askastudent - your student life specialists

admissions, pharmacy

get pharm’d

July 31, 2017

hello uoft expert. what are the chances of getting into the PharmD program after completing all the prerequisites after in my second year?

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hi!

though i am the “uoft expert” (your words, not mine), i have absolutely no idea what your chances of getting into any program are. according to the pharmd website, you need to have a cumulative average of at least 70% and to be finished all the prereqs, which usually take about two years to complete. those are just the minimum requirements. i’m sure you know that u of t is absolutely whack and that you’ll need more than the minimum to be competitive. because i have no way of knowing how competitive admission would be in any given year, i don’t think i can tell you your “chances”.

i would get in contact with the faculty of pharmacy (specifically the pharmd program) as they would have the most relevent and up to date info and may be able to answer any questions that you may have.

i hope this helps! good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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Portal

a mystery left unsolved

July 28, 2017

when do courses appear on portal?

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hi!

WHO KNOWS.

xoxo,

aska

okay, in all honesty, i have no idea. it all has to do with the course’s instructor(s) and the department that the course belongs to. some instructors put their courses up on portal by mid-august, others don’t have anything up til the second week of classes. it’s annoying and unpredictable. like, as if uni life couldn’t be any harder– we gotta deal with slow profs.

maybe one day, one beautiful and perfect day, the university will uncover all of their secrets. on that day, meric gertler himself will ride through front campus on a tiny, tiny unicorn (too tiny to be ridden by any man) and reveal to us all the mysteries that lurk deep within the university of toronto. on that day, the sun will shine and OSAP loans will be pardoned. we will all be granted 4.0 GPAs and we will thank whatever gracious and faceless god in hushed, reverent tones.

on that day, we will finally know when courses go up on portal.

i hope this clears things up!

xoxo,

aska

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first year, priority

pesky priorities!

July 28, 2017

Hello. My admissions category is mathematical and physical sciences. I chose this because i love chem but no other programs under that category really interest me. Soooo can i double major in chem and something from life sci like nutritional sciences or must i stay within my admissions category?

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hi!

yes, you can totally do that! you can take any courses within the faculty of arts and science as you are an artsci student. it’s pretty cool. i know people who have double majored in french literature and organic chemistry.

the one thing you’d have to be aware of is priorities. if you want to take courses outside of your admissions category, you might not have “priority” for those courses. this means that you will have to wait until the priority period is over until you can register for those courses. this year, you can start enrolling in those classes on August 4th.

i hope this is helpful! good luck!

looking forward to seeing you on campus in the fall!

xoxo,

aska

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probation

probation pro

July 28, 2017

Hi,

I recently received a letter placing me into academic probation from the office of registrar. I have a 3.7 GPA but I took a course in the winter sem that I put to credit/no credit and ended up not receiving the credits for it.

The letter said that I had failed a course and that’s why I was being admitted into probation. It also says that I am not maintaining satisfactory academic progress. Does that make any sense? Also, I was wondering if it’s possible to appeal against the probation?

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hi!

to be honest, your situation sounds a little fishy. unless you aren’t telling me something, you shouldn’t be on probation (you can only be put on probation if your CGPA is less than 1.50). i would get in touch with your college registrar to sort it out or to find out why you’re actually on probation.

unfortunately, you can’t petition a probation.

i’m really sorry that you’re in this situation. i’m sure you did your best despite any circumstances or bullsh*t that may have been thrown your way. check out this link on advice for students who are put on probation and next steps.

you could also check out the academic success centre, where they can set you up with a learning strategist who’ll help you develop individual learning skills. they also have drop- in hours if you want to see someone more casually. it’s like dating, but you get better marks and a sense of confidence in your academic life.

i hope this helps! know that being on probation is not the end of the world and you will be able to recover and continue your education.

i’m rooting for you!

xoxo,

aska

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computer science

a fine balance

July 26, 2017

Hi aska. Sorry for my bad English.
As I’m starting to work full time soon, I was wondering whether there are
online or evening courses available for the following majors : Computer
Science, German language and Geographical Information Systems.
I’m still interested with CS, though the first year I struggled with my
studies (I got my education backhome and it was different). If I retake the
courses, can I get into CS POS? Or shall I consider non-degree studies in
CS ?
Best,
O.

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hi!

travelling to a completely new country for school and balancing work/ finances on top of a busy academic life cannot be easy. i feel for you, o, i really do. i’m really proud of you for putting in the time and effort to continue your education (and in something you’re passionate about!) and i hope others in your life recognize that too. student life can be very isolating and we don’t hear “i’m proud of you” enough.

to find courses that would fit into your busy schedule, you could use the faculty of arts and science’s timetable. you just need to plug in what you need in a course (like which day you want, what time of day, etc) and it’ll spit out options for you.

so, i put in the majors that you’re interested in and the following online courses popped up: CSC108H1F/S and GGR272HS.

i also searched for evening courses but way more popped up and as much as i wanna help you, i don’t really feel like typing out 68 different course codes. take a look at the timetable yourself to see if any of those courses interest you.

you can retake courses once if you need it to get into the CS POSt, but it will be designated as “extra” (meaning that it will show up on your transcript but the mark won’t affect your GPA or be counted towards the 20 FCE you need to graduate). i would get in contact with your college registrar’s office or the department of computer science to figure out the next steps you nee to take in order to enroll in an extra course (as ACORN will block you from enrolling in it yourself, if i remember correctly).

if you’re having issues studying or need some extra support, you could also check out the academic success centre. they’ll be able to connect you to a mentor who would work with you to develop study skills and provide you with guidance. they’re a really great resource that is severely underused!

i hope this helps. don’t forget that you can always get support, you just have to ask for it.

good luck! i’m rooting for you.

xoxo,

aska

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credits

anotha one (semester)

July 26, 2017

I also wanted to ask if it was viable for a student to graduate in 4.5
years (since I’m missing 1.5 credit to graduate on time) ?? Like if I had
to take a semester more of classes, is the only option to pay for another
whole year?

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hi!

you can totally graduate in 4.5 years! you can take as much time as you need.

if you were only taking 1.5 credits, you would be considered a part time student and charged the fees associated with that status.

i would check in with your college registrar to see what they say. they could provide you with options to see if you could graduate without taking the extra semester (though of course, taking more time is no big deal at all! but knowing your options can be helpful). they’ll also be able to help you change your stratus from full time to part time or tell you about changing your fees to be per-course. the college registrar is your best friend!

i hope this helps! good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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first year, SDS, sociology

sexy soc-y ;)

July 25, 2017

Hey! Is there recommended first year courses I should take if I want to double major in sexual diversity and sociology? 🙂

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hi!

so, you just need to go to the faculty of arts and science’s calendar to see what first year courses are offered by those department as well as which courses they recommend you take in first or second year.

for sexual diversity studies, they suggest that you take SDS255H1/ SDS256 in your first year as well as “a broad range of of courses in the humanities and social sciences”.

for soc, they suggest SOC101Y and a combination of two half-year courses that are outlined in the calendar that i really don’t feel like typing out for you. sorry but not sorry. you got into this school, you can read.

i hope this was helpful!

xoxo,

aska

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admissions, grad school, psychology

psych! don’t really have an answer

July 24, 2017

Hi there aska! I’m a psych major interested in eventually doing my masters in psych. Say for example I chose to do a thesis on women’s mental health, would I need to take courses related to my future area of specialization or is any psych course fine?

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hi!

you would have to check out the specific program’s prereqs. if you were thinking about pursuing your masters at u of t, you can check out this link.

otherwise, i can’t really help you. i don’t know what program you want to get into, so i can’t give you anything but very general advice. i would get in touch with the school or program that you’re interested in, ask them if there are any courses that they require you to have completed before, and see what the steps are from there.

sorry i can’t be of more help.

xoxo,

aska

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transfer credits, Transferring

another coy transfer answer

July 24, 2017

If I get good grades in my second year though I have a really low first year GPA, would I be able to transfer to u of t? I’m a student at another uni. Or do I need high GPA’s for both my first and second year?

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hi!

i can’t really say for sure whether or not you’ll be able to transfer (aska makes no absolute guarantees, only educated guesses and estimations). logically, though, it would make sense that you’d have a better chance of getting in if you had a high CGPA (cumulative GPA).

before you apply to transfer, you should also hit up the transfer explorer to see how many credits you can transfer over to u of t and what the equivalent courses are here.

hope this helps! good luck.

xoxo,

aska

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Uncategorized

what’s ma tuition?!

July 21, 2017

Hi. what is the masters tuition for international students? (MA in political sciences)

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hi!

unfortunately, there isn’t a specific number posted anywhere online. if i were you, i’d get in contact with the school of graduate studies, who would have the most information about graduate programs at u of t.

i’d also get in contact with the department of political sciences to see what their policies and application process is for international students. they also have a MA supervisor that could help you out. they’d also have information for you about scholarships, grants, and bursaries to help you finance your masters.

i hope this is helpful! good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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subject POST

subject post blues

July 21, 2017

hey hey! I just need some clarification. So lets say I met all the requirements of a subject post but get rejected because its competitive. Doing better in my second year won’t improve my chances of getting into the program if I dont retake the prereq courses (and try to get better grades in those courses) correct? thank uu

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hi!

unfortunately, you can’t enrol in a course that you’ve already taken and passed without the permission of the department. if you want to retake a course for your subject POSt, i would go to the department and ask if it’s possible.

i would also make an appointment with your college registrar to discuss next steps or alternatives for the upcoming school year since you didn’t get into the subject POSt you wanted. they might also be able to help you with the next steps that you need to take if you want to retake a course you’ve passed.

i hope this helps! good luck!

xoxo,

aska

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internal transfer, Transferring, UTM

don’t let your dreams be dreams!!

July 19, 2017

Can I transfer from UTM to UTSG in my fourth year to the same department? So my specialist is Biology, can I do the same in downtown? Thanks!

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hi!

unfortunately, i’m not 100% sure whether or not utsg would accept you as a fourth year student. i would get in contact with enrolment services and see what they say. they may deflate your dreams, but you never know!

if you were to transfer and get in, you might not be able to be in the same subject POSt or combination of subject POSts. because the program requirements at utsg are slightly different than those at utm, you might not fulfill the requirements for the equivalent program that you were in. the selection of programs is also slightly different from campus to campus, so your specific program (or program combination) might not even exist at utsg! check out the program calendar to see what the requirements are for the program that you’re interested in. i just said program a lot.

enrolment services can help you figure out what kind of program you could get into if you transferred over from utm, but i would also consider talking to the registrar at utm. they’d have tons of info too.

don’t let your dreams be dreams, dude!

xoxo,

aska

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credits

may the force be with you

July 19, 2017

Hi! Can I graduate from a Honours degree in 3 years instead of 4 by taking classes in the summer?

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hi!

yes you can!

however, in addition to classes in the summer, you would have to also take 6 FCE during the year. i did the math in this post.

basically, you’d have to take 6 FCE for 3 years (for a total of 18 FCE) and then take 2 during the summers. either one in each summer or cramming both into one. you could also split take 6 FCE one year, 5 FCE the next two years for a total of 16 credits. then, you’d have to take 4 FCE and the only way you could do that in two summers is if you took 2 FCE every summer.

it’s totally within the realm of possibility, but it would be hard and exhausting. but not impossible!

good luck dude. may the force be with you.

xoxo,

aska

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