• admissions,  rotman

    rotman but like not at rotman

    May 19, 2015

    Hi,

    I am currently a high school student in South Asia, studying under the British curriculum (O/A levels). I am looking forward to applying to Rotman Commerce (undergrad) for Fall 2016 and that is my first choice as well. I was wondering, what kind of AS level grades do I need so that I have a chance to get in? Also, about the supplementary application, is the essay question usually related to ECA’s? Any tips on how to nail the supplementary app?

    This part of the question might sound a little stupid (I apologize in advance) but if one doesn’t get admitted into Rotman, can they still study commerce at UofT St. George, merely under the faculty of arts and science instead of Rotman commerce?

    Any help would be appreciated!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    despite the fact that i have answered questions about the British-patterned system before, i’m still a little shaky on exactly what it all means. it’s like when you learn french in school and then you go to montreal or paris and all of a sudden you’re not entirely sure how this language actually works.

    so this is what the admissions website says: “At least five different IGCSE/GCSE/Ordinary Level academic subjects and four different Advanced Subsidiary academic subjects OR three different Advanced Level/International Advanced Level academic subjects.” meaning you need at least 4 AS courses or three A level courses, as far as i can tell.

    as for grades, you’ll need to achieve all ‘A’s’ at the A and O levels, and you’re required to take English and A/AS Maths. like i said, i don’t really know what that means, but i hope it means something to you.

    i have no idea what ECA’s are. if that’s a rotman thing, i’ve never heard of it. i’m going to take a wild guess and assume it’s shorthand for ‘extra-curricular activities,’ but if it means something else, i’m sorry.

    if you’re asking about extra-curriculars, rotman explicitly states that the supplemental application allows you to “tell [them] about your interests, accomplishments and goals in and outside of the classroom.” basically, you’ll want to focus on stuff that you would highlight in a cover letter. so yeah, extra-curriculars will probably come into it.

    i can’t give that many personal tips on applying because i’m not in rotman – i chose a far more useless program than that – but following the tips that rotman itself gives might not be a bad idea:

    1. the video response is timed (you have one hour) so it would be smart to have some notes prepared beforehand. make sure they’re easy for you to understand, and maybe try rehearsing points you want to highlight a couple of times.

    2. make sure you’re familiar with your video software of choice before beginning. you don’t want to have to do any technical troubleshooting in the middle of your application.

    3. prepare a comfortable environment in which to complete the application. have water nearby, sit in a bedroom or study that’s familiar to you, and aim for as quiet and calm a workspace as you can get. make sure that one hour is the most serene hour you’ve ever had.

    and finally, unfortunately, you can’t study commerce outside of Rotman. if you want to study commerce, it has to be through Rotman (on the downtown campus); no loopholes. that’s some smart thinking, though – you’ll be a great businessperson.

    best of luck with your application,

    aska

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  • maps

    it’s not uoft but it may as well be

    May 15, 2015

    a lot of people come to uoft – at least in part – for the “vibrant city” and the “nightlife.” of course, when you finally get to university, you feel so tired and run down most of the time that you rarely ever step off campus. who has time to explore riverdale or dundas valley when you’ve got back-to-back classes and a killer commute?

    besides, exploring is scary. aska knows. i know you all quake in your boots at the thought of crossing Bloor to the North or College to the South.

    NOT TO FEAR: there are plenty of cool and interesting places practically on campus for you to explore. you won’t even need a metropass.

    1. the ROM

    kind of obvious. the massive shard hanging over bloor and avenue is hard to miss, but i know so many people who go through their whole undergrad without going there once. it’s free on tuesday for students, it has a pretty good cafeteria, and there are DINOSAURS. there’s really no reason not to go.

    2. the gardiner museum

    the gardiner museum is a little cement block that sits across from the ROM on University. as well as being a rocking pottery museum (with?clay classes!), there is a beautiful restaurant called the Gardiner Bistro on the top floor. if it’s warm outside, you can even sit on the balcony overlooking University.

    the Gardiner is free every tuesday for students (just remember your T-Card, you mangoes).

    3. Lillian H. Smith library

    the Lillian H. Smith library is a Toronto public?library at College and Huron. the number one selling feature about this library?is that it’s absolutely beautiful. if you’re ever in the Southwestern part of campus and all the uoft libraries are full, why not drop in here?

    4. einstein’s

    einstein’s cafe and pub is a uoft staple. if you’re anyone who’s anyone, make sure you stop on by at least once.

    5. the rooftop at the park hyatt

    and for a complete change of pace, why not try the Roof Lounge at the Hyatt? the Park Hyatt is only a stone’s throw from ?Victoria College, at Bloor and Avenue.

    this place is a bit fancy and, granted, i’ve only got 0.85$ in my wallet right now, but if you ever manage to scrounge up a coupla twenties, it’s worth it to go here at least once. and eat outside, if you can. great view.

    6. 7 west cafe

    7 west is a little bit more down to earth. with 3 floors and a cozy atmosphere complete with brick walls and faux stained glass windows, this cafe?is a nice but relaxed place to enjoy a meal. AND for all you night-owls: it’s open 24/7. 3AM spaghetti: bring it on.

    7. foxes den

    for people spending time around East campus, the foxes den is a super convenient dinner location. a comfort pub through and through, this is the place to go and be merry after writing a test you just know you bombed.

    8. harvest noon

    Harvest Noon is a cafe and coop on Spadina Crescent. it’s volunteer-run and super convenient for graduate students, whose home base – the Graduate Students’ Union – is right next door.

    apart from some amazing food, the really notable thing about this eatery is that it’s?a really good place. sustainable, vegan and socially aware, it’s a better place than most to put your money. if you can support them, you’ll be doing a good thing.

    now go outside and get to know your city, you CHUMPS.

    aska

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  • courses,  enrollment

    S is for summer (NOT)

    May 15, 2015

    Hey,

    I’m coming back to U of T after being suspended in 2005. I want to take a summer course if it’s possible. I went to my registrar and in addition to paying the $25 re-registration fee I also paid a $19 late registration fee.

    Now I’m trying to sign up for a summer course on ROSI. I can see that the deadline has passed but I thought that’s what the late fee was for. I’m trying to get into one of the courses that start June 29th. On the enrollment page, though, the header reads “2015-2016 Fall/Winter – A&S Bachelor’s Degree Program (ASPRGHBA) Status: Invited”.

    The problem is that when I try to enroll I get a message saying “NMC277H1 S is not offered in 2015-2016 Fall/Winter session. Please contact your
    college or faculty registrar’s office or graduate department for assistance.” It’s the same error for any course I try. I mean, of course an S course isn’t offered in the F/W session, right? How do I get to a page where I can sign up for summer courses?

    Thanks!!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you’ve got a whole bunch of terminology all twisted up there, friend. that’ll happen when you’re away from uoft for 10 years – not that i would know what that feels like. this place will never let me go.

    but i digress. lemme straighten a few things out for you:

    1. if you paid the late registration fee to get invited, you would’ve gotten invited either to the Summer session or the Fall/Winter session. if you got invited to Fall/Winter, then you wouldn’t be able to sign up for Summer courses. and it’s way too early to sign up for Fall/Winter courses at this point.

    if you got invited to the Summer session, then you need to make sure you’re enrolling in Summer courses, not Fall/Winter. (you can check which session you’re invited to by going to the home page of ROSI, opening Summer 2015, and checking your academic status. it’ll say one of three things: ‘invited,’ ‘registered,’ or ‘financially cancelled.’)

    2. NMC277H1 isn’t offered in the summer, so even if you tried to sign up for that course in the summer, you wouldn’t be able to.

    3. ‘S’ means ‘second term,’ not summer, so don’t assume that because it has an ‘S’ attached to the course code, that it’s offered in the summer. you can take a look at courses that ARE offered in the summer session here.

    and with all that, you should be set to start enrolling in summer courses!

    good luck studying on picnic blankets out in the blistering heat and stuff,

    aska

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  • probation

    but i didn’t even take any courses!

    May 13, 2015

    During this semester I fell under a 1.5, just barely. I was reading through how probation and suspension work and I’m very confused about one thing. It says one’s standing is addressed at the end of each term. I, however, am international and will not be able to participate in the summer session due to family circumstances. Will my standing be addressed at the end of the Summer session even if I do not participate? I would imagine not, but the way the university site words it doesn’t really clear this up.

    Thank-you for any help you can offer.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    that’s a very good question. it’s always best to ask about these things if the wording is confusing to you (and goodness knows, uoft jargon is often confusing).

    however, if you do not attempt ANY credits in the summer session, then your standing won’t be assessed. your standing is only assessed in any sessions where you took at least 0.5 credits with a grade attached to them.

    so if you CR/NCR every course you took in a session, for example, or if you don’t take any courses at all, your academic standing WILL NOT be assessed. your academic standing will just remain the same.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    subject POSt spotlight: EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS

    May 13, 2015

    the time has come. no, your pizza pizza flyers haven’t arrived in the mail. it’s something ALMOST AS EXCITING: subject POSt spotlight #3 is here (go here for the post that introduces subject POSt spotlights)!

    this time up is the mysterious employment relations program:

    what is this program?

    employment relations is “an interdisciplinary learning opportunity in which to study the employment relationship in a Canadian and global context from the perspectives of economics, history, law, management, political science and sociology.” the best way to understand that, in my opinion, is to look at all the other fields used to describe it: law, political science, economics, etc.

    if you like those fields and you like the idea of studying them all BLENDED TOGETHER, then employment relations might be for you!

    does this program have any prerequisites?

    both the major and specialist are type 3 programs, meaning you need to use an application external to ROSI to apply to the POSt. for both the major and the specialist, you need to have completed ECO100Y1/105Y1 and SOC101Y1/(or 1.0 from 102H1, 103H1 and PSY100H1), and you need to have achieved a certain mark in each to be considered.

    (note that if you want to apply after second or third year, the requirements are different).

    what kind of a degree do i get with this program?

    employment relations is a social science, so you would be graduating with an H.B.A. (yes, even with that required math you have to take).

    what jobs/opportunities are available for this program?

    employment relations grads have the opportunity to complete their Certified Human Resources Professional designation if they complete certain courses during their undergrad.

    employment relations grads can also work as employment relations/HR consultant ?(here’s an example job posting), continue on to government positions, or become lawyers.

    if you’d like more info about employment relations programs (both undergraduate and graduate, check out the Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources.

    until next time!

    aska

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  • UTM

    who made me the monarch of management

    May 13, 2015

    Is a 2.60-2.75 cgpa high enough to get into the management program at utm?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    that depends, amigo. the minimum GPA you need is a 2.5, so you’ve met the minimum requirement you need to be considered. however, “[t]he exact required CGPA varies each year depending on the number of applicants and their grades,” so the better everyone else’s marks, the stiffer the competition.

    but how many people apply? what is the average CGPA of people who apply to the program? unfortunately, these are questions i don’t know the answers to.

    however, just from personal experience answering questions on this website, management tends to be a popular program, and that probably means it’s fairly competitive. it might be best to have a backup POSt or two just in case you don’t get in.

    sidenote: your admission to the program depends on a few other factors in addition to GPA, so just make sure you’ve got those under your belt before you apply. you’ll need to have completed MGM101H, MGM102H and ECO100 with at least a 63%, and need to have completed at least 4.0 FCEs.

    best of luck with your POSt application!

    aska

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  • subject POST

    subject POSt spotlight: CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS & SOCIETY

    May 11, 2015

    it’s time for subject POSt spotlight NUMERO DUO (go?here to find out what the heck that is)!!! are you excited? i’m excited. i love series. series of any kind are my absolute favourite.

    this time, we’ll be talking about vic’s creative expressions & society program, which is really a mouthful, but it’s WORTH IT.

    so what is this mouthful of a program??

    creative expressions & society is a minor program offered by victoria college that “allows students to develop creative and communicative proficiency by taking part in one or more workshop-style courses in fiction, non-fiction, or poetry writing and/or creative expression through aural and visual media. Students will also explore the reciprocal relationship of the creative arts and society.”

    some of the courses you might take include photojournalism, creative writing and a critical history of listening.

    basically, you get to make?stuff, and you get to study how other people who make?stuff interact with the world. pretty great, huh?

    any prereqs for this program?

    this is a type 1 POSt, so there are no prerequisites. as long as you’ve completed at least 4.0 FCEs, you can enrol in it.

    what kind of a degree do i get with this program?

    creative expressions & society is only a minor, so your degree will be determined by your other POSts, and whether they’re arts or science programs. however, creative expressions & society is an arts program.

    what jobs/opportunities are available for this program?

    like i said, this is just a minor, so this program probably won’t determine your career. however, it could be a nice complement to specialists or majors like english, book and media studies, architecture or visual studies, cinema studies,?history of art, or any other POSt your heart desires.

    many creative expressions & society classes focus on an interdisciplinary survey of a certain genre of art, like pop music?(YES, pop music?is totally art), holography?or the body?(after reading the description i still have no idea what this course is about, but doesn’t it sound so cool?).

    this minor will give you hands-on experience in creating things, and in strengthening your writing?and artistic capabilities.

    ta ta for now! see you on the next one,

    aska

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  • international students,  OUAC

    welcome to the beauty that is OUAC

    May 11, 2015

    On the page for the international application it says to use it if you’re ONLY applying to the University of Toronto. Do they mean if that’s the only Canadian school you’re applying to or like the only school you’re applying to at all?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    basically, if you’re ONLY applying to uoft and you’ve never studied at a Canadian university before AND you live outside canada – you apply using this application.

    if you’re also applying to other Canadian universities (in addition to uoft, that is), then you should apply using this form (the OUAC 105).

    it’s just one of those finicky bureaucracy things, but make sure you use the right application, because it could cause you a lot of trouble later on if you make a mistake.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • extracurricular,  french

    oui oui

    May 11, 2015

    Hello ! I’m going into second year at UTSG next year, and I was considering getting a citation in French in my degree (or maybe a French as Second Language minor?), but it might make arranging my other courses a bit difficult. I don’t want to lose all the French I learned through high school if I decide not to take it, so I was wondering if you know of any services in UofT that provide french language practice? Thanks a lot! 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    that’s a very admirable goal! i personally plan on keeping up my french by just rewatching le petit prince over and over when it comes out and crying over the nostalgia.

    BUT that might be a bit emotionally draining for some people, so why don’t we explore some other options. y’know. for the weak-willed out there.

    1. the French Association puts on events monthly to “create strong ties between Anglophones and Francophones by providing an inclusive and convivial space where cultural and linguistic exchanges happen!” so that might be a cool thing to be a part of.

    2. if you’d like a more intensive way of keeping up with your french, the french department organizes a “weekly conversation group” at the Kelly Cafe and in New College, which is a great way of keeping up your french speaking.

    3. the french as a second language minor is also a great idea! you only need 4.0 credits to complete it, so it shouldn’t be too hard to fit into your degree.

    bonne chance avec votre enterprise linguistique!

    aska

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  • architecture

    jon snow at the faculty of architecture

    May 8, 2015

    Hello there,
    First of all, great work on all the questions you’re answering, it really helped me in many matters.
    So, my question is what majors or minors am I allowed to study along with architecture in Daniels Faculty? Can I study something like engineering or astronomy or are my choices limited to the art related courses; as there website is too vague you know and I know nothing.
    Thank you,
    -Jon Snow

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

    hey there Jon Snow,

    aw, thanks for saying that, man! honestly, you guys have gotten so polite. what happened to the good old days, when you would shout at me for not getting to your answer within 24 hours? come on, come at me! my fists are up!

    as to POSts, you’re pretty much allowed to sign up for whatever you want, as long as you have an appropriate combination of subject POSts. architectural studies only offers majors (which you can pair with another major or two minors – or another specialist, if you’re especially ambitious/crazy), but visual studies is available as a specialist, major or minor.

    so you’ve got a lot of options. feel free to explore! and then hopefully by the end of your degree, you will know at least a little bit more than nothing…like, a tiny little something…hopefully. i mean,?i don’t, but i have faith for you.

    cheers,

    aska

    P.S. i feel bad that the daniels website has become a sort of punching bag here at aska. to be fair, it’s not the only confusing uoft site. and it’s actually really pretty.

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  • transfer credits,  UTM

    fLOP that transfer credit

    May 8, 2015

    *Latrice Royale voice* Aska you look sickening today, you fabulous thing you. I’m going to go into my last year at UTM this September, and I’m a bio kid… but I have a secret: I’ve been taking calculus at Athabasca online. Third-year me didn’t realize there was such a thing as a LOP, and I’m about to start the second course that counts for MAT134/5 at UTM, but now I’m scared that the OffReg won’t accept my efforts, especially since I took about 9 months for part I because of health. Wat do? 🙁

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    latrice royale in charge

     

    thanks for the compliment, man! means a lot. and right back at ya.

    (sidenote: is ‘OffReg’ what y’all utm-ers call the registrar’s office? man, it’s like a whole different world over there.)

    i hope the courses you’ve been taking at athabasca are MATH265 and 266, because according to transfer explorer, those are equivalent to MAT135Y1 at utm.

    it’s not impossible to get transfer credit without a letter of permission. the university says that “[s]tudents who take courses at another institution without following one of these processes may still be eligible for transfer credits,” so it’s definitely still possible that you’ll get the transfer credit. and it’s a good sign that transfer explorer is recognizing it.

    however, just to save yourself some time, it might be best to talk to your OffReg* as soon as possible and see whether they think you’re likely to get the credit.

    cheers,

    aska

    * see? i’m learning.

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  • engineering,  Transferring

    love that engineering fear

    May 8, 2015

    hey,
    okay well i guess i don’t have one particular question but more of a range of annoyingly (i’m sorry) broad questions asked as statements and the need for a bit of guidance about what i should do based on some facts: i finished my first year at uoft in 2013-2014 and then i left because i got really anxious. i was in the art and science stream for IR at trin and when i started i thought i knew what was happening at 17 and then i got really sad about how much i disliked my program because i’ve always been a sciency person with parents who want a lawyer. my college councilor recommended i apply for eng. and see what happens. my original high school pre-req average is in the low 90’s but i got a bad bout of anxiety and didnt apply for sept. 2015 and my average for my uni courses of first year is 3.52 so i was afraid of getting rejected because they are all artsci courses which i’ve been snooted at for. i’ve heard some bad stories about eng acceptances and was thinking about applying for sept 2016. i’m afraid that my first year marks and my original high school marks are not good
    enough (not too many extra-currics.) because everyone i’ve spoken to about uoft eng said their requirement for acceptance information page is full of f**kery (sorry) and the cut-off is actually unimaginably high. i am worried about wasted application money or to fail in first year which means wasting 10 000 of my own dollars. i’m currently retaking the major math and science pre-reqs to brush up and prevent failure because its said uoft does not take second attempts seriously. i don’t know how honest the requirement page of the eng department is and i heard people have gotten rejected with 88’s and 89’s and i’m pretty much at that. i was wondering if i could take some eng courses in 2015 as i do have the the pre-reqs with recommended grades despite not being in the faculty and the eng. site didn’t really help. i’m also wondering what taking another year off until i apply to eng will mean for my record and whether i can. the possibility of failure is frighteningly high but i don’t want to scoot around my butt crying forever and i need a little wisdom before plunging in or a warning not to.
    thanks aska.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    so i took a look at the transfer students admissions page for the faculty of applied science & engineering to see for myself this f**kery you speak of. as i suspected, it was just as typically vague as it has to be.

    the thing about these admissions info pages is that they can’t be too specific about their info because they actually don’t know how high the admissions average will be, since it all depends on the applicant pool.

    that said, there are trends, and after a bit of digging, i found that the admissions average of high school students entering uoft for engineering was a 91.7% in 2013, with only 30% of applicants admitted (see page 13 of the faculty’s annual report).

    unfortunately the report doesn’t mention transfer applicants, but given that they will look at your high school transcript when considering you for admission, those stats might come in handy.

    in terms of your university grades, if you’re at a 3.52 now, you’re above the minimum for consideration (a mid-B average). the higher you can get above that, the more likely your chances.

    and if you’ll be spending next year getting your science prerequisites, you’ll likely do a lot better than you did while in IR. if you got a 3.52 in a program you don’t like, imagine what you can do in a program that you do.

    all in all, it’s not hopeless. just because you’re transferring from the faculty of arts & science, doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance. despite the fact that engineering students often treat FAS students as slightly better than a pile of dirt, you’re not worthless if you’re transferring from artsci. so do your best to ignore all the snooting.

    as for taking eng. classes while you’re taking your prereqs, i doubt they’ll allow that. certain departments will allow you to audit a course, but it’s quite a process; you have to pay and apply and yada yada yada. these professional faculties tend to be pretty guarded, to be honest. you can always call and ask, though.

    finally, i doubt taking a year off will impact your admission. you can definitely talk to your college registrar’s office about it if you’re unsure, but i think that as long as your high school marks are still within 5 years ago by the time you apply, you should be good.

    take the year if you need it. rest. cry a little bit, if you need to – it’s good for you. work. goodness knows, the engineering faculty’s tuition could use some saving for.

    all in all: admission is definitely competitive, and probably even more so for transfer applicants. however, if it’s something you really want to do, i say go for it. you can always switch into a science POSt in the faculty of arts & science if you don’t get in, and you’ll regret it later if you don’t at least apply.

    best of luck,

    aska

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