• late withdrawal

    WDR (We Don’t, Really)

    June 2, 2016

    Hi ASKA,

    I failed a prerequisite course and I am taking it again this summer. I really need to take grad programs in the future how bad could it be if I get an A+ in summer but with F on the transcript? Is there anything else I can do to make up? I have heard of WDR, is it possible for me to WDR? Thank you.

    Sincerely,

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    an WDR is a pretty extreme last resort, and usually only happens when students are in a very unusual situation beyond their control, that negatively impacted their coursework. you can always talk to your registrar’s office about petitioning to WDR (though it is a bit late at this point), though honestly, it may cost you more energy than it’s worth, especially since there is no guarantee that your petition would be approved.

    that energy may be better spent working really hard to make sure that the second time around, you do really well. but that’s just my two cents.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • probation,  subject POST

    school is great except the school part

    June 2, 2016

    My first year at UofTSG was amazing…except for the marks. I failed one credit and now I only have 3.5 credits to end the year off with. To make things worse, I missed the summer school deadline. Does this mean I continue first year a second time? Would I be on academic probation? If I get that 0.5 credit in my first semester of second year, can I apply for my subject posts again? And would I still be able to graduate in four years?!?! Thank you!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you would only be on academic probation if your GPA falls below 1.5. keep an eye on your ACORN account for updates on that. CGPA has been calculated by this point, so you should know for sure now. if you are put on probation, you have one term (either Summer or Fall/Winter, whichever one comes first for you) to get your CGPA back above a 1.5 in order to continue in good standing. otherwise, you would be suspended in the following term.

    if you do finish with 3.5 credits, then yes, you would be considered a first year student until the end of the next term in which you complete 4.0 credits (either Summer or Fall/Winter). that doesn’t mean much, practically speaking, except that signing up for subject POSts and courses will be a little bit different for you.

    you would not be required to sign up for POSts this summer and would have to wait until the following April-September period. unfortunately, you can’t just sign up for POSts as soon as you hit 4.0 credits, whenever that happens during the year. it’s kind of like unlocking a level of Candy Crush when you’re really cheap; you have to wait 24 hours between quests, you can’t just blow through levels as soon as you complete them.

    finally, yes, you can still graduate in four years; praise be. you will have to take courses in the summer or a few extra courses during your future Fall/Winter terms to manage it, but it’s doable. that being said, taking an extra year or semester is not the end of the world. try not to worry about that right now. just take it one step at a time, and you’ll be at graduation, panicking about getting a job and finding a place to live, before you know it.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • grad school,  psychology

    the final countdown

    June 2, 2016

    Hello Aska,

    I am a student going into my fifth year of undergraduate studies in Honours Life Sciences that is hoping to apply to the UofT Psychology Graduate Program.

    I had a question pertaining to the details of one of the admission requirements. It states A- in the last two years and I was wondering if that meant my fifth and fourth year marks, or my last 20 courses up to the deadline (December)? So, that would mean my last semester of third year, fourth year, and my first semester of fifty year.

    Basically, how much can my fifth year effect what the school may take into account? My fourth year was pretty great GPA-wise and I’m confident for fifth, but my third year was a mixed bag, so I’m hoping that my fifth year will be considered.

    I am working on making the rest of my application stellar, I’ve done a research practicum, I will be doing a thesis in the fall, and I’m going to work hard for the GRE. If the last part of third year is taken into account my average will be B+ instead of an A-, even if I get the highest marks possible in my fifth year first semester courses, but I can get it to an A- if my whole fifth year will be considered, so the distinction is important to me.

    Thank you for any insight you can provide!

    ———————————————

    hello!

    i made a quick call to the psychology grad department and they let me know that they will be looking at your 10 most recent credits, which is technically good news because that means your last two years will actually count, but i would call them just to ask exactly WHEN in the year they would be looking at these grades. each grad school varies greatly; some schools look at everything before december of your last year and others do it differently.

    good luck with your applications, it seems like you’re preparing very well! you got dis.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • arts & sciences,  co-op management,  UTSC

    lul bye artsci

    June 2, 2016

    hey aska,
    I’m planning to attend utsc next year for co-op public policy. I originally chose this program because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but recently I decided that I actually want to study economics. is it possible to transfer into the co-op economics for management studies (BBA) program during my first year? I took the required math courses but I know there is a supplementary component so I’m not sure what to do.
    also a friend told me that there are courses all management students take first year, so if I must transfer the second year, are there any prerequisites that I need to take during my first year? Do I take these courses and public policy courses since that’s my program for the time being?
    thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey,

    first of all, kudos to you for knowing what you want to do!

    friends jumping excited

    most of us deny that we hate our subject POst until after we graduate yayyyyy *sobs in corner*

    so it looks like you may be able to switch into your BBA program in second year if you take the appropriate first year management courses. it says here in the calendar:

    “Students admitted to Arts & Science Co-op from secondary school will request a specific Co-op Subject POSt, or program, at the end of their first year, after achieving any necessary required courses for that particular area of study.”

    if you take the courses required, you may be able to switch, however i would highly recommend (in fact, just do it) that you double check with the contacts i have provided below. since this is such a specific question, i feel like you would benefit a great deal from getting in touch with the program because you may need special permissions to switch.

     

    deanna burrows- (one of the many artsci co-op people)

    dburrows@utsc.utoronto.ca (416) 208- 2681

     

    christine arsenault- (management co-op person)

    arsenault@utsc.utoronto.ca (416) 287- 7112

     

    you can find these numbers and more in the utsc telephone directory, and it’s almost always more effective if you call instead of emailing.

    i wish i could tell you more but it is really up to the co-op directors to decide!

    (sorry about the late response as well, we’ve been undergoing changes here at aska and some of our answers were deleted and had to be rewritten)

    good luck at scarbs!

    cheers,

    aska

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  • askastudent announcement

    where did you go??!?!1

    May 6, 2016

    this post is prompted by me not updating the site for literally a week and receiving an e-mail from someone saying “don’t know if this website is still running but,”. i mean, COME ON, people. it’s not like the last update was in January. i’ve been here! look! here i am! updating! you bloodthirsty beasts! web 2.0 has become so viciously fast-paced that poor ol’ aska can barely keep up anymore. my back hurts, y’know. i am an OLD FOGEY. where’s my knitting. this is why i don’t have snapchat.

    to be fair, i did stick updates on twitter and facebook. it would’ve been a bright idea to make an update here, too. hindsight is 20/20, i guess. also, sometimes i feel like i’m just talking to myself on here. is there anyone out there, really? has the same bot just been asking me whether they’ll get into uoft over and over again for the past 17 years?

    anyway. the point is, aska is moving servers, which means we will soon run FASTER and BETTER and CRASH LESS. we should start updating regularly again early next week, once that process is over. so you can all CALM DOWN. in the meantime, snapchat me @askastu*

    cheers,

    aska

    * just kidding lol. or am i? no, i am. i am.

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  • OSAP

    noSAP

    April 27, 2016

    hiya aska,

    i’m doing my undergrad in A&S and i rely solely on OSAP. i enrolled at U of T in 2010…a brief explanation: took a nose-dive during my 2nd year and failed 2 courses which dropped me below 60% course load, i’m still chugging away thanks to getting registered with Accessibility Services, but it’s slow going. i was on probation for a while, i forget how long but i remember having to write maybe 2 letters about how i’m going to make sure i succeed academically. if i pass everything this semester i will be 1.5 credits short of graduating. my gpa is 2.15ish now. i never found out if i was put on probation because i failed the 2 courses or because my courseload was too low.

    this semester is a trainwreck because of reasons. if i fail any courses, will OSAP cut me off? suspend me? how does OSAP look upon late withdrawals and NCR course grades?

    thanks for listening to my sob story

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    sorry for the absurdly late response. aska’s been a bit flooded with questions lately and the catch-up process is a slow one, but we’ll get there eventually. i hope you’ve sought help elsewhere in the meantime, though.

    OSAP is always a tricky thing to talk about. it has a million nuances, depending on details that i may or may not know about you. regardless of what i say today, it’s a good rule of thumb to keep in close contact with your registrar’s office whenever you’re dealing with OSAP.

    OSAP is not in the business of combing through transcripts and determining academic standing; that’s the university’s job. all that OSAP cares about, basically, is that you are in a full-time course load.

    if you are on full-time OSAP and you don’t achieve at least 3.0 credits in the Fall/Winter term (because you failed some courses or LWD’d or whatever), you will be required to begin paying back your OSAP 6 months after the date that OSAP deems you to have dropped to part-time (likely the end of the Fall/Winter session). if you don’t have 6 months between now and the next time you’re in a full-time course load, then you’re in luck. otherwise, you’d have to make payments monthly until the next time that you’re in a full-time course load again.

    you will also likely be put on OSAP probation again, in which case you’d have to write another letter explaining why you weren’t able to make satisfactory progress.

    however, if you were on OSAP probation last year and you don’t achieve at least 3.0 credits this year, you may be restricted from receiving OSAP for one calendar year (see #19).

    again, i’ll reiterate that your college registrar’s office is really the best place to go for help in situations like these. they’re a resource that you’re paying for; you may as well use them for help.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions,  americans

    the American Dream (to come to uoft)

    April 26, 2016

    Hi there,

    a couple questions that I hope you could help me with. I’m an American student and have been working for a year after finishing my undergraduate degree in business administration, but now want to go back to school to study humanities, which I’d actually enjoy.

    Should I retake my SATs though? My scores back from 11th grade were pretty mediocre: reading 620, math 790, writing 670. I know I’d do significantly better if i retake. Will UofT accept new scores or even want me to submit SAT at all?

    My high school GPA was weighted 3.7 and unweighted 3.5, last year of uni was 3.1/3.2ish, uni overall 3.2; do I stand a chance being accepted into UofT?

    Thanks in advance!

    Best regards,

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    ah, a Yank! so you want to come up into the frigid north and read some Atwood (probably) in our poorly insulated refriger-classes, huh? well, good on you. i always admire someone who’s coming back to school to pursue a passion. even if it is in this icy chillscape.

    it seems like the university will want you to submit your SAT scores. all the scores you’ve cited, however, are higher than what’s “been presented by successful applicants” in the past, to paraphrase admissions. so that’s a good sign. i don’t know too much about the SATs and what constitutes a good score, but a cursory look at the requirements seems to indicate that you don’t absolutely have to retake them.

    as for your GPA, that’s harder to compare. every university has a slightly different GPA system, even if many of them use a 4.0 scale like uoft. that being said, if you finished with a 3.2 and we assume that the scales at both universities are roughly the same, then you finished with a ‘B’ average, which makes you a competitive transfer applicant.

    all in all, i can’t guarantee that you will be accepted, or that you won’t be. from the information that you’ve given me, it could go one way or the other. the thing is, if it’s something you want to do, you have to try.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • law school

    claw your way to law

    April 26, 2016

    HI,

    So i’m finishing up my third year right now and hope to go on to law school after graduating. My cGPA is not great (3.3) and i’ve just realized that though many of the law schools i want to apply to look at last/best years, a “year” consists of a full course load, which i unfortunately haven’t had since my 1st year. This will not look good. Because of this i was thinking of doing a 5th full year (so they’ll look at years 4&5).

    So on to my question: Is there anywhere/anyone i can talk to specifically about my admissions prospects, the pros/cons of doing a 5th years, the logistics of all this, etc. I’ve tried the registrar and academic advisor, but honestly it just wasn’t that helpful. I was hoping you might be able to direct me to a consulting sort of place (internal or external to the University), if that’s at all possible. Just anyone that’s not the registrar or AAdvisor (cause the last time i saw them it was a total waste of time- basically told me everything was peaches and i could do whatever-not much constructive help…)

    Sorry if this question is a bit out of your purview,

    Any info would help,

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you’re looking at going to law school, the best people to talk to are probably the law schools themselves. go to open houses and ask questions there. contact people who are involved with admissions at the actual schools that you’re interested in, and ask if they would be able to answer some of your questions. they are much more well-versed on the nuances of their own admissions process than anyone else. that being said, i don’t want to completely discount the our registrar’s offices. maybe you just need to try talking with someone else at your registrar’s office, someone who is more familiar with law school.

    also, a lot of this information is available online. i don’t know exactly which school you’re interested in, but the faculty of law at uoft provides pretty extensive information about admissions, and other Ontario universities provide a similarly exhaustive amount of info.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. don’t worry about questions being out of my purview. it takes a lot to phase me at this point when it comes to aska questions; i’ve pretty much seen it all at this point.

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  • failing,  repeating course,  subject POST

    try try and try again

    April 26, 2016

    Hi,

    I’m having to take PHL245 as a requirement for my Bioethics Major and have been really struggling. I’ve taken the class once to get through about two thirds of it, only to drop the course. I’m retaking it this semester and have once again been struggling and am about to take my final in which I need a fairly high grade to just end with a 50%. Because of this, my confidence in passing is a little low and I’m feeling the doubt settle in.

    I was wondering, how many times can you retake a course? Also… Is there a way to petition a required course if one cannot find themselves passing? What would happen if I was to take it as many times as I could and still not be able to pass (hypothetically)… Can I talk to the Program Director about my situation and have them remove it as a requirement for me?

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you can retake the course as many times as you need to as long as you’ve failed the course in your previous attempts. if you pass the course but didn’t get the course you need for your program, you can retake it, but your registrar’s office will have to put you in the course. however, your program just requires you to pass the course, so you probably don’t have to worry about that.

    it is very, very unlikely that a department would waive a requirement for you. you can always speak with them about it, and in fact, i would encourage you to do so – your registrar’s office is another good stop. both of these offices will be able to advise you on realistic next steps. they will probably not, however, just drop a requirement for you. still, it may be helpful to talk.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions

    weight-list

    April 25, 2016

    Hey Student,

    So I’m under waiting list. I called them because that is what the internet told me to or even to send an email. I’m currently part of Top 5 within the list. They refresh the list every month. I know this might be a stupid question but I just want re-assurance with a stranger that maybe I’ll get in. They said I’m in Top Five and chances are good. Its only April and I have until August to know if I got in or not. I just get really anxious because I really do want to get in and its my first choice.

    Thought I’d email you about it and hear an input. I’ve never been wait-listed before.

    Sincerely yours,
    Anxious person.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it’s not a stupid question. unfortunately, there are a lot of things you can be waitlisted for at uoft, and you haven’t specified what your situation is. have you been waitlisted for a course? a program of study? admission to an undergraduate program? a graduate program? i’m not sure.

    given the time of year, however, i’m gonna take a shot in the dark and assume that you’re talking about undergraduate admission.

    i understand that you want reassurance. hey, sometimes a stranger’s reassurance is the best kind of assurance, because you can be certain that a stranger has no ulterior motive in reassuring you. and i know that being put on a wait list can place a terrible weight on your shoulders (see what i did there?). unfortunately, because i am a stranger – and more importantly, a stranger who has no part in making admissions decisions – i have no information to go on. i don’t know what your marks look like, or what program you’re applying to, so i can’t even begin to guess how likely you are to be accepted off the waitlist.

    if you haven’t already, i’d recommend you get in touch with enrolment services (if indeed this is a question about undergraduate admissions). if you call them, you can have a specific discussion about marks and your prospects – though they may just tell you to wait until August, so be prepared for that. nonetheless, they’re a lot more equipped to handle your question than i am.

    just keep in mind: enrolment services is incredibly busy and you may be on hold for a while if you choose to call them. but they’re definitely the people you want to be talking to.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • grad school,  repeating course

    fail, retry, tail, refry

    April 25, 2016

    What happens if I failed a course that is not part of my program, but a course I needed to get into a program? Can I retake it? Also do graduate programs look at overall grade-point average, or do they mostly look at 3rd and 4th year?
    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you failed a prerequisite to get into a program, you can absolutely retake it in order to try and achieve the mark needed to get in. it becomes trickier when you passed the course but didn’t get the mark you needed to get into your program; in that case, you would need to go to your registrar’s office and have them enrol you in the course. in this case, the second attempt at the course would be marked “extra”: that means that the course won’t count towards your 20.0 degree credits or GPA, but it would count towards breadth/program requirements.

    regarding grad school, most graduate schools (that i’m aware of) look mainly at your upper year courses. the thing is, there are a LOT of grad programs at many institutions across the world. they have different requirements, and some are more competitive than others. it’s always good to look into the requirements for any graduate program(s) you may be considering in order to have a better idea of what you’re looking at.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • law school

    b(law) b(law) b(law)

    April 22, 2016

    Hey! I hope you guys will be able to help me out with my all my questions,

    Anyways, I am a first year student thriving to (hopefully) become a lawyer in the future. It is also one of my goal to get accepted at U of T’s law school. My first year experience taught me a lot of things indeed and although I can assure you that I did work hard and I did try my best in school, I still found myself struggling to get that amazing GPA.

    I currently have a 2.7 GPA and I was wondering if hypothetically, I get to improve my marks in my second, third and fourth year, and if I am able to get close to a 4.0 in the next few years, will I still have a chance to be accepted to U of T law school? (despite my low average in first year) I know how hard it is to get accepted at u of t and i don’t really know what things I need to work on in order to get a better chance of getting accepted (like volunteer work or joining school clubs?)

    Also, are there any tips you can give me in terms of ways I can do to improve my marks? Like tips in note taking for example?

    Thanks for your help [&#X1f60a]

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    standard disclaimer: i am not uoft law school (if i were, i’d probably wear much nicer shoes). i have NO IDEA what actually goes into the admissions process at the faculty of law. all i know is what they’ve published, and even making predictions based on that is a sketchy business. definitely don’t take my words as gospel; think of everything i say more as helpful suggestions.

    now, to your questions: you have a lot of time ahead of you; three long years to sort out your marks, and develop your interests and skills. if you can pull up your marks significantly in the next three years, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t graduate with a very respectable GPA. uoft law in particular bases its admissions GPA on your best three years (see “Standards for Admission 2015-2016“). hypothetically, you could apply having had a 4.0 CGPA over your second, third and fourth years. your first year doesn’t even need to have influenced it.

    lots of people have very different marks in their first year than they do in their subsequent years. first year is a transition period, and for a lot of people, it can be pretty rough. it certainly was for me.* that being said, you don’t just start your second year and magically turn into a goddess with a 4.0 GPA who somehow finds time to run a charity and go to yoga three times a week. going from a 2.7 to a 4.0 is a big leap, and it won’t come easy.

    that being said, the harder you work, the more you seek out help, the better your chances of landing the jump. resources that can help you include the academic success centre, math aid centres, and the writing centre at your college. the more you can get into the habit of asking for help, the better. go to TAs’/professors’ office hours. study with your peers (if you find that helpful). ask questions when and wherever you can.

    also, i recommend that you use the summer to reflect on your first year. maybe you’ll decide you need to change what you’re studying for next year. maybe there are some things you need to de-prioritize in order to focus on school, like a job or extra-curriculars or falling asleep watching Netflix (later, i will advise you to join all these things, which i realize sounds contradictory, but it’s all about BALANCE). maybe you need to dial back on social outings in favour of studying. almost everyone adjusts their habits slightly after first year, so don’t be afraid to make the changes you need to to be successful.

    finally, your question about what non-academic things you should be doing to get into law school is the least answerable of all your questions. i don’t think the admissions committee even knows what they’re looking for – until they see it. what they want is someone interesting. someone with a compelling story. there’s no one way to be that.

    the best piece of advice i can give you is just to do what you’re interested in. if there’s a club you’d like to join, great. somewhere you’d like to volunteer? awesome. if you need a job, do the job. start a band. join a sports team. get involved with student politics. join an activist group. just try and live and study and work to the fullest of your capabilities and interests, and you can’t go wrong.

    if you have more questions, i find these pages are helpful introductory primers. and a final tip: don’t let the LSATs sneak up on you. the time to study for them will come up sooner than you think.

    cheers,

    aska

    *i know that’s hard to believe, considering what a perfect, put-together specimen of perpetual light aska is now.

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  • subject POST

    Bob Ross wants you to succeed

    April 21, 2016

    *Hi,*

    *I am starting the specialist international development program at UTSC in the fall, and I was thinking of also doing a major in studio. I was wondering, how feasible is doing both a specialist and major? Has it been done before? I am thinking of taking 6 courses per semester to achieve this, would that be extremely difficult? I am in no way extremely academic or anything, my grades are above average.*

    *thanks!*

    *a Bob Ross fan*

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    people have definitely done specialists and majors together. you’re allowed to take up to two majors or specialists and up to three programs altogether, so one specialist and one major is totally within the allowed scope of programs. some specialists only require a few more credits than a major would, so sometimes, there’s not really a huge difference between doing a double major and doing one major and a specialist.

    the difficulty level does depend on which specialist and major you’re interested in, however. the thing about the programs in which you’re interested is that the IDS specialist (i can only assume you’re not doing co-op) requires 13.0 credits, while the studio major requires 8.0. that’s 21.0 credits, which is 1.0 credits above what is takes to get your degree, and that’s not even accounting for breadth requirements or any electives you might like to take. it’s a lot.

    similarly, you are allowed to take 3.0 credits every semester (past that, you need to make a request to the registrar’s office). that being said, it is very difficult. you’ve been in school for a year; you can probably imagine it. i would say it’s doable if you don’t have a job or any other significant commitments, though even then, it’s not fun.

    all this considered, i would say that it might be smarter to downgrade one of the programs you’re considering. a double major (16.0 FCEs altogether) or a specialist and a minor (17.0 FCEs altogether) would be much more manageable. since you’re asking this question, you must have a very specific reason for wanting to do a specialist and a major (hopefully it’s not that you think it sounds impressive, because literally no one – and that includes employers – will care).

    i would ask you to interrogate your own motives carefully, and also seek second and third opinions – from advisors, the registrar’s office, etc. ask yourself what you’ll be able to do successfully. there’s no use in overloading yourself and then not doing particularly well in IDS or studio.

    in summary: it’s all doable. but it’s hard. definitely seek out more advice before making a decision.

    finally, i couldn’t figure out a way to incorporate bob ross into this post, but here’s a motivational .gif to inspire you to figure out the best path for you:

    bob ross motivation

    you can do it.

    cheers,

    aska

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