• money,  residence

    school pride costs

    July 19, 2016

    Do you get a free UofT t-shirt or hoodie once you arrive at UofT? Do you need to live in rez to get a free UofT tee?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    nah. nothing at uoft is for free, and even the things that seem to be free (access to gyms, libraries, orientation week) are things that you’ve already paid for. in some ways, it’s a good thing, because it prepares you for “real” (note the heavy scare quotes) life.

    unfortunately however, t-shirts and hoodies aren’t included in your incidental fees. i don’t know where you heard that you get a free uoft tee (haha, tee-tee) in res. that’s not a thing that happens, and i know people in pretty much every res on the downtown campus.

    the only free piece of clothing you’ll get will be an orientation t-shirt, assuming you choose to participate in orientation, and that’s going to be more about college/faculty pride than uoft pride. if you want uoft merch specifically, you’ll need to spend $40 on a hoodie from the bookstore like the rest of us plebs. i will say that they are really soft, though.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • financial aid,  gap year,  OSAP

    OSAP, we need some time apart

    July 18, 2016

    I’ve done very poorly this school year and I’m a first year student. My academic standing was not accessed because I attempted less than 4.0 credits. I received a letter from the national student loans service center telling me I have to repay my loans already, thing is I know I’ve done really bad. I want to resume school and avoid probation/suspension; but I have to pay my loans first before enrolling. Can I take time off of school and repay my loans first, and then return to school where they access my academic standing. Or is it not possible to take time off, or else it affects my GPA further?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    so, what i’m guessing happened is that you weren’t able to complete any credits this year. the NSLSC treated that as if you had been away from school for a year, and is now saying that you need to repay the loans, because according to them, you’ve been “out of school.”

    if that is the case, i would speak with a financial advisor at utm to see what you can do about the situation. it may be possible to communicate to the NSLSC that you want to continue in school next year, and explain what your plans are to improve your academic standing. in that case, you could come back to school on OSAP, and not be required to start paying it back immediately. but speak with the advisor to be sure, because they are experts in this stuff, where aska is what you might call an amateur advisor.

    what i’m saying is coming back to school on OSAP may not be possible in your case, so speak with the experts to find out the best next steps.

    if you do indeed need to take time off to repay your loan before continuing at school, that’s a-okay. you are free to take as much time off school as you need to; all you have to do is not sign up for courses! it won’t affect your GPA. your academic record will stay the same until you return. GPA’s don’t have a half-life; they don’t deteriorate while you’re away from school.

    whatever happens with your OSAP repayment, taking time off may even be a good choice, academically. time off from school gives you – well, time – to reflect on whether uoft is the best path for you, what your goals are, and, if you’d like to return, what changes you can make to ensure that you’re successful. sometimes time is the best decision-maker. if the time comes when you feel ready to come back, re-registration is a very simple process.

    good luck!

    aska

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  • commuters,  frosh

    all we do is drive

    July 14, 2016

    Hi! I’m going to start my first year at uoft in the fall and I will have to unfortunately commute to uoft everyday [?]  I’m about to move to erin mills, mississauga with my parents (they just can’t let me go ugh) and I was wondering if you have any commuting tips? I was thinking that I could drive to union station and then take the ttc to uoft but parking is hella expensive and I’m hella broke. Then again I could just take the bus/train/ttc but that’s like a 1 hour and 40 mins commute which I would looove to avoid if possible. I was hoping you knew of a few places near union station or uoft where parking is free and if not do you have any other advice?

    And one more thing…. I don’t know if I want to attend my faculty’s orientation (Daniels) or my college’s orientation (UC). Do you know if one is more fun the the other or where I’ll have a better chance of making friends?

    Thanks for your help!!
    ———————————————

    hey there,

    generally speaking, the city of Toronto is waaaay too greedy to offer free parking. we’re probably only a couple of years away from being charged to walk in front of a business’ storefront or something…or maybe that’s just my inner grump coming out.

    this website seems to indicate that there are quite a few free parking options in the downtown core (though none right at Union Station). i’m thinking there’s gonna be a catch – i doubt any of them are free all day, and i wonder how quickly they fill up. however, it’s worth looking into.

    this is ultimately gonna be your decision, but i’d like to put in a humble plug for commuting via the train or bus. for one thing, with a train at least, you avoid the horrendous traffic issue. for another, you can read or do work on the train, which becomes harder to do in the car (unless you’re an audio learner, in which case listening to notes on a car radio might be really helpful).

    to be honest, most people don’t commute using their cars. the city isn’t very car-friendly. that said, with a rocking car playlist and a mildly masochistic attitude, it can be done.

    give it a trial run, if you can. you’ll be able to see how the commute feels, and how parking your car plays out in reality, because those parking websites can say all they want, but the TTC website says lots of things too, and i can count the number of times they’ve been true on one hand.

    as for the frosh question, it’s really up to you. it’s hard to make this decision before you get here, because you don’t know for sure how involved you’re going to be with your college community before you’re actually here. i would say that if there are things at UC that you’re very interested in getting involved in, do UC’s orientation. if you think you’re more likely to be involved in the Daniels community, or see things in the Daniels orientation schedule that really pique your interest, then you should go for that one.

    either way, you’ll have a great time shouting obscenities at other colleges/faculties, signing people’s T-shirts, and generally being as obnoxious as legally allowable in a public space, for your first week here.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • breadth requirements,  english,  IB

    to math or not to math

    July 13, 2016

    Hi aska! This problem has been bugging my for a while now. The English Major Program requires completion of 0.5 FCE in BR5. I have a transfer credit from IB HL Physics. Does that count towards the POSt? Degree planner says it does but I’m not sure cause the department website states CR/NCR doesn’t count towards the program. Does the transfer credit fall under that cause technically it doesn’t contribute towards my GPA? All these requirements are hella confusing. Thanks in advance!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    unlike CR/NCR courses, transfer credits (and that includes transfer IB credits) can count towards breadth requirements. if degree explorer is saying your IB physics credit counts towards the BR5 requirement for an English major, then you don’t have anything to worry about.

    another way of checking would be to take a look at your academic history on ACORN; if the credit counts as a BR5 credit, then it will say so underneath the transfer credit. and if it’s a BR5, then it should meet that English major requirement!

    as a matter of fact, i had a weirdly similar situation to you. i did an english specialist and had first-year transfer credits from another university, and my physics transfer credit (or maybe it was chem?…it’s all a blur now) was used to fill that same requirement for my English specialist!

    maybe you’re like my doopleganger or something. whoa.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • international relations,  trinity college

    trinternational relations

    July 11, 2016

    Hello aska,
    So i’m going into my first year at Uoft (Studies in Humanities) and hoping to major in IR (International Relations). In high school, I was that kid who didn’t know what I wanted to do so i kinda freaked out and applied to like 10 different programs (including the life sciences and engineering) at a bunch of other universities. My first choice at that point was not UofT and so on the OUAC application….I kind of ranked my college preferences randomly and without any real consideration (really stupid, i know, please bear with me).
    After a lot of guidance appointments, career aptitude tests, and tears later, I finally decided that I really wanted to go the IR/Law route- and so I ended up choosing UofT. I happened to rank New College as my first college, and so that’s what I got into. I have since, however, learnt that Trinity College is the hub of IR. Now i’m a little terrified that because I’m not part of Trinity, I’m going to miss out on all the IR-related networking opportunities and clubs that Trinity offers. I have also heard that Trinity does not take any switches after first year, and does not take anyone who doesn’t rank it as their #1 preference when first applying.
    Have I massively screwed up, and is there any way at all to switch into Trinity??? I’d very much appreciate a reply.
    Thank you very much!

    ———————————————

    hey!

    trinity college may be the “hub” of IR, but realistically, you can find out about these networking opportunities and clubs through connections and knowing where to look.

    you’ll see here in the IR FAQ that you don’t have to be a trinity college student to get involved. the international relations society (a.k.a. the IRS lol) is a good place to start. the website is active during the school year and has a great deal of events listed that you can attend.

    you could also join U of T IR groups on facebook and subscribe to notifications. remember that you’ll need to use your U of T email address to join!

    if i haven’t been reassuring enough and you really want to switch to trin, you can try contacting their registrar’s office to apply for a transfer in second year.

    don’t panic, you haven’t massively screwed up! if you don’t want to take my advice, at least take wise dolphin’s advice.

    tumblr_lrq5cuZZ4D1qkh3iho1_500

    cheers,

    aska

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  • computer science,  enrollment,  wait list

    how to say waitlist in robot

    July 8, 2016

    Hi, so I thought I wanted to do life sci but now I want to switch to comp sci, and course registration is coming up. Comp sci kids have priority for those courses so i cant register until august 5. What is the likelihood that i wont get those courses by then? Is there anything i can do cause i know that i dont want to do life sci for sure so itd be a complete waste of a year if i cant get those comp sci courses. Should i just register for life sci courses right now and wait until august 5th to try to sign up for comp sci courses or try contacting the comp sci department? I’m so worried cause I dont want to waste an entire year! your insight would be greatly appreciated!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    assuming you want to do a computer science specialist, there are five (half-year) courses you’re going to need to get into for your first year. lucky for you, TWO of them (MAT135 and 136) include life science students in their priority. that means you’ve only got three courses to worry about: CSC108H1, CSC148H1 and CSC165H1. and yes, ALL of them only prioritize first-year computer science students. and yes, if you don’t take CSC108H1, you can’t take the other two, which have 108 as a prerequisite.

    HOWEVER. the department knows that incoming computer science students are not the only people who will be taking these courses. aside from people who want to get into the program, you have upper-years who need to repeat them, and people taking the courses for general interest. so they make a LOT of lecture sections. and yes, most of them will fill up quickly with first years, but that doesn’t mean you’re entirely out of luck.

    bulldog comforting

    if you feel lost in the days leading up to course enrolment, remember this bulldog

    all the lecture sections of CSC108, combined, make space for 1160 students. that is several times the number of students who are accepted into the 1st Year Computer Science stream every year. it’s a similar case for CSC148 and 165, though obviously there are fewer spots in those because not everyone will take/pass CSC108, and so not everyone will be able to take the follow-up courses.

    so yes, you do have a chance of getting into these courses, even if you have to wait for the priority to lift. you may have to wait list, you may not get into your ideal lecture sections, but it’s not hopeless.

    that being said, i would strongly recommend having backup courses, not just in case you don’t get into the computer science courses (though that is a valid concern), but also in case you take the courses and don’t get into the program, or you decide you don’t like them and want to go in a different direction.

    phoebe pla

    don’t be phoebe on course enrolment day. have a plan A. have a plan B. have a plan everything-is-going-wrong-but-i’m-gonna-save-the-day-at-the-last-minute (also know as plan EIGWBIGSTDATLM)

    even if you do get into all the computer science courses you need, you will have space left over in first year to take courses other than computer science courses, so take advantage of that! explore the calendar, take chances on courses that intrigue you, and remember that no matter what happens, it’s not the end of the world.

    and p.s. you’re never “wasting” years. university is complicated and hard and whether it takes you four years or six or twenty, it’s all good!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • commerce,  management,  UTM

    you’ve got time

    July 8, 2016

    I want to get into commerce/management which requires the CGPA of minimum 4 credits

    Im about to go into second year right now taking summer courses, since i dropped a lot of courses over the terms i will only get 3.5 credits after this summer session completes

    I have all the prerequisites for management and still need MGT120 for commerce(if i choose commerce)

    Im not sure what i should do now is it possible for me to take courses next term get into commerce/management program in the third year? or please suggest better option? i really dont want to stay in university for 5 years and i dont mind doing course overload!!!!

    ———————————————

    hey!

    if you have all the prerequisites for management, you can apply for the program after you take one more half credit course (in order to reach the 4.0 credit requirement). you’ll have to apply during the subject POst period.

    if all you have to do is take MGT120 for the commerce program, you’ll have your 4.0 credits to apply for the program, provided that you meet all of the other requirements (e.g. minimum GPA, minimum grades in specific courses).

    since you just finished your first year, you still have your whole second year to reach your 4.o credits, so you should be able to apply to your program of choice during the subject POst request period in march 2017 in time for third year.

    in terms of you wanting to graduate in 4 years, remember that you will need 20 credits in total. if we wanted to divide these 20 credits by 4 years, we could say that you want to finish 5 credits for each year, which is a full course load.

    since you have 3.5 credits after first year, you can chose to make up the 1.5 credits in the rest of your undergrad through summer school or by taking more than 6 courses a semester. you have options. if you require further guidance on how to make up your 1.5 credits, don’t hesitate to consult your registrar! they can help you come up with a practical plan without overwhelming yourself.

    now all you have to decide is whether you want to go into the management program or the commerce program!

    good luck with your decision and i hope you have a great second year!

    *in case you’re wondering what the title of this post is referring to

    cheers,

    aska

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  • criminology

    crim crim employ my skin

    July 8, 2016

    What exactly can I do with one? I couldn’t get into the Accounting Specialist POSt and Criminology was a backup that I thought I might as well just send a request to. I’m really thinking about dropping out and going to a college for accounting instead, but I don’t want to pass up the opportunity to continue going to UofT. There’s like, no jobs for crim specs.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    wow, criminology was your backup? i mean, i respect the fact that criminology may not be your jam, but it’s pretty impressive that your backup POSt was a very popular type 3 program. maybe this is an indication that you have a talent and passion for something that you’re trying to suppress? just a thought.

    i mean, if you really want to do accounting, then by all means, switch into a college program for that. or maybe you could consider transferring universities (we’ve got lots of university accounting programs in Ontario), or completing a master’s degree in accounting after you graduate from uoft. these are options worth looking into.

    if you want to give criminology a chance, however, all is not lost. when it comes to jobs, crim is one of those POSts where you kind of have to make it up as you go along. aside from the obvious – graduate school and law school – someone equipped with only an HBA in Criminology has to be resourceful and creative in the job hunt. it’s scary and it sucks to have to carve your own path. HOWEVER, like all humanities/social science bachelor’s degrees, it’s a double-edged sword. uncertainty can also mean the flexibility to choose your own career, to fit yourself into a variety of different places, to make your career what YOU want it to be. and that can be really great.

    criminology’s department page has nothing on their alumni page but a mysterious ‘coming soon‘ notice (what’s coming soon, i wonder? the web page? or the alumni?), but you may find some comfort in this page, which features little biographies on various uoft sociology alumni, all of whom HAVE JOBS. woo-hoo! truly inspirational. and none of them have to dress up as sandwiches or something similarly degrading. i assume so, anyway.

    hopefully these bios can begin to give you an idea of the different options available to a social science grad. this may be another helpful resource.

    as you can see, there are a lot of different directions in which you can go, including correctional services, law enforcement, or something completely different. so go! do it! live it! you can do anything you want to do (yes, even in this debilitating economy that’s probably only going to get worse due to the stupidglobaldecisionsbeingmadebypeoplefartoorichtounderstandtheimpact).

    cheers,

    aska

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  • courses

    short moving picture thingy

    July 7, 2016

    hi aska,

    i just really want to know is there nooooooo absolute way for me to get into a R1 restricted course if i am not one of those chosen ones. Any loopholes would be much appreciated.

    P.s. i love your gifs or jifs whatever the short moving picture thingy is called.

    ———————————————

    hello!

    there is no way for you to get into an R1 restricted course unless you are a chosen one.

    *you were not the chosen one
    *you were NOT the chosen one

    you can try contacting the department to see if they can make an exception, but it’s usually restricted for a reason.

    i’m really glad you’re a fan of the short moving picture thingies because i’m just going to use them to apologize for crushing your hopes and dreams

    200

    giphy (2)

    giphy (3)

    and one more just to make you smile, hopefully.

    giphy (1)

    cheers,

    aska

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  • academic offense,  suspension

    suspension sequel: the petition RETURNS

    July 7, 2016

    Hi, i don’t even know where to start but here i go… I’m a first year student at utsg i started school in september 2015 same year March 2015 i had my first born ( teen mom) as a young mom i just wanted to prove people wrong and went straight to school so that i can get an education even if a had a baby early. Its a bumpy ride as when my son was born he had major complication which had required surgeries and 3  months admitting  at sick kids and by the time we brought him home the amount of visits to paediatrics and sick kids are very over whelming. But i still went for it and went to school at utsg ( big mistake ) i took only 3 courses and failed all 3 i thought that by taking summer school i can pull my GPA up little did i know my register office has sent me a mail that went straight in to clutter box and i didn’t get that letter indicating lots of important things but when i read that letter it was too late because i have made an academic offence for plagiarism and went through so much that i can’t drop that course and i was not focusing in that course for me to pass it even with a 60% which clearly i know i will be on 1 year suspension. I really really don’t want to be on that suspension because i have no plans for me if i did honesty my mom would be so mad, i will lose subsidy i will loose osap i don’t know what to do. (I’m a single mom btw). I went to my register office and that they recommended a petition letter which i know its not a guaranteed thing but i just wanted to know will they grant me that
    opportunity to do so because of what I’ve been through during the year? i have all the documents of my child being sick, emergency visits almost all the document added it to 71 pages pf paper of his history do you think that my petition will go through and that i won’t be on suspension??? I’m really confused and so scared for my future ?? i know it isn’t a big deal but being a suspension means its the end of the world to me tbh !!!!!!!!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    unfortunately, the golden nugget at the core of your question is something i can’t answer. will your petition go through? i don’t know. i’m not involved with petitions. all i have is anecdotal information, and that’s scant as best. the best thing you can do is keep in touch with your registrar’s office – and imagine that i am saying this emphatically, because i really mean it – about the status of your petition. ask them questions. they won’t be able to give you a 100%-for-sure answer either, but they can tell you how likely they think the petition is to go through.

    i will say that the more evidence you have, the better the chances of the petition being granted. if you have documentation verifying the existence of an extenuating circumstance, that’s great. the fact that your registrar’s office suggested the petition in the first place is a good sign. if your child was sick, that seems to me like a specific, extenuating circumstance that could merit a granted petition.

    that being said, i don’t have an answer for you. it may not go through. if it does happen that you are suspended, you will make it through that. and i can totally understand the feeling that a suspension is the end of the world; i don’t want to invalidate that feeling. it is scary. i can’t imagine how hard it must have been for you to juggle school and parenting, and it is admirable that you have been putting your child first while simultaneously handling this academic matter.

    however, if you are suspended, it’s only for a year. if, after that year, you still feel like coming back to school is the right decision for you, then you can do that, and you can be successful. again, your registrar’s office can help with that. the academic success centre, the family care office, your college writing centre, and the math aid centres can help with that.

    then again, in a year’s time, you may realize that school is not for you; maybe not right now, maybe not ever. you have to do what feels right, and you’re the only one who can make that decision. trust yourself. trust in yourself. don’t be afraid.

    best of luck with it.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • graduation

    i have LOTS of problems

    July 6, 2016

    I have LOTS of problems I would like to ask…. but putting things clear, is it possible to finish 4th year in the first fall term and not attend any classes on the second winter term and still graduate? Next coming year will technically be my fifth year attending UofT (I know I’m a loser) and I rather end school earlier than later.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, i definitely feel you on the having lots of problems thing. i’ve got 99 problems and not knowing where my future is headed or how to make sense of my own finitude in an infinite universe is probably 1/0 of them.*

    to answer your question: yes, that is possible! if you finish all your requirements to graduate in the Fall term, you would be eligible to graduate that upcoming June. unfortunately there’s no December graduation date (or maybe not so unfortunately? imagine how cold that convocation would be…), but you certainly don’t have to take any courses in the Winter if you’re all done by Fall. you don’t even have to be on campus. all you have to do is request graduation on time, and you’ll have your degree in July.

    also, you are NOT a loser for taking five years to do your degree. lots of people do their degree in five years. guess what? it’s flippin hard to get a degree from uoft! however you get there, however long it takes, you should celebrate. putting yourself down will just add to your problems. so acknowledge your success!

    cheers,

    aska

    *wow, a math joke! who would’ve thought i had it in me? Mr. Chen would be proud.

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  • bad times,  probation,  suspension,  UTM

    just keep swimming

    July 6, 2016

    Hi Aska,
    How are you?
    I have recently been suspended from UTM (I have a CGPA of 1.41) and I tried summer school and ultimately disappointed myself and my parents (they work very hard for me yet I could not do such a simple task) SO now I have a year off and I have this unruly fear that if I stay out of UTM for too long I am gonna lose whatever drive I have to study (and based off my gpa, not
    so much). I just do not want to come back to UTM after a year and make the same mistakes. I am totally aware of my mistakes and I demand redemption next year.

    tl;dr Im suspended for a year and I dont want to lose my drive to study. How do I maintain an academic mindset?

    Thank you so much and you are forever appreciated in my heart!

    ———————————————

    hello!

    i’m doing pretty good, thanks for asking!

    firstly, school is hard. don’t feel discouraged if you’re struggling. so you had a minor setback – it’s okay. you are not alone and you have a lot of support at UTM.

    the number one piece of advice we have for you is to keep in contact with your registrars because they are there to advise you in all your academic endeavours. sit down with your registrar to formulate a good plan for your undergrad. ask yourself if you truly enjoy what you are studying. if not, consider switching programs. since you seem to have trouble staying motivated, regular check-ins with the registrar will be extremely valuable for you so you can be held accountable and be less likely to slack off.

    furthermore, there are a number of academic resources available at UTM including workshops and skills development sessions. they are designed to help students develop better study habits and i’m sure they’ll be very helpful.

    some other pieces of general advice i would offer are:

    1. don’t be too hard on yourself because you can’t win them all. in the grand scheme of your life, this will only seem like a minor setback. don’t let this discourage you and bring you down.
    2. acknowledge small victories. if you finish a chapter of reading or get through a day of class, reward yourself with a treat. little progress is still better than none at all.
    3. set goals. lists are very useful when setting goals because there is a certain kind of satisfaction that comes from checking something off your list. set realistic goals like, “today i will put on pants” or ” i will attend all classes this week.”

    and there are obviously other things like exercising regularly that you could try. some people claim that you ACTUALLY feel better after exercising and you don’t actually feel like you’ve been run over by a train, but that’s just my opinion.

    during your year off, i would encourage you to try reviewing some of the course material from your first year to practice good study habits. it might seem pointless since you’ve already gotten your grades back, but at the end of the day, you’ll feel a lot more confident and prepared to tackle your second year if you feel like you know your first year material very well. use the time that you have to better your habits, and you’ll see results in the new year.

    random inspirational tidbits:

    alfred pennyworth: why do we fall sir? so that we can learn to pick ourselves up. – the dark knight rises

    THIS VIDEO is probably one of the most inspirational videos i’ve ever seen in my life. i think it’s a lot more inspirational than dj khaled.

    but nonetheless, i appreciate you too.

    good luck on getting back into the groove, we here at askastudent believe in you! may the force be with you.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • one programs

    WDW1

    July 5, 2016

    Can you take both College Ones and first year seminar? I am currently enrolled in Woodsworth One’s program but want to take SSI first year seminars (2 half year SSIs).

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    thanks for specifying which college one and first-year seminars you’re interested in! that makes my job a whooole lot easier. and y’all know how profoundly lazy i am.

    it seems as if students doing Woodsworth One are also able to enrol in first-year seminars, though keep in mind that no first-year student is able to take more than 1.0 FCEs’ worth of first-year seminars. you will, regrettably, probably end up in at least one giganto-class in con hall or isabel bader, regardless of how many seminar courses you take. good luck to you. sitting closer to the front and pinching the skin between your thumb and pointer finger will help with keeping you awake; just a little tip.

    cheers,

    aska

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