• grad school,  non degree

    all or nothing

    June 21, 2016

    Hi aska! I graduated with a BA last year and am looking into applying for a MA program at UofT that doesn’t require prerequisites. I’d like to take certain recommended undergrad courses for my own benefit in preparation for the program, but I’m concerned whether they’d be counted toward my undergraduate GPA. Does UofT automatically count courses you take after graduation towards your undergraduate GPA?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i have the weirdest feeling that i’ve already answered this question, but i don’t have any evidence that i did, so i’m just going to go ahead and answer it again (potentially?) – just in case.

    the short answer to your question is: yes. courses you take as a non-degree student count towards your CGPA. there’s no way to get around that, unfortunately, since non-degree students can’t credit/non-credit courses.

    the best way to mitigate this risk is to be sensible about your own abilities and time restrictions right now. if you’re working a full-time job right now, you probably don’t want to be in more than one or two courses at a time. try and find courses that make sense with your schedule. if you work a day job, courses in the evening probably make more sense. et cetera.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • dean's list

    lists on lists

    June 21, 2016

    Hi I have a question regarding the dean’s list. I am currently going into my 5th year and will be completing more than 20 credits. Will I still be considered for the deans list after my 20th credit at the end of my 5th year? And does the same rule apply for the honours list?

    Kind regards

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the last time you’re considered for the dean’s list is after you complete 20.0 credits. after that (at 25.0 credits, for example), you’re no longer considered. after that, you drop off the face of the uoft planet, left to fend for yourself, scared and alone, like all the rest of us who are finishing our undergrads. or is that just how i feel? ha ha h a.

    life crises aside, i wouldn’t worry too much about the dean’s list. it really doesn’t mean much, or at least not as much as that CGPA printed on your transcript. you want grad schools and employers to be impressed with you? your transcript and resume will probably be much more meaningful than a dean’s list, which means so many different things at different schools that your employer is likely to ignore it largely, anyway.

    i was about to give a really snarky response about how the honours list isn’t a thing and how you really shouldn’t MAKE STUFF UP just because it sounds good. then i realized that, in fact, UTSC actually does have an honours list, which just makes me look really silly. however, the rules for the honours list seem to be the same as for the dean’s list: after 20.0 credits, you are no longer considered.

    that doesn’t mean that you’re not still SUPER COOL.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR,  petition

    petition-ception

    June 20, 2016

    So basically I filed a petition at the end of my first year to remove a cr/ncr I had in a course, even though I got a terrible grade of 54 in it. The reason I chose to get the cr/ncr removed was because I had taken 3.5 credits with 0.5 as cr/ncr and I needed full 4.0 to apply for the Management program. I knew my cgpa would take a dip, but I was a naive first year who didn’t even know I could apply again at the end of my second year or I wouldn’t have taken this absurd decision. My petition got accepted my cgpa took a dip and I didn’t get into management.

    Now fast forward to the end of my 2nd year even though my cgpa has increased, it still doesn’t meet the cut off, however if that program which I had successfully petitioned to remove the cr/ncr of was still cr/ncr my cgpa would easily meet the cut off. Now my question is if I can successfully somehow petition to explain to the university that at the time I put in my first petition, I was unaware of the fact that I could apply at the end of my 2nd year and if they could reinstate the cr/ncr, as that really is my last hope of getting into the Management program.

    Thanks for your time, and awaiting your response.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    seeing as getting a credit/no-credit reversed is a pretty rare thing, putting back a credit/no-credit which you’ve previously removed probably has an even slimmer chance of happening. now, this assessment is based on my limited experience of petitions relating to CR/NCR’s, which in turn is based out of one college in the faculty of arts & science. the rules are not identical at UTM, and so my assessment may or may not match up to your experience. i can’t seem to find any information that’s relevant to your situation in the literature, so i think we’re on our own here.

    the only way to know for certain what your chances are on your campus is to talk to the UTM office of the registrar. they can tell you whether or not this is advisable.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • late withdrawal

    choices are hard

    June 20, 2016

    I am currently in my third year. I have a score of 51/100 before the final exam. Should I drop it or keep it ? I will have to go for LWD as the deadline for dropping a course has already passed. I already have one LWD from my 2nd year. I want to get into a grad school. All the grad schools look for grades 3rd and 4th year. I am scared another LWD would look bad on my transcript. What should i do ?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i can’t make that call for you, mon amigo. it depends on how much the exam is worth. it depends on how confident you are in your understanding of the material. it depends on how much studying you think you can pack in before the exam. all of these things are subjective, not easily quantifiable, and, unfortunately, not things a stranger can decide for you. as much as it would be comforting to download all your responsibilities and hard decisions onto another person, that’s not how life works. it’s not something aska can do for you – i’m sorry.

    even though it’s a lot harder than just sending off an e-mail, the best advisers you could ask for right now would be the folks at your college/divisional registrar’s office. they will be able to look at your marks so far, have an in-depth chat with you about this course, your aspirations for grad school, and your overall transcript. based on all of that, they can help you make the best decision moving forward.

    i will say that, generally speaking, an LWD is better than a failed mark that drags down your GPA. two LWD’s aren’t great, but if the rest of your transcript is really strong – if you can pull off a really strong AGPA in your fourth year, for example – you may be able to counterbalance two LWD’s. that being said, there’s no cut-and-dry, surefire formula for applying to grad school, both because there is no one standard application, and no one standard grad school. it’s all about negotiating your particular capabilities with their particular expectations and trying to make them meet.

    as far as i know, most (if not every) college registrar’s office needs to meet with you before LWD’ing anyway, so take that opportunity to have an in-depth, honest discussion with your adviser about your needs and concerns. ask them what they think the best option would be, considering the grad schools you’re interested in and your transcript. they won’t be able to tell you ‘yes’ or ‘no’ either, but they will have more information than i do, and thus be better able to advise you.

    ultimately, while this is a hard decision to make, i believe that you know the right answer. listen to the advice you get from your registrar’s office, but when the time comes, trust your gut. ask yourself honestly: is it worth it to write this exam? can i pass this course? you know your own abilities better than anyone else. trust them.

    all the best,

    aska

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  • academic offense,  plagiarism

    you have to do the thing

    June 17, 2016

    Hello,

    In the previous fall semester (2015) I was accused of an academic offence in the final paper of a course, which I think must have had to do with incorrect citations as I know I didn’t copy or plagiarize someone else’s work. This was the first time I’ve been accused of academic misconduct in 3 years at UTSC. I was advised at the time to speak to the Academic Integrity office and proceed from there, but my dad was in the hospital battling cancer and I didn’t want to put any further stress on my family who was going through a very tough time. He has now recovered after a lengthy battle and I plan on discussing my situation with the Academic Integrity office in September.

    However, I’m worried that if they do find me guilty of a misconduct, I’ll be suspended for a year due to an academic suspension as I was on academic probation at the time of the accusation. I ended up finishing the fall semester, and then the winter semester and bumping up my CGPA to 1.67, which then made me think: should I continue to take classes to further bump
    up my GPA to avoid suspension, THEN go discuss it with the integrity office (as they will then open the investigation)? Or is that not going to make a difference? I only have a year left before I can graduate, and I really don’t want a year long suspension to put a hold on things right now. I know if I finish this upcoming semester and do well in my classes, my CGPA will be high enough so that if I do end up getting a 0 (for my accusation in the course from a year prior), I won’t risk being put on academic suspension as my CGPA will be high enough to overcome the issue.

    Best regards,
    Anon

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i don’t know if i’m really understanding the situation. as far as i can tell, you’re asking about when the best time would be to speak with the academic integrity office, but as far as i know, you don’t get a choice with this kind of thing. if there is an investigation into a possible academic offence, you will be summoned to a meeting. they will let you know where and when they’d like to meet.

    i’m a little confused since you said the offence was in 2015 and we’re now halfway through 2016 – did they never contact you for a meeting? did you agree to speak with them later so you could focus on being with your family? whatever the case may be, i think it’s important that you honour whatever agreement you have with the academic integrity office. keep an eye on your e-mail so that you will know if they request a meeting with you. if you agreed to connect with them at a later time, honour that.

    if you didn’t establish any fixed meeting time with them, then it might be a good idea to touch base again. before you do so, though, here’s what i recommend:

    make time to speak with an academic adviser so that you’re fully prepared and ready for the meeting. obviously, you can’t go wrong by telling the truth, but an academic adviser can tell you what to expect and also answer any questions that you may have. when you’re in this situation, it’s something i highly, highly recommend.

    i can’t fault you for trying to do as well as you can in the summer so that this possible offence has the smallest possible impact on you. that being said, you shouldn’t try to avoid the offence because you’re afraid of what it will do to your marks. seek out help, definitely. but do not ignore the situation.

    best,

    aska

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  • one programs

    which One?

    June 16, 2016

    Advantages of taking College Ones program? I got an offer from UC One: Canadian Studies and New One: Food Matters. Still waiting a decision from Innis One: Writing Creative Non-Fiction, Woodsworth One: Popular Culture and SMC One: Justice and Culture. Any thoughts on these courses?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    there’s no particular advantage of any of these One courses over another. One seminars are small courses that often teach off-the-beaten-track material in a new, interesting way. they exist primarily to relieve the monotony of huge, lecture-style first-year courses that have been taught the same way for far too long. that being the case, the only real factor you should be considering is: which of these sets of courses are you most interested in?

    i can’t personally recommend any because i never took any One courses (which i regret, make no mistake about it). that being said, all the One programs are pretty special. some of the programs also have unique features that set them apart; for example, the SMC One program includes a community service component. regardless, i’m sure that there are some in which you’d be more interested than the others. trust your gut. go with the one you feel really excited about.

    something else that might be a factor is that some One courses can be used towards requirements for programs. for example, are you thinking you might want to pursue Canadian Studies? UNI101Y1, one of the UC One courses, counts towards a Canadian Studies minor. you can check out what One courses count towards which programs by cross-referecing the One courses with your programs of interest in the course calendar.

    i hope that helps you!

    aska

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  • fees,  ROSI

    pls i must buy Many Cheez-Its

    June 16, 2016

    I accidentally transferred an extra 70 dollars into my rosi account how do I get it back?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    what a catastrophe! how terrible for you – there’s so much that you can buy for $70! a nice pair of jeans. a kobo eReader. a really crappy, secondhand TV. many, many cheez-its.

    fortunately for you, you CAN get that money back. all you have to do is call Student Accounts and request that the $70 be sent to you as a cheque instead of rolling over to the next session on ACORN. just make sure that your mailing address is correct and up-to-date on ACORN, because you don’t want them sending your hard-earned cheez-it money to some undeserving shmo at an old address.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • late withdrawal,  OSAP

    i need my O$AP fund$

    June 16, 2016

    Hi there

    I am a student at UofT in two summer courses. I deferred my fees in order to receive OSAP, which I did. Currently, I still have a balance on my account. I plan to apply for a late withdrawal for one course. Does that mean the balance on my account will decrease, since it is a pay per course system? I realize that I passed the date where I could drop a course without penalty. What does this do in terms of balance? I am told I need to notify OSAP if I drop a course. I am a student with a disability, and dropping a course means Ill only be enrolled in 0.5 courses this semester. Will this put me on OSAP probation if I do LWD?? I have no idea what to do. What happens in terms of OSAP if I drop from 1.0 courses to 0.5 course (and I am on disability) in a LWD – and I still have a balance due on my Rosi account??

    Thank you!!

    ———————————————

    hey there.

    since you’re now in LWD territory, i’m going to assume this is an ‘F’ course you’re talking about. if that’s the case, then unfortunately we have passed the last date when you could’ve received a refund for the course. that means that when/if you LWD from it, your balance will stay the same.

    if you are dropping to 0.5 credits and you are on full-time OSAP, then yes, you would likely be put on OSAP probation, since the full-time course load for students with a registered disability is 1.0 credit.

    if this is your first time being put on OSAP probation (and i’m assuming it is, otherwise you would already know how this game is played), there will likely not be a financial penalty at this point. that is, you would still receive the money you’ve been assessed for in order to pay off your outstanding balance – and rent, and food, and a new bottle of shampoo, finally, after trying to wash your hair with soap for a week and a half (or is that just me?).

    full house piggy bank

    no OSAP money can sometimes result in desperate measures

    all you would have to do is write a letter explaining why you dropped from full-time.

    that being said, there are many, many things that can affect your interaction with OSAP. please do not assume that your situation is standard. instead, double-check with enrolment services to see exactly how you should proceed after dropping down. they would be able to help you.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • bored,  study abroad,  Transferring

    sad keanu

    June 16, 2016

    Hi Aska, I’m set to graduate with my double majors in 3 years. However, since I want to do grad or law school and need to figure my life out, I want to do a 4th year of undergrad. I’m frankly miserable at UofT and am not keen on doing the whole 5.0 credits/another traditional school year. Any advice on studying at another school for a year, interning and being a part-time student,etc.? Besides registrars and my depts’ advisors (whom I’ve consulted), who can I speak to on campus? Thank you!

    ———————————————

    hey!

    honestly, most people take 4 years to complete their undergrad, so don’t feel as though you need to finish in 3 years (if that’s what you’re thinking).

    i’m sorry to hear that you’re miserable at U of T; it is definitely possible to become a part-time student, but i would highly recommend that you talk to your registrar’s office first to discuss how going part time would affect things like student loans or completing your degree.

    besides registrars and department advisors, you could consult upper years who have gone through similar experiences as well. honestly though, i know you’ve consulted registrars already in the past, but they are probably the best people to talk to when you’re thinking of transferring or going part time.

    if you do decide to transfer, i encourage you to do tons of research on the websites of other universities. they usually have a section that has information on how to transfer to their school.

    you could always think about doing an exchange at another school! it might be more interesting and not as miserable as dreary ol’ toronto. definitely look into the CIE. there are tons of exchange options available at the CIE and you can try to attend one of the many info sessions they hold during the year.

    i hope things start looking up for you!

    aska

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  • enrollment,  ROSI

    y’all better remember this when the time comes

    June 16, 2016

    I am adding courses to my enrollment cart on acorn but it says enrollment is blocked for one of the courses I want. Is it because I am a second year student and it is a 100 level course? Will this go away once enrollment for first year students opens?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the most likely reason is that you don’t currently meet an enrolment control that applies to that course. if you’d told me what course you’re having difficulty with, this could’ve been a lot easier, but now i guess we’ll have to do this *cracks knuckles* the hard way.

    enrolment controls restrict who can sign up for courses, and when. sometimes, a course will have a priority for certain students, which means that students who don’t fit the priority have to wait until a later date (usually in the first week of August) to sign up for the course. sometimes, courses are restricted, which means that only certain students can enrol in it, ever. sometimes courses have an ‘E’ indicator, which means that you have to apply through the department that offers the course in order to take it.

    how are people prioritised and restricted, you might ask? well, it’s usually based on subject POSts, though it can also be based on year of study. if you’re not in the right year or program, then you won’t be able to enrol in the course – or indeed, put it in your enrolment cart.

    now for the final piece of the puzzle: how can you tell whether a course has an enrolment control? what you have to do is find your course on the timetable and look under the column called ‘enrolment indicator.’ see if there’s a letter there. if there’s not, then you have no problem!

    if there is a ‘P’ (priority) or ‘R’ (restriction) (or some other letter, though those are less common), then you need to click on the ‘See Details’ in the column to the right. that will tell you who the course is prioritised for or restricted to. it will either say something like ‘1st year life science students’ or list subject POSts. if you’re not in the listed category/-ies, then you’re fresh outta luck, my man. play again next time.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. i’d only like to explain this once this year, so if y’all could remember this for when course enrolment time comes around instead of freaking out for a solid three hours after your start time, that would be RADICAL.

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  • math,  scholarships/bursaries

    don’t math if you can help it

    June 15, 2016

    Hi! So, I’m finishing up grade 11 and ending the year with a precalculus class at the grade 12 level because I fast tracked. Since that means I finished up my math requirements for high school, I wasn’t planning on taking any math next year. I didn’t think it would be that big a deal, since I want to apply for Ethics, Society, and Law and PoliSci, and it won’t be on my Top 6.
    But now I’m concerned because I know that the universities at my province typically make you take at least one university level course in subjects like math, and I’m not sure if that also applies for UofT. If it does, I might retake the course again in grade 12. Will that be held against me because UofT “…reserves the right to give preference to students whose marks are a result of a single attempt at each course”?
    Ohhh one last thing! When it comes to scholarships offered by UofT, like the entrance scholarship you get if you have a 92%, do they determine that percentage using all your marks in grade 12 or just your Top 6?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you don’t want to take math, if you think not taking math will improve your average, if math isn’t good for your soul – don’t take math. trust aska. university is hard enough without taking courses you hate (and especially math. like, full offence – why do that to yourself?).

    uoft will never force you to take math if it’s not a program requirement for you, and, as you rightly pointed out, neither ethics, society & law nor poli. sci. require any math courses.

    the only thing we have that is similar to what you’re suggesting are ‘breadth requirements.’ basically, the university requires you to take one or two courses in five major areas of study which are supposed to encompass all areas of study. almost every single course in the faculty of arts & science fits into one (or sometimes two) of these categories. and yes, one of the categories is ‘The Physical and Mathematical Universes.’

    however, there are lots of ways to fill this pesky requirement that don’t involve taking math. some courses are designed to be lowballs for people who…let’s say aren’t the most number-oriented of folks. one of them is AST201, and you can find plenty more of these ‘lowballs’ on the course calendar.

    a caveat: by the time you get to subject POSt-application time, the summer after your first year, you may have changed your mind about what you want to study. that’s two years from now, after all. let’s say you change your mind, and decide to do an international relations major, for example. in that case, not having done calculus would prevent you from taking ECO100, one of the prerequisites for that program.

    my point is that not taking calculus does close some doors on you. however, you seem not to be too interested in those doors, so if it’s a choice between keeping some hypothetical future options open that you may not care about, and preserving your grades and sanity, go for the latter.

    finally: everything is determined based on your top six. that includes scholarships.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    no POst on sundays

    June 15, 2016

    hey aska,
    Am about to go into 2nd year at utm and i got a good gpa (3.4) I applied for management specialist (ERSPE1882) and was invited and also accepted. BUT, i have been getting invitations for the same post that i didnt apply for the second time.

    The invitation they sent looks exactly like the one that i requested and accepted myself (looks the same on ACORN) And i rejected that post and a few days later got the invitation again. Rejected that and got another invitation (3 times in all that i didnt apply to but they sent it themselves) Am i missing something? Is it a special type of Post or something? It looks the same and even the post code and name is the Same.

    Am i being honored with a special post? (LOL but high hopes)

    thank you so much

    ———————————————

    hey!

    hate to break it to ya, but no, they haven’t given you a special POst.

    it’s probably just a glitch in the system. it is as much a mystery to us that it is to you!

    hp letters
    unless you’re this guy. then it makes a whole lotta sense.

    however, make sure you’ve accepted the POst that you want on ACORN and that you haven’t accidentally rejected it in this whole process.

    wouldn’t hurt to call or visit the UTM registar’s office just to see what’s up and notify them about this issue. they can also help you check that you’re registered for the right POst.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • ccit

    angling for management

    June 15, 2016

    hey there,

    Hi just had a quick question about a program. Im currently a student at utm and really want to do a double major in ccit and managment. I know its highly competitve but do you think I can get in with a cgpa of 2.5 especially the managment program? Thanks

    Also I got a offer for Scarborough, it said have a min of 70 in everything. one of my top 6 marks will be in the 60s by April. Will they wait for June report card, rather than judge me by my April one?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the CCIT major is a type 2, which means that as long as you meet the requirements, you should be able to enrol. as for management, that’s a type 3, which means that meeting the requirements does not guarantee that you will be admitted to the program. management is a pretty popular program at utm, so there’s no guarantee that meeting the minimum requirement of a 63% in MGM101H5, MGM102H5 and ECO100Y5 will get you in. in fact, you will almost certainly have to do better than that. unfortunately, how much higher above the cut-off you will have to achieve all depends on the competition that year. as always, i am not a crystal ball; i’m not in the business of making admission decision predictions. i’m in the business of sassing people anonymously online – how brave of me.

    i’m a bit confused about your second question, but that’s nothing new on this site, so i’ll just try and answer what i think you’re asking. i believe you’ve confused the admissions process for high school students with the internal transfer process. internal transfers don’t have a ‘top six’: you’re assessed based on your transcript to date. as for meeting conditions: it’s really a case-by-case thing. obviously, not meeting the condition is not great.

    that being said, if that course is an exception to an otherwise strong transcript, then the admissions committee may overlook it. unfortunately i can’t really give you an answer one way or another, because again, this falls into predicting admission for you, which i just can’t do. i may be unearthly beautiful, but i’m not magic (outside the bedroom). i’d recommend calling enrolment services with those kinds of questions.

    ok peace out,

    aska

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