askastudent - your student life specialists

askastudent love/hate

long-awaited aska appreciation post

July 19, 2023

I just wanted to say thank you for answering all of my questions that I asked while panicking/having a crisis about my life direction. They really helped me feel like it wasn’t the end of the world, cheers. 🙂

hey there,

that is so sweet of you! finally, somebody appreciates me for my helpfulness and not just my nose-breaking, mad-scientist-esque, should-be-showered-with-praises-and-secretly-a-celebrity wit and charm.

being this perfect and flame retardant, you would think i should have a fanbase or at least fan accounts that make edits of me, right? but that area of my life is dry as a desert.

aska has always got your back, my friend. i’m so glad my answers were helpful. with all these anonymous questions, sometimes i wonder who’s reading them and if i made any sense, so thank you so much for getting back to me, it means a lot. you will always be welcome here in aska-land. *pirouettes out the door*

over and out,

aska

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courses, enrolment, first year

don’t walk, run to enrol in FYF courses

July 17, 2023
Hello,

I’m a St. Mikes student looking to enrol in PSY195. I see this message in the enrolment cart: “This section is restricted to two groups of students. Group 1 is given priority access until July 26. There is no course enrolment on July 27. Beginning July 28, Group 2 can enrol in this section. Currently the following groups of students can enrol in this section:
- All students in year of study 1 in the Faculty of Arts and Science in the Innis College”
Does this mean that I will not be in the first group, available to enroll on the 20th?

Thank you

hi there,

i am so glad you’re deciding to take a first year foundation seminar, they’re SO great and i wish i could still take them. (btw if you wanted to, you could check out this instagram page all about FYF courses. just puttin it out there, idk i think it’s cool *waves hands dismissively*)

yes, you are correct. my divine intuition (the timetable) tells me that enrolling in PSY195H1 S will only be available to first year innis students on july 20th. as a first year st. mikes student, you’ll have to wait until the 28th, when the general enrolment period starts. (more specifically, for first year students, that’ll be at 12 pm EDT).

PSY195 has a really small class size of 25, which is amazing for making friends, but also means it’ll be harder to get into. chances are, it’ll fill up pretty fast like all first year foundations courses, especially if you have to wait until general enrolment. i’d recommend keeping an eye on the availability up until then so you’re aware of the situation when you enrol. however, i doubt it’ll fill up immediately.

i just thought i’d let you know about another option, too! if you wanted to, you could consider enrolling in the fall semester’s PSY195 instead of the winter semester’s, since this one is available to you on the 20th. the course is being offered in both semesters, and the enrolment restrictions are slightly different:

PSY195H1 F (fall semester) is open to all first year artsci students on the 20th. PSY195H1 S (winter semester) is only open to first year artsci innis students on the 20th.

anyways, best of luck in your first year. live laugh love, be Boundless, be yourself, all that jazz.

over and out,

aska
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UTSC, wait list

wait(list), is this play about me?

July 14, 2023

Hi I got waitlisted for a D-level Bio course that I really need to graduate. I’m number 14, and the class has a size of 40 should I wait until September to get in or should I just pick another course? Also, ACORN won’t let me waitlist an extra course because I have added 2.5 credits for each. So I would have to get off the waitlisted course (that I really want) to get into another. What do I do? Thanks!

hey there,

wait, is this, cour — is this about — *sniffles* course enrolment? *nose dives into nearby pillow. lets out a gutteral, earth-shattering scream* *after a few moments of silence, looks up, unbothered* i am not currently absolutely losing my mind over course enrolment waitlists.

anyways, the general guideline is that about 10% of people will drop the course. in a class of 40, you would want to be 4th in line. so being number 14 means its pretty unlikely that you’ll get in. not impossible, but the waitlist does end on september 13th. it also depends on how high the course’s drop rate is, as this differs.

what you should do depends entirely on how desperately you need this course. i don’t know what year you’re in or how close you are to graduation, so i’m running on assumptions here.

here is some advice if you’re in 4th year and really need this course because it might push back your grad. i’m assuming you’re not, because of the absence of desperation and urgency in your question, but eh, just in case. first, don’t drop the course. go to your registrar for help. i know that st. george students are able to get into mandatory courses they need to graduate, so maybe there’s something similar at utm?

if you are not in 4th year and still have time left to take the course another year, you could still wait to drop it — while you might not be able to enrol in another course right now, by august 3 you’ll be able to add 3.0 credits on acorn.

this also depends on if the other course you want is filling up fast. if it’s not filling up fast, i would say wait until august 3, and don’t drop the bio course. but if it is filling up, then decide based on how badly you actually need this bio course. i can’t tell you exactly what to do because i don’t have the full picture here, but i hope this was helpful and you can make a good decision based off this info. sending good luck and good vibes!

over and out,

aska

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breadth requirements, St. George

if the multiverse exists, so does a sixth breadth requirement

July 6, 2023
I need some options ( very very easy level) for breadth 6/quantitative reasoning. It will be my last missing credit to graduate this fall. Im in dt toronto. I am taking ast101 now for my breadth 5 requirement. I still have to take 0.50 credit in quantitative reasoning… but i need very easy level one because: 1- i am 52 and forgot all high school material ( science/math etc) and 2- i completed a french specialist program ( meaning i am into litterature etc..) Hope. Can help me out. I am willing to finally graduate in fall.

hey there,

man, you’ve got me over here quadruple checking my information. but i can tell you that a sixth breadth requirement doesn’t exist, at least not in this universe.

anyways, the quantitative reasoning breadth requirement is only required at UTSC, the scarborough campus.

since you’re at st. george, there are just 5 breadth requirements to complete. you need either 1.0 credits in four of the categories, OR 1.0 credits in three of the categories and 0.5 credits in the two remaining categories.
1. Creative and Cultural Representations
2. Thought, Belief, and Behaviour
3. Society and its Institutions
4. Living Things and Their Environment
5. The Physical and Mathematical Universe
you can use degree explorer to check your status on this, as well as the rest of the degree completion requirements.

i hope it all goes well for you and that this is helpful! if not, feel free to shoot me another question.

over and out,

aska
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math, physics

today’s dilemma: difficult math, or…… difficult math?

July 5, 2023

Hi, I’m going into my first year in september, I want to get into the Physics specialist program. I’ve been debating over whether to take MAT157 or MAT137, since the former looks more interesting but I’m not sure I’ll have the time to study and get a decent grade with the rest of my workload(which is MAT223, CSC108, CSC148, PHY151/152, and three easier elective courses I’m taking for breadth). Thanks!

hey there,

okayy physics specialist program, i see we have a math-intelligent one here! (my eyes unfocus in response to too many numbers)

yes, you’re right, it does look like you have to choose between MAT157 and MAT137 for your physics first year completion requirements. i do agree that according to the descriptions, MAT157 does look more interesting. the artsci calendar recommends MAT137, and this is probably because MAT157 is supposed to be the hardest of the first year math courses. though 137 and 157 are both difficult, 157 requires a lot more effort in both its homework and tests. meanwhile, you’ll likely do better in a course you’re more interested in, so i guess the decision would be based on how much you want to take it. just be aware of the level of difficulty you might be getting yourself into in 157 — as a student blog says.

some MAT157 TAs on reddit have given their answers (8 years ago) on the differences between the two courses. i assume this would still be relevant as the courses shouldn’t have changed much since then. they say MAT157 is more valuable for you if you’re headed in the mathematics direction, which it seems you are. MAT137 is a relatively high-level calculus course, while 157 is an introductory analysis course. both cover some of the same content, but 157 asks you to replicate and do your own proofs.

there’s also this weird-looking u of t page that describes the differences between MAT157 and MAT137. (but i’m not sure how recent the information is). it says that 157 goes more in depth and consists of more concepts/theorems than 137. the main difference is of skill rather than of content knowledge. and again — in MAT137 you are introduced to proofs, and asked to do simple proofs; while in MAT157 you are responsible for understanding and creating more complex and abstract proofs.

so both sites basically say the same thing, which probably means they’re both true.

i hope that helps you decide which one is more worth taking for you. i think it really just depends on your level of interest, skill-level, and capability to tackle the difficulty of 157. it’s great that you’re taking a few easier elective courses, that will definitely help! plus, taking 4 courses per semester instead of 5 makes difficult courses much more doable and will help you succeed better! while planning your workload, just keep in mind that you’ll have to take MAT137/157 at the same time as your PHY151/152 as they are co-requisites.

over and out,

aska

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GPA, graduation, probation

the e in student stands for expensive and exhausting, change my mind.

June 28, 2023

Hello, I’ve been at UTM since 2013, been suspended twice, currently still on probation but hoping to be done with my credits by august 2024.

Because of all my F’s on my transcript, it’s really hard to get my gpa up to a 1.5 in order to graduate on time. I have 5 credits left and that would mean getting almost an 80 in most of them by next summer so I can finally be done.

I don’t want to spend any more time at UTM than is absolutely necessary – I’ve got bills to pay and a life to start so I will work my hardest to get the grades. BUT just in case it doesn’t work out like I am hoping so – has anyone ever heard of someone graduating if they had a gpa lower than 1.50? Through a petition or anything ?

Thank you for any help anyone can give me

hi there,

geez, i’m sorry, that sounds really tough. i wish i could reach across the screen and shower you with good luck, kind professors in your future, and chocolate ice cream.

after consulting a wise little bird, i can say that graduating with a GPA lower than 1.5 is not possible, and nobody has ever been able to do it. so i hope you’re successful in your plans! i can totally understand wanting to get this done as soon as possible, being a student is expensive and exhausting.

just a little side note that i thought would be worth mentioning: anyone who graduates with a GPA between 1.5 and 1.84 would graduate without honours, so, for example, it wouldn’t be a “Honours Bachelor of Science” but a “Bachelor of Science”, and same with Arts.

anyways, dear internet stranger, you can do this!! i believe in you! reference image below of how i look right now cheering you on:

over and out,

aska

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choosing, programs

hear me out what if we made no decisions ever

June 23, 2023

Hello so I am a first-year student, but I started in September 2020. So for the past two years, I was not doing well at U of T and I took a break for a year. So I am coming back in September, and I do not know still what to major in. To be honest, I started at U of T almost 3 years ago. I spent my entire life until last year just focusing on my studies and wanted to take a break. I want to continue my studies and finish what I started. I booked an appointment with an advisor. Any advice?

hi there,

good job, you’ve already done the best thing you can do right now — booking an appointment with an advisor! it’s also great that you took a break. breaks are important.

here is a bit of anecdotal advice from me (an all-knowing deity, ofc). first off, don’t worry, you are not alone. in my first year, every single person around me was very confused and unsure about their major, and it was pure chaos, people changing their minds back and forth between programs the whole year.

if you’re not sure what you want to do with your major yet, you can think about jobs you can picture yourself doing, areas of interest you have, and particular courses or subjects of study you enjoyed from your first year. or, you could think about what kind of job you want, and look up what majors those job postings are looking for on websites like indeed. it would also be smart to take advantage of the fact that you’re surrounded by successful and experienced professionals at u of t: if you end up in any classes that intrigue you, it’s worth trying to get to know your instructor to learn more about the field. finally, the people closest to you, who know you well, can give really valuable advice from an outside perspective.

once you come back to school, it’s worth looking into peer mentorship programs. plenty of people have been stuck on what they want to do, and fellow students who’ve figured it out may be able to help you navigate the confusion. there are several listed here (along with one that is academically focused). but the truth is that lots of people don’t know, and people switch their programs in third year, fourth year, and beyond. again, (i know this does not help but) it’s normal not to know!

choosing a major can feel really overwhelming and unsteady. it made me wish i never had to make any decisions. there are so many exercises meant to help with the decision, and so many points of advice coming from everyone around you, but at the end of the day no quiz or person can tell you what to major in, and you’re going to have to listen to your gut.

with all that said, in these big decisions, don’t freeze up out of fear of making the wrong decision. there’s this quote from sylvia plath’s “the bell jar” that i think about all the time, about how choosing one thing can feel like giving up on everything else. but then if you freeze up and choose nothing because you want everything, the options might pass you by. meanwhile, i am a strong supporter of having a wide range of dreams and not having a set box of what you want to be in the future. i think there’s a bit of excitement, beautiful possibility, and relief in not knowing what you want to do! you will do fine and be amazing, i believe in you.

i hope everything goes well, best of luck!

over and out,

aska

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u of tears

u of tears

June 22, 2023

Why is it that even though most people find uoft hard , they continue to go there like aren’t there any other options maybe an international student has to go there but other domestic students go there? even though it deflates your grades or leads to mental health issues like depression or anxiety , it is literally called U of Tears. Why would you willing subject yourself to this if you had a choice as opposed to someone who came from another country but did not know the school’s reputation’s

hey there,

so sorry for the late reply, this kinda got lost in my inbox 🙁

to answer your question, it’s probably because U of T students ~~are pain-loving masochists~~ love a good cHallEnge. we’re obviousLy here for the ~~stress and suffering~~ academic rigour and world class Profs, and are definitely not being forcibly iMprisonEd here against our will!

ok… some of the above is true. the real truth is, U of T is probably not the best fit for everybody. maybe you come here in first year with big dreams of a big city and Boundless opportunities. maybe you just wanna go to school in toronto without having to say you go to tmu. maybe you want to avoid america. maybe it’s the most feasible uni for you financially or logistically. maybe you’re here for the prestige and all that. maybe you think you’ll be special and none of these U of Tears things will actually affect you — maybe you’re right.

i think its funny how you’re suggesting that international students get blindsided by the U of Tears reputation, and that nobody in their right mind would come here otherwise. but despite its reputation, i do believe there are several things that explain the appeal of U of T — if some 97, 000 students decided to go here, we can’t all be crazy (right?).

my favourite thing about U of T is its location: toronto is one of the most exciting cities in Canada! being in toronto means being surrounded with lots of extracurricular and professional opportunities, which can have a really good impact on your career, and is also just nice for overall life quality. there’s always something going on everywhere, and so many learning opportunities for every field you could be interested in. the faculty at U of T is also top tier. you can learn from some of the top instructors and researchers in the country, many of which are doing very cool work! along with this, there are lots of programs and courses that aren’t offered at other universities, which was definitely a factor in my decision to go here. this school has SO many cool courses that are unique, niche, and specific, and can make school kinda interesting and *gags* enjoyable.

also, U of T is highly ranked, if that matters to you.

U of T is called “U of Tears”, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the only way to experience the university. grade deflation, which is a big con, also isn’t universal – i’ve heard things about it happening in some departments, but don’t believe it’s equally as bad everywhere. that’s not to say studying at U of T isn’t hard. it is. to be honest, a lot of your time spent as a student might feel a bit like this:

but, there are ways to make it manageable: finding a good supportive community on campus, choosing a program that you really care about, getting to know your classmates and instructors, knowing what support resources are available for you and accessing them when you need them. in general, it’s really important to have strong support networks! the main thing i’ve heard from people is that U of T can be isolating under certain circumstances, because of how big the university is. having friends and family that you can lean on throughout your degree makes a big difference for how you experience the highs and lows.

over and out,

aska

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prereqs, repeating course

the sky’s the limit! and by “sky”, i mean “second time”

June 7, 2023

Do extra repeated courses count as prerequisites for a course?

hi there,

ah, a short, sweet, and simple question. i like it. i like you.

yes. according to the academic calendar’s policy, you are able to repeat a previously passed course to meet a prerequisite.

here are some things to note about extra repeated courses: first, they don’t count towards degree credit or your GPA, and you are only allowed to repeat the course one time — you won’t get a third try at it. also, you have to request to enrol in one at your college registrar’s office. and finally, if you reaally want to make sure that it would be counted, you could check with the department that’s requiring the prerequisites by emailing them.

over and out,

aska

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engineering, internal transfer

how to get your steps in (towards a biomedical engineering degree)

June 6, 2023

Good afternoon. I have been admitted to Life Sciences to start in fall 23. I would like to proceed to Medicine after graduating but I find Biomedical Engineering also interesting. Please advise what steps I should take to keep my options open (and strong) to be able to transfer to Biomedical Engineering after the first year. Many thanks in advance.

hi there,

congrats, and welcome! just one clarification: are you trying to take Biomedical Engineering for your undergraduate or graduate degree? i may know everything at U of T, but — and i say this with love — i have questions about y’all’s questions sometimes.

in the case that you’re asking about being admitted to the Biomedical Engineering undergrad program, the application requirement is that you have to be in the Engineering Science program. in order to apply to the Engineering Science program, select the application option that matches your academic history on this website, and go through the steps it provides. once you are admitted, declare the Biomedical Engineering major by adding it to your program planner through degree explorer.

so you’d essentially need to transfer from Life Sciences to Engineering Science. this is not simple and will entail undergoing an application process for an internal transfer to the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. with transfers between faculties, admission is based on your overall academic record and is a rolling basis — so you would want to apply early, even though your deadline would be Nov 7. you should definitely talk to an academic advisor at your registrar about this application process to make sure you aren’t missing anything important.

if you’re asking about doing Biomedical Engineering as a graduate degree: what you’ll need to do to prepare for a potential Biomedical Engineering graduate degree depends on which specific program you have in mind. but it’s also unclear if you want to take Biomed Engineering at U of T or elsewhere?

either way, i’ll give you some advice based on U of T. you can read about the Master of Engineering program on the departmental website. here, it tells you about the application process and important details, such as what the prerequisites for the Master of Engineering program are:

a four-year bachelor’s degree in engineering, or its equivalent, with an average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 grade point average scale (i.e., mid-B) in the final two years of study from a recognized university.

proof of English-language proficiency is required for all applicants educated outside of Canada whose native language is not English. view the BME English-language requirement policy to determine whether you are required to take a language test and for a list of accepted testing agencies and their minimum scores required for admission.

according to that, it looks like you’d need an undergrad engineering degree to do grad studies in Biomedical Engineering. basically, your key takeaway here is: if you don’t transfer into engineering during undergrad, your options for biomedical engineering unfortunately will not be kept that open.

best of luck in everything, friend!

over and out,

aska

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choosing, courses, new kids

a user manual on courses that you should, probably, read

June 5, 2023
This may be a really stupid question, but could you explain courses (their typing(?) clusters(???)) as well as the course selection process and what needs to be considered? Every time i think i got everything i need to know im hit with new terminology i do not understand ? for context im an incoming (hopefully) part-time student at utm, class of ‘27, planning to transfer out by first year but will pursue an english maj philosoy min creative writing min courseload if transferring doesnt work out

hi bestie,

no worries, this is not a stupid question. i see you’re encountering first-year’s overwhelming task of deciphering the online labyrinth of “important-uni-things-you’re-just-expected-to-know”.

the good thing is, courses aren’t as complicated as they seem at first! tbh, i think the problem is that a lot of first years just don’t know where to find the right resources. or, they’re like me and gaslighted themselves into thinking it’s all common sense — what my high school chemistry class used to do before a test. as fun as that is, please don’t do that.

anyways. there are several U of T pages that describe everything you need to know about courses. to begin, i would say your best bet is to read through how to use the artsci calendar. this page explains pretty much all the basics about courses and programs, such as how courses are abbreviated on the website, and what things to keep in mind when choosing courses. among what is outlined on that page, understanding course codes is the foundational thing that i would highlight. for example, ENG110Y1 can be broken down into:
1. ENG – indicates department, ENG = english.
2. 110 – indicates level of difficulty. the “100” means a first-year level course, and 200-level courses are recommended to take in second year as they are more difficult. and so forth with 3rd year 300-levels and 4th year 400-levels. while an upper year can take easier courses, it would be hard for a first year to take a 3rd year course.
3. Y – the “Y” or “H” indicates the credit value. Y = full course, 1.0 credits, and H = half course, 0.5 credits.
4. 1 – indicates which campus offers this course. 1 = St.George, 3 = UTSC, 5 = UTM
when choosing your courses, you should take note of prerequisites (courses you need to take before another course), exclusions (courses that are so similar you probably shouldn’t take both), and co-requisites (courses you should take at the same time). if a course has any of these, it will say so on the timetable, degree explorer, and acorn. you should also know that there are four types of classes: lectures, tutorials, practicals, and seminars, explained, again, in “how to use the artsci calendar“. and a side note of personal advice — although you’re a part time student, i would highly recommend making space in your schedule to take first year foundation courses, those were my favourite classes in first year. but the best thing to consider in course selection is to make note of important dates so you don’t miss them (wouldn’t that be silly): such as priority course enrolment for first years, which starts on July 20th.

now in terms of your question about typing and clusters, i’m not sure what you mean by typing, as “type” is mainly used for program types. meanwhile, clusters are just categories of courses within a program. typically each program will break down its large list of courses into similar-subject categories. for example, your english major seems to have three clusters that you need credits in: 1. “indigenous, post colonial, transnational literatures”, 2. “pre-1800 english literature” and 3. “theory, language, critical methods”.

see? not so bad.

finally, i will leave you with even more resource avenues you can look into if you want to know more. there’s an awesome new student guide to planning and enrolling in your courses, with important dates and how to pay your fees. sid smith also has a simple page on how to enrol in courses. UTM’s 2023 course enrolment workbook is “to be posted soon“, and course enrolment workshops could be helpful for you. then, if you really want to know everything, as you say, you can go down a rabbit hole reading through the artsci’s course planning and course enrolment pages (but i really don’t think you need to).

best of luck in your plan, i hope it all goes smoothly.

over and out,

aska
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first year, internal transfer, switching

i don’t want to have to deliver unfortunate news, but

June 2, 2023

Hi there!

I am an incoming 105 first-year who has applied to Psychology at UTM, and is hoping for guaranteed residence as I’ve submitted my residence application before the deadline. I’d like to switch my program to Social Science at UTSG instead, and I was told by the Faculty of ArtSci that switching admission categories was not going to be a problem.

If I am admitted to Psych, what are the chances I could request/apply for a switch or internal transfer to UTSG Social Science before starting in the fall? Would I also be allowed to switch my residence application/admission to UTSG, and could I still retain my theoretical guaranteed spot, or would it be considered a rolling admission and I may not be offered residence? I understand I can apply as an Internal transfer with OUAC in November, but I am hoping to avoid having to take my first year in a completely unrelated program, and campus.

Hope that makes sense. Thanks so much for your time and much love.

hi bestie,

much love right back at you.

yes, it’s true that switching admission categories once you’ve been admitted to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences isn’t a problem – you don’t really need to do anything. the only thing to note is priority enrolment for classes, which just means you sometimes have to wait an extra week or so to enrol in certain classes offered by a program you’re not in. but, this is definitely not anything to worry about.

so what you want to do is called an internal transfer, which you’d need to go through another admissions process to do. you seem aware that you’ll just have to make sure you meet all the prerequisites and then fill out an internal application by the deadline for your faculty (arts & science for you). but generally, you can’t do an internal transfer at this time of year.

you can reach out to the UTM registrar to see if they’ll tell you differently, but as far as i know internal transfers are only done through OUAC, and you would have to do this during the normal application period (which is more than a few months past). so unfortunately, you might need to take your first year at UTM, as it may be too late. and, i guess if you can’t transfer right now, this also answers the residence part of your question.

i hope this was helpful and not too discouraging. best of luck!!

over and out,

aska

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biology, wait list

“english or biology?” is like saying “lotion or paint?”

May 10, 2023

Hi aska, its me again (UTSC transfer) and I was also considering the Conservation EEB to take with PoliSci, but the only summer course offered is BIO120 first subsession (emailed bio120 office and they said I could take it even without gr 12 bio), what are my chances of getting past the waitlist? EEB125 is also only offered in the fall, do you think I could catch up and still graduate in 4 years or should I just go with English as my second major? Tysm

hi bestie,

i see you’re back.

for your own sake, i don’t think it makes sense to settle for English if it’s not your first choice—English and Conservation Biology are very different majors (as if you don’t already know that). and, as i said before, catching up from an 80% course load in first year is very doable. while some of your EEB courses aren’t offered in the summer, there are so many course options to earn credits from. taking EEB125 in the fall is perfectly fine, as lots of people take their program’s first year courses after first year.

in terms of BIO120, the general rule of thumb about waitlists is that about 10% of people will drop the course (not to mention the people who will drop from the waitlist). from a quick check of the artsci timetable, i can see that BIO120 has 189 spots this summer, so as long as you’re in the top 19-ish of the waitlist, you’ll most likely get in. so no need to worry, you’ll be fine. after all, this isn’t ticketmaster or the eras tour we’re dealing with here.

i hope this is helpful, sending encouragement and good vibes!

over and out,

aska

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