• masters

    em ess double ew

    May 8, 2015

    Hi aska! I am looking forward into the future with hopes of applying to the masters of social work program at u of t. Currently, I am about to go into second year and deciding my major. I am interested in criminology but I am unsure about whether or not it counts as a social science applicable for the social work program. Do you have any idea of whether or not criminology and it’s stats course counts towards social work?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’ve just gotta start off by saying that this is a remarkably lucid question. usually i’ve gotta detangle these stream-of-consciousness snarls that comes to me via e-mail or tumblr, but i didn’t get confused once reading this! so thank you!

    now, other than lucidity, what else do you need to become a social worker (flawless transition. nice.)

    according to the admission requirements page on the factor-inwentash website, all you need is three credits in the social sciences to be considered (including a research methodology course). you can fit that into a four-year degree no problem (and definitely into a criminology specialist/major)! and yes, criminology is a social science program.

    i’m not sure which crim stats course you’re referring to. if you’re worried about the half-course in research methodology that is required for admission, i think something like CRI350H1 would do the trick. if you want to be absolutely certain, though, you can always contact the faculty of social work and ask them.

    good luck with second year and i hope you get in!

    aska

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  • courses

    the nitty gritty on griddy

    May 7, 2015

    hey aska! Do you recommend findacourse or griddy for figuring out schedules? Is there one that’s better? Thanks! 🙂

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’d definitely recommend both. they’re great tools and they provide a service that, honestly, ROSI should really be doing anyway. they let you construct your timetable and play around with courses and lecture sections until you’re happy with them. i personally prefer the layout on griddy, but both sites are great and useful. massive props to the students who created them. i can’t even manage Excel.

    however, a word of caution: these services are not affiliated with the university, so while they do pull their info from the uoft timetable and calendar, they can get information wrong.

    i input my (ideal) fall/winter schedule into both griddy and findacourse as a test, and while it went off mostly without a hitch, there were a few errors. a couple of courses that are listed on the uoft timetable couldn’t be found by griddy or findacourse, and griddy was convinced that one of my Y courses was an F-section course, and would only list it on my Fall timetable.*

    so yes, they’re handy tools, but they’re not foolproof. i DEFINITELY would not advise going ahead to sign up for courses in August based solely on what griddy or findacourse is telling you. always double check it against the course calendar, because that is the most official information.

    cheers,

    aska

    * i won’t give you any specifics about which courses it messed up on because then you’d know my schedule and aska likes to fly UNDER THE RADAR, you get me? if i think i’m an enigma it’ll make me feel better about the fact that i have mustard spills on my shirt, like…75% of the time.

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  • career choice,  graduation

    graduate: v. afraid, qualified

    May 7, 2015

    Hey aska,

    I’m about to graduate, and I have my last year of my undergraduate coming up in September. What can I do with a HBSc? What should I do in my final year of undergrad? I feel like I barely know anyone and I’m not sure how to establish a good connection with professors to ask for letters of recommendation.

    Please help, I’m really stressed out and I’m not sure what to do in my last year to improve my outlook on life after graduating.
    I’m enrolled in two majors, one’s the general human biology and the other is more specialized.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    seems like all of undergrad is just about being afraid. in first year you’re afraid because everything is new, in second and third year you’re afraid because you don’t think you’ll be able to keep up your CGPA, and in fourth year you’re afraid because you realize your CGPA doesn’t matter nearly as much as you thought it would. i sure do love university.

    here’s my opinion*: the market is so inflated with bachelor’s degrees that graduating with an undergrad in a certain area doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to go on to have a career in that area.

    which, on the one hand, is super frustrating and unfair, but on the other, is incredibly liberating. you can start over now. and lots of jobs won’t care a hoot about what you did in your undergrad, so if you messed up a little, it won’t destroy your job prospects.

    if you’re graduating with a B.Sc., obviously you have all the usual suspects available to you in terms of careers: medical school, nursing, pharmacy, graduate school, teachers’ college. if you’re not interested in continuing university, there are also college programs that you can take if you’re interested in becoming a scientific or medical technician/technologist.

    whatever you decide, it’ll take some time to assemble application packages etc., so the best thing to do in your fourth year would be to figure out what you need to apply and start prepping (this applies even if you decide not to do another university degree: if you want to go straight into the workforce, it’s best to start looking and applying for jobs early).

    as to reference letters, there is nothing to be nervous about. just remember: profs who teach third- and fourth-year courses expect to be references for students applying to graduate/professional schools. it’s part of their job. if they can see that you did your due diligence in sending them a proper request, they won’t hate you for it.

    and you DON’T have to be BFFLs with a prof or have worked with them in their lab to ask them for a reference letter. if you did well in one of their courses and you remind them of that, odds are they’ll be willing to help you out.

    of course, you can also just go out there into the job arena and see what you can find outside of science. there’s a whole world of random jobs out there – in sales, office work, shift work, you name it. there’re all sorts of wacky things to do – you just have to start looking.

    best of luck in the real world. you can do it.

    aska

    * ‘opinion,’ as i’m sure you know, is internet shorthand for, ‘i’m just going to say this but i’m not going to provide any stats to back it up…so there.’

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  • subject POST

    the combinations are infinite! (well, not really)

    May 7, 2015

    hey! is there anywhere I can find out about what combination of POSTs I can do? like how many specialists/majors/minors I can put together?

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

    hey there,

    there are actually quite a few different combinations you can pull off. the standard ones are:

    1) a specialist

    2) two majors

    3) one major and two minors

    but you can also do things like:

    1) a specialist and a minor

    2) two majors and a minor

    3) a specialist and a minor

    basically, you can do whatever your heart desires with subject POSts as long as they follow these rules: you can’t be enrolled in more than three subject POSts total, and you can’t be enrolled in more than two majors or specialists.

    now go forth and follow your heart.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • course overload,  subject POST

    MANAGING some POSt BUSINESS

    May 7, 2015

    Hey so I’m currently in first year and I’m trying to get into the management program for next year. I ended up doing really bad in mgm 101 and Eco 100 because of problems at home and I’m taking them again in summer school meaning I have a full course load for summer. I currently have 3.5courses and in orderto apply for the management program I need4 courses.I tried to get a course overload but it was denied because I didn’t have a full course loadduring the fall/winter session? What should I do?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    unfortunately if you already tried getting a course overload, there aren’t that many more options available to you. the only thing you can do now is wait until next year to apply to management and sign up for a filler POSt (after completing 4.0 credits) while you work on getting enough credits to apply next year. type 1 subject POSts (see page 1 of the registration guide) would be ideal for that.

    otherwise, i’d encourage you to talk to your registrar’s office for more advice about what to do next.

    best of luck,

    aska

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  • psychology

    BREAKING: someone does well in PSY100

    May 6, 2015

    Hi aska,

    I just finished my first year and now applying for Psych specialist at UTSG, I wanna be absolutely sure I can get in since all my back up plans are not working out (thank god for cr/ncr ).
    Anyway I got my mark back this morning, 97. What are my chances here? I know psych is super competitive and popular, plus my prof boosted our marks so 27% of us got an A. I need to know in case I have to take summer courses for my backup plans.

    Thank you in advance.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    are you telling me you got a 97%…in a first year psych course? or is 97% your average? either way – holy cow. looks like we’ve got another Freud on our hands. prepare your greasy little hands with alumni banners, uoft, I think you’ve got yourself another celebrity scholar in the works.

    i can’t tell you if you’re going to get in. that goes for everyone. it’s just not something I’m able to predict. which, yes, is annoying, because some variation on this question is like, every second question in my inbox. sorry, folks.

    HOWEVER, a 97% is a very good mark, even for people applying to the psych specialist. if that’s your PSY100 mark, then i’d say you have a very good chance of getting in (assuming you’ve met all the other requirements for the specialist).

    cheers,

    aska

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  • frosh

    how much frosh can i fit into my schedule???

    May 6, 2015

    Hi there,

    I recently accepted my offer to UTSG for Life Sciences and am beyond excited! I got into UC, and even though it wasn’t my first choice (thanks, Vic), I ended up loving the vibe I got from the people on facebook groups/forums/etc.
    I chose to stay in Chestnut for res, however, and have already paid my housing deposit. I’m not regretting my decision or anything, but I’ve heard that Chestnut has it’s own frosh week?
    Does this mean that I’m unable to attend the UC Frosh Week, or that I’d have to pick between the two?
    I don’t want to miss out on UC Frosh Week because like I said, the vibe I get from the people at UC is incredible and their Frosh week looks like a ton of fun.

    Thank you so much!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    don’t worry about it, dude, UC is great. and may i personally recommend diablo’s at UC if you want to drink great coffee in a place that looks like it used to see people sentenced to death by hanging.

    according to last year’s move-in guide for chestnut, the chestnut-specific orientation activities “complement the College and Faculty activities, so you can participate in both” (page 9). that might’ve changed for this year, but i highly doubt it.

    lots of residences have orientation activities that familiarize first-years with the residence, but are definitely not designed to interfere with actual orientation.

    have fun at frosh! make sure to keep all the free coupons – they’ll come in handy.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • probation

    probation alteration

    May 6, 2015

    Hi! So I am a little worried as to how this works but, it says that if you have ATTEMPTED 4.0 credits and received a CGPA of 1.5 or less, you will be placed on academic probation. However, I took about 4.5 credits at the beginning of the year, and I ended up dropping two 0.5 credits, resulting in only having 3.5 credits. Will I still be placed on probation if my CGPA is less than 1.5? Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    so, the rule used to be that your academic standing was assessed after you attempted 4.0 credits, but that rule changed recently. starting Fall 2014, your academic standing started being assessed after any term in which you receive a final standing (i.e. a grade) in at least 0.5 credits.

    so unless you credit/no-credited every single course you took, your academic standing for Fall/Winter 2014-2015 will be assessed and you’ll be placed on academic probation if your CGPA is below a 1.5.

    just remember: probation is not the end of the world, and as long as you can get your CGPA above a 1.50 in the term you’re on probation, you’ll be back on track.

    good luck!

    aska

    P.S. this is all assuming you’re a UTSG student because WHY would the campuses ever CONSIDER unifying their rules about these things when they can make really finicky regulations that are all different from each other. lol.

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  • architecture,  first year

    architecture is…building…stuff?

    May 6, 2015

    Hi aska!

    Been following your blog recently and just wanted to say that you’re really helpful!!!

    I’m currently a senior in a BC highschool and it’s been my dream to come to ontario uni. My current dilemma is that I’m struggling about deciding between Architectural Studies at UT and Planning at Waterloo.

    I received my acceptance for UT and I was completely floored that I got in. I began doing more research on UT itself and I love love love the campus. I accepted my offer literally the second I got my email. Now however, I’ve realized my short-sightedness. I don’t really know what Architectural Studies entails. LIKE ACTUALLY, WHAT IS IT. I’ve tried to scour the department website for more details but to no avail. Perhaps I haven’t looked hard enough, but it would really mean a a lot if you could help a gal out!!! I’m stressing out over my exams (darn IB) and the impeding deadline on May 1st.

    And to continue this long winded story, I got an offer from for Planning at Waterloo around a month after UT. At first I didn’t really think much of it, but now I’m starting to really consider Waterloo. This is unbelievably frustrating to me because I picked out my residence (innis hola) and I felt like I had my life planned out at UT only to find myself immersed in doubt.

    1. Is it possible to reject my offer after May 1st? Waterloo’s deadline is June 1 so could I possibly wait until then to decide? As I said before, I already accepted my offer for UT on ouac. Can I even change that…

    2. Any info and tips you have about Architectural Studies? I’m not really in to physics and math but I’ve always loved architecture.

    3. Do you happen to know what are? some jobs/ careers graduates from this program have? Do they continue and do a masters in architecture? Or go straight in to the workforce

    It would really mean a lot to me if you could answer even one of these questions!!

    Thanks aska!!!!!! ???? ???? ????

    Sincerely,

    a ponderous padawan

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

    hey there padawan,

    thanks for saying i’m helpful! it’s always nice to hear. helps me feel?like less of a disappointment to my parents.

    1. you can definitely cancel your acceptance to uoft on OUAC and then accept waterloo’s. you just have to make sure to cancel your acceptance?by the deadline stated in your acceptance package from uoft. easy-peasy.

    2. i get the frustration that comes around not being able to figure out?WHAT THE H*CK something is before you actually start taking classes about it. obviously you can’t know exactly what it’ll be like before starting, but here are some leads:

    i’m not in architecture and the daniels faculty is famous on askastudent for its vagueness, so i can’t give you too many concrete details. but the admission requirements don’t include?calculus or physics, and the supplementary oneidea application really emphasizes creativity in the visual arts. so i wouldn’t worry too much about not being a physics/math person.

    if you want a bit more insight about architectural studies at uoft and what daniels does, it might be helpful to browse the research projects the faculty has going on right now. here’s one thing they’re doing, and here’s another?and another. also, here are two tumblrs of current daniels faculty students – i’ve never spoken with them before, but it doesn’t hurt to send them a (polite) ask about classes, how they like the program, etc.

    finally, here is a page with past and current course timetables for the daniels faculty. browsing through courses might give you a better sense of what you’ll actually be doing once in school.

    3. according to the royal architectural institute of canada, “the professional degree [for architecture] is only offered at the master’s level.” so if you’d like to actually?be an architect (i.e. work for a firm and design stuff), you do need the M.A. (or M.Arch.) in addition to?the B.A. (or B.Arch.). the B.A. on its own might prepare you for other urban planning or design opportunities.

    as for what architects do once they’re out there in the working world, i can’t tell you much. all i know about architecture is what i inferred from the musical montage of joseph gordon-levitt in 500 days of summer – that is to say, not a lot. except i really want a chalkboard wall now.

    here are some links where you can?learn more about the profession: bam bam bam and BAM.

    ttfn and good luck making the right decision!

    aska

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  • frosh

    i need to put it in my planner

    May 5, 2015

    When is frosh week? Exact dates

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i love how you felt the need to specify that you needed exact dates.”now don’t give me any WISHY-WASHY dates here. i need EXACT DATES and i need them NOW, jack. NO, you cannot go home for christmas to visit your family. do i pay you to carve turkey or do i pay you to make numbers? get back to your cubicle.”

    orientation week this year will be from september 1st to the 6th. you can find out the exact times that certain activities take place by visiting the orientation website of your faculty or college.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    counting credits

    May 5, 2015

    Hi,
    First time doing this so i guess straight to the point. Due to being a?confused first year student, I didnt know i needed 5.0 credits every year?to graduate with 20 credits for my degree. I ended taking 4.5 credits, and?ended up dropping one course, But i thought i would just take the 0.5 in?summer school and get the 4.0 to get into my subject POSt. As of recent, I?also failed a course (49%) and now am at 2.5 credits (the course was not?required for my POSt), and still plan on taking the 0.5 in the summer,?causing me to be at 3.0 credits in total. Now I just wanted to know what?will have to do to get back into my subject POSt for next year? Will I have?to take all the same courses again or do i just reapply next year? I did?well in my required course (SOC100). I just dont know what to do im so?scared and confused.

    Thank you if this gets through and for hopefully some clear answers

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

    hey there,

    you definitely don’t have to retake any courses you don’t want to, and ESPECIALLY not the ones you got a credit for already. next year, you’ll just have to continue taking credits, and then hopefully you’ll have at least 4.0 credits total by april of next year. at that point, you’ll be required to sign up for a subject POSt(s).

    i’m assuming you’re interested in a sociology major – if you did well enough in SOC100 that you think you’ll be competitive to get in, then don’t retake it.

    just focus on catching up on credits and doing as well as you can. they DON’T have to be the same ones you took last year – just take whatever you’re interested in/need for your degree/will do well in.

    and if you feel like you need some more guidance about which courses to take and how to improve for next year, your college registrar’s office is always a great place to go.

    good luck!

    aska

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  • economics

    economics is the beyonce of subject POSts

    May 5, 2015

    Hey askastudent,

    I have just completed my second year, but messed up royally my first year. So royally that after taking a booster year, at the end of second year, my CGPA will still only be 1.97: 0.3 under the require CGPA for the economics major. I had dropped math first year, and got a 0.7 when finished it this year. Now I have to retake MAT133Y1 in the summer, and I was wondering if the Department will consider that grade when deciding whether or not I enter the econ major since it is 0.3 away from the required GPA. Thanks for your time.

    Sincerely,

    Messed up

    ———————————————

    hey there Messed Up,

    the thing about economics is that it’s really, really, REALLY popular.

    on the one hand, that means that it’s a really competitive program, but on the other hand, it’s also very difficult to get into, which means that the department makes allowances for things. they even have a specific rule that you’re only allowed to retake ECO100Y1/105Y1 ONCE, presumably because so many people were retaking it twice, even three times, to get the mark necessary to get into the POSt.

    what i’m saying is this: a lot of people have to retake courses to get into this POSt. if the fact that you retook MAT133Y1 does factor into their decision, then it’ll have to factor into their decision for a lot of folks. so it’s not the end of the world.

    also, the better you do on your second attempt, the more likely the department is to consider your first year a fluke, and be confident that you’re ready to meet the demands of the economics major now. so go out there and KILL IT! i know you can.*

    cheers,

    aska

    *look at me being all positive. and i haven’t even had my morning coffee! wow. well done to me.

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  • grades,  hard

    hard as nails

    May 5, 2015

    Is it really hard to get a 3.7 gpa at UOFT…

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    honestly, i should start a tag for all the posts where i lament how complicated the words hard and difficult? are. who determines difficulty? who can say what’s hard or not? are we supposed to SIT HERE and be QUIET while bureaucratic overlords determine HOW MUCH OUR BEING, OUR THOUGHTS, ARE WORTH??EVERYONE LEARNS AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS AND THIS STANDARDIZATION OF LEARNING WILL BE THE DOWNFALL OF OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM.

    anyway.

    unfortunately, the university doesn’t publish any kind of GPA distribution stats, so i don’t know, like, what percentage of people graduate with a certain GPA, or what programs tend to have higher GPAs than others. i could GUESS, but they don’t pay me to guess, and i need to keep that dough coming in.

    HOWEVER, across the board, an A (that is, a grade above a 3.7) does indicate that you’ve gone above and beyond in a course. you really have exceeded expectations, rather than just met them.

    in general – and i don’t have any numbers on this, so keep in mind that your experience might be different – i have found that A students tend to put at least 20 hours per week into their schoolwork outside of class.

    for science/math students, that might involve completing assignments, doing practise questions, and clarifying questions from lecture with TAs or profs. for humanities students, that might involve writing essays, completing readings, and making notes on readings outside of lecture.

    A students take the initiative to seek out answers to their questions, ask whether they’re understanding things correctly, and see if there’s any way to improve what they’ve been working on.

    A students might do extra-curricular activities on the side, but they always make sure to schedule enough time into their week to keep up with their school work.

    A students are NOT geniuses. (not most of them, anyway.) they just keep up with their work and consistently put in their best effort, from september to april. A students exist AND SO CAN YOU!

    cheers,

    aska

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