askastudent - your student life specialists

mental health, no one asked

feeling the (varsity) blues?

January 3, 2026
ok ok, forgive me for that title but i couldn’t resist, it was right there.

bringing you a non-question post (!!!) for the first time in a bit because, heartbreakingly, the winter semester begins in a couple days.

(pretend it’s snow instead of rain)

i’m sure a lot of us are feeling kinda like garbage right now, between going back to classes, the holidays wrapping up, and the brutal reality of toronto winters. sooo i decided to put together a late gift for you all and make a post gathering some of the best resources at uoft if/when you’re not in a great headspace.

general info

the absolute BEST place to start, imo, is the main mental health resource site. it’s a pretty handy spot that gathers info on all the different resources available to students, including counselling, workshops, everything under the sun. there’s also some more websites for each campus that are specific to the resources available there:
- utsg
- utm
- utsc
if you’re new to ontario, navigating the health system (especially when it comes to mental health services) can be a total pain. luckily there is a spot on the mental health website where you can learn more about it!

in person, you can also visit the health and wellness centres at each campus:
- utsg
- utm
- utsc
urgent

there’s also some services you can access (for free as a uoft student!) if you’re really in need of someone to talk to asap. for instance, until recently i had no idea that you could get same or next day counselling appointments for specific issues! there’s also a 24/7 help line for students you can call anytime, staffed by professionals.

now if you or someone you know is in danger, prioritize safety and call 911 or uoft campus safety 416-978-2222 (which has trained counsellors on the line). if it’s not immediate danger, you can call 9-8-8, the suicide crisis helpline free for everyone, and there’s always the 24/7 help line for students i mentioned above.

in general, 100% check out this list of places to get urgent support for a variety of issues.

i hope you all found this little post useful! please please please check out the main mental health website when you can, even if you’re not in need of any of their services at the time, it’s great to have some ideas in your back pocket if/when you ever gotta use em.

good luck to all of you loyal subjects this sem and may you have a very not-blue year!!

cheers,

aska
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admissions, arts & sciences, getting into U of T, life science, UTSC

my passion project? passing my classes

January 3, 2026

I’m a Grade 10 student with an 80s average and I wanna get into UofT or UTSC and major in something like medical science. However, I am not in ANY clubs or anything and have done basically nothing outside of passing my classes. Do passion projects really matter for UofT acceptance? What can I even do now I’m sorry

heyyo,

no need to apologize, questions are literally what i’m here for. and i mean literally. that’s kinda the whole point of my life, actually.

and i have more good news for you: you have absolutely no reason to worry about not doing any clubs or ecs in high school. this is because at uoft, the programs most people interested in med sci apply to (life sci at utsg or life sci/health sci at utsc), only require grades. yippee!

your average is in a pretty solid place right now, too, since utsg life sci is looking for a mid-high 80s average. both life sci and health sci at utsc want you to aim for mid-high 70s. so no, passion projects do not matter for the kinda programs you’d probably be interested in. unless your passion project is, as you say, passing your classes, which is a pretty important project i guess.

for right now just focus on keeping your grades consistent, around mid-high 80s for utsg. since you’re only in grade 10, you don’t have to worry about your grades this year, as uoft only looks at grade 11 and 12 marks. while it’s great to get into good study habits early, and ecs could open doors to job opportunities later on, you can mostly chillax for now and focus on the totally valid passion projects of hanging out with your friends and doomscrolling. oh, and passing your classes.

cheers,

aska

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campus life, cool things, extracurricular

putting your best foot forward

December 26, 2025

Hello, i am in grade 12 and want to go to uoft next year and I’m wondering what formal events there are at st george campus? like dances, galas, stuff like that. Thank you!

heyyo,

ooo it’s not everyday that someone asks about the more social side of uoft. unless of course it’s to ask if we’re really all lonely here.

i had to do quite a bit of digging for this one and i discovered that there are SO MANY formal events that happen on campus. like i knew of some of them but WOW there’s a lot.

to start, most of the colleges have their own events (if you don’t know what a college is at uoft, there’s more info here, but basically for arts and science students it’s your social/administrative hub on campus and where you’d usually live if you’re in res first year).

personally aska has only been to uc’s fireball, which happens in january-february and is themed (this year it’s alice in wonderland!). and yes, they do play fireball by pitbull.

but i know people in trin, vic, and st mikes who’ve mentioned college formals before. i found some info that trin apparently has two events called the conversat and saint’s ball, and i know one of them ran last year but i can’t find any more details :/ oh, and importantly, i’m pretty sure any uoft student can attend any college dances, although if you’re a student at that college you may get a discounted price or priority access to tickets. engineers also have their own thing (as per usual) with their formal dinner dances.

during orientation there’s formals too usually. uc and woodsworth did one this year I believe, and trin/vic/st mikes colleges have done joint formals the past few years. i know they did it at the rom one year. like, you can dance with dinosaurs. where else can you do that?

student associations also run formal events, there’s way too many for your humble aska to research ALL of them but i literally just saw an ad for a formal run by the tamil students’ association (and i know a lot of other cultural student groups put on formals!). your programs could also put on some events as well, which might also include more academic award nights or receptions.

so the world of dances and formals is BIG at uoft, and you just kinda gotta know where to look. my advice is to start following the social media pages of the colleges (and your college’s orientation when it’s created) during the summer, and then also the pages for programs or clubs you might be interested in joining (you can see a list here) (which you should probably do anyways).

hope this helps!!

cheers,

aska

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admissions, internal transfer, mental health

who doesn’t love filling out forms?

December 24, 2025

Hi I’m a student at UTSC looking to do an internal transfer to UTSG. My question is how does CGPA reflect based on extenuating circumstances? To put it short, I was doing well in my first semester and ended with a 3.2 GPA. But, second semester, disaster and outside influence tanked my GPA in which I had to go to counseling for. But then during summer I got a 3.3 again. But my cumulative is a 2.5, 0.2 short off the bare minimum. Can I still apply as an internal transfer and what should I do?

heyyo,

first of all, i’m sorry that you had to go through what you did last year. and you should be really proud of what you accomplished in the summer despite that!

now as you mentioned, yes, you do need at least a 2.7 cgpa to transfer from utsc to utsg. however, the good news is that, like all applicants, you can fill out a snazzy little form called a request for special consideration. so basically, in your join uoft portal, you should see a section where you can find the form. you’ll be able to explain your circumstances so that the admissions team knows what’s up! and as a little bird told me (who happens to be more than a little qualified on the matter), admissions teams do look closely at these forms and they can play a big part in admission decisions.

also, my own two cents here, but i think since you’re already quite close to the minimum gpa, you may be in a good position. especially since you’re on an upward trajectory!

another thing i have a bit of insider knowledge on is that you may get your offer a bit later than some other applicants (think may/june) because admissions wants your final grades to come in. however the good news is that, if you get a late offer, it will most likely NOT be conditional! so, one less thing to worry about.

one last thing i wanna mention is that, while i know you were going to counselling last year, if you ever do feel that you’d like to talk to someone again there’s a lot of stuff available for uoft students that a lot of people don’t know about. if you haven’t used it before there’s a huge list of resources on the main mental health site. you can also check out same- or next-day counselling if you’re downtown, or there’s a free hotline just for students. and you could take a look at the utsc-specific site! there’s a ton of places and people out there that you can turn to if you need it.

i wish you the best of luck with your application!! you got this.

cheers,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, summer

this news is good news

December 14, 2025

Hi!! i’m a gr 11 right now and i’ve never been good at english and it brings down my top 6 (i wanna get into life sci). if i take english in summer school, would uoft view my english mark as an inflated one? (St. George Campus!)

heyyo,

yippee it’s awesome you’re already considering coming to uoft!

you’re totally not alone with english bringing your average down, so many people in my high school who were aiming for some super competitive stem programs also had the same conundrum.

the good news is that uoft doesn’t care where you take your classes, as long as they’re through a ministry approved school. if the summer school course you wanna take is through your regular school/board OR an online accredited platform, you have nothing to worry about!

the sky is falling, hold onto your socks because the good news doesn’t end there: uoft also doesn’t consider grade inflation. well, i guess that’s not good news to everyone… but in your case, it means that even if your summer course is perhaps a little bit easier than it would be during the normal school year, it won’t affect your chances.

so…. yay! good news on all fronts i think. just make sure that if you decide to take english during the summer, do it during this upcoming year (NOT the summer after grade 12). uoft requires you to have completed or be registered in all your prereqs by admission.

good luck and try not to let hamlet ruin your summer vacation.

cheers,

aska

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campus life, clubs, drama, extracurricular

the theatre kids are eating good

November 21, 2025
What is the art scene like at UofT? I mean, like theatre, drama, artsy fartsy type of scene? I’m currently a grade 12 student who is super involved in my school’s theatre and drama club, and I would like to know if UofT St. George has active drama clubs or student-run theatre groups? I applied to UofT already for social sciences, and I plan on studying environmental studies or political science! I also ranked Victoria College as my number 1 bc I heard that it is involved in theatre (?) I plan to be super involved in UofT’s extracurriculars, so I’m just wondering if there are any opportunities in theatre arts such as plays, performances, gigs, etc. :))) Thank you!

heyyo,

omg hi fellow theatre kid!

yes, back in my high school days aska was also into drama. alas, while i still am, it’s fallen off a bit for me.

but i’m gonna make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to you, because i have just the best news for you: utsg has TONS of active drama groups! in fact, the day i was researching your question i went to a student production with my friends later that night!

a great place to start is the website for the uoft drama coalition, which has links to all of the major drama clubs and societies. some of the stuff on there is a bit outdated, though, so i’d recommend looking at the instagram pages of the individual groups for more relevant info! here’s a few:
- trinity college dramatic society
- st michael’s college troubadours
- victoria college dramatic society
- university college follies
- uoft improv
- the bob comedy revue
also, i would totally recommend checking out hart house theatre programs. hart house is utsg’s main extracurricular hub and their theatre always has stuff going on, from workshops to competitions to festivals. i can personally say that the classes they offer are super fun and also great to practice your audition skills. i took one last year and it was so worth it! the classes do cost money but they’re heavily discounted for uoft students.

on the topic of vic college, like i linked above they do have their own theatre group and the general vibe around campus is that they’re one of the more “artsy” colleges, BUT many of the other colleges also have their own theatre groups. you’re also not restricted from most roles at other colleges’ drama societies, so no matter which college you end up at you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get involved!

oh, and if you’re into the more scholarly side of drama, you could always take a course or two from the centre for drama, theatre, and performance studies.

so yeah, us theatre kids are eating good at utsg.

see you on stage next year!!

cheers,

aska
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international students, prospective student, scholarships/bursaries

hit it with your best shot

November 20, 2025
Hello :),

I stumbled upon your website while researching about the University of Toronto and I really appreciate that you’re helping prospective students. I completely understand if you can’t answer my question or don’t have time, but I thought I’d give it a try.

I’m a high school student from Germany in my junior year and I’ve been thinking about applying to the University of Toronto. Since I’ll need substantial financial support to study abroad, I’ve been looking into different scholarship options like the Lester B. Pearson Scholarship.

For context: My GPA is currently around 3.8 (about a 1.2 in the German system). Outside of school, I dance, play the piano and badminton and I’ve been taking university courses like law and psychology just out of interest. I’ve already earned some credits. I volunteer as an altar server, at a home for people with disabilities and I also give private tutoring. I was part of the student council last year and currently represent my grade.

I was honored with a “Best in Town” award and took part in an academy for talented students in my state that was run by Oxford students as well. I work for a newspaper that supports refugees and I’ll be doing research for an organization that focuses on psychological cruelty against children and be part of a national youth council. I’ve also done an internship at Charité (one of the top hospitals) and at a psychiatric facility.

I know you obviously can’t say whether I’d actually get admitted, but based on your experience, do you think my profile sounds strong enough to be a competitive candidate for the Lester B. Pearson Scholarship? I’ll graduate high school in 2027, so I don’t have my 12th or 13th grade grades yet, just what I’ve achieved so far.

Also, I was wondering: do you think it makes sense to apply to U of T and rely on the automatic consideration for other scholarships, without applying for the Lester B. Pearson scholarship? Or is it generally unrealistic to get enough funding that way as an international student?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, I’d really appreciate any honest advice you can give :)).

heyyo,

hi from across the ocean!!

i’m super glad you asked this question cause i think it’s super relevant and important, and like, who doesn’t want to know more about a full ride scholarship?

i’m guessing you’ve already seen this but just in case you haven’t, i would totally recommend checking out this website that has (most) of what you’d need to know for the scholarship.

to summarize the important stuff:
- you have to be nominated by your high school between july and october of the year you apply to uoft (so, in your case, 2026)
- check to see if your school has nominated anyone before! ask a principal or someone in your school’s administration if they have and tell them you’d like to be nominated next year (and go through whatever system they have in place for deciding who gets nominated!)
- IF your school hasn’t nominated anyone before, ask them to fill out this form. it’s closed right now but it should open in time for next year’s nominations!
you are tragically correct in that i am really not qualified to say whether you would get the scholarship or not. i have ears in many places but, alas, not in the pearson scholarship decision room. well, not right now at least.

the best i can do for you is suggest that you do some research on past winners to see what sorta traits those bigwigs in the scholarship committees are looking for. you can browse the profiles of last year’s winners here, and if you’re super dedicated you can look at the winners in the past several years near the bottom of the main scholarship page. it seems like a lot of winners have a lot of experience with community involvement, extracurriculars, and personal projects.

now, as for whether or not it’s worth it to apply to uoft: i say there’s never any harm in trying! ok, i’m probably (definitely) biased here but you’ll never know unless you try. of course, do apply to the pearson scholarship, but also keep in mind there’s a lot of other scholarships to be had, too!

like you mentioned, there are automatic admission scholarships that you’d find out if you’ve been awarded when you’re accepted to the university. there’s also other scholarships available for international students that you can check out. some of these are only for one year, some are automatically applied to your whole degree, and some can be renewed only if you keep your grades up to a certain level.

oh, and it really wouldn’t be a question about uoft without mentioning our colleges. if you apply to the faculty of arts and science (which has most of uoft’s undergrad programs), you will be a member of one of seven colleges, which is basically your administrative home base and where you’ll probably live on residence if you decide to live on campus in your first year. each college gives out admission awards to their own students. these are awarded to students in upper years as well as those in first year.

soooooo yeah! from all that i think it’s totally worth it to apply to uoft, you never know and it is ALWAYS worth trying! you seem to be super active in your community and extracurriculars already which is fantastic, keep up the great work with that and your grades and you’ll totally have a shot.

cheers,

aska
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getting into U of T,  prereqs,  programs,  psychology

timetable builder my beloved

November 17, 2025

hi aska!

thank you so much for answering my question 🙂 (i’m the social sciences applicant who’s interested in psych)

your answer did raise some more questions for me though. will it be difficult to get into the prereq courses i need to apply for a psych major because of my admission stream?

i’ve heard that psych is a ridiculously popular program and they give priority to life sci students.

heyyo,

oh my goodness hi hello, i always love a returning customer!!!!

let’s look at your first question first: will it be difficult to get into the prereqs for the psychology major?

now looking at the website tells me that the only prerequisites for the psychology major are grade 12 calculus, grade 12 biology, and the first-year course PSY100. so unless your school has, like, five million people and only three calculus and biology classes, i think you should be good for 2/3 of those.

as for PSY100, i have more good news for you, because as it turns out PSY100 is one of the biggest classes in terms of enrolment numbers at uoft! if you take a look at this nifty tool called the timetable builder (my beloved), put in the faculty (arts and science), and type “PSY100” in the course code bar, we can see that the current PSY100 class this semester was capped at 1500 people, and there’s still 191 spots available. yowza. next semester there are TWO classes running, one with 500 people that’s filled up and one with 1500 that still has 446 available as i’m writing this.

the one catch to all that is that PSY100 has “P” enrollment controls. what on earth does that mean, you ask? well, if we look into the course itself on timetable builder we can see that certain students had priority enrollment until july 23 this year, and all other students in the faculty of arts and science could enroll starting on july 25. i believe that those with priority were first years in the life sci admission stream. we can see here that this year, first years enrolled in their courses on july 17, so life sci kids had an extra 6 days over everyone else.

that may seem a bit scary, but… there are still hundreds of spots left in both semester’s courses, and it’s november! i think you should be fine getting into PSY100.

as for getting to the PROGRAM, i scoured the internet literally everywhere i could think of and i didn’t see anything that says being in the life sci admission stream is an advantage to getting into the program. the only way i can see that being true is because that stream gives you priority to PSY100, but as we already found, i don’t think you’d have to worry about that. while this site does tell applicants to apply to the life sci stream, i think it’s just cause you’d get priority to PSY100. you can enroll in programs outside your admission stream. so as long as you have the prereqs and your grades are in the right range (check that out here!), you should be just as competitive as any applicants who came from the life sci stream.

i hope this helped answer some of the stuff i didn’t get to last time! i wish you the absolute best in grade 12 and hopefully we’ll see you in psych classes in a few years!

cheers,

aska

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credits, degree requirements

no skipping the line

November 8, 2025

I’m a uoft st george undergrad student doing a double major in two lifesci programs. Is it possible for me to graduate with a bsc instead of an hbsc? Like if i wanted to finish in 3 years instead of 4 years and do less courses as a result.

heyyo,

ah, i get it, there would be nothing sweeter than finishing uni in three years, right? you’d get to laugh at your friends while they’d still have to trudge through another years’ worth of midterms and projects and exams.

but as great as that sounds, unless you take courses in the summer or extra courses during the year, there isn’t much you can do to make it happen.

when it comes to honours degrees, uoft is quite unique (how many times have i said that? we always have to be special). unlike other unis, all bachelor’s degrees in artsci are honours by default. the only way to graduate with a non-honours degree is if you have a CGPA between 1.5 and 1.85 but fulfill all the other requirements for graduation.

so you can’t choose to get a non-honours degree unless you have a CGPA below 1.85. no matter what, if you want out of here, you’ve gotta get your 20.0 credits. no skipping the line.

i know, having to stay here for 4 years isn’t easy, but hey, you’re trapped here now, so make the most of it! i’d say uoft is probably one of the best places to be stuck at for four years. you may not graduate in three years, but at least you’ll have an extra year of eating from the pink food truck!

cheers,

aska

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arts & sciences, programs, psychology

the art of being a science

November 7, 2025
hi! i’m a grade 12 student who’s just applied to UTSG social sciences. I’m interested in psych research as a career but more on the arts side. i know that psych is only offered as a life science and is really science heavy at u of t, but i read on their website that social sciences and humanities students can also declare a psych major if they have the pre reqs to do so.

so i’m wondering, exactly how much wiggle room would i have with customising my courses? im kind of worried about having to take a lot of hardcore science courses. its really not my vibe.

also, would i have to double major? because they don’t offer a ba in psychology do they?

ughhhhh help pls

heyyo,

i’m super excited to answer this one because it’s something i already knew a bit about!! in bygone days i was also considering psychology, and as a not very sciency person myself, was a bit disheartened to see that uoft only offered a science degree for psych.

you are correct that utsg only offers psychology as a science program. HOWEVER, the fact that you applied to the social science admission category does not mean that you can’t do a psychology program. within arts and science, your admission category doesn’t restrict you when it comes to which classes and programs you can take.

the only thing you’d have to watch out for is the prerequisites for the program. i’m gonna assume here that you’re an ontario student. for the psych major, you have to have a passing grade in grade 12 calculus and vectors and grade 12 biology.

now as for how sciency the program actually is… well, let’s take a look at the required courses. the only one that jumps out at me as truly math or science-based is statistics I.

now, you COULD double major, or you couldn’t. see, the way programs work at uoft is a little wacky. if you wanna do psych, your options would essentially be:
- A psych major and another major
- Another major, another minor, and a psych minor
- A psych specialist
if you only wanna do psych, you’d do the specialist, which is basically a super-major geared towards people that wanna pursue research or grad school. it also requires more credits… including another stats course and research courses. if you do a psych major and a major in an arts field, you could choose whether you want an arts or science degree at graduation. pretty cool. or if you only do the psych minor, your degree would be in either arts or science depending on your major.

wooooooow that’s a lot of info.

bear with me for a little longer, dear reader.

you could also look into UofT’s other campuses in Mississauga (UTM) or Scarborough (UTSC). both of them also have psych programs. UTM’s major has some sciencey sounding courses, but unlike UTSG I don’t see any required math courses. for some reason UTSC has a crazy amount of psych programs (like. just look at this). i can’t summarize all of them without making this post a trillion words long, but from what i can see there’s some lab and data analysis courses involved.

all of this to say… you’ll have your first year to think about things. if you’re still interested in psych, 100% take PSY100 since it’ll give you a sample of what the subject is like (and it’s a prerequisite for psych programs). take classes in other areas you might be interested in, and see where the year takes you. explore!

be like dora.

i hope the boatload of info i just dropped on you makes sense, and not like the ramblings of an incoherent person who happens to know a concerning amount about how psych programs at uoft work. i promise i’m normal.

promise.

best of luck with applications and your first year!

cheers,

aska
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admissions,  applying for U of T,  getting into U of T,  life science

running to labs vs running drills

October 28, 2025

hi aska,

i’m a current grade 12 student in ontario and i would consider myself to be a pretty good student (taking all APs, usually get pretty good grades, on top of homework, etc. etc.). however, i also play volleyball and it definitely does affect my ability to actually focus on certain subjects, of which i have found mostly to be math.

i’m applying to uoft life science (first choice on OUAC, i REALLY want to get in) and i’m a bit scared because i’m not doing very well in data management (current average after 2 quizzes + a test is 81), and i know it’s not a prereq but i’m still worried.  for context, my overall grade 11 average last year was a 91% (including fast-tracked comp sci and advanced functions).  i got a 97 in G11 AP English, 92 in G11 functions, 89 in G11 AP Bio, 87 in G11 chemistry, 87 in advanced functions, and 90 in G12 comp sci.

starting out this semester, i have bio and english, and i think i can project myself doing pretty well in those.

so, my question is: what is the likelihood of someone with my grades getting into uoft life science? what would be an average i should aim for? how can i ensure i get into uoft?

should i just apply to rmc at this point ?

Thanks!

heyyo,

wellllll I’ve never been to rmc and don’t know anyone who goes there, but im willing to guess that life at utsg life sci is quite a bit different than at rmc. for instance, i have yet to hear of a life sci student who has been forced to do obstacle courses at 7am in order to get their degree. but hey, maybe i just haven’t talked to enough life sci kids yet…

to answer your actual questions though:

the recommended average for life sci admission varies depending on the campus. that’s right, you can take life sci at all three uoft campuses. I don’t know which one you’re at (guys, PLEASE tell me what campus you’re talking about!!), so i took the liberty of doing a bit of research for all of them. so generous, i know.

at utsg (the downtown campus), the approx admission range is mid to high 80s. at utsc it depends on the specific programs you’d wanna do but they’re mostly mid-high 70s, and at utm there’s no grade requirements for life sci specifically but the general requirement is an average of 75%. so i’ll let you make assumptions about that.

also, a quick side note in case you didn’t know about it already: some programs within the life sciences category require certain classes in high school. i would very very very much highly recommend that you look through all the programs listed in the table on this website to make sure you’re taking the classes you’ll need to get into any programs you might be into. there’d be nothing worse than wanting to apply to, like, the pharmaceutical chemistry program but oops! you didn’t take grade 12 physics.

thank me later.

so as for how you can ensure that you get in — life sci is a grades-only admission category, so really the best thing you can do is maintain your good grades.

now as for balancing school with volleyball, it’s of my personal opinion that having something fun outside of academics is almost always a good thing. i think it boosts your mood, can prevent burnout, and if it’s a team sport like what you’re doing it can keep up your social relationships. i mean, if i didn’t have a life outside of academics, i wouldn’t be writing to you right now. and how sad would that be?

however, if you find that it’s really distracting you and having a negative impact on your schoolwork, talk to your guidance counselor and/or coach to see what you can figure out together. if you really feel like you need a bit of a break from volleyball you could try telling your coach, but i would personally never recommend fully dropping out of a sport or ec that makes you happy unless your academics are in really dire straits. which yours are not!

keep up your great work so far, and best of luck with your application! i hope you’ll be running to your labs at uoft this time next year, and not running drills at rmc (unless you decide you’re into that).

cheers,

aska

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academic success,  criminology,  UTM

go get that crim

October 27, 2025

I’m writing my second test today for criminology and honestly I’m traumatized after the first ever term test I took for any course came out as a 68 and I’m just worried about how it’ll affect my POSt. I also have no idea what study strategies work best so I can maintain 80-85 in my classes.

heyyo,

aw, i’m really sorry to hear that you weren’t feeling great after that test :/

it’s totally normal to be disappointed, AND it was only your first test — so as difficult as it is, don’t be too hard on yourself.

the good news is that trying to figure out what study methods are good for you is exactly what you’re supposed to be doing! so here’s how i can help you with that:

i did a bit of digging, and from what you told me i think you’re at utm? i’m also guessing based on the info about the program you wanna go into that it’s criminology, law, and society. the website tells me that the only courses you need to get in are:

1) ISP100, and

2) a final mark of at least 67% in SOC100 OR a final mark of at least 70% in both SOC109 (the course i think you’re talking about?) and one 0.5 credit course in sociology at the 200 level or above

although it says it can change each year, you will indeed need at least a 2.0 GPA to be considered, which is equivalent to a C average or 63-66%.

there’s a smaaaalll chance you could be aiming for the utsg program, but i think your description fits better with the utm one. still, i dropped the link to that program page in the off chance my sleuthing failed me.

(oh, and ps: tell me what campus you’re at or you may not get the answer you want! i’m very wise but unfortunately i can’t read your mind through the internet. yet).

based on all that program info, if you were able to get a 68 on your first test, please be SO far from giving up hope! you’re very very close to where you wanna be.

if you wanna get some good advice or tips on how to study more effectively to get those grades up to the 80-85 you want, i think i found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when it comes to UTM study resources. if you can imagine that as a rainbow.

please meet: the Robert Gillespie Academic Skills Centre website.

in this pot of gold, you can find info on a whole bunch of programs and workshops, and if you’d rather stay in your room and sit behind a computer (same), you can peruse a ton of videos and articles about every academic skill you could imagine.

and if all else fails, you can also book a personalized appointment at the centre so you can get your specific questions answered.

i hope this helps! you’ve got this 🙂

now go get that crim

cheers,

aska

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admissions, applying for U of T, engineering, getting into U of T

entering the hallowed halls

October 15, 2025

Hello, I have a question. I’m currently a gr 11 student. i didn’t really care about my grades or study at all. I have an 80 average I know won’t cut it for university. I want to go to UofT Mechanical Engineering. I have amazing ecs, 500+ hours volunteer, intern 4 months, DECA 4 years, STEM 2 years. I can easily get 97+ in gr 12 but I’ve been told they look at gr 11 for consistency which I don’t have so I’m unsure if I can make it in.

heyyo,

i’m far from an expert on engineering admissions but luckily for both me and you, there is a LOT of info about them online. plenty from official sources (check out the ones i link for you!), or, if you are so inclined, you can enter the hallowed halls of reddit to read about the experiences of the applicants before you.

oh, and there’s quite a bit on the lovely site you’re already on, too (shameless self-advertising, i know i know).

anyways, for now i will save you a bit of time sorting through all that info and give you the important stuff:

so i’m gonna assume that you’re an ontario high school student. if you’re out of province but in canada, see here for the requirements. if you’re international, check here.

now if you are indeed a student in ontario, according to the admission faqs, you need to have an average of about high 80s to low 90s to be competitive for mechanical engineering. it’s important to note that when grade 12 final marks aren’t available yet, admissions will look at your grade 11 prerequisites to help calculate your average. they also consider your individual grade 11 and 12 courses along with the average.

you’re right that extracurriculars are important for engineering admissions. according to the admission faqs, you’ll have a chance to write about your experiences and submit a personal profile. part of that personal profile involves recording yourself answering questions. i do believe that there are workshops that can help you prep for that part of your application, but i couldn’t find any available at the moment. i did, however, find a site which lists some upcoming events for hopeful engineers. keep your eyes peeled!

my advice for what you can do right now is to start getting some help from teachers and guidance counselors. ask your teachers for more feedback so you know what skills you can work on. and my friend, i am very sorry to be the one to inform you of this tragedy, but if you wanna go to uoft, you will have to start studying.

i know, i know, it’s all quite upsetting. but you can start now by doing some research on study tips (there’s SO MUCH out there, google is your friend), and asking your guidance counselor if you want some more personalized advice.

and one last thing: 100% keep aiming for mech eng, but there are also other programs at uoft (and at other unis, forgive me for being a bit traitorous) that you would probably find cool too! check out all of the programs that the math and physical sciences admission category at uoft’s st george campus can lead you to, or browse more options at uoft’s mississauga and scarborough campuses. oh, and there’s always the other programs within the faculty of engineering.

best of luck with applying to uoft next year! enjoy the rest of high school!!

cheers,

aska

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