• seminars

    please don’t call on me

    June 5, 2017

    Hi AskA,

    I’m going into my third year at UTSG and I was wondering what history and
    American Studies 400 courses are like. I’m more so curious about
    assignments, difficulty, and these foreign things called small “seminars”
    that take place in lieu of lectures.

    I’ve taken 300 level courses in history and American Studies and really
    want to see how they (and I) stack up against something as unknown and
    seemingly daunting as a 400 course.

    Thanks a million!

    ———————————————

    hello!

    my sincerest apologies, for i have never taken courses in neither history nor american studies. however, as someone who has taken 400-level courses, i can definitely offer you some perspective on what they’re like!

    disclaimer: this is based solely on my own experience and may not apply to all 400-level courses.

    what to expect: (in no particular order)

    1. smaller class sizes: my 400-level classes were very small, usually no more than 30 people. this was slightly scary for me because i always try and make myself invisible when i’m in class in case i doze off. i don’t want to offend the teacher, y’know?

    2. seminar style: profs will give shorter lectures and emphasize the importance of in-class discussions. there will probably be lots of time sectioned off specifically for discussion.

    3. prepare to talk: you will probably be required to talk in front of the class at some point during the course.

    4. great, intellectually stimulating discussions: you’ll find that most people in your 400-level courses are super interested in the course material, meaning that you’ll have some great discussions with your classmates.

    5. ‘meeting style’ seating: in my 400-level courses, the tables in class were positioned in a circular formation, which definitely made in-class discussions easier since we could all see each other.

    6. you need to keep up with readings: since you will need to talk in class from time to time, you really need to keep up with your readings so you will know what you’re talking about. every time i didn’t finish my readings, i would get a lot of anxiety about talking in front of the class or participating. do those readings!

    7. participation marks: you will probably be graded on participation. some people forget this, but the thing to remember is quality over quantity.

    8. the prof will know your name: prepare to be called on by your prof because the class is small enough for him/her to learn your name.

    9. group projects: you will probably need to do some kind of a presentation with a group in your class. if you have the option to choose, choose your group wisely. there’s nothing worse than having a terrible group.

    10. assignments: you’ll still be writing essays. sorry!

    11. profs love feedback: i found that my profs were very open to feedback about the class. i had a prof who let us decide how we wanted our tests to be formatted and another prof who let us choose what we wanted our last lecture to be on. smaller class sizes make it much easier for students to bring up any grievances they might have without feeling intimidated by a speaking in front of a large group.

    in conclusion, my impression is that if you make an effort to engage in discussions and course material, a 400-level course is not difficult. you just have to put in some time!

    good luck! you’ll be fine.

    peace and love,

    aska

     

     

     

    Read More
  • subject POST

    not immune to having a subject post

    June 5, 2017

    Heyy

    I didn’t do too well in my first year life sciences courses and so I didn’t meet all of the requirements for some majors (ex. Immunology) that I was interested in. I already missed the deadline to apply for summer courses. What do I do now? I’ve applied to some programs for my subject POSt but what if I still want to get into the programs that I haven’t reached the requirements for??

    To add to the problem, I finished first year with only 4 credits (I sadly failed a Y course). Can I still “catch up” on my credits if I retake CHM135 and CHM136 during my second year?

    ———————————————

    hi!

    though people usually apply/ get into their desired subject posts at the end of first year, you can still change your post afterwards! just don’t forget to apply to a placeholder subject post for the upcoming school year so that you can actually enrol in courses. oh! and make sure you look at the prereq courses for immunology and make sure you have those completed before you reapply.

    you could also speak to the undergraduate advisor/ coordinator of immunology. they’ll be able to give you so much more information that i cannot as a humble student blogger.

    it’s no biggie that you finished first year with only 4 credits, you’ll still be counted as a second year student come september. as for taking CHM135 and 136 during your second year, you need special permission from the department to retake the course- you can’t retake a course if you passed it.

    unless you have some kind of time limit on when you want to finish your degree, you don’t have to worry about not taking summer courses. if anything, you could always take summer courses next year to “catch up” if finishing in four years is really important to you.

    good luck!

    xoxo,

    aska

    Read More
  • GPA,  probation,  subject POST

    it’s not you, it’s me

    June 5, 2017

    This might seem like a weird question, but I just spent an additional year
    trying to get into a type 3 specialist POSt. I’m sitting at a healthy 3.15
    CGPA right now, but economics scares me and it will probably drop. At what
    gpa/cgpa does the university kick me out of a program? Don’t get me wrong,
    I’m still going to work my ass off, haha, but I really would appreciate the
    piece of mind of knowing the very edge of my acceptable limit.

    ———————————————

    hello,

    holy crap. a 3.15 CGPA is so healthy yo.

    in regards to your question, you’re in luck. once you’re in a program, you’re in it for good.

    the program can’t break up with you, but you can break up with the program.

    even if you go on academic probation, get suspended, or take 10 years off, your program will stay the same unless you change it or remove it yourself.

    even though you aren’t going to get removed from your program, you should still set an “acceptable limit”. i would recommend that you try to stay above a 1.50 CGPA in order to remain in good academic standing. once you go below a 1.50 CGPA, you will be on academic probation which has a lot of not-so-fun consequences attached to it. if you want a good scare, look here.

    you should definitely continue working your ass off! (oh no, i said ass!!! but you said it first!)

    you’re doing great so far, so keep it up!

    peace and love,

    aska

     

     

     

     

    Read More
  • ccit,  enrolment,  UTM,  wait list

    waitlists do not mean the end

    June 4, 2017
    Hi! I got accepted into Humanities at UtM, and although I have not yet accepted, I want to switch from Humanities to CCIT. However, when I went on my friend’s ACORN account, it said that the two pre-req. courses lectures had blocked enrollment. Can I still try to take those classes or will I be wait listed for a long time? 🙁
    ———————————————
    hey,
    thanks for writing in. i think this is good time to introduce you to a wonderful thing called the UTM timetable! plop in your session, year, and subject area and you’ll see everything you need. i’m not sure why you’re using your friend’s ACORN to look this up, but the timetable is definitely a much handier and accessible tool than your friend’s ACORN.
    the ‘blocked enrolment’ thing that you’re referring to are actually called enrolment controls.
    they ensure priority for students in that specific subject area or other related subject areas.
    the pre-req courses for the major program (if that’s what you were going for): CCT109H5 and CCT110H5 have the following enrolment controls, meaning that students in these categories are given priority access:
    • Upper Year Studies, Honours Bachelor of Arts Newly Admitted Transfer Students – Arts (ERTRFHBA)
    • Studies in Communication, Culture, Information and Technology – Year 1 (ER CCI1)
    • Studies in Communication, Culture & Information Technology – Year 1 (ER CCI1R)
    • Visual Studies – Year 1 (ER VST1)
    • Visual Studies – Year 1 (ER VST1R)

    ^CCIT priority enrolment to you, a humanities student:

    seeing as though you’ve been accepted as a humanities student, you wouldn’t be able to switch your admission category in first year. yes, this does mean that you might be put on a waitlist for these classes since you won’t be part of the priority enrolment group, but it seems that the classes are both quite large, (total enrolment of 700 students for CCT109 and total enrolment of 500 for CCT110) so i would keep your fingers crossed! enrol and see what happens. just make sure you have a backup in your schedule if, for some reason you don’t get in the classes.

    ^ this could be you! (let’s hope not)

    if you’re super super super desperate and want to know if you have more options, you can always try contacting the undergraduate counsellor for CCIT at UTM.

    they’ll probably be able to give you more advice on getting into the program!

    best of luck to you and your friend!

    peace and love,

    aska

     

    Read More
  • bad times,  lost,  probation,  summer,  suspension

    feeling terrible is terrible

    June 4, 2017

    Hey ???????? Summer has begun and it sucks. I’m on my first year of suspension and what should I even do on suspension? I feel like I failed my parents, wasted my tuition and I just feel terrible. What are my options now that I’m on suspension and when is the earliest that can I begin enrolling in courses again? Would I be able to enroll for summer school 2018? And what gpa do I need once I get back to school to get off suspension/probation? Suggestions? Thank you for your help. ~ the distressed kid

    ———————————————

    hey ?????????

    being on suspension may seem like the worst thing ever but it’s really a time for ~*personal growth*~

    reflect, re-evaluate, regrow, like groot! (he’s so cute, i had to include this gif)

    give yourself lots of ‘you’ time. try and think about what went wrong last semester and how to prevent it from happening again. make a game plan to follow for when you get back to school and set some good goals. you’ll be even more excited and motivated to return if you set goals because you’ll be like “hey, i can do this and i can’t wait to achieve these goals!”

    and when i say set goals, i mean realistic goals. stuff like “GET A 4.0 GPA” are too vague and frankly, super daunting. stuff like: ‘sleep at least 7 hours every night’, or ‘take half an hour to review notes from the day’s classes everyday’ are examples of more realistic goals that won’t seem as intimidating as: “GET AT LEAST AN 80% ON EVERY TEST.” if you are someone who tends to skip classes both unintentionally and intentionally, (lol, me) set a hard limit for yourself. “i can only skip 4 classes this semester.” set some ground rules for your ‘next semester game plan’, but be realistic and thoughtful about them.

    (*i know that admin/ faculty people are reading the part about skipping classes and shaking their heads but hey, it’s actually super difficult for some of us to be in the right mindset to get to class. sometimes it’s an anxiety thing and sometimes it’s just a general lack of energy/ motivation. showing up to class is actually a lot harder than it seems, so no judging or angry emails pls.)

    if you are looking for practicality, both financially and career wise, i would suggest that you try working full time to save up some money for school! who knows, you might find a job that you love and realize that you don’t need to finish school to excel in your field!

    if work sounds like too much pressure for you, i’m a big believer in volunteer work. giving back to the community is always a great way to learn a lot about yourself and your role in society. sometimes we can get really caught up with our own lives and the seemingly terrible things that happen to us, but it’s also important to think about other people and do all we can to help people who are less fortunate.

    hey, if making money or giving back to the community aren’t a priority right now, you could do an eat, pray, love kind of thing and travel! you might even FIND YOURSELF! go explore the world and experience new and wonderful things!

    if you ever feel a longing for academia during your suspension, you can try getting a head start on classes you plan to take in the future. feed and enrich that brain of yours and don’t let it go dormant. if you spend your whole suspension without challenging your brain, it might be hard to get back into the groove of things when you return to school. (this isn’t a proven fact, but from personal experience, i have a hard time getting back into school mode after summer vacation because i don’t use my brain all summer)

    in regards to the parental units, don’t feel like you failed them. they might make it seem like they used to be golden children, but i’m sure they’ve made mistakes too in their lives. you’re still figuring things out and they should try to understand that it takes time. they were once your age too! as for the money thing, yes, some mistakes have financial consequences, but think of it as paying for a valuable life lesson! life lessons are priceless, yo.

    if this is your first 1 year suspension, you will be be able to return to school after one calendar year, so yes, summer 2018, after which you will be on academic probation. once you are on academic probation, you will need to maintain a CGPA of 1.50 or more to have your status changed to “in good standing”. read more about academic standing here!

    i hope i’ve given you some stuff to think about and some ideas as to what to do with your one year off! let us know if anything else is stressing you out! we’re here for you!

    oh. and go see your registrar. they’re awesome.

    peace, love, and an encouraging pat on the back,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  choosing,  internal transfer,  other schools (boo!),  UTM

    the bias is real

    June 4, 2017

    Okay, I know a lot have talked about it but I hope you bare with me a bit.

    The whole idea of studying in Canada started in Feb, and I have registered
    in multiple universities, the ones which didn’t reach their deadline yet,
    one of them is UofT. Sadly I didn’t make it to UTSG deadline but I have
    registered for UTSC and UTM, in Computer Science (and my April IELTS exam
    result getting held back for a randomly selected measuring didn’t help
    my lateness). But yesterday I got admitted in UTM as UTSC have “reached
    enrolment capacity”.

    I’m expecting an admitting from the University of Alberta too.

    Now, I would love to go to UofT but I’m not happy with the being in UTM,
    less range of courses, most the events will be on the main campus, far from
    downtown, need an off-campus residence, and as an international student, I
    need a good social life and being off-campus won’t help.

    How easy/what’s the chance for me to transfer to UTSG, what should I do and
    not do to ease the transfer, and does the tuition fees differences a lot
    between the two campuses?

    Or should I just stick to UAlberta? (with their on-campus residence)

    If I wouldn’t be able to transfer to UTSG I’ll go to UAlberta without a
    second thought.

    I know there isn’t a right answer to this but any thoughts and advice would
    help, cause I can’t stop thinking about it and I don’t know what to choose.

    Thanks.

    ———————————————

    hey,

    seeing as though this is askastudentuoft, it’s highly unlikely i’m going to tell you to go to ualberta because that would go against everything we believe in. like, do you really think i’m going to say: “yeah man, go to ualberta, they’re so much better than us!”

    that being said, it’s really up to your own gut. you can definitely transfer to UTSG eventually. it’s called an internal transfer! we have tons of posts on internal transfers which will answer your question about how to do so and much more! i encourage you to look at those because there are only so many ways to say the same thing over and over again :/ to ease the transfer, you just have to work hard to get a good CGPA. what CGPA range are they looking for? it changes every year so you’ll have to ask enrolment services when you want to transfer.

    not sure what you’re going to be studying, but the UTM and UTSG tuition fees look about the same if you look here! colleges at UTSG have varying incidental fees but they don’t seem to vary by much. the fees website will have tons of info on international fees.

    UTM is a great school with a lot to offer. i think you’re being too hard on it. seriously, give it a chance. if your end goal is to end up at UTSG, being at UTM would definitely make the transition process much easier than if you were to transfer from ualberta

    another thing to consider is the city. do you want to live in edmonton or do you want to live in mississauga/close to toronto? i’ve never been to edmonton, but i know that toronto has a great deal to offer with its multiculturalism and places to explore! toronto is awesome.

    but hey, as much as we would love for you to come to U of T, we hope you make the right decision for yourself, even if it means going to another school!

    you know yourself better than anyone else. you are the only one who knows what you want and what you don’t want.

     

    peace and love,

    aska

     

     

    Read More
  • OSAP,  probation

    OSnAP

    June 4, 2017

    Hello again! It’s me the 5th to 6th student (you replied to me using a Gosling Gif!)

    So I’m a little worried about OSAP now. Thanks for clarifying that I can do a 6th year. I was put on OSAP probation bc of my performance in 4th yr and it seems I’m getting to my goal of getting off the probation this year.

    I’m just wondering if i would be put on OSAP probation again because of the line in the new OSAP Academic Progress Form:

    “You can be placed on OSAP probation if you drop below the required course load, or if you do not pass a  sufficient number of credits. Multiple program switches, course drops, withdrawals, multiple repeats of
    a program and/or taking multiple programs may also be considered as unsatisfactory academic progress”

    I’m confused because if I did a 6th year (Undergrad) would that be considered “multiple repeats of a program”?  I thought by fulling the full course load this year would take me off probation but now I’m just confused and scared I’ll lose OSAP eligibility for that 6th yr. It feels like taking a step forward and 3 steps back.

    thanks.

    PS. Wow I’m jealous they made the new forms for this year so much easier. When I had to send my letter in I had to get a counselor to sign it and everything.

    ———————————————

    hello,

    yes! i remember you! thanks for writing again!

    your question was a little loaded so we had to reach out to someone from enrolment services!

    this is what they said: (i’m going to copy and paste it word for word so i don’t mess up the meaning)

    “OSAP generally allows one extra year of funding to complete your degree.  For Undergraduate students that means 5 years in total.  As long as the student hasn’t used up the maximum number of weeks of funding or interest free status: 340 weeks.  This rule doesn’t apply to students with a documented permanent disability.”

    more importantly, we encourage you to talk to a financial counsellor at your college or go to enrolment services to get more information on your unique situation.

    in terms of getting off of probation: your academic progress will be monitored carefully so make sure you pass your courses and meet the academic requirements of your program. again, all the information available on OSAP academic probation is attached with the note: talk to enrolment services! everyone’s situation is unique, so it’s really best if they sit down with you so they have access to your information.

    hope this helped!

    peace and love,

    aska

     

    Read More
  • bad times,  failing,  health,  late withdrawal,  petition

    my bed is my safe place

    June 2, 2017

    Hey,

    My registrar has advised me to petition to have a quite a few of my credits designated as LWD instead of the F’s they currently have due to my documented illness (read: mental health struggles). I was just wondering if you could give a ball-park estimation of how successful these types of petitions are? The depth of consideration these petitions are given? Will I be taken seriously or will the petition-gods roll their eyes?

    I’m scared/embarrassed of submitting a petition with such a heavy request. I actually do pretty well in school when I’m not in bed all day (which has been the case for the past year and a half).*

    *FYI, I am currently receiving treatment and plan to resume with my studies – I just really need my academic record cleaned up if I want to have any future in my field or any future period.

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey,

    while i personally haven’t seen people petition to designate failed courses as LWD, (that’s not to say it doesn’t happen) petitioning for most things at U of T is done through a case by case basis. there isn’t really a formula or way to predict what the outcome will be. since this petition is kind of a big deal, know that the petition committee will not handle it lightly and will only approve of it if there are serious extenuating circumstances.

    for now, i would just follow the advice of your registrar and try to petition it anyways. the fact that your registrar has advised you to do so means that they think there could be a chance of it getting approved. and hey, it doesn’t hurt to try!

    in my personal experience (meaning it might not be the same for everyone), mental health issues are dealt with pretty seriously at U of T. i’ve definitely late withdrawn from several courses over the years due to mental health issues with the help of my registrar and counsellors at health and wellness. being in bed all day made going to class and, well, pretty much everything very difficult. it was the greatest escape from reality. you’re not alone.

    the good thing is, you’ve taken the initiative to contact your registrar and ask for help. the fact that you reached out for help definitely helps your case! i don’t think they’d straight up roll their eyes if, like you said, you do pretty well in school when you aren’t in bed.

    i can totally understand why you’re scared; petitioning is always a little nerve-wracking. it may not be what you want to hear, but realistically, the only thing you can do is keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best! remember, health always comes first. stick with the treatment plan if it works, and always put yourself and your wellbeing before anything else. you can do this.

    ^me and you

    (i started typing ‘hug’ into giphy and then i saw ‘hugh jackman’ [my husband], so i thought i would get him to give you some encouragement as well)

    sending you our love, luck, and positive vibes all around,

    aska

     

    Read More
  • Uncategorized

    get it, ya molecular nerd!

    June 2, 2017

    Hi!

    I’m a first year student desperately wanting to do the specialist program
    in Molecular biology, however I failed one of my prereq courses (Mat134 –
    calc for life science) and bc of that I only have 3.5 completed credits.
    Due to all this, I was refused from the program enrollment, as well as all
    of the other 4 backup programs I applied to. If I’m able to revive my GPA
    to about a 3,0, will I be able to enroll in the program after second year?
    Also, do I have to already be enrolled into a program in second year?

    Thanks 🙂

    ———————————————

    hello!

    you have to be completed 4.0 FCEs in order to enrol in a subject post. that’s probably why you didn’t get into your 4 backup programs. when you’re done 4.0 FCE, then you can enrol in a subject post.

    according to the artsci calendar, you need a 70% in BIO130H1 or BIO230H1 in order to be considered for the molecular biology specialist. they also have a couple of preq courses outlined in the calendar. i would check those out too.

    as for getting your GPA up, there isn’t a specific GPA or CGPA requirement outlined in the calendar, but i imagine it would be competitive. i don’t want to give a specific number. again, i just want to avoid giving false information, and i’m sure it fluctuates year to year.

    i hope this helps!

    xoxo,

    aska

    Read More
  • Uncategorized

    what time is it?? SUMMERTIME!

    June 2, 2017

    Hey Aska! Got any advice or opinions on how one should spend summer break?

    ———————————————

    hi!

    bruh, do i look like blogTO to you? or narcity? whatever cool hip listicle website the kids are reading these days?

    in all seriousness though, summer is a great time to just chill tf out. especially if you’re not taking any courses. i guess the only advice i really want to give you is just do whatever you want just because you can. finish that book you couldn’t during the year because you were busy doing school-related readings. take a walk by the lake just because the weather is nice. go to some stupid trendy food place just because you wanna treat yo self.

    here are some interesting looking articles that you can check out.

    have a great summer!

    xoxo,

    aska

     

    Read More
  • admissions,  life science

    the N to your BSc

    June 1, 2017

    How can a Life Sciences student become a Nursing student?

    ———————————————

    hi!

    i’m assuming you’re talking about the bachelor’s program? the website has tons of info about how to get into the bachelor of science in nursing program hosted by the faculty of nursing.

    according to the website, it’s a two year program and you need to have 10 FCE before applying. it also says that you need a 3.0 GPA, a personal statement, an academic reference, and a work-related reference. there are also some prereq courses that are outlined on the website, so i would check those out too.

    basically, i would just check out the prereqs, take those courses in your first two years (or first 10 FCE), then apply after! the application itself can be found here.

    good luck!

    xoxo,

    aska

    Read More
  • Uncategorized

    we got ourselves (another) catherine keener

    May 31, 2017

    Hello, are there summer first-year courses for first year students at the Mississauga campus? If there are, are they the same ones offered in the fall/winter semester? Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hi!

    unfortunately, incoming students can’t take summer courses. you are not technically a student at u of t until the fall semester. 

    enjoy your summer, catherine keener. see you on campus in september! stay cool for the summer!

    xoxo,

    aska

     

    Read More