• biology,  courses

    bio-bo-bio, bio bio bo-bio

    May 5, 2015

    I want to take first year bio but I don’t have grade 12 bio as a prereq. It says I need special permission to take it. Is it hard to get special permission to take bio first year ?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it depends. if you’re very strong academically, and have other experiences that might supplement what you would’ve learned in grade 12 bio, then it’s possible you’ll get special permission. otherwise, it might be a bit trickier. think about it this way: to get special permission, you have to have a special reason.

    however, at the end of the day, it’s the bio department who grants special permission, so the best thing to do is ask them.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • courses

    F/S/Y

    May 5, 2015

    When choosing courses, are we picking four/five different classes, or a bunch of classes that add up to four/five credits per year? Like I can take 2 full credit classes and then 6 half-credit classes or . . . ?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    great question!* the answer is that you can take any combination of half- and full-year courses that you want, as long as they exceed 3.0 credits but do not exceed 6.0 credits when you add them all up (assuming you’re going to be a full-time student in the Fall/Winter term).

    xoxo,

    aska

    * and i don’t just say that to anyone. trust me. making fun of questions is like 10 times easier than praising them. also 10 times more fun.

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  • courses

    omg don’t sign up for every tutorial that’s offered

    May 4, 2015

    Hi Aska, I am a prospective first year at UTM and I was looking through the timetable planner and going through courses I’d like to take. I was wondering, besides lectures, what are we supposed to put down into the timetable (like labs/tutorials and stuff like that)? And how many per a certain class? Thanks (: There’s so many courses I’d like to take, I’m probably gonna be at university until I’m 40 :p

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    love it when first years look at all these new courses that weren’t offered in their high school and they get so excited. i remember being like that?oh, how times change.

    but don’t let a grumpy old codger ruin your excitement. you just keep that enthusiasm alive – hopefully it can carry you clean through exams.

    basically, if a course indicates that it has a lab or tutorial attached to it, you have to sign up to ONE lab or tutorial section. if a class has a lab AND a tutorial, sign up to one tutorial section and one lab section. if a class has NO labs or tutorials, don’t freak out – not all classes have them.

    and that’s all there is to it! the challenge will be actually consistently attending your classes – now there’s a problem that has stumped me for years.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions

    admissions traditions (see also: worrying, hair falling out, nail biting)

    May 4, 2015

    hiya aska, stupid me, I bombed one of my classes (chemistry) and I got a 47% as a final mark, and I’m retaking it in night school. I was going into a science specialty, but I thought about it some more & figured that science wasn’t for me (even though I applied to a biology program) and I figured out that I want to go into classical studies. Would I still be able to get into U of T with my marks (I have a midterm averagee of 75, which is the bio program requirement). Do I have any hope at all?:/

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it’s usually pretty hard for me to make any kind of claim about how likely people are to get into uoft, since I have exactly zero say or insight in admissions things. (i have zero say or insight on most things, including my own life. i’m kind of like rachel green in the first season of friends, but i don’t look nearly as good in aprons and miniskirts).

    however, i can say that if you hit the admissions average right on the nose, you still have a chance at getting in. the anticipated admissions average for fall 2015 in life science is low to mid 80s. you’re obviously under that, but not too far under. also, chem isn’t required for biology, which is lucky. and if you don’t get in this time, you can always apply again next year, after you’ve got that chem out of the way.

    it’s worth noting that if you applied to the life science stream, you’ll be assessed for admission to life science. you can totally switch to classics once you get here, but for admissions purposes, if you applied as life sci, you’re life sci., meaning that you’ll be competing against the averages of other kids who applied to life sci.

    best of luck with your application,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    i want to do it allllll

    May 4, 2015

    Hey, I’m a first year UTSG student. Since subject POSt enrolment has started, I’ve been trying to get a grasp of what combination I want. There are a lot of different things I’m interested in, though, so I may not necessarily get to do all of them, unless I spend 6 years on my degree lol. I was wondering if you had any advice in narrowing down choices or fields to study. Thanks !

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

    hey there,

    ah, to be young and interested in everything. i remember when school made me feel something other?than tired and nauseous. hang on to that excitement?as long as you can, eh? ’cause it gets harder and harder as the years go on.

    the great thing about subject POSts is that mix-and-matching is a real and totally valid thing you can do. interested in three completely separate areas of study??great! you can do a major and two minors. or two majors and a minor. both those combinations?allow for quite a range of different classes.

    something else to consider is how to best stack your odds in your favour, marks-wise. what classes did you do best in this year? you may want to think about doing?a major rather than a minor in that area; perhaps even a specialist.

    it?s also a good idea to start thinking about career paths that you?re interested in, and then seeing how you might tailor your POSts to that career or careers. are you interested in graduate school or a professional program? does that school or program require that you have a certain undergraduate degree? these are all things to think about.

    and finally: don?t spend six years on your degree. you won?t like what you?re studying by?the end of it, i promise you.

    have fun enrolling in POSts all summer,

    aska

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  • CR/NCR

    cr/ncr is STILL HAPPENING, PEOPLE

    May 4, 2015

    Hi there! I CR/NCR a course or two before the deadline but now I’m freaking out and wanting to make sure I actually did it. Is there any where for me to do that? Rosi doesn’t seem to have record of any of my winter semester courses.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you designated a course cr/ncr on the website provided by the faculty of arts & science, and it says the course is in fact cr/ncr, then don’t worry about it. it’s going to take a little bit of time to transfer the information over to ROSI, so not to worry. breathe easy. have an ice cream cone. and thank the strike for the extended deadline.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • first year,  St. George,  UTM

    indecisive sam

    May 4, 2015

    Hi! So I am a grade 12 student who applied and got accepted to UofTsg for life sciences and UTM for chemical and physical sciences both with the same (rather high) entrance scholarship. In both grade 11 and 12 I took AP bio, chem, physics, and maths and I really enjoyed and excelled in all of these courses (to give you an idea, my current average is in the high 90s with my science and math courses having the highest marks). In grade 11, chem was probably my favourite science however this year my interest has shifted toward biology. I know for sure that as of now, I don’t want to go to med school to become a doctor but I would really enjoy pursuing something in a similar field such biochemistry or pharmacy–however, I am totally undecided and definitely open for change! I basically love science in general and I have yet to find out what I can do with that.
    I have heard so many rumours about UofTsg life sciences being a GPA killer and I’m scared that going there will basically ruin my chances of getting into grad school …or anywhere for that matter. On top of that, many of my peers also preach that UofT is NOT the way to go for an undergrad especially if you’re getting in to the sciences as they have had family/friends who have had terrible experiences there. If it wasn’t for this horrifying image I’m getting of UofTsg I would most likely decide to go there. But now I’m thinking that UTM might provide an atmosphere that is better suited for me if I am still trying to find my path … But of course I have no idea what the experience at either campus in either program would be like. I love both of the campuses for what they have to offer, and both programs seem to tend to my interests, so the only other factor to base my choice on is something I have yet to experience for myself. This entire decision-making process is driving me insane I have no idea what to do!! Some insight from someone who has first-hand experience would be greatly appreciated 🙂

    Thanks for bearing with my rant,
    Indecisive Sam

    ———————————————

    hey there Indecisive Sam,

    first things first: i know this wasn’t really a question, but you’re not going to fail all your courses in first year. if you have an average in the high 90s, and you continue to work as hard as you did this year, you should be okay.

    definitely, first year will be harder than grade 12, but it won’t be impossible. a big part of the difficulty is that you’re trying to adjust to all these lifestyle changes while keeping up with your school work. first year is a challenge, but it’s not rigged. you can succeed if you’re passionate about what you’re studying, and you put in the work (and you don’t have a nervous breakdown halfway through the year. remember, eating and sleeping is not optional).

    now that that’s out of the way: unfortunately, i can’t tell you whether to go to UTSG or UTM. i can’t even give an authentic, personal account of both campuses, because i’ve never been to UTM. what i can tell you is that i love the downtown campus. i love that it’s in the city, and i love that it’s big enough that you can dip in and out of different small communities within the university. i love the old buildings (yep, i got sucked in by that old shtick).

    however, a lot of people find the downtown campus very isolating. they don’t feel like they belong anywhere. a lot of the faculty of arts & science colleges have long and storied traditions that are wonderful, but can make you feel like an outsider if you don’t fall in easily with them.

    some other things you might want to consider when deciding on a campus include: which residence you like better (if you’ll be living on res), what scholarships each campus may be offering you, and what extra-curricular or experiential opportunities each campus may offer in your field of interest (internships, clubs, etc.).

    finally, i know this is a super frustrating thing to hear because it’s not – at all concrete, but sometimes just spending a bit more time on campus (both at UTSG and UTM) can be helpful. sometimes you get a gut feeling about these things.

    and if there’s no gut feeling, stop into the regal beagle for drinks and poutine while you’re at the downtown campus so your trip isn’t a complete waste.

    best,

    aska

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  • probation,  UTSC

    probe a shun

    May 4, 2015

    Hi,
    I am a life science student at UTSC and have almost completed first year. As of now my CGPA is 1.47. I realized that this is not adequate in order to complete the Life Science program. If i want to switch in to Management (Accounting program) what is the minimum average or GPA I should maintain? Is there any possible way that I could increase my current GPA? Please advice?

    Regards.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if your CGPA is a 1.47, that means that you’ll be on academic probation in the next term that you take classes. ‘what’s academic probation???’ i hear you ask. well, when you are on academic probation, you have one term to get your CGPA above a 1.60 and be in good standing. otherwise, you’ll be suspended for one year. and no one wants that. so, what can you do about it?

    there are plenty of resources available to increase your GPA. in fact, utsc requires that you use them at least once when you are on probation, but i’d recommend taking full advantage of them. the Academic Advising & Career Centre is a great starting point, and if you’d like help with specific courses, why not check out the Writing Centre or the Math and Statistics Learning Centre?

    you probably wouldn’t be able to enter into management just yet. you need to have completed 4.0 FCEs (including certain management courses) and admission is competitive. what you can do is spend the next year working on getting the prerequisites* you need to apply for a management POSt.

    if you take advantage of the resources around you and work hard to improve, you can definitely kick that probation to the curb.

    best of luck with it,

    aska

    * “Courses completed must include MGTA01H3, MGTA02H3, MGEA02H3, MGEA06H3,MATA32H3, and MATA33H3. MATA32H3 and MATA33H3 are strongly recommended, however MATA30H3/A31H3 and MATA35H3/A36H3/A37H3 may also be used to satisfy the calculus requirement.“

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  • lost,  maps

    i get lost here and i go here

    May 4, 2015

    Hi, I’m a UTM student and I am taking a course at the St. George campus. This is my first time enrolling in a St. George course and I am highly confused, as I’m used to the UTM timetable structure. Apparently my class is taking place at WO 35. Where & what does that mean? Please help!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    the quickest way to figure this stuff out is to take the building code – WO in this case – and stick it into the search bar on the uoft map. this handy, handy map will tell you the name of the building, and show you exactly where it is. isn’t technology amazing?

    (in this case, WO is the Woodsworth College Residence at 321 Bloor St. West, on the corner of bloor and st. george).

    have fun trying to navigate this maze of a campus!

    aska

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  • courses,  enrollment,  tutorials

    don’t take any more classes than absolutely necessary

    April 24, 2015

    Hey there! I am a soon-to-be student and extremely organized becauseIwillgetsuperstressedotherwise. *nervous laughter* So I am already looking at the courses and organizing. This is probably hinted elsewhere, or you’ve answered it somehow, but I just need clarification… We only enroll in one tutorial per course, correct?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    yup! you should only ever be signing up for one tutorial per class, which is good, because there’s only so much awkward small-class interaction a person can take in a week.

    and just so you know, ROSI will tell you when you sign up for courses whether there are any lab/tutorial sections you need to sign up for – so it’ll all be laid out for you nice and easy when enrolment time comes along.

    try not to be too stressed about school starting. it’s great to organize and plan and stuff, but there’s no reason to be nervous. everything’s gonna work out fine. you’re going to have a great time, and it’ll be a lot better than the cafeteria drama and “did-you-hear-what-stacey-did-at-the-birthday-party” gossip nonsense of high school.

    see you in september!

    aska

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  • extracurricular

    cross-campus activity

    April 24, 2015

    Hello,

    I am wondering if it is against the University’s rules to be a student at one campus but be president of a student organization on a different campus. Is there any policy against this? Just wondering.

    Thanks!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m gonna say…no. some clubs do specify who exactly can be a member (students at a certain college, in a certain faculty, or at a certain campus, for example), but often i feel like it’s just implied who the group is for.

    so if the organization you have your eye on has no specific rules about membership, i guess it’s not an issue. however, i would advise that you take a look at your campus and see if there are any similar groups there that you could join instead.

    if you want to be be involved with leadership on your campus (and possibly be nominated for some leadership awards down the line), it’ll be a lot easier if all your activities are local to where you’re a student (speaking from experience here).

    all the best with your presidential duties,

    aska

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  • repeating course,  subject POST,  summer

    math in the summer? heaven forbid

    April 24, 2015

    Hello,

    I am a first-year actuarial science student, so I have to reach 65% to get to my subject post program. I am not sure about my MAT137 mark for this term (it might be not good enough). However, I cannot stay in Canada during summer time, so I wanted to ask: is it possible to retake a course during the fall/winter 2015 term instead of summer 2015 term? Thank you in advance!

    Best regards

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    it is totally possible to retake it in the Fall/Winter term! however, you are required to enrol in a subject POSt after completing 4.0 FCEs, so if you’ve already completed 4.0 FCEs, you’ll be required to sign up for a subject POSt before the next term starts.

    meaning: if you haven’t retaken MAT137 by the end of the summer, you’ll have to sign up for some other POSt as a place-holder until you can apply to the actuarial science major in the next subject POSt enrolment period (April-September 2016).

    so just make sure you’re in either one specialist, two majors, or a major and two minors. then next year, you can apply to actuarial science and drop those place-holder POSts.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • one programs

    *smacks your hand* NO, that first-year seminar is NOT for you

    April 21, 2015

    Are you allowed to take one programs and first year seminars at st. george at the same time?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    you are allowed to take both college one and 199 courses with TWO exceptions:

    1) if you are taking a vic one course, you are not eligible to take a 199 course?(sorry ’bout that, vic one folks).

    2) if you are in trinity one, you?can take a 199 course, but they advise you to talk to your registrar’s about it before deciding to do so (see the ninth question from the top).

    so if you’re in any other one program (i.e. Woodsworth?One, SMC One, New One, etc.) you’re able to take a 199 as well.

    have fun taking your super teeny-tiny course about, like, new media in the cosmopolitan city or contentious health policies or whatever crazy-cool stuff the profs are teaching these days.

    cheers,

    aska

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