aska

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colleges, st. mike's

colleges, crim, enrolment, oh my!

January 22, 2018

Hello,

I am admitted in the University of Toronto St. Michael College for studies in Humanities. I have 2 questions for you.

1) What is the difference between all the Arts & Science colleges?

2) Is it possible for me to select Criminology & Socio-legal studies as a major after my first year even though i have been admitted in the faculty of Humanities?

Thank you.

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hi!

since your question is in two parts, i’ll be answering in two parts.

1) colleges are kinda like a student’s “home base” during their time in the faculty of arts and sciences. every student in artsci belongs to a college. this is mostly for administrative reasons, as u of t and the faculty of arts and sciences are huge. so, if you needed to access any admin (ie. registrar’s office, dean’s office, etc), you would want to get in contact at the college level first. there are also a lot of different resources that are available to students at a college such as writing centres. you will also be participating in orientation week with your college and if you’re living on residence, your college is where you would live.

there isn’t really any difference between the colleges, they all serve the same basic purpose. there are some people who say that each college has their own “personality”, but you will be able to find people that you click with no matter which college you’re at. basic people will tell you all about the stereotypes associated with the different colleges, but that’s all they are– stereotypes.

2) yes, it’s possible for you to for you to enroll in criminology and socio-legal studies as a major even though you were admitted into humanities. as long as you have the appropriate prerequisites fulfilled, there’s nothing stopping you!

you just need to take 2.0 FCE (full course equivalents) in either: HIS (history), ECO (economics), PHL (philosophy), POL (polisci), PSY (psychology), or SOC (sociology). then, between first and second year (or whenever you complete 4.0 FCE), you have to apply for the major on ACORN. check out this link for a detailed explanation of the program enrollment process. criminology and socio-legal studies is a type 3 program.

you could also make an academic advising session with your registrar’s office, who would be able to give you even more information.

i hope this helps! see you on campus in september!

xoxo,

aska

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UTM

don, but not the draper kind

January 22, 2018

Hi!

I’m a student at UTM and I am thinking of applying to be a don at my campus next year. I heard it is REALLY competitive and hard to get in (Like 500+ apply and only 40 get it or something like that). Is that true? How hard is it to get in? Do your academics really matter? I’m a student coming back from 1yr probation so will that be a big deal? I’m actually doing very well, so far I’m getting As and A+s. I’m also trying to get involved with the school community and I am sure that I will continue to do all that throughout the school year.

If you can share any thoughts or experiences that you know about what it is like to be a don and if it is worth it and what the selection process is like that will be great.

Any information will really help, thanks 🙂

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hi!

first of all, i am so sorry that this response is so late! unfortunately, the deadline has passed for applications to be a don. again, i’m so so sorry and i hope that you were able to find the application on your own. i will still answer the question, for future reference. again, i’m so sorry.

unfortunately, i have no idea how competitive it is to get in. for info like that, you should get in contact with UTM’s student housing and residence services.

since it is a little too late to apply, at least for the 2018-19 school year, you can take a look at the requirements so you can apply next year. though i don’t know whether or not having been on probation would be a “big deal”, they do say that there isn’t “one type of person who becomes a residence life staff”. take that as you will. however, you do need to have (and maintain) a cgpa of 2.0.

i don’t know too much about donships, especially at utm, so there isn’t much i can do to help here. get in contact with student housing and residence (which i’ve linked above) and keep an eye on this page for future opportunities.

i hope this helps, and sorry again for the extremely late response.

good luck,

aska

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CR/NCR, polisci, UTM

escape (CR/NCR) from POL114

January 17, 2018

hi there! im a first year student at UTM and POL114 is really kicking my butt… i want to CR/NCR it but i also may want to minor in polisci in the future! by the end of the school year, i would have completed the 1 credit requirement for polisci without POL114 ( took POL111 and POL112). so… is it okay to CR/NCR a polisci course if i will complete the required 1 credit anyways?

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hi!

so, according to the poli sci department’s website, the only requirement for a polisci minor is 4.0FCE in POL courses, including 1.0 300-level course and 1.0 100-level course. that means, if you have POL111 and POL112, that you can safely CR/NCR POL114 and still enroll in the polisci minor. however, since it is still relatively early in the term, you could wait until you get a few marks (like, after the midterm or first assignment) to really make your decision. you might actually be doing way better than you originally thought! the deadline to cr/ncr a course is march 14th.

i would also be mindful of the other polisci programs. right now, you want to do the minor, but if you should ever want to switch to a major, you would need POL200, POL214, and a whole host of other requirements. though POL114 isn’t one of the courses that are covered in the “fields” for the major, it could count towards the “3.0 additional POL courses”. so, just keep that in mind.

other than that, i would also suggest talking to the registrar at UTM who would have the most information and would be able to give you the best advice. perhaps even better advice than i (gasp! i know!).

overall, as long as you keep what i said in mind, as well as the prereqs for future POL courses (courses that you would want to take), you can totally escape POL114. that’s what CR/NCR is right? escaping?

xoxo,

aska

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internal transfer, UTM

keep calm and (cat) slide on

January 17, 2018

Hi!
I’m currently a first year student at UTM and I was wondering if it’s possible for me to transfer to UTSG. I haven’t been able to find much information about this online. How competitive is it?
If one of the required courses for the program I want to enroll in at UTSG isn’t offered at UTM what do I do? Can I do that course after I transfer?

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hi!

yes, it is possible for you to transfer from UTM to UTSG. how competitive it is, as i’ve mentioned MANY TIMES NOW, it’s all based on the pool of applicants in any cohort. you can check out this link for more information. you can also contact enrollment services, who would have the most up-to-date and accurate information about transfers, enrollment, and recruitment.

if one of the courses you need for your desired POSt at UTSG isn’t offered in UTM, you can definitely take it when you get to UTSG. just remember that you wont be able to enroll in your desired POSt, so you’ll have to enroll in (a) placeholder program(s). you can check out the transfer explorer to see what the UTSG equivalents of your UTM credits are, you may actually have the required courses for your desired POSt and can just enroll in it once you transfer.

i hope this was helpful, i know that there isn’t much info out there on internal transfers. i would suggest making an appointment with the registrar at UTM to discuss transferring since they’ll be able to give you more personalized information and point you towards other resources.

good luck! may your transfer be smoother than this guy’s:

xoxo,

aska

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wait list

waiting for a waitlist response

January 15, 2018

Hi! On thursday I was #40-something on a waitlist. As of today Im #18 on the waitlist for a class of 188 people. Do you think ill get in? The first lecture is today so ill be missing it. Ive heard something about 10% will get in but how many days before the waitlist drop is that number based on??

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hi!

first of all, let me apologize for this super late response. unfortunately, i don’t know if this answer will even be relevant anymore as the waitlists ended yesterday, january 14th. again, i am so so sorry and hope that you did get into the course.

i will still answer the question though, as i think that this could be worthwhile for our readers in the future. again, so sorry.

yes, in general, if you’re within the first 10% of the class size on the waitlist. that being said, it’s not a guarantee and mostly has to do with when you FIRST get into the waitlist. just use your common sense. if you’re still like, 7th on a waitlist (no matter what size the class is) the day before the waitlists end, you probably won’t get into the course. however, if a new section of the course opens up, then you’ll be able to get into the course that way.

so sorry again for this really delayed response. again, i really hope you got into the course.

wishing you all the best,

aska

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career choice, extracurricular, rotman

idk, join a club or something?

January 15, 2018

Not sure if this is relevant: But what do employers want from UofT students who are applying for jobs (barring good academics)? Employers say they want “leadership, communication etc” but what are actual things you should do to get their attention? I’m going into the accounting stream and everyones like “get in involved!” But how??? and in what??

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hi!

so like… i’ve been holding off on this question because i really don’t know what employers want… i’m just a dumb student floating about and answering very, very niche questions about transferring, or whatever.

i think that by “get involved” people are saying that you should join clubs or extracurricular that will help boost your resume/ linkedin profile. that being said, i also think that it’s really important to pursue things that you’re passionate about. personally, while i am making moves towards a career i want post-grad, i don’t think that i would survive at u of t without participating in extracurriculars that i care about. my suggestion to you is to participate in a few extracurriculars, volunteer, and/or join a club. my personal rule is to take on no more than two extracurricular activities per semester, and i always try to pick one that interests me personally and one that may help me to further my career or look great on my resume. of course, that’s just my own personal preference and you can do as many or as little as you want.

check out Ulife. they’ve got all the official u of t recognized student groups and clubs, a list of opportunities that you can peruse, and a list of upcoming events that you can participate in.

since you are a part of rotman (at least, i’m assuming from your question), you can also check out this link for a list of rotman commerce student organizations.

hopefully between those two links, you’ll be able to find something to pique your interest. if not, poke around and ask your friends what they’re doing in their spare time. i’m sure someone you know is a part of a student group you may wanna join.

hope this helps! get out there and “””get involved””””.

xoxo,

aska

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sociology, transfer credits, Transferring

the long journey from western to u of t

January 10, 2018

Hi, I am currently a Western student that wants to transfer to U of T sg campus. I am a music student at Western but i am wanting to join arts and science sociology at u of t since I have decided to go to a different career path. The main reason for me to consider transferring is for prestige reasons since u of t’s reputation is very high globally. I have read most of u of t’s transfer section but still have some questions about the system. First of all how difficult, competitive is it to join arts and science dept at u of t as a transfer student? On the website it says that i need at least a ‘B’ average but I want to know if this is 100% true. Also since I decided to join the music dept, I do not think I have finished the six grade twelve courses at my high school (in BC). Is it still possible for me to even apply for transfer to u of t? If I am eligible for transfer, would you guys recommend for me to take some socio courses at Western before considering transfer? or would it be possible for me to just have the music course credits to transfer over and start fresh in socio at u of t if i do get in.

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hi!

first of all, let me apologize for this very very late response. this school year has been (for lack of a better term) kicking my ass so far. but i’m back now!

i can’t really comment on how “competitive” admissions are (as i’ve stated time and time again, read my blog before you ask questions!) as that depends on every year’s roster of applications. if the website says a B average is usually what is required, i would trust that information.

you should have finished six grade twelve courses, as that’s the minimum requirement for all ontario universities. and since you were at western, i’d assume that you had those credits.

if you want to come to u of t as a transfer student, you’d want to check what transfer credits you’re eligible for. use the transfer explorer and input the courses that you’ve taken at western. it will generate a list of the equivalent u of t courses. according to the department of sociology’s website, you’ll need to have achieved a 65% (for the major program, which means you’d be taking 7 FCE (full credit equivalents) to complete) or an 80% (for the specialist program, which means you’d be taking 12 FCE) average in SOC101Y and at least 3 FCE (full credit equivalents) in other disciplines. they also have some other requirements that you can check out in more detail on their website.

you may not have the courses or transfer credits needed in order to directly enroll in sociology right after your transfer. what you can do is to transfer to u of t, use your first year at u of t to take the required courses and pull up your GPA. then, in the summer between your first year at u of t and your second, apply for sociology. i know it might be frustrating to be unable to enter the program of your choice directly after transferring, but unfortunately, that may be your only option.

again, i am so sorry for this extremely late response, i hope it was still helpful!

xoxo,

aska

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internal transfer, transfer credits, Transferring, UTM

adventure from utm to utsg

November 20, 2017

Hi!
I’m currently a first year student at UTM and I was wondering if it’s possible for me to transfer to UTSG. I haven’t been able to find much information about this online. How competitive is it? If one of the required courses for the program I want to enroll in at UTSG isn’t offered at UTM what do I do? Can I do that course after I transfer?

Thanks

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hi!

it is possible to transfer to UTSG. here is a link to the transfer page with all the information needed. just scroll down to where it says “transferring from another u of t faculty or campus”.

unfortunately, i have no idea how “competitive” it is as it is dependent on each year’s roster of applicants. try getting in contact with enrolment services, who would have the most up-to-date and accurate information about other applicants and enrolment.

if one of the required courses for the POSt that you want to enrol in at UTSG isn’t offered at UTM, you could check out the transfer explorer. some of the course codes may be different between campuses, so you may actually have the required courses. basically, type in the course code at UTM and it will show you what the equivalent course is at UTSG, if there is one. if there isn’t one, it will show you what you can get for it instead (for example, a breadth credit).

if that doesn’t really work out and you still need to take the required course, you can definitely take it after you transfer.

i hope this is helpful! good luck on your transferring adventure.

xoxo,

aska

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course work, first year

i don’t wanna be your mom, but…

November 13, 2017

I’m a first year and I forgot to do two responses for one of my courses. The first one was due last week, and then the second one was due yesterday. Is it ok if I get 0 on these? They’re not very important but I’m a first year and I don’t want these two responses to be my downfall and to propel me into academic probation or something.

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hi!

i don’t know if i can tell you whether or not it’s “okay” that you get 0 on these assignments. obviously, missing course work is bad and you shouldn’t do it (the mom in me is coming out)… but i’m also not here to boss you around and tell you what you can and can’t do.

take a look at your course syllabus, it outlines all the course work and how much everything is worth. if you’ve taken a look already and have determined that you can still pull a decent mark despite missing the first two assignments (though you will probably have to hustle HARD), then you’re fine. if, for whatever reason, these assignments are like the only marked course work in the class and without those marks, you’ll fail the course well… yikes.

this is something that you would definitely have to discuss with the instructor. hopefully, if god is good, the instructor will discuss alternatives with you and you will reach an agreement. this could be anything from allowing you to submit the assignment(s) late without a penalty, or excusing the assignments and lumping the marks into later assignments. if this isn’t a possibility, then you should speak to your college registrar. they’ll be able to provide you with more information and options.

i wouldn’t worry too too much about this. it sounds like you’ve determined that these assignments aren’t too important and that it may be fine for you to skip them. however, i would still definitely speak to your prof and see what you can figure out– there’s no harm in getting more marks!

and like, not to be your mom, but like… do your assignments.

xoxo,

mama aska

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psychology, Transferring

join us

November 3, 2017

Hey. I’m currently in my third year in Medical Sciences at Dal. Second year was really hard on me and I even got to a point that I deferred my MCATs for next summer and didn’t do them this summer… I feel stuck here, I feel like this is not the place for me. I’ve been thinking about transferring to U of T and doing a degree in psychology. I have a bunch of courses that are eligible for transfer (or so the u or t website says). Is there a chance that I would be able to transfer there and not have to start from first year

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hi!

just to make sure that you have the appropriate courses for your intended subject POSt (program of study, what we at u of t call our programs. it’s usually comprised of either a specialist, two majors, or a major and two minors), make sure you’ve used the transfer explorer. though it sounds like you’ve already checked out the status of your transfer credits, it’s always a good idea to check what the equivalent courses at u of t are.

after you’ve checked out the transfer explorer, see which of the required psychology courses you’ve already fulfilled at dal. according to the psych department’s website, you need to have PSY100 regardless of whether you want to do a major, minor, or specialist. i’d make sure that you have that credit from dal as it will allow you to enroll in the program once you get here.

next, you want to check out how many credits u of t will accept. if you have more than 5.0 FCEs (full credit equivalents), then you’re considered a second year student. if you have 10.0FCE, you’re considered a third year student. however, it may take more than four years in order to complete your degree in psych if you don’t have many psychology transfer credits.

i also suggest talking to one of the academic advisers that the psychology department has. check out this link for their contact info.

i hope this helps! i can’t really do much or give you a ton of personalized information since i don’t know how many general credits you have and how many PSY credits you have, but i hope this at least provided some guidance.

good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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extra courses

third time’s the charm

November 2, 2017

What happens when you need a certain mark for a course to get into your program but don’t have the mark? I’ve taken the course twice and need to take it a third time. Will I be kicked out of my program at this point? Or am I able to retake it. I got over a 50 in the course

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hi!

i’m a little confused by your question. i’m assuming you mean that you needed to achieve a certain grade in a course to be admitted to a subject POSt? and that you’ve taken it twice and passed both times but didn’t get the mark that you needed for the POSt? and now you’re worried about being able to get in/ staying in? i think?

you will need to talk to someone at your registrar’s office (just like you did when you added the course the second time) and fill out that form. again, they will designate the course as “extra”, which means that the mark can be counted towards any programs you apply for, but won’t count towards your GPA and the credit won’t count towards the 20 FCE that you need to graduate.

i’m not 100% sure if they’ll let you into the course for a third time, but unless there is some sort of exclusion or other reason why you wouldn’t be allowed to take the course a third time, they should let you into the course again. you won’t be able to add yourself to the course on ACORN, but someone from the registrar’s office will be able to.

i hope this helps! good luck 🙂

xoxo,

aska

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admissions, international students

long question from far away

October 26, 2017

Hey aska, I’m a senior student from Turkey and I want to study mechanical engineering in UofT. There is only one problem, and it’s obviously financial (yay for being an international student!). I talked to my family about this stuff, and they said that realistically, they can pay up to 40k CAD. Sooo the first question is about scholarships. I had 85 percent average last year, but I’m confident that I can get it up to 95 percent (let’s assume ok) because I’ve been studying this whole summer. I got 102 from TOEFL, worked at a rehab facility in summer, and joined a NASA contest but didn’t win anything so I don’t know if that last one counts. So what are the chances that I can get scholarship that’ll be enough? More importantly, what can I do to have a better chance? Also I’m willing to work while studying.

The second question is, does taking SAT help? Everytime I ask this, the answer is different so I’m trusting you on this one!

Lastly, sorry this took way longer than I expected but if I can’t get that scholarship, are student loans a bad idea? And there are not many for international students so is there a one that you can recommend?

Thank you soooooo much, this is my second time asking here after almost a year and you can’t believe how much your answer helped! I’m grateful that you’re doing this voluntarily, have a nice day!

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hi!

i’m not 100% sure what the requirements are for a lot of the scholarships, as i think they fluctuate every year based on the applicant pool. i’m also not sure what scholarships u of t offers for international students– most of the scholarships i’m seeing are for domestic students. check out this link that has a scholarship sorter tool that lets you filter through the various scholarships in order to find ones that you would qualify for. they have an option for international and domestic students as well as admission and in-course scholarships. i can’t really say what your “chances” are or how to have a “better chance”. sorry, but my (in)finite knowledge doesn’t go that far. get in contact with enrollment services who will have way more information about scholarships, financial aid, and grants.

i’m not sure if taking the SAT would help. according to this link, the only thing that you need in order to be considered for u of t are “excellent results overall” in math, physics, and chemistry in the grade 12 year. there aren’t any requirements beyond that, so unfortunately, i can’t give you an easy or direct answer. just know that the SAT is not required and would therefore, not affect your application either way. if i were you, i wouldn’t take the SAT (since you don’t have to) and focus on getting great marks in your grade 12 year.

if you can’t get a scholarship, student loans are definitely an option! unfortunately, i don’t know much about international loans. but this link is filled with emails and contacts of people who do know tons about them. hit them up and ask away! they are definitely the ones who know the most and would able to help you the most.

i’m really sorry for this super delayed response. i hope it still helps out. good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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