• masters

    gotta go fast

    August 15, 2017

    hi! i’m currently a student at york and i was wondering if i finished my honours degree in 3 years (by studying in the summer) whether it would be a problem for me to get into masters at uoft? like does the university care whether i finished in 3 or 4 years?

    ——————————————

    hi!

    i don’t think that finishing your degree earlier would have an effect on your application.

    if you want to be sure, you should contact the department or the masters program that you are interested in.

    hope this helps! good luck.

    sonic sonic the hedgehog sanic gotta go fast sanic hegehog GIF

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • Uncategorized

    google maps

    August 15, 2017

    Hi! I was just wondering: what is the closest library to Convocation Hall?

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    hi!

    i’m pretty sure that would be gerstein.

    there’s also this really nifty thing called google maps. it’s pretty cool. you can type in where you are and what you’re looking for. it’s AMAZING and totally beats having to wait a long time for a certain student blogger to catch up on questions!

    hope this was informative.

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    xoxo,

    aska

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  • frosh

    what the frosh?

    August 15, 2017

    what is frosh like what do they do

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    hi!

    frosh week (or orientation week) is when all incoming first year students are led around the city of toronto in matching t-shirts. it’s basically a very very loud introduction to university life. you can expect a free t-shirt, free college/ faculty swag, free food, lots of fun activities (common activities include boat cruises, dance parties, pub nights, open mics, ice breakers, etc.), new friends (!!), and academic/ student life orientations. check out this link for more information about frosh week.

    though frosh week isn’t for everyone, i would highly suggest registering and going anyways- at least for the first day. you’re only going to be a frosh once, so you might as well put on a stupid matching t-shirt, chant something obnoxious about your college/ campus/ faculty, and eat some free pizza-pizza.

    good luck!

    pokemon pikachu good luck GIF

    xoxo,

    aska

     

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  • Uncategorized

    more juggling than the circus

    August 11, 2017

    any tips on how to juggle work, studying, and socializing?

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    hi!

    the best advice i can give you is to figure out what’s important to you and what should be prioritized. i know that that sounds kinda cheesy and is probably something that you hear much too often, but i’ve found that sitting down at the beginning of every semester (or even month, life changes quickly) and figuring out what i want to dedicate most of my energy towards is very productive. then, you can designate the amount of the time you want to spend on each thing proportional to how important it is to you.

    i would also highly suggest meeting with a learning strategist from the academic success centre. they can help you develop learning skills to combat procrastination, manage stress, and a whole host of other things. they’re really great and not a lot of people know about them, but they’re definitely an on-campus resource you should check out.

    i hope this helps. good luck!

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • admissions,  pharmacy

    another pharma question

    August 9, 2017

    Hey there,

    I will be starting my first year of university this September at UTM and I was wondering about the course loads. How many credits did an accepted student complete each year. On the website, it states that I need to take a minimum of 5.0 credits in one year (from September to April) but unfortunately I only plan on taking 3.5 credits in one year along with 1.0 – 1.5 credits in summer. Do you think it is still possible for me to get accepted into pharmacy after two years or should I increase my course load for the first year?

    Thanks

    ——————————————

    hi!

    you can take as many credits as you want. most students take 5.0 FCE (full credit equivalents) in order to graduate in 4 years (5 credits times 4 years= the 20 credits you need to graduate). however, you can take as many as you want and take as much time as you want.

    according to the pharmacy program’s admission requirements page, you need to have completed all the prerequisite courses as outlined on the website before you can apply. though the website does say it usually takes two years, i don’t think that time is a factor. so, even though you are taking a reduced course load, you may be able to be accepted after two years if you’ve completed all the requirements.

    i would also get in contact with the pharmacy department just to make sure. 

    i hope this helps. good luck!

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • tcard

    t card quest

    August 9, 2017

    I’m an incoming first year ! how and when would I get my tcard? how do I get a uoft email?

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    hello!

    to get your t-card, you will have to go to the t-card office in the koffler centre (214 college street, the same building that the bookstore is in). to get your t-card, you will need to have proof of citizenship and photo id. 

    you can get your t-card anytime that you’re on campus. i would suggest going a little before frosh week/ classes start because the lines can get crazy long during that time.

    to get a u of t email, you need to get your t-card first. after that, you’ll be given a sheet with instructions on how to activate your u of t email. here’s a very brief outline. 

    i hope this helps! looking forward to seeing you on campus in september!

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • references,  scholarships/bursaries

    how to avoid awkward encounters

    August 8, 2017

    I’ve been looking up scholarships and I came across ASSU’s scholarships. Most of the scholarships are awarded based on community (volunteer) involvement. I was looking at the application forms and it says to list referee’s name and number. Would I have to call every referee and notify them that Im applying for a scholarship and they may receive a call for verification? That seems weird but I don’t want them to be surprised or something

    ——————————————

    hi!

    you don’t have to do that, but i highly suggest that you do. it might be even more awkward if the people from the scholarship get in contact with your referee(s) and they have no idea what it’s all about. trust me, an awkward encounter now will save you many more awkward moments down the line.

    i hope this helps!

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • admissions,  first year

    summer transcript scramble

    August 8, 2017

    Hello. I have another question about courses. So I am currently taking a summer school for Chemistry 12 University course and enrolment is on Thursday. Where can I submit my transcript for summer school? And will they allow me to enrol in a Chemistry course even though I have not submit my transcript for summer school yet? Thank you for your help. I appreciate it.

    ——————————————

    hi!

    i’m so sorry that it took until now for me to get to your question. i’ve been really swamped lately and then took a week off (aska needs downtime too!) so i’m sorry if this answer is no longer relevant.

    you should be able to enrol in a chemistry course at u of t without having grade 12 completed (ie. it’s not on your final high school transcript yet). so, you’re all good, m’dude!

    as for submitting your summer transcript, you need to get in touch with enrolment services. you should call or email them (following that link) and ask them how you would submit a transcript.

    i hope this helps, and i’m so sorry this took so long!

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • references

    volun-tears

    August 1, 2017

    hey aska! im interested in volunteering at mount sinai and need a reference form completed by someone who is not a relative. Im considering asking my cousin who is the manager of my previous (and only) job. Although restaurants aren’t related to healthcare and she is a relative, can I still have her fill in the reference form (and not tell anyone shes my cousin)? She is not the general manager of the restaurant but before I quit they changed GMs so I’m not really close to the current GM. I also haven’t worked at the restaurant since 2015…. so would that be weird?

    ——————————————

    hi! i’m not gonna lie, that’s a little iffy. but you gotta do what you gotta do sometimes.

    i think it should be okay though i would consider looking into finding an academic reference or even a reference from another volunteer position you may have held in the past. if they need a work/ professional reference, then i would resort to using your cousin.

    i hope that helps! good luck!

    ufc mma thumbs up good job ufc 214 GIF

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • 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!

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    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.

    annoyed eye roll eyeroll krysten ritter disbelief GIF

    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?

    ——————————————

    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!

    Madelaine Petsch thumbs up riverdale well done madelaine petsch GIF

    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?

    ——————————————

    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!

    America's Got Talent agt americas got talent mel b rooting GIF

    xoxo,

    aska

     

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