askastudent - your student life specialists - Page 6

courses, wait list

my olympic sport is uoft course enrolment

August 14, 2024

why am I refused to a course that I’m waitlisted?

hey there,

alright, so you were refused from a course that you were waitlisted for.

well, i’m gonna be honest, there are multiple ways i could interpret this question. i’m not too sure whether you’re asking why you were waitlisted, or why the waitlist closed, or if you were just mysteriously refused from a course.

sooo i’m gonna address all these situations just in case. i hope that’s alright with you.

1. being waitlisted

the critical info you need here is that being waitlisted for a course means that you’re not in yet because the course is full. it’s essentially a “lineup” for the course. i know this can be disappointing and a little (or a lot) stressful, especially if you need to take that course to get into or complete your program.

but it happens because U of T needs to regulate the class sizes in order to organize classrooms, or something like that. in my experience, the max class size is just the number of seats in a classroom. sometimes they are able to expand and switch classrooms if there’s a lot of people on the waitlist, but most of the time you just have to wait it out and hope for the best.

a general rule of thumb is that if your spot in the waitlist is within the top 10% of the class size, you’ll get in. so if the class size is 70, then you’ll be fine if you’re in the top 7 of the waitlist. (you’ll be able to check what number you are on the waitlist on acorn, at the bottom of the “courses” page.) but, keep in mind that this rule really depends on the level of interest for the class and is just a rough estimate.

if you’re still waitlisted but pretty high on the list when classes start, don’t give up hope! in the case that the class is pretty big (aka over 40-ish and not a seminar), and it’s held in person, you can technically attend lecture until you’re off the waitlist. how will they know you’re not supposed to be there? 😀

i know people who have done that, and it’s worked for them. this allows you to not fall behind if you get into the course a few weeks after the start of classes. sure, during that time you won’t have access to the quercus page and course resources, but you can befriend someone who does!

don’t worry about keeping an eye on your waitlist rank though. when a spot opens up, you’ll be automatically added into the course and you’ll receive an email.

2. waitlist closing

next, maybe you were recently booted from the waitlist.

well, waitlists do have a closing date each term, which happens a few days before course enrolment closes. these dates will be listed on the academic dates & deadlines page. after the waitlist closes, spots in courses will be available on a first-come first-served basis. so this is the one case where you do have to obsessively check the course availability — whoever catches an open spot and enrols first gets it. at least, during the few days until enrolment closes.

3. refused enrolment in a course

that brings us to my last guess. you were refused enrolment in a course.

well, there are a number of reasons why this might have happened. but the #1 reason why this happens is because you don’t meet an enrolment control and aren’t eligible to take the course.

for example, you’ll be refused enrolment if you haven’t taken the required pre-requisites or co-requisites. or, the course might only be available to students in a certain program or year. in fact, some courses even require separate application and approval processes through the department. regardless, these should all show up under the course’s enrolment indicators on timetable builder.

the only other reason i can think of is, maybe you might have reached the course load limit, which is 6.0 credits for the fall-winter session combined (max of 3.0 credits per semester). or maybe your academic standing is affecting your enrolment? this would only happen if your GPA is less than 1.5. but, i’m not super sure how this works.

overall, i would highly encourage you to contact your college registrar if you’re in this third section where you were mysteriously refused from a course. they are more knowledgeable on the behind-the-scenes aspect of course enrolment and would be able to help you figure out the reason why this happened.

and, yeah.

i hope one of these options was relevant and answered your question. if not, well. so much of this job is a guessing game, i’m bound to get it wrong sometimes.

best of luck, i really hope you figure it out!

over and out,

aska

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academic standing, admissions

so. that’s kinda scary

August 8, 2024

Hi! I’m stressing out right now I was admitted to UofT for environmental science and the requirements for my offer were to get a 70% in english (which I achieved), and a overall average of 75%. I ended up finishing with a 73.33%. And I received an email saying since I didn’t achieve the average my offer may be revoked. Do you think it will be revoked or should I be okay? How likely is it that my offer will be revoked. Thanks!

hey there,

hmmmm, interesting. most admission offers i’ve heard of provide much more ominously vague conditions, like “maintain your academic standing”.

i’m sorry this is happening, it sounds like a really uncertain and upsetting situation! but honestly, i gotta say, as a fellow student, i am not really in the position to be telling you whether or not your offer will be revoked. i’m not involved in the admissions process at all, so that’s not my place of authority and i don’t wanna tell you something wrong in a consequential situation like this.

i feel like i’d need to see the exact wording of that email to really determine how likely it is that you’ll be revoked. it does say on the admissions decisions page of the artsci website that “students who don’t meet the required conditions by the posted deadlines can expected to have their offer rescinded”. and if you received an email saying you didn’t meet the conditions, well, it does seem pretty likely.

but, i’m not sure how often U of T rescinds offers (i don’t have any mutuals who this happened to). reddit, which keep in mind is not so reliable, says it doesn’t happen often and that it requires a huge grade drop of more than 10%. so who knows.

regardless, you might wanna prepare yourself for either situation. here are some options i’ve heard of:

apparently there might be a form linked in your conditional offer where you are able explain the extenuating circumstances behind a grade drop.

i’ve also heard you might be able to take summer school to improve your grade average. i’m not sure how this works though, you’d have to directly contact enrolment services to find out if it’s possible.

so yeah, i know it wasn’t much but i hope this was somewhat helpful. good luck!

over and out,

aska

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aska 2 Comments
admissions, applying for U of T, engineering

young engineer will not go crazy today, no siree

August 6, 2024

Hey, I want to get into mechanical engineering in uofstg and I’m grade 11 (well going into grade 12 since it’s summer) and in ontario with a 87 average. I’m in HOSA but didn’t make president (I thought I would). My school doesn’t have many clubs but I want to be more involved with stem club next year. I just wanted to know how competitive my program is and my chances of getting in regardless of grade 12 (I am hoping to do better next year). I’m shaking in my boots because I really really want to get in. I keep pretending like I won’t go crazy if I don’t get in but I just might.

hey there,

i get how stressful it can be during this stage of high school, right before university application season starts! “shaking in your boots” is such an accurate description of that time.

but,

i’m not an engineering student so i can’t speak from experience as to how competitive admissions is. to be honest with you, all you can really do to figure out your chances of getting in is to do some casual internet sleuthing (aka research) on U of T websites.

so you want to get into mechanical engineering. well, engineering programs are definitely among the more competitive programs at U of T. but, your 87 average does fit within the range listed on the FAQ page of the engineering website — here, they say the grade range that you need to be competitive for mechanical engineering is high 80’s to low 90’s. keep in mind though, being within this range “doesn’t guarantee admission”, as they’ll always say.

on this page, it also says that your admission average is computed based on a select group of pre-requisite grade 12 level courses. under the ontario school system, those are english ( ENG4U), advanced functions (MHF4U), calculus and vectors (MCV4U), chemistry (SCH4U), and physics (SPH4U). this tells you that you’ll want to especially do well in these courses, since admissions will definitely be looking at them.

meanwhile, you’re right that your extracurricular activities matter too — for both admission and scholarship consideration.

the engineering school’s admissions requires that you submit an online student profile, through which you’ll input your grades, describe your extracurriculars and send in some “get to know you as a person” video responses. you’ll have access to this though the engineering applicant portal once U of T receives your initial application on OUAC (ontario universities’ application centre).

keep in mind though, that your extracurricular activities don’t need to be engineering-related. they can also include athletics, arts, community involvement, and paid or volunteer employment. for this section, i think it’s great that you’re a part of HOSA and that you’re gonna get involved with stem clubs!

anyways. it seems like that’s it. these are just the admission areas you’ll want to make yourself as competitive as possible in. to directly answer your question, i can’t really tell you

“congrats, you’re competitive!”

or

“man i’m sorry you just won’t cut it”.

because like, i’m not an admissions officer, nor have i applied to engineering myself.

but it seems to me like you’re in a pretty okay position right now. engineering is very hard to get into, but i think you are able to craft a strong application from here on out. i think just work really hard in grade 12 to get the highest marks you can, and really sell those extracurriculars in your student profile.

all in all, i believe you’re fully capable of getting in if you set your mind to it and really commit yourself during this last home stretch. lose that fear of failure, you’ve got this!

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, campus, psychology

where.

July 14, 2024
Hello, I am interested in applying to the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. I would like to know which campus offers the best program for that. Additionally, I would like to inquire if it is possible to apply for admission immediately after completing Grade 11, with the potential for a conditional offer based on an average score above 95% in Grade 11 (through Tvo ILC), without having started Grade 12. And what will be the admission steps?

hey there,
1. which campus is best
first of all, great question. it can be really hard to choose which uni and campus to attend, because that’s where you’ll live your life for the next four+ years. when i was at that stage, i felt a lot like this:

i can tell you that psychology at U of T is going to be really good no matter which campus you choose. but if you wanted to know which one was best for that program, it really depends on what you’re looking for.

st. george is the biggest campus and it’s downtown. so that will mean it has more research opportunities in more areas, because of how connected the st. george campus is. like, there are a lot of U of T affiliated companies in different sectors that will take U of T undergrads looking for experience. the psychology has a great page where you can check out research opportunities here.

as for the other two campuses, i don’t know much about UTM, but UTSC in scarborough is known for being the co-op campus. so if you’re looking for co-op opportunities, that’s the place to be. for example, at UTSC you can take the co-op program in psychology, which is a work integrated program that combines your studies with paid work. this can also be great if you want to earn some money while being a student.

i’d say both co-op opportunities and research opportunities are really important for psychology because it’s difficult to get job experience as an undergrad when you’re a psychology student. so it just depends on what you prefer.

meanwhile, you should also choose the campus based on its environment and how it would work for you, as each campus has different pros and cons. like, do you want to live in the downtown core? do you want to live in a smaller campus? do you like nature? noise? etc.

if you’re curious, you can check out this page that goes over what makes each campus unique.

2. can you apply for admission now?

so unfortunately, it is not possible to apply for admission immediately after completing grade 11. this is because you need to be at least enrolled in grade 12 courses before you can be considered for admission.

according to the admission dates page, the early application date is november 7 while the deadline is january 15. so you’ll have to wait for the fall of your senior year to apply, around late september or october. you can apply for early admissions even if your grade 12 marks are not out yet, but you do need to be in grade 12. there’s not really a way around that.

finally, if you’re still undecided on which campus to choose, i’d encourage you to reach out to a recruitment officer, as they can probably tell you more psychology-specific things about each campus and help you make your decision.

anyways, hope this was helpful, good luck!!

over and out,

aska
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campus, choosing, competition, courses

day 47389 of asking you to be more specific

July 7, 2024
What courses do you think are the least to highest in competitiveness. And also what campus do you think are the least to highest in competitiveness.

hey there,

well, as you can see on the U of T course timetable, there are almost 8000 courses offered during the fall/winter school year across all its undergrad faculties.

you want to know which of these are the least to highest in competitiveness? have i got a list for you, ranked highest to lowest in competition:
wait maybe applied game theory should be number one, cause that’s crazy. do they apply? game theory? in class? against each other? for grades? who cares about deathly crimes (aka emotional warfare) when you’ve got grades on the line.

ok don’t take anything i just said seriously. i’ve just been emotionally scarred by some classmates.

jokes aside, realistically, there is no way of saying which of the 8000 courses are highest and lowest in competitiveness without taking all of them or having some sort of crazed opinion-based database. unfortunately, the closest U of T students have ever come to making one of those was the anti-calendar, which mysteriously died out sometime in 2011.

the only actual general knowledge on competitiveness at U of T is that the rotman business programs are definitely every-man-for-himself. i know several people in rotman, and not only is it super difficult to get good grades there, you have to be extensively involved in extra-curricular programming and clubs. the vibe is that there’s a lot of fake sucking-up and networking in those circles. i heard they do peer evaluations after some group projects, where they have to prepare an argument to present to their prof as to why they should get higher grades than their group members who “did less work”. brutal, i tell ya.

so as you’ll probably guess, competition also depends on the size of your program. i think with really popular programs that have limited enrolment, you would encounter more competition in class rather than in open enrolment programs. some of the smaller programs also have more tight-knit communities, where everyone is more welcoming and kind to each other. i’d say this is definitely the case with niche social science programs.

from past research, i’ve heard entry into the computer science program is really competitive, though i’m not sure how it is after you get in. and, i took some political science adjacent courses and those were pretty competitive compared to life sci courses i’ve taken. in poli sci/public policy/peace conflict and justice courses, i guess you’ve just got a concentration of people who want to be world leaders or politicians, so you get the vibe.

honestly, it would be a lot to give my opinion on every single one of the 700 programs U of T offers, so maybe give me a shortlist of ones that you’re curious about instead?

as for competition across the three U of T campuses, i can actually tell you about that because i can actually count the number on one hand :D!

based on what i’ve heard from people who have taken classes in all three campuses, UTM (mississauga) is the most competitive, UTSG (st. george) is in the middle, and UTSC (scarborough) is the least competitive. however, that’s not to say every single UTM course is competitive, i think it just depends what your specific program would be.

anyhoo, hope this somewhat answered your questions? if not, i hope you enjoyed my yap session.

and if you really want an answer, don’t hesitate to shoot another, more specific, question!

over and out,

aska
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choosing, commuters, friends, fun & places, gap year, housing, money

in this essay, i will-

July 6, 2024

hello! i got accepted into uoftsg and i’m split between whether or not i should do a gap year. i just graduated highschool, and my plan was to do my undergrad and graduate in 2028 with an english degree and a business certificate.

if i go into uni for this fall, the pros are:

i’ll keep my academic momentum going and i’ll be with some friends from this year who are also going to uoft. i’ll also be out the house more often and away from my family (i live in an emotionally draining environment, parents are uber-religious christians and big members of our church while i’m a closeted bisexual + athiest!) and uoft is far from our town (~1hr drive)

the cons are that i’ll have a lot of stress from commuting so much (~2hr commute to and from campus multiple times a week). there will be some financial strain, as i’m depending on OSAP and UTAPS. i don’t have an RESP or anything saved. commuting will also rack up additional costs over time, too. aside from going to the commuter’s orientation, i’ll have a lack of social integration @ school and i don’t want to feel alone outside of classes, or limited because i’ll have a train to catch ;(

if i try and defer my acceptance and take a gap year, i’ll be able to save up money working to purchase the things i need for school (laptop, school supplies, books, etc.). i could even afford residence (the dream) if i work multiple jobs. i’ll get more time to plan and develop the skills i’m embarrassed about not having like learning how to swim, getting my driver’s license, building a resume, and getting some official job experience.

the cons are that i’ll have to live with my family during that time and idk if that’s the best for my mental health. part of why i chose uoft wasn’t just because it was a strong choice for my desired program, but also because it’s far away from home with so much social opportunities in a big city that i’ve never been able to experience! like pride parades, concerts, etc. i’ll have to delay those plans for a year then bunk it with students a year younger than me if i can afford residence my first year, but that’s just a small petty con lol. i’m mostly worried about not doing what i planned then deciding i don’t want to go to post-secondary since i’m working and making money. i also don’t know if i’ll have less opportunities for scholarships since i won’t be direct-entry into post-secondary.

i’m unsure of what to do—it’s a big dilemma that’s been on my mind for a while. my friends say to give it time and do what feels / seems right. i’m unsure of who else to ask about this, and the deadline to defer is around august (?) i think. please let me know what you think and if there are any resources i can look into or areas (like registrar or advisors) that i can ask about this decision. thank you so much in advance, have a great day. ?

hey there,

omg i feel you, my friend. this sounds like a really tough decision, thanks for reaching out! as a U of T student and person who knows part of the situation in which you’re coming from, i might be able to pitch in. keep in mind, this is all kind of coming from my personal experience, so take from it what you will!

friends/dorm

first of all, yes. it’s nice to go into uni already knowing friends in your year. i will say though, that it doesn’t matter as much as it might seem to. knowing friends in your year is only a big pro if you’re in the same program as them and can take the same classes. otherwise, you’ll have to make time to see them outside of class/studying — and in that context, it doesn’t matter if you’re in the same year. in uni, you’re bound to make friends across different years, because the classes are very mixed and there’s much less of a divide between years like there is in high school.

for example, i went into U of T with like 10 people from my high school, and even if we were all in the same year, we were in different programs so i didn’t see them outside of class time unless we made an effort to. like, it’ll sort of be the same way if you were in first year and they were in second year, do you know what i mean? you won’t be in the same classes either way.

next, in terms of bunking with students a year younger than you. i can see how this might seem annoying, but again, once you get to uni, you’ll realize that people really don’t pay much notice to age differences less than 3 years. there are SO so many people who take gap years that it’s completely normal for first years to be between 18-20 years old. you’re at the same life stage, and that’s all that matters to people. half the roommates i’ve ever had were gap-year people, and it’s so normal.

some facts: depending on the residence that you’re in, you’ll also be living with people older than you, like second, third, or even fourth and fifth years. in classes, there are students of all ages — even people who are in their 40s sometimes (i had a 70 year old in my class once). if you’re below the age of 23, nobody cares. you can be a 20 year old in a first year course or an 18 year old in a third year course, and it’s all chill.

overall, yes, friends are very important during your time at U of T, but you will make strong friendships regardless of if you take a gap year or not! i hope that makes sense.

moving out/commuting

ok, this is a big one. considering the home situation that you’re in, moving out/being out of the house sounds like it would be really important for your mental, social, and emotional health. and i’m so sorry to hear that you have to deal with that, i know it can be tough.

if you were to go into school this year, a 2 hour commute to and from campus sounds like it would be extremely tiring. it also would take up a lot of your study time, to do that for 4 hours a day. i know some people who’ve had a similar commuting length, and they’ve said it can get really difficult, especially during exam season. like, some exams can be 7-10pm one night, and then 9am the next day. taking classes in the morning is also difficult. i know a guy who had to wake up at 5am every week to make it to our 8am class.

if you’re studying english, the exam part shouldn’t be a problem for you, since you’ll have final essays to do instead. but the business classes will definitely have final exams.

so overall, it’s pretty difficult to have a 2 hour commute, but it has been done.

my question is, would it be possible for you to get an affordable place near campus that isn’t a student residence? i know you’ve mentioned that financially, residence isn’t feasible for you this year. but there are a lot of more affordable alternatives out there.

although U of T dorms like to announce that they’re oh-so-affordable, they really are on the more expensive side of rent options on/near campus. (especially ones that require a meal plan, those are a literal rip-off, it’s insane). if you want a ball-park idea, check out this page that lists the rent prices for residences last year. while you look at this, keep in mind that the yearly rent goes up by like, at least 1000$ every year, so it’ll be higher this year. these prices make me want to cry lol.

however, i’d say if you want social integration, dorm is definitely the place to find it.

affordable housing

here’s what i’ve found during my hunt for affordable housing this past year. the most affordable option is something called “co-op” housing. i know some people who love living there. co-op housing includes rows of old victorian houses right on the west border of campus with around 8-10 people per house (each in their own single room, i think). according to a recent Varsity article, they charge about $650 to $800 for a single room per month, which is quite literally the cheapest option you can find downtown. i heard some houses also have veggie gardens!

another option you might want on your radar is tartu student residence. it has a more expensive range than co-op housing, but is still much lower than college residences on campus. tartu’s cheapest room is a double-shared room for $712/person per month, and it is right on the north edge of campus, on bloor street. this is a great place, as i’ve heard from my many friends who live there. if you wanna know more about this, let me know.

those are just the most affordable places i know that are on campus. however, it is also possible to find affordable places within a 15 minute walk to campus, or even a 30-min transit. if you’re interested in renting off-campus, i’d encourage you to check out this crash course post i have about navigating the toronto housing market.

fun and finances

anyways, yea. i honestly chose U of T for the same reasons. it being far from home and with social opportunities in the big city is a huge pro. i can tell you that it’s everything i hoped it would be and more, in that area. but all of that fun will still be there in one year.

and as you said, keeping your academic momentum going is important. it will be difficult to get back in the swing of things, especially considering how academically rigorous things are at U of T (particularly in those business classes). however, it’s not a make-or-break factor. if you have the commitment and work-ethic in you, you will be fine returning after a year.

i think the real make-or-break factor in this whole situation is financial feasibility. i think your plan of taking a gap year to work and save up money is really smart, if you need to do that. just keep in mind, there are several strategies and programs in place to help with the financial strain of studenting.

you mention getting a laptop — and yeah, i would say that’s pretty important to have in uni. that’s pretty much the only “school supplies” thing you’ll need. however, there are free computers to use at the libraries. as for books, you can get them second-hand, or find them for free online, which is what i do. (i once spent 7 hours searching for a free version of a textbook that i needed. and you better bet i found it :D).

another option i’ll throw out there is getting a part-time work-study job during the school year, like working front desk at one of the dorms or something. there are chill, flexible student jobs that exist on campus which might be a possible source of income during the school year!

in terms of scholarships, i’m personally not aware of scholarships that require you to be direct-entry into post-secondary. you can read up on scholarships here. there are so many avenues of getting scholarships. there are college-specific awards, application-based admission awards, and also numerous english degree-specific awards. you can search for those using the award explorer, just make sure to filter your search since there are thousands on there.

resources

finally, resources. before you make a decision, i highly recommend that you reach out to your college registrar for some professional advice. there, you can speak to academic advisors and financial advisors who can help you navigate this. they are really kind and genuinely helpful, so don’t hesitate to make an appointment with them!

anyways.

i hope this all made sense. this is a tough decision, but i trust that you’ll make the right choice for yourself. from the sound of it, you’ve thought this out a lot and you’re considering a lot of important factors. i really tried to condense this down lmao, so feel free to reach out again if you have any further questions about what i’ve said here.

good luck, you’ve got this! so much love for ya.

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, polisci

good plan, my man

July 2, 2024

If My grade is 50% in Grade 11 but I have to retake it and I get an 80% can I still apply for an early admission to University of Toronto to study Political Science.

Just to let you know regarding my last question I am an out of province student.

hey there,

first of all, that’s a good plan to retake it. definitely do that.

but when you say your grade is 50%, are you referring to a single course or your overall GPA? those are two very different things. if it’s just a single course, and you’re doing fine in your other ones, you might be fine. for political science, which is under the social science admission stream, the one high school course that really matters is ENG4U. other than that, you have some leeway room because they’ll look at a group of your top grades.

can you apply for early admission to U of T?

well, yes anyone can apply for that, it’s just a matter of getting admitted. if you retake a course during the summer before grade 12, then your grades will definitely come out in time. but if you retake that course during grade 12, your new mark might not be released by the time admissions looks at your transcript. so ultimately, yeah you can apply, but having the “early” part matter depends on if your marks are also released early.

all in all, just do your best! i’m sure you will get a higher mark your second time around, you’ve got this! i hope this was helpful, good luck.

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T

my apologies, you’re not as slick as u think

June 29, 2024

Is there anything special I need to prepare for in the UofT application?

hey there,

well, it depends what you mean by special, and also on what program you’re applying to.

on this future U of T site, under the subsection “deadlines to submit supporting documentation”, you’ll see a list of all the programs that require a supplemental application.

these programs are: engineering, architecture, computer science, rotman commerce, kinesiology, and music. if your program isn’t listed here, then no, you won’t have to prepare anything other than just your transcript and the application fee.

however, if you are a canadian student and you want to be considered for scholarships, you should fill out your awards profile. this allows you to be considered for admission awards based on financial need and your extracurricular involvement.

and yeah, that’s pretty much it. other than that, have good grades on your transcript!

over and out,

aska

ps. i don’t have a problem with it, and i’m gonna hold your hand in the gentlest way while i say this but.

bro thinks he’s slick but i can see one email address asking multiple questions in the FAQ comments under 4 different names. like. it’s ok, you don’t have to be sneaky about it. just ask your questions

but sorry if i blew ur cover and you’re actually just socially anxious. if that’s the case, carry on. in any case, i’m happy to help you out, keep asking away.

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aska No Comments
admissions, applying for U of T, social sciences

i know things i swear

June 29, 2024

hi! so i’m a grade 11 student and rn i’m taking college, uni and mixed courses. what i’m wondering is that would this affect my chances of getting into uoft (specifically the social science stream) since i took college level grade 11 courses? also for next year, in grade 12, all my courses that i’ll be taking are 6 u/m so would that help or?

hey there,

hmmm ok. i’m honestly not from ontario so this whole ontario high school course code system bewilders me. normalize being out of the loop because what is even.. going on.

*you remind me that i’m literally supposed to know this stuff.*

ahah but i do know the U of T system, so i’ll try my best to answer this.

for admission requirements, U of T requires that you’ve taken at least 6 grade 12 university (U) or university/college (M) courses. for the social sciences stream, one of those courses must be english (ENG4U). so yes, it’s good that you’re taking all U/M courses in grade 12!

U of T will look at your grades in ENG4U, plus five other of your top grade 12 marks in academic courses. based off this, i think would give you a better chance if you took a lot of U/M courses, because then you’ll have other marks to send in if you do badly in some, right?

meanwhile, based on the way that U of T describes how they consider applications, they don’t consider the difficulty of the courses you took in high school. i know that some other universities say they do, like UBC, who says they look at the range of your courses and how challenging they were. but i haven’t seen anything that implies U of T looks at this. the general vibe is that U of T mainly looks at your grades.

so overall, yeah. take U/M courses, that’s good. based on vibes again, i think taking college courses in grade 11 is also good, compared to taking workplace or open courses.

if you really want to know, like, specifics about admissions, something not a lot of people know is that you can literally ask a recruitment officer how to make your application really good. the name “recruitment officer” makes them sound so, institutional? but like they’re just people who have the actual inside scoop on this, so don’t be afraid to reach out!

hope this was helpful and good luck, i hope you have allllll the success!

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, grades

me when my permanent record is permanent

June 28, 2024

Hello,

If My grade 11 average is not good and I do extremely well in Grade 12 is it possible to submit my Grade 12 grades to UofT without them looking at my Grade 11 grades.

hey there,

unfortunately, no, this is not possible. that really sucks though.

when you apply to U of T, you pretty much just submit the grades on your transcript, and there’s no way to erase your grade 11 marks from your transcript. U of T considers you based on both your grade 11 and 12 marks, especially since your final grade 12 marks won’t be out yet when you apply.

for more details on how your high school marks are considered in your application, i recommend you check out what i wrote in my previous answer here.

the short answer is, your grade 11 marks do need to be looked at, but they aren’t the make-or-break factor. if you aren’t shooting for an early acceptance, your grade 12 marks are more important. the best thing you can do for now is just do your best in grade 12! in the case that you do apply early and your grade 11 marks are too low, you have a chance to be reconsidered when you grade 12 marks are released — as long as there is still space in your program.

sorry for the bummer. wishing you the best! you’ve got this.

over and out,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, grades, repeating course

am i helpful or am i delusional

June 28, 2024
Hello, I am planning on going into life science (or biochemistry, health sciences) and I am currently stressing about my grade 11 grades, I am going to end up with a low 80 in chemistry and advance functions. I have decided to redo these courses over the summer (aiming to get 90s). Will universities care about me redoing 2 grade 11 courses? Will my chances of getting into the program be better vs me not redoing it at all?

hey there,

that sounds like a stressful situation! when i was in high school, i remember being confused about how much my grade 11 marks mattered for university admissions too.

but now, i know all the secrets about admissions. jk not really, but in the process of answering questions, i’ve spent hours perusing U of T websites and have cross-referenced everything they officially release. weird flex sure, but it means i can help you.

so tune in while i take some really confusing information and present it to you in a slightly less confusing way. (i hope? y’all would tell me if i wasn’t making sense right)
1. how your high school marks matter in admissions
at U of T, all applicants are considered based on their top six academic grade 12 courses. the marks of these courses are used to calculate your admission average.

meanwhile, when you apply to U of T, you’ll apply to one of six admission categories. these are basically just a way that the university sorts all applicants, because, well, when you’ve got 340 something programs, it can get complicated. instead, there are just general admission requirements in six different categories. to get into the life science admission category, you have to take two pre-requisite courses: english 12 and calculus 12. as pre-requisite courses, those are going to have to be included in the six grade 12 courses that determine your average.

so what does that mean for you? well, that means your grade 11 marks shouldn’t be the make-or-break factor, and they’re generally considered alongside your grade 12 marks. eg. if your grade 11 courses are low, you can have your application re-considered using your grade 12 marks when they come out. according to the general admission requirements website, grade 11 marks are mostly considered in pre-requisite courses for early or conditional offers of admission. (note that chemistry is not included in your pre-req list!)

the way i understand it is that the balance of your grade 11 and grade 12 marks really just depends on the space the program has, and how soon your grade 12 marks in pre-requisite courses come out.

i hope that all makes sense, it’s a bit of a complicated process to understand and nothing is clear-cut. but it really helps to know all this when making your decision.

2. repeated courses

meanwhile, does UofT care about repeated courses? officially, the site on admission decisions says that “while we recognize that there may be valid reasons for repeating a course, we urge you to do as well as possible on your first attempt. in some instances, repeated courses will not be accepted for competitive admission categories”.

wow, that was sO clarifying of them.

but yeah, this doesn’t really tell you that much. i believe life sciences lands kind of in the middle of the spectrum for competitiveness — it’s harder to get into than social sciences and humanities, though it’s not as bad as computer science or rotman. personally, i think it might be fine to repeat courses if they’re grade 11 courses, since grade 12 courses seem to matter more. but if you do repeat them, just make sure that you disclose the repeated courses in your application.

anyway. that’s it from me. i hope this helped, convoluted as it was. good luck with everything, i’m rooting for you!

over and out,

aska
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admissions, applying for U of T, polisci

first steps first

June 26, 2024

What subjects do I need to take in Grade 12 to study Political Science

hey there,

oooh political science you say? very nice, U of T has a great poli-sci program, i fully support you in that.

here’s what you need to know:

at U of T, all programs are sorted into general admission categories for incoming students to apply to. if you want to study political science, you’ll apply to the social sciences admission category when you send in your application through OUAC. later on, after taking the first-year poli-sci courses, you’ll be able to enter the actual poli-sci major or specialist.

but, first steps, first.

according to the general admission requirements, you’ll have to take six 4U/M courses in high school. among these, the only required course you’ll have to take is english 12 (ENG4U). so it looks pretty simple for you! other programs require calculus, but you won’t have to worry about that.

just keep in mind, the recommended admission range is mid to high 80s and U of T will consider your average based on your top 6 academic grade 12 courses.

anyways. good luck with everything, reach out if you have any more questions!

over and out,

aska

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admissions, engineering

once again, may i present… your registrar!

June 21, 2024

Hello,

I applied as an early consideration for EngSci program at UofT. However, I have received an email in mid April that I have been placed on the waitlist.

Till now I have not received any updates and my engineering portal account gives the same message that I’m still under consideration.

Someone asked here about the latest response date which turns out to be June 7th, but I haven’t received either an acceptance or rejection till now (June 18th)

What does that mean? :’))

hey there,

man, that is a bit confusing to have not heard back for so long. first, props to you for checking my previous answers before asking!

buut, it’s good thing you asked because i’m not sure that answer would be applicable to your exact situation.

that question i answered last month was asked by a first year student enrolling in their program of study for second year. the latest response date of june 7th was pulled from the arts & sciences “important dates” timeline. but this date wouldn’t be relevant to you since you’re in a different faculty, the faculty of applied science and engineering. these faculties operate under different timelines and have different academic dates!

anyways, based on what you’ve said, i’m assuming you’re applying to your engsci major as you go into third year. here’s the thing with that — i can’t seem to find an exact date or timeline for engsci major acceptances like there is for artsci programs. and even if i got your situation wrong and you’re in the other engineering track (core 8), i also can’t find a program acceptance timeline for that.

the world wide web has failed me today i guess. but it’s fine, i’m fine.

fear nOT, though. while i am not an engineering student, i know there is someone out there who actually knows the dates when you should get a definite answer. the most reliable source i can guide you to is the… can you guess what i’m gonna say? the… engineering registrar!

literally just shoot them a quick email at registrar@engineering.utoronto.ca . ask them something along the lines of, “is there an estimated timeline for acceptances to roll out?” they’ll be helpful, you can do it!

in the meantime, june 7 is an irrelevant date for you, and your engineering portal says you’re still under consideration. so i would say, consider yourself under consideration and not rejected for now. but, the best thing you can do is really just to reach out to your registrar.

anyhoo, good luck with everything, i hope this somewhat helped!

over and out,

aska

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