• ROSI,  subject POST

    ACORN is just nutty sometimes

    April 12, 2016

    When I tried to apply for my post for second year (fall 2016) is said requirement session: summer 2016. what does this mean?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i had to stare at my ACORN screen for an entire minute before cluing in to what ‘requirement session’ means, but it’s actually pretty simple. all it’s saying is that, in the course of?your degree, you’ll need to?meet the requirements for your program?that correspond to the time that you entered that program (i.e. signed up for it on ACORN).

    that means that if next year, or somewhere down the line, the program requirements change, you don’t have to worry. no matter what the new course calendars say, you only have to fulfil the requirements in the calendar?when you entered the program.

    now the obvious question becomes: do you go by the 2015-2016 calendar, or the 2016-2017 calendar? the summer doesn’t have its own calendar, so it’s important to know which one to follow should there be any differences between the two. according to my HIGHER-UP SOURCE, subject POSts that are added in summer 2016 follow the 2015-2016 calendar.

    hope that helps!

    aska

    P.S. i had to pretend-add a subject POSt for this question, and since i’m graduating this June, i tiptoed on the very edge of messing up my entire transcript just to find out what you were talking about in this question. i hope you appreciate that.

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  • Transferring

    from Hamilton to the 6ix

    April 6, 2016

    Hi.

    i am kicked out from Mcmaster university last year because i didn’t reach their grades, and now i studied at college one year program, and get averages 80s for midterm, can i apply university of Toronto Mississauga social science program after i finished college? will UT refuse me because my bad university transcript?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    technically, you might be eligible to transfer – if you keep up these current marks – based on your college transcript. according to the official uoft literature on the topic, a B average in your college program makes you competitive to transfer (assuming you meet program prerequisites). however, you will have to send in all of your academic transcripts with your application, which means the McMaster marks can’t just be swept under the rug.

    snow white sweep under rug

    you may be tempted to try and hide your marks. you cannot.

    depending on what those university marks actually are, you may or may not be eligible. i would say that the further away your university marks are from a B, the less likely you are to be accepted.

    however, as always, i can’t say yes or no for certain. i hope you went ahead and applied, because you can never know these things for sure. all you can do is apply and see.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    a landscape of dead lines

    April 6, 2016

    Hey aska I’m a little confused about applying to posts… am I able to apply to the first round of posts before I get my final exam marks for this year? Or do I have to wait for final marks and in that case do they usually come in time for application in the first round?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the first enrolment period for type 2 and 3 subject POSts is between April 1st and May 11th. SO if all your marks are up by then (and there is a good chance they will be), then you can apply as soon as they’re up.?if you don’t, it’s no big deal, because you can apply in the second request period.

    if your marks do come in before the 11th, though, i would really recommend you apply for the first round. the big inconvenience about the second request period is that you only hear back from them?in September. that means that if there are courses that have restrictions or priorities for people in your POSt of choice, you won’t be able to sign up for those courses?until you get into that POSt in September, at which point they may be full. and that would just SUCK.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • courses,  summer

    this credit is only worth half because of the sunshine

    April 5, 2016

    Hey aska, are summer Y courses worth 1.0 credits?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    yep! all courses in the summer are worth the same number of credits as they would be in the Fall/Winter. don’t worry, you’ll still pack in the same number of hours as you would in the Fall/Winter term, but they’ll just be SQUISHED INTO a smaller number of weeks. have fun.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • courses,  UTSC

    courses for coop

    April 5, 2016

    How do co-op students finish their studies? Do they have to complete a year course in 4 months(study term)? I checked course schedule there?s no specific course for co-op students. I’m from utsc btw.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    because of coop, UTSC doesn’t have any full-year courses (with a very few exceptions, like work term prep courses, independent and research project courses, and capstones; these can either be taken alongside a coop term, or are not required courses). other than the exceptions i listed, all courses are?half-year courses, so you can take any one you want and finish it in four months!

    best,

    aska

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  • grad school

    do you really want to talk to divorcees all your life

    March 31, 2016

    Hey aska! I am a current undergrad student at UTSG who is interested in becoming a family/relationship counsellor. I was wondering what grad school programs uoft offers for this type of career?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    unfortunately uoft doesn’t have a graduate program in family/relationships. to become a certified marriage and family therapist (RMFT), your only option in Ontario is to do an M.Sc. in Couple and Family Therapy at the University of Guelph.

    the next-closest things we have to that at uoft are: OISE’s M.Ed. in Counselling Psychology, OISE’s M.A. in Clinical and Counselling Psychology, and Factor-Inwentash’s M.S.W. (Master of Social Work).

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    HP for health studies

    March 31, 2016

    Hi aska I’m interested in the health studies major at UTSG however it says 1.0 FCE in life science is recommended but not required. I have a half course in life sci and was wondering if that’s still okay?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the health studies major (THANK YOU, by the way, for specifying whether you’re interested in the major or the specialist – that makes my job a billion times easier) is a type 2L program. that means that there are a limited number of spots in the program, so meeting the requirements does not guarantee you a spot.

    which means, yes, you could still get in without having met the recommendations. do keep in mind, though, that they are recommended for a reason; completing them will give you a better chance at getting in.

    don’t get me wrong: i would definitely encourage you to apply. you’ve got nothing to lose, and a half credit isn’t the end of the world if you’ve got a strong transcript. however, since it is competitive, it is also a good idea to come up with backups, ideally including some type 1 programs that you know you’ll get into for sure.

    best of luck, and i hope you get in!

    aska

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  • OSAP

    don’t lie to the government

    March 30, 2016

    Hi there,

    I was recently placed on a 4 month academic probation due to my GPA being so low, but i’m in kind of weird dilemma.

    I was “financially cancelled” kind of late, i was already two weeks into the winter semester and was pulled out of my classes without any warning.

    The problem is that i already bought a lot of textbooks and supplies like lab coats and manuals that i can’t return and i don’t have the money to pay it off.

    Since i was pulled out late, osap thought i was still enrolled and sent out my loan but i haven’t received it yet due to some issues with my banking info and the national student loan service.

    My question is will i still receive the loan or will the national student loan service turn around and send it back, i still have to pay off the textbooks that i bought.

    I also plan on returning immediately in the next session which would be summer 2016, if there is anything remaining from the loan after paying off the books i would use it for the next session or pay it back to osap.

    Thanks

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    again, this question is super late, sorry, see previous post.

    if they haven’t sent it to you, then it’s likely they won’t send it to you. however, even if they do, it’s a really bad idea to take that money under false pretences. you are required to let OSAP know when there are changes in your course load. if you’ve dropped all your courses but OSAP gives you money thinking you’re full-time, that could have very serious consequences, regardless of your good intentions about what to do with the money.

    i understand that textbooks are expensive and you need some way to pay for them. OSAP is not the way to do so if you are not actually in classes. if you’re in a situation where you need money now but you won’t be in courses until the summer, i’d recommend talking to your registrar’s office about how you could get together some money. you may be able to get an emergency grant, or your advisor might be able to point you to other potential sources of money.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • OSAP

    untangling the broken slinky that is OSAP

    March 29, 2016

    Ok, I need some advice (although I will be going to a financial advisor in a day or so + maybe academic counselling as well) I’ve been full-time in terms of Uoft definition and OSAP definition.However ever since I got a job on the side (which was almost around 20+ hours of work per week) things took a down turn and I ended up dropping courses. Not only was I placed on academic probation from osap BUT now I have been dropped to part-time status on my student account on ROSI/ACORN I know I need to immediately write down a letter to explain myself to osap and my future goals as to how I will improve but what about my part-time status at UofT? Does this mean I need to start paying back OSAP now? Will be eligible for OSAP? Will be able to enrol as full-time next time? I just need advise as I am panicking b/c Its more than job that made me drop those courses. I didn’t like them and dropped them as close to the final day of dropping a course.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    so this question is like…three months late. sorry about that. as has been noted, i’m on a bit of a backlog right now and y’all are NOWHERE CLOSE to slowing down with your questions. which is totally cool – it’s just that it’s gonna take me some time to catch up. please stand by.

    i’m sure you’ve gotten the answers you need by this point, but for general interest and the PRINCIPLE OF THE MATTER, i’m gonna go ahead and answer this anyway.

    you don’t have to start paying back OSAP right away just because you’re in a part-time course load. you will be required to start paying it back 6 months after the date that you dropped down to part-time. also keep in mind that you will likely be put on OSAP probation, which just means that you’ll need to write the NSLSC a letter explaining why you dropped down to part-time. they’ll be in touch with you with instructions, so just make sure your address online is updated and keep an eye out for any information from them.

    as long as you follow those instructions and start paying back your loan when it’s required of you, you would be eligible to apply for OSAP again once you got back on full-time studies. once you did that, you would no longer be required to pay back your loan – until you graduate/stop your studies. and yes, you would be able to enrol in a full-time course load; neither OSAP nor the university will stop you.

    if you do end up having some time between the end of the 6-month interest-free period and when (if) you return to full-time studies, you would have to pay back the loan every month until you returned to full-time studies.

    OSAP is a finicky beast, so keeping in touch with the financial advisor at your registrar’s office is a great idea. good luck with everything.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • fees

    you gotta pay if you wanna play

    March 29, 2016

    Hey Aska,
    So I’m in a bit of a pickle right now, basically, I wanna do summer school but I still have outstanding fees from Fall/Winter 2015-2016 that I may not be able to pay by the end of April 2016. I just wanna know if it’s possible to take summer school with outstanding fees.
    Also, say, if I’m able to pay off the outstanding fees during summer, I’m considered registered for the Fall/Winter 2016-2017 without incurring any additional fees other than interests right?
    Thank youz!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you don’t pay off your outstanding Fall/Winter fees by May 1st, your student account will be placed on a financial hold. unfortunately, that would prevent you from registering for the summer session and enrolling in courses. if you think you’re going to be in that situation and you still want to take summer courses, i’d recommend talking to your registrar’s office to come up with a plan to pay it off in order to be able to pay for your courses.

    similarly, you would not be able to register for the Fall/Winter 2016-2017 session unless you have paid off all outstanding fees from previous sessions (either the previous Fall/Winter or that Summer).

    cheers,

    aska

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  • grades,  partying,  probation

    GPA slave

    March 23, 2016

    Hi Aka,
    Long words in short, I’ve been here in Toronto for so long and never feel too sure academically of myself.Now I’m in my last term of 2nd year, bearing a repeat probation and the feeling of falling down the cliff is comingback again. For this time my midterms are done so poorly that I’m now writing to my registrar’s to see if switchingto part time is a wise option. But I feel like I’ve been delaying so long that I nearly lost all my acquaintances and evenmy roommate is going away to do a super fancy internship in California. My discipline is also a limited one, I also haven’tseen the possibility of switching to another major, feeling my graduation is just further that way. Is there really a way torisk and get a good-looking final mark even though my midterms are really fucked up?
    Slave of GPA

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    we’re in crunch time now. exams are about to smack everyone in the face, much sooner than anyone expects, i’m sure. if i were you, my immediate strategy would be to focus on passing my classes and getting above that 1.50 CGPA that you need to get off probation.

    cancrushed

    crunch time at uoft.

    that means you need to: put everything else aside (except food and sleep) and focus on studying. go to review sessions if they’re available. read the textbook(s). do practice questions. whatever you need to do. if you need to LWD a course/courses, start planning for that now – touch base with your registrar’s office, maybe set up an appointment with them, etc.

    after that’s out of the way and you have a little bit of time to breathe, then you can start thinking about your long-term plans. maybe you need to re-evaluate whether university is really for you. maybe part-time courses are, in fact, the best option for you; talking to your registrar’s office about that is a wonderful step in the right direction. if you’re feeling that you don’t like your current program and you don’t really like any of the other programs uoft has to offer, though, then maybe uoft isn’t for you.

    maybe that’s a signal to start looking into other universities, colleges, or jobs. what career paths are you excited about? or, if you find you can’t bring yourself to feel excited about anything in particular, is there some path that is presenting itself to you right now, that you could be qualified for?

    or, if you’re really set on staying at school, then it’s a good idea to come up with some concrete steps to improve your performance in class. commit to seeking extra help, either from a private tutor, TA/prof office hours, the academic success centre, the writing centre at your college…there are lots and lots of options, depending on what you need. your registrar’s office is a great place to discuss those options and see where you can get the help you need to succeed.

    finally, just a note: you say you feel like you’re delaying and therefore losing friends, opportunities, etc. i don’t mean to say that the situation you’re in isn’t an unpleasant one, or that you don’t need to figure out your academic situation. however, i do just want to give you a gentle reminder that just because you’re going through a tough time, doesn’t mean you’re falling behind. as long as you end up where you want to be, then it doesn’t matter how long you take to get there. focus on you. you’ll get there.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • Transferring

    a stitch in admish

    March 22, 2016

    hi there, i’m currently a first year student at a different university looking to transfer to uoft. i know that they look at my high school marks (which are really good) and also my current gpa – however, i did really bad this year and i’m currently in the process of petitioning my marks off my transcript. what are my chances of getting accepted if i write a letter explaining my situation?

    ???????????????

    hey there,

    it all depends. if you had a rough year for a particular reason and you can explain in a letter what exactly happened that affected your marks, then yeah, they may consider admitting you. having a good high school transcript helps bolster the idea that you can do well, you’ve just had a hiccup along the way.

    that being said, uoft does require a GPA of at least a B in order to consider you. the further you fall below that, the less likely your chances of being accepted. that being said, “really bad” is not a term i can quantify, so i can’t say exactly how good a chance you stand, but you can make the assessment yourself based on the ‘B’ baseline.

    and finally – i’ll keep repeating this ad infinitum, or as long as people keep asking these kinds of questions, whichever comes first – please keep in mind that admissions is unpredictable beyond certain generalizations. also, i have no control over it, so i will not always be right. if you want to apply, you should apply. yes, it costs a little, but i would argue that the chance to get in is worth it. without getting too grossly starry-eyed about a large, for-profit institution, the experience is worth it.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • colleges,  scholarships/bursaries

    i need scholarships now

    March 18, 2016

    Hi,
    I was wondering if its possible to change colleges (after acceptance from U of T but before accepting their offer) to a college that offers better scholarships. I had a 91% at time of application, and U of T was the only school that did not offer me a scholarship. I don’t mean to sound desperate but I really need any financial assistance I can get. Will I still be eligible for an entrance scholarship from a college if I switch now?
    If you publish this question PLEASE keep all of my personal information private.
    Thank you!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    where do y’all see me publishing your personal information? when, in 16 years of operation, has aska published so much as a name? ok, maybe we have like, once or twice, but that was back in the stone ages where no one really understood the internet. point is, i will never post your name or any other personal information on this website – other than your deepest darkest stories/questions, of course.

    it will depend on the college, but i have a feeling that if you request a switch at this point, it will not come with a scholarship from that college. the logic will likely be that you received an offer from one college, and now you are transferring to another one – transferring, not entering. ergo, no entrance scholarships. also, there is not a massive difference between the scholarships offered between different colleges.

    as always, there is nothing stopping you from calling the registrar’s office of your preferred college and inquiring, but i would say that receiving another scholarship offer is probably doubtful. still, nothing’s stopping you from calling and asking.

    cheers,

    aska

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