• arts & sciences,  engineering,  exams,  important dates

    google is a great tool that some of us use from time to time

    September 23, 2016

    What month do undergraduate students go on semester break and when do they return back to university?
    ———————————————

    hi,

    kudos to you for taking the extra effort to send us a question when it probably would’ve required less effort to just google it!

    the december exam period is for this year (2016-2017) is from december 9th to 20th, which means everyone will be done exams by the 20th of december and the university will be closed following these exams.

    classes start up again on january 5th for arts and science students and january 9th for engineering students.

    information regarding engineering and arts and science sessional dates can be found here!

    for future reference: feel free to google the following words: “u of t sessional dates” to find what you’re looking for!

    u of t is a great place to learn how to google things- you’ve come to the right place.

    cheers and #sorrynotsorry for the saltiness,

    aska

    Read More
  • arts & sciences,  psychology,  science,  subject POST

    gold or painful, agonizing failure

    September 20, 2016

    Hi! Can you take a psych major if you’re in humanities? Like, if I take a double major in linguistics and psychology, will I graduate with a BA or a BSc? Or is it even possible for me to major in psychology if I didn’t apply for life sciences?
    I’m at St. George by the way, and I’ll have completed PUMP by the time I apply for the psych POSt.
    Sorry if you already answered this, I did my best to look through all the relevant tags!

    ———————————————

    hi there,

    if you are double majoring in linguistics and psychology, you can pick whether you want a BA or a BSc.

    in the arts and science calendar under program requirements, it states :

    • “A student completing one Major in a science area and one Major in an arts area have a choice of either the Honours Bachelor of Science or the Honours Bachelor of Arts.”

    you’re good to go! choose wisely!

    YOU DECIDE WHICH IS WHICH^

    thanks for making an effort to check the tags! we appreciate it!

    cheers,

    aska

     

    Read More
  • cinema studies,  innis,  subject POST

    i’m minoring in CINicism

    September 19, 2016

    Hi!

    I’m about to begin my second year at UTSG, hoping to major in English and minor in Cin and History. I didn’t take CIN105 during my first year, but I will be taking it this upcoming school year, along with a 0.5 FCE 2nd level course towards the program. I was hoping that the 2nd year foundations course would be available during the summer and I did my research to find out that unfortunately it wasn’t available this previous summer, which most probably means that it wont be available during the 2017 summer term. Right? I’ve tried emailing the Cinema Studies Inst. about this but no one has gotten back to me yet. They probably won’t get back to me at all.

    Anyway, so on to the actual questions.

    So, on the Cinema Studies Undergrad and Program Admissions page, under ‘Minor Program’ it says:

    “Entry requirements: A final mark of no less than 70% in CIN105Y1 or CIN201Y1 and three additional FCEs.

    4.0 FCEs, at least 3.0 FCEs of which must have a CIN designator

    CIN105Y1 – Introduction to Film Study

    CIN201Y1 – Film Cultures I

    Two additional full-course equivalents from Groups A through G (see below for list of courses). of which 1.0 FCE must be at the 300+level.

    Students must complete CIN105Y1, CIN201Y1 and CIN301Y1 before taking any fourth-year courses.”

    I’m pretty sure it’s just me haha, maybe because I ain’t the brightest bulb in the box when it comes to reading about and understanding any of U of T’s program stuff, but does this mean that since CIN105 and CIN201 are required, that I will only be left with taking 2.0 FCEs to get the minor degree? Also what about CIN301? Doesn’t that mean that the 1.0 FCE in the 300-level is fulfilled as well if CIN301 is taken? So does that mean in reality, I only have to take an additional 1.0 FCE to complete the degree requirement? Please do tell me if I’m wrong, if I’m completely delusional, and that trying to fix the mess that is my u of t life ain’t as easy as that.

    Also, is it possible to take CIN301 and a fourth year course at the same time even if it says all those foundation courses have to be completed before taking one? Do I even have to take a fourth year course?

    Thank you! Hoping to hear from you soon!

    ———————————————

    hey,

    wow, this was a lot to take in. okay, let me try to break this down.

    in regards to your first question: course offerings are pretty random; it really varies with every year. a good rule of thumb is to not expect a course to be offered until it’s actually announced. in the past, there have been courses that i have planned to take, only to discover that they weren’t offered when i wanted to take them. i would try emailing the cinema studies department again if you’re really worried.

    now for the meat of your question… don’t worry if you’re confused about the cinema studies minor description- it’s not worded in the best way!

    my face when looking at it:

    steveharveywtf

    behold: a step by step guide to a cinema studies minor!

    basically, you have 4.0 FCE’s to fulfil. with me so far? great.

    you need to take CIN105 and CIN201. these are both Y courses which means they will fulfil 2.0 of your 4.0 FCE’s. cool.

    for the remainder 2.0 FCE’s, you need 1.0 FCE that are courses that start with CIN. the reason why this requirement exists is because in group G courses, there are courses that have the indicator EAS, HIS, GER, SLA, FIN, etc. which you can also take.

    1.0 FCE out of the remainder 2.0 have to be at the 300 or 400 level. still with me?

    however, if you want to take a class at the 400 level, you have to first take CIN301. (keep in mind you don’t have to take a 400 level class)

    that’s pretty much all you need to know! i really hope this answered all of your questions!

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  international students,  UTM

    math is hard

    September 14, 2016

    Im an international student going to UTM for commerce. I did my AS levels and got As in Accounts and Economics but somehow my math grade slipped from a 100% in school to a C in final grade. Will UTM take back my offer of admission or not allow me in the commerce program?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    to be honest, that seems like quite a significant drop in your grade so it may be possible that they will rescind your offer. however, we really have no idea and it would benefit you to check with admissions at UTM to ask about your own unique situation.

    i know we say “ask us anything” but this is one of those situations where we really have no idea of knowing, simply because we don’t work for admissions. however, if you do have any other questions regarding student life or other academics throughout your time at U of T, feel free to send them to us and we’d be happy to answer them for you!

    regardless, i wish you all the best in your upcoming semester! i hope it all worked out for you!

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • askastudent announcement

    ahhh sorry!!! legit excuses tho

    September 13, 2016

    hello my darling fans,

    aska here. just wanted to post a quick message letting you know that we are working on responding to all your questions! if you haven’t received a response, sit tight- you’ll be graced by one soon enough! it’s been a hectic couple of weeks what with our office renovation and frosh week, but please don’t lose hope! we are working on it!

    if you do have urgent academic matters, we recommend that you visit your registrar’s office for any questions you might have!

    cheers/ sorry/ much love,

    aska

    Read More
  • first year,  friends,  frosh

    no friends allowed

    September 12, 2016
    hi i was wondering if i could possibly bring a +1 to frosh week? like they’ll pay and everything, they just don’t go to uoft (utm for me). if not, could i bring them to o-week (where its free)
     ———————————————
     hi there,

    askanote: first of all, i sincerely apologize for the extreme lateness of this post. our office underwent a serious makeover (à la Extreme Makeover: Office Edition). we pretty much couldn’t get to this question until UTM’s frosh week had already started. to make things even worse, i forgot to publish it once i had written it…

    life is hard guys.
    anyways, i imagine this post is of no use to you now since orientation week is over, but i thought i’d post what i had written just in case anyone wanted to know the answer.
    while i am not a frosh coordinator at UTM, i imagine that the answer to your question will be a hard no. here’s why:
    frosh week is an opportunity for you to get to meet people from your own school and there are definitely security issues involved with having non-U of T students participating in frosh week.
    if you would like to confirm this with your UTM orientation coordinators, feel free to check out their website for more contact info, but i wouldn’t get your hopes up.
    o-week is only free for you because you have paid fees to the university. just for future reference, frosh week and o-week are actually interchangeable!
    regardless, we hope you have a wonderful first year! you won’t even need to bring a plus one to events in the future because you’ll make tons of friends during frosh week! trust. if not, a crisp $20 bill will buy you 1 hour of friendship with askastudent.
    cheers,
    aska
    Read More
  • colleges

    srsly?

    August 31, 2016

    Hi aska, just wondering about the college thing. like how does it work and could you describe the different colleges and what they’re like (if you know) in your own gr8 words

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    no. why.*

    *but seriously, check out our other posts about this topic. there are only so many ways to say that “every college has it’s own special qualities.” good luck!

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • midterms

    facebook goes ghost

    August 30, 2016

    Hi there! I’m unable to send my question through your website. I was wondering if you could tell me when midterms usually are? I’m a first year student going into the humanities department. I have to go on a trip during the first week of October and I would just like to make sure that’s not midterm period.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    are you saying that you were unable to send an e-mail to askastudent dot innis at utoronto dot ca? because really – it’s not rocket science, folks. i try to make a point of not answering facebook messages but i’ll answer this one to hold it up as an example to everyone: please, have a heart, just e-mail us your Q’s. facebook doesn’t notify us half the time we have messages, and we look at our inbox more. help us help you.

    generally speaking, it’s a super not-good idea to go on a trip in the middle of the school year. if it is unavoidable, you will be risking missing a midterm test. there is no official ‘midterm period,’ but october is around the time that midterm tests start happening.

    the first week still might be a bit early for humanities students, who tend only to have one midterm per class sometime around mid- to late-october (whereas life science students typically have two, so their first midterms come a little before humanities’ students, and their second midterms a little after), so you may be okay. but you won’t know for sure until you get your syllabi in the first week.

    if you’re really in a jam, make sure to communicate it with your professor/TA. it may be possible to reschedule midterms, but telling your instructor early and taking the initiative to come up with an alternate arrangement is essential if you end up having to go that route.

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • fees

    mumble mumble fees mumble

    August 29, 2016

    Hi there! In July, I requested to have my course fees calculated on a per-course basis (3.0 FCE) and I just recently added another half course for the winter semester. Should I wait for the 0.5 FCE fee to show up on my financial account or should I contact my registrar? Thanks in advance!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m not really sure what you’re asking. if you added a 0.5 credit course on ACORN, the fee for that course would be added to your account invoice automatically. that means that you would need to pay for that course as well, as the rest of your fees, by the stated deadlines.

    if you enrolled in the course but the fee for the course hasn’t appeared on your account invoice, then call your registrar’s office and they can figure out why the fee hasn’t appeared yet.

    if you’re in 3.5 FCEs, you’re still eligible to be on per-course fees instead of a full-time program fee, so if that’s what you’re worried about – don’t be. you’re still within the per-course limit.

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • GPA,  grad school

    elevate that gpa

    August 26, 2016

    Hi there askastudent,

    I have a couple questions that have been bothering me for a while. I am currently a fourth year student, and I would like to take a couple more courses to elevate my cgpa, though for all intents and purposes at the end of Winter 2017 I will be eligible to graduate.

    Do all courses taken after the minimum 20 required for graduation count as extra courses?

    And is you diploma CGPA different from your over all CGPA? What I mean to say is does your diploma GPA count the cumulative GPA of 20 credits only, satisfied by subject post and breadth requirements? Or is every course taken in your time at an undergraduate institution count?

    ———————————————

    hi!

    if you take over 20 credits, these classes will still count toward your cgpa, however, there are exceptions that you need to consider. for example, if you take over 6.0 credits in 100 level courses, the extra courses you take will not count towards your GPA.

    another thing to consider is if you are trying to get a higher GPA for grad school, every grad school has a different procedure in terms of looking at your grade. some will just consider your 10 most recent credits.

    in terms of your diploma CGPA and your normal CGPA, it will be the same. i hope this answered your question!

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • awkwardness,  choosing,  fees

    sad, but true

    August 26, 2016

    Hi,
    I currently have an unconditional offer from University of Toronto, but I’ve also gotten an offer from another university which I’d prefer to go to. I can’t seem to find a way to contact University of Toronto that I won’t be going to their university this year as I do not currently reside in Canada, and they seem to be very slow at responding to my emails.
    I still haven’t paid any fees to University of Toronto. If I don’t contact University of Toronto about my withdrawal, would there be additional fees I need to pay?
    In a nutshell, Do I need to contact the university about my withdrawal? if so then how?
    Thanks for your time

    ———————————————

    hi!

    if you haven’t accepted the offer or paid any fees, you will not be registered. there are no additional fees that you will have to pay if you have not triggered registration. in not paying your fees, you’ll be sending a pretty obvious message to the school that you won’t be attending.

    however, there should be an option on the OUAC portal for you to decline your offer to uoft. if you can’t find that, it may be that your acceptance of another’s university’s offer automatically declined your offer to every other university. don’t make any assumptions though. you should definitely contact enrolment services to get some help in formally declining your offer.

    we’re sorry you’ve chosen another school, but we wish you the best of luck in your endeavours!

    *but seriously, i bet your new school doesn’t have an aska, which automatically makes it worse than U of T. sad, but true.

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • frosh

    too busy for orientation

    August 26, 2016

    Hello! Just wondering but I have a lot of other stuff to do during what would be frosh week, (such as shopping for supplies, getting my Tcard etc etc), and I was wondering if I should register for frosh week regardless? Will I be able to do both/get my “money’s worth”? Thanks ^^

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    as a long-time grump and misanthrope, i can testify that frosh week can be fun – even for people like me. it takes some doing to make me enjoy an event like orientation, which is loud, busy, and crowded. however, cheesy as it may sound, it’s a great opportunity to make friends. this is especially true if you won’t be living in residence and won’t have as much of an opportunity to meet new people.

    also, orientation (when done right) is a positive experience, and those don’t come often around here. there is an incredible pessimism about university, especially at uoft. while you are in it, it’s difficult, you’re often in over your head, and you want it to be over as soon as possible. this feeling is amplified by the thousands of students around you – in your classes, in your friend group, on facebook – who feel the same way. orientation week is a way to kick off four years of pessimism with a joie-de-vivre that is pretty difficult to conjure up once school actually begins. and that enthusiasm, as hokey as it may seem in the moment, makes a difference.

    if i can’t get you with the emotional argument, there are a lot of practical positives to orientation as well: it helps you get familiar with campus, there are relevant info sessions as well as (largely irrelevant) fun activities, and you can ask questions of your frosh leaders, who are upper year students that actually want to give you advice!*

    and finally: you will have plenty of time to get your TCard, buy textbooks, and do everything else you need to do even if you participate in frosh week.

    all that being said, if it still sounds like something you just don’t want to do, then hey, you don’t have to! orientation is just one week. you have four years of decisions ahead of you, so you may as well start off on the right foot by making a decision that you are comfortable with. do you.

    i hope that helps!

    aska

    * outside of orientation, this is rare. most people just want you to stay out of their face as they try to get through lecture on three hours of sleep.

    Read More
  • jobs

    job eat job world

    August 24, 2016
    Do you think it will be hard for me to get a decent job straight after graduating university with BA Honours in Political Science?
     ———————————————
    hey there,

     

    ehhh, probably? i’m typically averse to answering questions about how ‘hard’ things are, because then i would have to ignore all the million things that make your situation unique, and pretend that your idea of a ‘decent job’ and of ‘hard’ are the same as mine – which, they are probably not. i do think it’s safe to say, though, that nobody finds looking for a job easy. it requires real effort, and it can be very discouraging if you don’t hear back from a lot of places.

     

    however, as a recent graduate in English and Political Science myself, some of the things i have to say may actually be helpful in making this all a bit easier on you. here are my tips for job-searching out of an undergrad:

     

    1) the wider you cast your net, the easier a time you will have looking for jobs. this doesn’t mean ‘apply for every and any job you come across.’ apply for jobs that you find interesting, that require skills that you already have. don’t fall into the trap of applying for everything. that will just tire you out, likely with little result.

     

    the key is that you apply to a lot of the types of jobs that actually suit you. look at a lot of different job-hunt sites. use the CLN. if you know someone who works somewhere that you want to work, let them know you’d be interested in a position there. don’t be afraid to apply to jobs that you think you’re not ready for – the worst they can do is say no.

     

     

    2) start early! start thinking about what kind of job(s) you’d be interested in at the beginning of your fourth year. don’t discount this step just because ‘thinking’ doesn’t sound like a real thing you have to actually do. determining exactly what kind of job you’re after is essential to a successful job hunt. as an undergrad in poli sci, you’re not graduating with any kind of professional designation, which means you actually have to research what field you’d like to go into. the nice thing is that you have a wide variety of options available to you. the flip side is that you’ll have to convince every place you apply to why you’re qualified for the job. and before you can answer that question to employers, you have to answer it for yourself: what are you good at? why do you want to do what you want to do?

     

    begin browsing for jobs as soon as you’re done your thinking stage. doing this will get you ready for the actual job hunt. bookmark companies or opportunities that might be of interest to you. that way, in December/January, you’ll be all ready to start actually applying for jobs.

     

    3) if you know you have a weak spot when it comes to job application (writing resumes, interview skills, actually finding jobs to apply to, etc.), see if the career centre has some resources for you (spoiler: they probably do). they can coach you on writing your CVs and resumes, interview skills, and lots more. also, you can use the career centre free of charge up to TWO YEARS after you graduate, which is nice.

     

    4) customize EVERYTHING. i know it’s hard. i know it’s annoying. but DON’T send standard, copy/pasted resumes, because that is the easiest way for an employer to decide which candidates to discard. make sure to quote the name of the job in the CV. talk about why you’d be a good fit for the organization you’re applying to. address your cover letter to the hiring manager/employer. as someone who’s been on the other side of this, believe me, these seemingly small details are crucial.

     

    finally, a word of caution: i know it can feel impossible to find a job in a time when every job seems to require highly specialized skills. if the field you want to get into really does seem to require a college certificate or graduate degree, consider doing that. however, don’t get a college certificate/graduate degree because you hope it’ll give you better odds at landing a job. that’s a waste of time and money.

     

    job-hunting is labour intensive, and emotionally draining. but it can be done.

     

    good luck!

     

    aska
    Read More