• courses

    what do i gotta do to take 2nd year courses?

    April 21, 2015

    Can I sign up for second year courses with only 3.0 credits? Sorry if this a dumb question, but I only earned 3.0 credits throughout this year. I can’t go to summer school, but I plan on signing up for one more first year credit for the fall, along with second year courses if that’s allowed. So, how does that work with the subject posts and everything? Thank you.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    unless a course states in its course calendar listing that you need to have completed 4.0 courses already, then it’s not an issue.

    as for POSts, you don’t have to be in a subject POSt to enrol in second year courses, though some courses do prioritize or are completely restricted to certain students via these things called ‘enrolment indicators.’ you can see which courses have these enrolment indicators on the timetable.*

    other than that, you should be able to sign up for second-year courses without any problem! (in fact, i know a few screwball first-years who took a few second-year courses in their first year…kids these days! but hey – if you can do it, then why not?)

    all the best,

    aska

    * just to clarify: once you?have completed 4.0 credits, you are absolutely required to enrol in an acceptable combination of subject POSts. if you?don’t enrol in a POSt after completing 4.0 credits, THEN you wouldn’t be able to sign up for courses.

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  • fraternities & sororities

    SISTERHOOD AND STUFF

    April 21, 2015

    do you know how sororities work? like how do you join one…what do you have to do?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    well, you have to attend formal recruitment, which takes place one week after frosh week. you have to pay a $20 fee to register, and then there are further fees to remain a member. these further fees are determined by each sorority individually, so you can take a look at the specific sororities you’re interested in for more details about that.

    if you’re asking about hazing or whatever, they’re pretty clear that they don’t stand for that kind of thing. you’re not forced to do anything during the the initiation ceremony that you don’t want to do.

    once you’ve joined, you just start getting involved! you attend meetings, spend time with your sorority sisters, participate in charity work, etc. after you’ve been a member for a while, you can even move into the sorority house.

    and that’s pretty much how it works, from what i can tell as a plebeian outsider. for more details, i’d highly recommend you attend their formal registration week, and ask all the specific questions you’d like.

    i’ll just note that the sororities at uoft aren’t affiliated with the university, so they do sort of operate on their own. meaning that all these fees and regulations and rules about housing, etc. isn’t run or regulated by uoft, but by the sorority itself – so they’re the best people to go to with questions, concerns, etc.

    all the best,

    aska

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  • biology,  courses

    BIO120

    April 21, 2015

    Can I take first year bio120 without having taken grade 12 bio?

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    hey there,

    Grade 12 Biology is a prerequisite for BIO120H1, but you can contact their office at bio120 ( at ) utoronto ( . ) ca if you’d like to discuss the possibility of taking it without the prerequisite.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • extracurricular

    writing sux

    April 21, 2015

    do you need to have any experience to get involved with one of the school’s newspapers or blogs? i don’t have any specific experience for that but in my free time i love reading and writing and so im thinking the newspaper or the school blog would be a good way to get involved!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i think it kinda depends on the newspaper/blog! blogUT, for example, just requires that you send a little e-mail application – no previous writing experience required.

    for the varsity, you can basically just drop into their office/send them an e-mail and let them know you want to start writing for them.

    as for college newspapers, look on their website (if they have one) to see if they have any application procedures. otherwise, just shoot them an e-mail and go from there. at the end of the day, all these publications are run by students, so they tend to be pretty lowkey in terms of how to get involved.

    finally, here is a list of a bunch of different publications at uoft, if you’d like to start browsing opportunities (because i’m nice like that. and i have far too much time to spend linking stuff):

    student newspapers on campus

    1. The Varsity

    2. the newspaper

    3. UofT Magazine

    4. The Innis Herald

    5. The Mike

    5. The Gargoyle

    6. The Strand

    7. The Howl

    student blogs on campus

    1. blogUT

    2. ~~~ ASKASTUDENT WHOO!!!!! ~~~

    3. student life blogs (these blogs have a more concrete application process, which you can read about here)

    college-specific student literary reviews on campus

    1. The Innis Review

    3. acta victoriana

    4. The Grammateion

    5. The Trinity Literary Review

    6. The UC review

    academic student literary reviews on campus

    1. The Idiom (English department’s undergraduate academic journal)

    2. Anthropology Undergraduate Journal

    3. ImagiNATIONS (Canadian Studies undergraduate academic journal)

    4. Saeculum (Christianity & Culture undergraduate academic journal)

    5. Undergraduate Journal of Political Science

    6. The Foolscap (Book and Media Studies academic journal)

    …and the list goes on. hopefully this will give you a chance to start looking, and see what you like!

    happy writing,

    aska

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  • repeating course

    if you pass, you pass

    April 20, 2015

    kinda similar to a question you just answered, but if you retake a course and pass the second time, but your average for the 2 marks is less than 50% do you not get the credit? cause last year i was a fucking idiot and completely ignored one class, i ended up getting a 15 in it (i gave up all hope and didn’t write the final, don’t judge me) i retook it this year, and i’m thinking all probably come out of it with about 68, does that mean my actual grade will be 41.5 and i won’t earn that credit?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    now, now, we don’t judge people here on askastudent. we’re all just exhausted, kinda soggy, usually hungry students trying to get through four years in one piece. there’s absolutely no place here for judgement – just so you know.

    to answer your question: if you passed the course once, then you passed it, which means you got the credit. both attempts will be reported on your transcript and contribute to your GPA (the question i answered previously which you’re referring to is not exactly the same case as yours), but you got the credit if you passed the second time. not to worry.

    xoxo,

    aska

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  • jobs

    internship, shminternship

    April 20, 2015

    how do internships work?

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    hey there,

    i love how general this is. no specifications whatsoever. super exciting.

    if you’re doing an internship through a department at the university, then it works however they say it does, i guess. there’s no university-wide internship program (on the downtown campus, anyway), so i can’t give much more detail than that.

    if you’re just applying for internships out there in the world, then apply, cross your fingers and go out for drinks afterwards, because applying for any job is entirely too much stress.

    finally, here are aska’s Top Tips about making your internship experience the BEST it can be: don’t take any internships that are unpaid (that $h1t’s not worth it), make sure that whatever internship you take works with your school schedule (and yes, you do have to factor sleep into that schedule), and scope out coffee places close by BEFORE starting your job.

    all the best,

    aska

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  • subject POST

    a post about POSts

    April 20, 2015

    heya. I have to take 1.5 credits (MAT135 and something else) in the summer to meet the 4.0 FCE requirement for subject POST enrollment. I know the courses in the summer are at a quicker pace so should I just take 1.0 credit in the summer? Can you enroll in subject POSTs during second year? What happens if you don’t get accepted in the POSTs you applied for? Thanks a bunch!

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

    hey there,

    you have to enrol in a subject POSt once you complete 4.0 FCEs. if that happens in the 2015-16 fall/winter term, then you’ll have to wait until the next enrolment period (August-September 2016) to enrol in a POSt. if it happens in the summer, then you’ll do it in the summer.

    you?can definitely take 1.0 credits in the summer to catch up. yes, they do move quickly, but they’re definitely not impossible. it’s sort of up to you to figure out if you’re up to it (though, as always, you can talk to your college registrar’s office about it if you need someone else to look at your transcript and offer an expert opinion).

    if you don’t get accepted to the POSt(s) you applied for, you need to have a backup, because you *must* be in a subject POSt once you complete 4.0 credits. (just a tip: type 1 POSts are handy backups in this situation).

    cheers,

    aska

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  • admissions

    finally, someone catches a break

    April 16, 2015

    Hey Aska!

    i received my offer of admission from UTSG for Life Sciences recently and just received the official package through mail. I’m extremely excited and I am 99.9% sure I will be accepting this offer, barring any last minute epiphany, but I’m doubtful of that.

    Anyways, on the letter, detailing the terms and conditions of my admission, it states ‘You have been given a clear offer of admission with no additional conditions.’ However, I would expect that it’s safe to assume that UTSG would revoke my offer if my average drops significantly?

    My friends who also received offers of admission from UTSG for Life Sciences said that their packages have stated they are expected to retain at least a 75%. So should I look to retain at least a 75%? My admission average is right in between low 80s to mid 80s so I am a little suspicious as to why I was given a ‘clear offer of admission’ without given any specific grade conditions.

    I might be reading a little too much into this, but I’m not too confident about my exams and I don’t want to do anything that may jeopardize my admission to UTSG.

    Thanks for your help! You rock!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you’ve been given a clear offer of admission without any conditions, then that means that you have already completed the requirements that the university used to determine your admission. i’m not sure exactly what those requirements were, so i can’t say what you did to warrant a condition-free acceptance, but if that’s what the university is telling you in your offer of admission, then there’s no reason to question it.

    so technically, your offer isn’t conditional and can’t be revoked, BUT that’s no reason to slack off and not do the best you can on your exams.

    if you want any more information about your admission offer specifically, feel free to contact your college registrar’s office.

    see you around in september!

    aska

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  • courses,  repeating course

    doing math a second time *shudder*

    April 16, 2015

    Hi 🙂 I was wondering if you know exactly how they calculate repeated courses? I mean I didn’t receive the required mark for math and I am allowed to repeat it however, their procedure for calculating is averaging it out or do they just count both as is?

    Thanks so much!

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    in a rare and heartening case of reading the university website, i can answer this question with words straight from the horse’s mouth:

    “When students need to achieve a minimum mark in a course for entry to a limited-enrolment program or for meeting a prerequisite to take another course in their program, they may repeat such a course once. The repeated course will be designated “extra”: it will appear on the academic record but it will not be included in GPA calculations or in the degree credit count.”

    so it’ll show up show up on your academic record, but it won’t count towards your degree, or your GPA.

    good luck with taking math again (yeesh!),

    aska

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  • part-time

    settle in, it’s gonna be a long ride

    April 16, 2015

    Hi, how many years can a student stay in school? Will they kick me out after like 6 years?

    I’m asking because I am thinking about becoming a part-time student.

    Thank you.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    nah, they won’t kick you out. once you’re enrolled in a degree, you’re enrolled. you go at your own pace.

    stay forever mulan

    or…just six years. six years sounds better than forever. also, like, financially plausible.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • colleges

    “what does it mean to be in a college” “a lot of high school-esque drama”

    April 16, 2015

    Hi! I was filling out the vic residence application and came across as question asking if I was a victoria university student. What does this mean?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    if you’re a faculty of arts & science student who’s been accepted to the university of toronto, you will also be accepted into one of seven colleges. victoria is one of those colleges – so that’s what the question is referring to. (if you’re still confused – which i would understand – you can read more about the college system here).

    if you’ve been admitted to a faculty OTHER than the faculty of arts & science (kinesiology, music, applied science & engineering), you won’t have been admitted to a college, so your answer would be no, you’re not a victoria student.

    hope you get into vic res! save me a sandwich from upper burwash dining hall.

    all the best,

    aska

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  • courses

    timing your courses

    April 14, 2015

    if i plan on getting my fourth credit at the end of the summer session, do i get to sign up for my second year courses in june, or do i have to wait until july? thanks.

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    i’m not sure when you plan on starting your second year courses – summer or september – so i’m just going to say it like this:

    whatever courses you plan on taking in the summer, you should sign up for them all right away. as long as you’ve completed the prereqs for a course by the time you actually start taking the course, you’re fine.

    you should also plan on enrolling in all your courses for fall/winter 2015-2016 as soon as your start date/time hits in august. again, as long as your prereqs are done by the time classes actually start, you should be okay.

    cheers,

    aska

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  • first year

    the dilemma of “difficult”

    April 14, 2015

    Hi, I would just like to ask something about UofT, I’ve heard from many people how difficult it is, I was wondering whether or not you feel that this is true? Furthermore I was wondering whether or not you feel I would be able to handle the workload, right now I am an IB student, and have roughly an 83 average, looking into their forensic science program. I do a good amount of work as is, and was wondering whether or not I would be even able to pass at UofT. Thank you!

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

    hey there,

    these kinds of questions are tricky to answer, because everyone has a different experience of what’s hard.

    i know people in every program – even the mythically difficult ones – who manage to have social lives and do well without breaking themselves studying. i also know people who feel like they’re drowning in a workload that i would find easy.

    when it comes down to it, in my experience, difficulty is a result of two things: aptitude and interest.* you can’t really affect the aptitude stuff too much, so the biggest advice i can give you is to take things you’re interested in. yes, in first year, you’re going to test the waters a bit, and you’ll probably take courses that it turns out you don’t like that much.

    the important thing is that you?are experimenting and finding out what you really enjoy studying. then you have to actually have the guts to study that thing. it’s not easy, and it could take you a long time to figure out.

    maybe you’ll be interested in everything, or maybe it’ll feel like nothing is really holding your attention. those feelings are fine, too – follow them wherever they take you. just don’t try to squish yourself into a box you’re not comfortable with. there’s a fine line between being?challenged and hating what you’re doing. try to feel out that line.

    i don’t know that much specifically about forensic science, but my general advice in: go in with an open mind, and you’ll have the shortest route to figuring out how you really want to be spending your time.

    obviously, people vary widely in how their marks change when they come to university, but i’ve encountered a lot of people who follow the 10% rule: that is, their average drops about 10% from what it was in high school. i know mine dropped exactly 10% between grade 12 and first year – the gap has since narrowed a little bit, probably since i’ve instituted my “at least 4 hours of sleep every?night” rule. (it’s done wonders for me, really. try it sometime.)

    if you work hard and remain relatively engaged with what you’re studying, it’ll be tough not to pass your courses. first year is tough because there are a lot of courses out there designed to weed people out, but even so, most people don’t fail them.

    all in all, i wouldn’t worry too much. just focus on finding out how to make university work for you (or how to find something else if it turns out uni is NOT for you), and you’ll be alright.

    i mean, none of us are gonna have jobs when we get out of this anyways, so. what is even the point of stressing, tbh.

    cheers,

    aska

    * i mean, i guess it’s also a result of, like, how good your profs are and stuff, but i’m talking about things INTRINSIC to YOU. because we’re all NARCISSISTS here at aska and also we don’t want to offend people who are tenured.

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