• admissions,  arts & sciences,  St. George,  stats,  UTM,  UTSC

    i will find you

    January 18, 2017

    Hello! I can’t seem to find the statistics on those that were accepted into the faculty of arts and science. Help would be appreciated!

    ———————————————

    yo,

    stats are hard to find. don’t feel bad. you have come to the right person.

    in addition to being ridiculously charming and hot (like my homeboy liam neeson), i also possess a very particular set of super ninja detective samurai skills. fear not, for i have found what you are looking for.

    there’s this super cool thing called Common University Data Ontario (CUDO) which can give you stats on:

    • Number of degrees awarded, student enrolment and entering averages – all by program;
    • Number of students living on campus and activities offered;
    • Student satisfaction;
    • First-year tuition and ancillary fees by program;
    • Number of teaching faculty;
    • Undergraduate class size, by year level;
    • Research awards granted; and
    • Graduation rates and employment rates by program.

    click on the year that you want to see and voila! you can even look at stats on UTM and UTSG.

    go crazy!

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • applying for U of T,  grades,  other schools (boo!),  transfer credits,  Transferring

    final destination

    January 18, 2017

    For undergrad, can someone do two years at York then transfer to UofT for the last two years? Is this difficult to do? Honestly thinking of doing this as I really want to go to UofT but I’m an international student and cannot afford 40k tuition each year for four years.

    ———————————————

    hey,

    it is definitely possible to transfer to U of T from york but it’s a whole process. not a terrible process, but a process nonetheless.

    first, you need to be in pretty good academic standing, and by pretty good, i mean a solid B average. if the program you are trying to enter is more competitive, you might need to contact the department for a more accurate average.

    second, you can’t apply if you are more than 2 years into a degree, meaning if you were to transfer into the same program after 3 years of york, you wouldn’t be able to, you’d have to apply for a different program.

    third, you have to meet all the high school entry requirements as well as university requirements for your program.

    the application process will be through OUAC105 since you won’t be applying as a high school student, and after you are admitted, you will need to have your transfer credits assessed by U of T. the university can grant you a maximum of 5 transfer credits (1 full year).

    the whole transfer process is outlined nicely at this link, so take a look!

    basically, it’s not that difficult if you meet all the requirements and are in good academic standing. however, all things considered, transferring to another university is a huge change and you might want to think about whether or not you want to leave your already established group of friends and community.

    hope you make the right decision!

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • course overload,  summer

    summer course overload

    January 17, 2017

    Hi Aska,

    Just wondering, if you plan to enrol in 2.0 FCE in the Summer are you able to take an online course as well?

    Thank you for your help!

    ———————————————

    hey buddy,

    if you enrol in 2.0 FCE’s and want to enrol in one extra online course, it would be considered a course overload. to get approved for a course overload, you’ll have to set up a meeting with your registrar. during your meeting, they will look at your past grades and have a conversation with you about whether or not a course overload is practical. generally, you’re more likely to be granted an overload if you are in good academic standing and have been able to handle full course loads in the past.

    you’ll see here that the maximum course load for summer is 2.0 FCE’s.

    so yes, you are allowed, but it’s up to your registrar!

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • admissions,  applying for U of T,  averages,  life science,  summer,  UTM

    summer, night school, same diff

    January 16, 2017

    So I am currently a grade 12 student and am planning on applying to UTM for Life science. Please give me a good grasp on this, because I’ve been hearing inconsistent feedbacks from different people, but what is an average that most life science admitted students get around? I have people telling me it is super competitive where you must have high 80s at least, but I also have family friends on their 4th year saying as long as your average is above 80 and around low to mid 80s, there is nothing to worry about? So what do you think it is?

    Also, how focused are they on individual marks instead of averages? because my other courses are in low to high 80s but my advanced functions is stuck in the 70s. So I was wondering if you could give me info on that too.

    Last question, is there any discrimination against courses taken in summer or night school?

    Thank you

    ———————————————

    hi!

    the life science average is available right here and it states that you’ll need low to mid 80’s.  when information is spread from person to person, it can become quite skewed, so it’s always a good idea to go right to the source! keep in mind that admission averages change from year to year and some years can be more competitive than others.

    my understanding is that individual marks aren’t as important as your average, but if you are applying to Life Science and happen to have a high average because of A’s in humanities classes, yet you got a C in Biology, they might see that low biology mark as a red flag. enrolment services will definitely take into account classes that you took which are relevant to the program.

     

    and finally, according to the UTM admissions FAQ: “All courses are considered equivalent, whether it is day school, night school, summer school, private school or online, as long as it is completed through a Ministry of Education recognized institution and it is your first attempt at that course.”

    sound like you’re good!

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • applying for U of T,  engineering,  grades,  repeating course

    don’t forget to drop your courses when you move

    January 16, 2017

    Hey I failed grade 12 calculus, chemistry, physics, and biology. All uni level. This was because I only attended the first week and then moved kinda far away, but I FORGOT to drop the courses! I retook them all achieving high marks:

    SBI4U – 84% (failed first time)

    MHF4U – 85% (passed first time)

    SPH4U – 99% (failed first time)

    SCH4U – 98% (failed first time)

    MCV4U – 99% (failed first time)

    ENG4U – 73% (this one sucks, passed first time)

    GPA: 89.6%

    My question is, do the courses that I failed, due to the reason stated above (moved away), count towards my GPA? Or do the higher, newer marks count towards my GPA? I was wondering because uoft doesn’t use repeated marks, so do my new ones count as repeated, or not? What is the procedure if you failed a course and then retook it? Which number do they use for GPA admission?

    And will my average be high enough to have a good chance at being accepted for mechanical engineering, physics, computer science, and engineering science? I haven’t decided which one yet lol.

    Thanks so much!!

    ———————————————

    sup,

    this is quite the predicament that you’re in! can’t say i’ve ever heard of anyone else doing this.

    arts and science has a blurb in their policy which states the following:

    “The Faculty of Arts & Science does not recommend that students repeat courses and reserves the right to give preference for admission and scholarship consideration to students whose marks are the result of a single attempt at each course. Students with extenuating circumstances requiring them to repeat such courses should send an explanation to Enrolment Services at the time of application, i.e. prior to the admission decision.”

    long story short, you might be able to attach some sort of an explanation to your transcript. it does say in the FAQ for engineering admissions at UTSG that it is their policy to only count the first attempt, but it also says that you can provide documentation to explain any extenuating circumstances.

    perhaps something along the lines of:

    “i moved and foolishly forgot to drop my courses lul so i failed but it’s k cuz i did them for real and i got good grades, see?”

    since you haven’t indicated which campus you’re planning on attending, i’m going to assume you’re referring to UTSG, since UTSC and UTM don’t offer engineering courses. here are the averages that you would need to get into engineering (below), and physics, and computer science at UTSG.

    Low 90’s Engineering Science
    High 80’s Chemical, Computer, Electrical, and General First Year
    Mid 80’s Civil, Industrial,  Materials, Mechanical and Mineral

     

     

    hope this helped,

    good luck with your application!

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • grad school,  grades,  transcripts

    with a grain of salt

    January 16, 2017

    hi.

    i am a sixth-year student, hoping to finally begin grad school next year
    (fall 2017). i have heard that grad schools assign more weight to
    undergraduates’ later academic performance than their earlier; however, i
    was wondering if this is supposed to indicate that higher-level courses are
    more heavily weighted, or if it is rather simply because they are looking
    for how well the student is doing closer to the time of the application.
    so, for example, say you left a bunch of required courses to the end of
    your degree, and they are 100- and 200-level courses, and you do
    significantly worse in them than you did in 300- and 400-level courses that
    you took much earlier –– would the lower-level required courses be
    overlooked in favour of high marks in the upper-year programs? or is it
    really that it is about whatever courses were most recently taken, and so
    the lower-level courses would be given greater weight.

    thanks,
    ‘non

    ———————————————

    hey,

    this is a really good question. each school is different in their process of assessing your transcript. to get more program-specific information, i would highly recommend that you contact the school yourself and take what i am saying with a grain of salt.

    sorry. i had to.

    however, typically, they DO look at your last two years to get an accurate idea of your most recent academic standing. with this in mind, they will still have access to your whole transcript, meaning that if there are certain courses that you took earlier on that were more relevant to the program you are pursuing, they won’t necessarily be ignored.

    so, no. higher level courses (300-level or 400-level) courses aren’t weighted differently.

    capisce?

    peace and love,

    aska

     

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  • east asian studies,  first year,  languages,  subject POST

    s’okay

    January 16, 2017

    Sup Y’all, I enrolled into a minor program (EAS) in order to get priority enrolment for a first year language course. Now that I’m two months into the course, is it safe to drop the minor program and still retain my spot in the course?

    ———————————————

    hello,

    **fyi there is one aska at the moment so as much as i wish we could be considered a “y’all”, “we” is only me 🙁

    after taking a look at all the first year language courses available for EAS, it seems like none of them require you to be in an EAS subject POst to stay in the course, so i would say that it’s safe to drop to retain your spot in the course.

    keep in mind, you’re only allowed to change and delete your subject POsts during specific periods. these vary depending on which type of subject POst you’re adding or deleting, but you can check all of that at this link, right here and right here.

    hope this helped!

    peace and love,

    aska

     

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  • applying for U of T

    wait til you get here

    January 12, 2017

    hello hello first off!! you’re an angel for doing all of this like ?? i am saved from so much anxiety and pls save me from another attack plsplspls
    SO, since i was just so busy and occupied from september to mid november, i just finished up the ouac 105d application this week and i’m expecting the university of toronto to come back with my jointid thing in one or two weeks. but i keep obsessing over how it says, on the page where they apply, that spaces fill quickly and that you should apply “well in advance”. i’m thinking i’ll get my full application in by december 15, about a month before applications are due. is that too late?

    i understand that you have no idea just how many students are applying this year, of course, and since the university participates in university fair at the beginning of november, i’m hoping that indicates that they aren’t totally abhorred by the idea of december applications… but i still do feel very concerned. is it a lost cause?

    ———————————————

    why hello again,

    gurl, pls. breathe. inhale. exhale.

    first, i want to acknowledge that i am fully aware that the application deadline is indeed tomorrow and that i didn’t get to this question in time. i’m sorry about that, but you’ll find that my answer wouldn’t have helped you out too much.

    while askastudent may claim to be all-knowing, unfortunately, there are certain limitations to our knowledge.

    the enrolment services people are hella mysterious. no one really knows what goes on in those offices, not even my omniscient self! what is written on the site is basically all the info they were comfortable with releasing and we kind of have to roll with it.

    it is true that some programs will fill up, but some programs are definitely more competitive than others.

    to me, applying a month in advance sounds like it would be fine, but in the end, it really comes down to how strong your application is. taking the time to send in a good application is definitely better than applying super early with a mediocre application.

    stay calm, youngling. everything is going to be okay.

    i totally understand your pre U of T anxiety, but just try to enjoy the last couple of months of high school before you’re thrown into the pre-real world. what’s done is done!

    that being said, i hope you get in.

    peace, love, and chill pills,

    aska

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  • fees,  graduation,  tuition

    but i thought being outstanding was a good thing

    January 11, 2017

    I’ll (hopefully) be graduating this coming summer.

    I was wondering though what will happen if I cannot pay off my current
    tuition by the end of winter term? Will they prevent me from graduating,
    attending the ceremony, getting my degree, etc?

    Thanks as always.

    ———————————————

    hello!

    first of all, i love the “hopefully” graduating part. people keep asking me if i’m graduating this year and i’m always like:

    anyways, this is a great question! thanks for asking it!

    disclaimer: the following information is only valid for students in the faculty of arts and science.

    there are definitely some real consequences of not paying off your fees. keep in mind, these fees fall under a category of other “university obligations” which you will also need to fulfill. (e.g. library fines, incidental fees; for a full list, consult this link)

    you won’t be able to receive your diploma or any proof of completion of a degree, but you will be able to attend the ceremony. wooo!

    some other notable consequences of not paying off your fees are that you won’t be able to order official transcripts or register as a continuing or returning student. it would be best to quickly double check with your college registrar’s office to see if you have anything else that’s outstanding just in case you’ve missed something!

    unfortunately, at U of T, being “outstanding” in the context of fees is a bad thing. bummer.

    all of this information is actually explained quite nicely in the link above, so i would recommend that you take a thorough look at that! hope this helped!

    peace and love,

    aska

     

     

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  • GPA,  grad school,  grades,  jobs,  lab experience,  life science,  lost

    don’t lose hope, youngling

    January 11, 2017

    Hello,

    I am a life science student in the second year. After completing the fall term studying, I feel that it is very difficult to get a high GPA. I wonder if I get 3.0 cumulative GPA after graduation, what can I do? what school accept me? what work opportunities do I have? Thanks.

    Best,

    ———————————————

    hello,

    *as askastudentuoft, i hope you understand that i am knowledgeable about all things U of T, and that’s about it, so this post will be very U of T centric*

    while a 3.0 GPA is great, many of the life science graduate programs available at U of T require averages which range from B+ to A- (with the exception of the occupational science and occupational therapy program which looks for mid B’s). but, keep in mind, these are just life science programs available at U of T. there are plenty of other schools which offer similar programs which may require different averages.

    you’re only in second year, which means you don’t ACTUALLY know if you’re going to end up with a 3.0 average. you seem to have already lost hope in yourself. don’t stress out right now about what your work opportunities will be and just try your best to get the best grades you can. i can’t really tell you what kind of work opportunities will be available when you graduate because we don’t even know what program you’ll be pursuing for grad school!

    a good place to start is the career learning network. it’s a great tool for current students and recent graduates. you can use it to find research positions (i hear the life science people like those) and postings by companies looking for recent U of T graduates. logging onto the career learning network website is definitely the first step you should take when looking for work opportunities for students like you!

    for now, focus on school and building up your resume with work and volunteer experiences. they can be relevant or irrelevant to your field, but having experience is definitely an asset when applying for any kind of job. volunteer at a hospital from time to time or make some money tutoring kids grade 10 science! whatever it is, just make sure you work hard and build up a good collection of references in case you need them for grad school.

    in all seriousness, i’m graduating later this year and i don’t even know what work opportunities will be available to me! i can’t even see into my own future, let alone yours!

    anyways, hope this was somewhat helpful!

    good luck, work hard, and try your best at everything you do.

    peace and love,

    aska

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  • admissions,  applying for U of T,  averages,  english,  polisci,  St. George

    ENG 4UofT

    January 10, 2017

    hi! regarding the political science question, is there a specific grade needed in ENG 4U that is needed? i read that for st george, you needed low 80s in ENG 4U. I meet the general admissions marks but my English grade is quite a bit lower than my other 5 subjects.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    like i said in the previous post you’re referring to, at st. george, polisci falls under the social science category, so according to the requirements for ontario high school students, you’ll need an overall average (taken from ENG 4U and your next 5 best U/M courses) that’s in the low to mid 80’s. however, it does also state that you should have at least mid to low 70’s as your ENG 4U grade.

    in terms of a specific grade needed, the best we can do is provide you with this “mid to low 70’s range”. my understanding is that it would be hard for the university to provide specific grades since not all students are admitted solely based on their academic performance.

    hope this answers your question!

    peace and love,

    aska

     

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  • alcohol,  frosh,  partying

    hydration and team-building

    January 6, 2017
    what exactly is frosh week? is it all drinking, partying etc haha
     ———————————————

    hello,what a fantastic question! granted, one that i have answered many times in the past, but seeing as your idea of frosh week is a little skewed, i will try my best to enlighten you!

    frosh week is a time of great discovery and excitement. the whole point of the week is for you to become oriented at university, make friends, and gain school spirit. at the st. george campus, each college has their own orientation, so your experience might be different from another friend’s orientation.

    in terms of drinking, fluid intake definitely takes place quite a bit during this week, as most humans require 8 glasses of H2O to stay properly hydrated. some may choose to drink other fluids such as juice, pop, or even gatorade during frosh week because toronto summers are crazy hot. if you want to be super adventurous, i recommend drinking a can of grapefruit sparkling water. it’s very refreshing on a hot summer’s day.

    if your definition of partying= great time + other human beings, then yes. there is a lot of partying during frosh week. you are usually grouped up with a bunch of strangers that you don’t know (other human beings) and you’ll be forced to participate in team-building exercises and you’ll get to attend events (great time). i mean, if you think about it,  U of T is basically a party school!

    hope you stay hydrated and have a great times with other human beings during your frosh week!

    peace, love, and H2O,

    aska

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  • arts & sciences,  friends,  getting involved,  internal transfer,  transfer credits,  Transferring,  UTM

    honk

    January 6, 2017

    Hi

    Do you think it is easier to form a community and actually have a group of freinds much easier at Mississuaga than t St. George?

    While transferring from St George to Mississauga, if I have five credits, will all my five credits be transferred?

    Thank you very much.

    ———————————————

    hi,

    wow, another subjective question! i wish i could just say something along the lines of “put on a canada goose jacket, walk 20 steps northwest of convocation hall, do your best goose call and wait for your new friends to flock over” but unfortunately life does not work in such wonderful ways.

    regarding friends and communities: i can’t speak for utm since i’ve spent my whole undergrad at utsg, but it really doesn’t matter which campus you’re a part of, it’s all about you. i know that seems really deep but it’s actually quite simple.

    friends are easy to make if you make yourself available and keep an open mind. if you’re rude and distant to people, chances are, you won’t make very many friends. when we were younger, we were taught not to talk to strangers. i’d say now that we’re in university, talking to strangers is the only way to go about making friends. you won’t be the only one at either utm or utsg looking to make a friend. during a break in class, maybe strike up a conversation with someone who looks approachable. small talk does suck, but at least after that, you’ll know one person in your class! the easiest way to start a conversation, i find, is giving someone a compliment. i’m not saying that you should say “omg you’re so hot” to that guy who should be pursuing a modelling career instead of being in your class, but something simple like: “nice pencil case!” can be good. if they seem reluctant to continue the conversation, just move on to another person! easy as that!

    profs will sometimes even force you to talk to the person seated beside you in class. this is usually just so you can have a buddy in class to catch you up if you miss a class, but that’s also a way to meet people!

    aska story time: i once made a friend in class because she said “i like your superman shirt!” and then “i like your hair!” and then “i like you!” to me. it was a bit much, but we’re friends now and that’s all that matters.

    if all else fails, please try the goose call method and let me know what happens.

    in terms of being part of a community, we all have different definitions of communities. communities can close-knit and not so close-knit (? can’t think of a better word). joining a club or being part of a residence can automatically make you belong to a community, but it all depends on you and your willingness to participate and be involved. find a club from the ulife list of something you’re interested in. attend a meeting or an event. if you like it, continue showing up and see what happens! the more involved you are, the more close you’ll be with others in a community!

    if you’re transferring from UTSG’s faculty of arts and science to UTM, according to this link all your credits will be retained unless you’re other undergraduate divisions like applied science and engineering, music, physical education and health, or architecture. if your program is outside of the faculty of arts and sciences, you will have to apply for a transfer credit assessment.

    hope this helped! like i’ve said in the past, if you don’t make any friends, a crisp $20 bill will buy you 1 hour of friendship with askastudent.

    honk honk,

    aska

     

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