• admissions,  getting into U of T,  international students,  prereqs

    math in the land down under

    October 15, 2026

    hiiiiiii. i’m a year nine (soon to be year ten) high school student from australia. i’m a triple citizen (canada, australia + one other country) so ive been looking into universities in both ca and aus. obvs im pretty young and things change quickly, but id rather learn everything and then adjust later, know anyways, ive been trying to plan out my subjects for later years which lead me to figure out that math in senior high in australia is completely different than in ontario (and in canada in general). a lot of the programs ive been looking at require calculus and vectors and absolutely NO ONE seems to know if the equivalent subject in australia (queensland specifically) would be math methods or math specialist. specialist is a lot harder and has to be taken alongside methods (taking up two subject slots, so i really dont wanna take it) so, my question. how would i figure this out? im also assuming that different unis even within the same province might accept different subjects so would i have to ask every uni individually? and, if the equivalent ended up being specialist and i didnt take it or if neither subject is a suitable equivalent, how else could i meet the math requirement (specifically for uoft)? srry this question ended up being really long, and thank you! 

    heyyo, 

    greetings, my australian friend! i’ve been getting lots of asks from out of province students lately and it makes me very happy to see that aska’s influence has reached all corners of the world. i say that in a very kind and definitely not evil way. 

    oh and also, good on you for asking about this stuff now, no such as thing as learning stuff about uni too early!  

    i took a little sneak peek at how high schools in queensland look, and at a glance, it actually seems like your year 12 math system is very similar to ontario’s. in ontario, you need to take another grade 12 math course called “advanced functions” before you can take calculus and vectors. so I took guess here that advanced functions = math methods, and calculus/vectors = math specialist. obviously i knew that this wasn’t the news you wanted to hear, so i did a little bit more digging. 

    uoft doesn’t post international high school equivalent courses for australia, unfortunately, and basically just says you have to graduate. very helpful. iowever, i did find this page from wilfrid laurier university, which is another uni in ontario. aaaaand it confirmed my suspicions, sadly: specialist math is indeed equivalent to calculus 🙁

    based on that page, i would wager that the same equivalency applies to other ontario unis, including uoft. buuuuut there’s a chance i might be wrong (hush), so if you want to make 100% sure, you should probably contact the schools you’re interested in. you can get in touch with a slightly more qualified person at uoft here. you just submit a form and voila, they get back to you with the answer you need. 

    as for whether you can get around that requirement… it is may be possible, but i probably wouldn’t bet on it. if you’re interested in programs at utsc, uoft’s campus in the east end of toronto, you can take a math preparedness course that can replace the need for high school calculus for certain programs. you can also take calculus and vectors through an online high school. it’s fully accredited and will be recognized by unis, buuut it does cost money. as a last resort, it’s also sometimes possible to skirt around this requirement by emailing the department running the program(s) you’re interested in. i really wouldn’t count on this, though. that sorta thing is usually for people who are already in uni and have some regrets. you, meanwhile, you young grasshopper, still have time to not make those same “mistakes.” if you’re pretty sure you’ll want to pursue a program that requires that math specialist course, you might just have to hold your nose and dive in. 

    if you are super duper against taking that course, you can also look at some of the programs at uoft that don’t require calc. check out the giant chart at the end of this file to see every single program that doesn’t care if you’re some sort of “math specialist.”

    i wish the best to you for the rest of your high school career, and i hope to see you on uoft’s campus in a couple years!! 

    cheers,

    aska 

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  • admissions,  business,  commerce,  getting into U of T,  management,  rotman,  UTM,  UTSC

    greetings from the past

    October 7, 2026

    Hi! I’m a student based in Halifax, Nova Scotia and I’m in grade 11. I’m super interested in the business/ marketing/ international business (heh what can i say i’m indecisive) program at uoft. I was wondering if you know anyone who has taken those courses and what can you tell me about them? Also, I heard that for the application for commerce you need extracurriculars, I’m still thinking about what i should do for that but do you think 2 or 3 would be enough? 

    Thank you so much for your help and time!! ? 

    heyyo, 

    wowie not too often i get askers from halifax. how’s the future out there? what is the world like an hour from now? 

    now, i know a little bit about business at uoft, though i myself have never touched it with a ten foot pole. but luckily i do know some people on the inside. 

    there are business programs at all three of uoft’s campuses (yes, there are three if you didn’t already know)! i only really know about the vibes at the rotman commerce program at uoft’s downtown campus, so that’s what i’ll talk about here. from what i have heard about the business programs at the other campuses, vibes are similar, though there are fewer students so everything will be toned down a little. 

    if you’ve done research already, you’ve probably read that rotman is a hard program. and yes, it can be hard. i’m not gonna tell you that it’s eezy peezy like the internet says business programs apparently are. unfortunately, no one i know at rotman has had to submit a colouring sheet as their final exam. disappointing, i know. 

    howeeeeeever, i’ve also heard that other top business schools in ontario are very hard, too. so go figure. the thing that makes rotman so worth it is that there are so many great resources and networking opportunities available to you. just look at the current students page to get a glimpse into everything that’s out there. there are people who can and want to help you do well in classes, land an internship, and find a job after graduation. i’ve also heard the sentiment online that rotman is very cutthroat, and while it can be competitive, i’ve also heard so many people making great friends through their program. so it’s not like everyone wants to bite your head off. 

    as for the programs themselves: “international business” as a program is only offered at utsc, uoft’s campus in the suburban area of scarborough. however, there are definitely international business courses you can take on the other two campuses! utsc also has a co-op (internship/work term, essentially, not sure what you call it in nova scotia) option for management and international business.  

    marketing, on the other hand, is offered on all three campuses. at uoft’s downtown campus (utsg), it’s offered through the rotman commerce school. if you choose to specialize in management, you can do a focus in marketing. there’s also marketing at the mississauga campus (utm), and management and marketing at utsc. so many markets, so little time. 

    ok, maybe not that kind of market. 

    the utm program only requires grades, so no extracurriculars needed; feel free to slack off (not serious NOT SERIOUS). at utsc and rotman, you have to submit some supplementary materials, both of which do mention ecs. again, i don’t know how rotman admissions works myself, but usually when ecs come up in admissions, quality is better than quantity. having 2 really good ecs that show your involvement in your school or community, or something you care about, looks a lot better than having 10 ecs that you didn’t invest much time into. for any program, you’ll probably have the chance to explain yourself, so my advice is to really sell your impact, or your “why.” and for the love of aska, don’t make the “why” “because my parents told me to.” 

    you do still have a year left until you have to apply, though, so don’t worry too much if you feel like you haven’t done enough yet. it’s ok to start smaller this year and work your way up for grade 12. 

    wishing you luck from an hour in the past! 

    cheers, 

    aska 

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  • campus,  campus life,  time management

    doors are important, y’know

    August 16, 2026

    hi aska,  

    so for next fall, i have two classes on friday that are back to back. my tutorial for cog250 ends at 11am, and my vic145 seminar starts at 11. buildings are a thirteen minute walk apart.  

    obviously, i cannot teleport, so im wondering if you have any advice on how to not miss too much of either class. 

    heyyo, 

    ah yes, the age-old dilemma of getting across uoft’s massive campus within the supposedly generous 10 minutes of uoft time. 

    actually, considering you’re almost certainly a first year (since you’re taking a first year seminar course), you may not even know what this “uoft time” is. i guess it’s my sacred duty to inform you. basically, every class, tutorial, lab, practical, etc. at uoft starts 10 minutes after the hour. so your 11am seminar will actually start at 11:10. the point is to give you more time to get across campus, but it’s not always enough, since it can sometimes take twice that time to get from one place to another. hell, in a big enough class in con hall, you’re lucky if you get out of the building in under four minutes. 

    so until teleportation is invented, we unfortunately just have to suck it up and deal with it. sigh.  

    now, forgive my stalkerness, but i just had to check timetable builder to see which buildings you’d be travelling between. i think it would be sid smith to northrop frye? which is a bit yikes. i did see that there is another cog250 tutorial, also from 10-11, but it’s at the uc building, which is a decent amount closer to northrop frye. unless you have a particular reason to be at the sid smith tutorial, i’d switch to the uc one. also, uc is a way nicer building (i’m a sid smith hater), so why wouldn’t you wanna be in a castle instead of a glorified high school? 

    (live footage from sid smith, btw)

    if you can’t switch for whatever reason, or i’m dumb and you are already in the uc tutorial, the first step is to talk to your profs/TAs. in a bigger class, leaving early/being late isn’t a huge deal, but since both your classes are smaller, it’s good to check in with your instructor. despite what you may hear, most profs do have a soul, and they should be understanding of your plight. from there, i’d just be observant in your first week(s) of classes. if your tutorial has something important right at the end (like attendance or a quiz), or your seminar has something right at the beginning, i would prioritize being on time for the class with the important thing. similarly, if one prof/TA is understanding and the other isn’t, you’ll unfortunately have to be punctual for the less understanding one’s class. 

    i also wanna drop some other miscellaneous tips, coming from someone who has also had some very unfortunate back-to-back class locations. in first year, i literally took the subway two stops to get from one class to another, because the distance between them was insane if i just walked. 

    first tip is, if you have to leave a few minutes early from your tutorial, make sure to sit near the door. that way it’s easier for you to get up and leave, and it also isn’t as disruptive to your classmates. similarly, if you’re always late to your seminar, don’t be that person who has to bumble their way up to the front. just it in the seats closer to the door. 

    sometimes it can be easier said than done, but there’s also no harm in making friends in your classes. if you ever miss anything important, there’ll be someone who can fill you in. obviously it would be great if you, y’know, actually like them, but you don’t have to be besties to share notes. 

    aaand my last piece of advice, especially because you’re a first year, is to walk the route before the first day!! i know this part sounds silly, but when you take this walk, pay attention to the optimal doors for each building. sid smith is a really annoying square (yes, i’m hating on it again), and if you end up going out one of the doors on the west side of the building, congrats, you’ve just added an extra 3 minutes to your walk. so find and plan out those doors!!! doors are important, y’know. 

    best of luck navigating the high seas of utsg. 

    cheers, 

    aska 

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  • admissions,  getting into U of T

    the more you know

    August 16, 2026

    hallo!!, I am from Alberta and would like to confirm whether Advanced Acting 35 (course code: LDC3975), a 5-credit Grade 12 locally developed Fine Arts course, is considered an acceptable Grade 12 subject for admission and can be included in the five Grade 12 courses used to calculate my admission average for the Faculty of Arts. Thanks :)) 

    heyyo, 

    i love getting niche questions because it means i get to go down a rabbit hole of niche topics! and in this case, i got to learn more about what alberta high school course codes mean. the more you know. 

    uoft’s admission info for alberta students is a bit lacklustre if i may say so myself. however, what it does tell us is that you need 5 grade 12 academic courses at the 30/31 level. it also says that “challenge subjects, career courses, career courses, work experience courses, and/or co-op courses” will not be considered for admission. 

    based on what i could find, i don’t think that your course would count as any of those “challenge subjects, etc.”. unfortunately, however, i’m also pretty sure that it wouldn’t be considered a 30/31 level course. from what i could gather about how alberta course codes are structured, i think that the numbered part of the course code has to start with exactly 30 or 31 to be considered for your uoft admission. since yours starts with a 39, it probably wouldn’t count. 

    BUT you can also take this with a little grain of salt, because again, i knew nothing about alberta high schools until yesterday. 

    i really recommend that you fill out this form so that you can get in touch with someone who can answer your question with 100% certainty. because while i do know everything (obviously)… i can also sometimes know nothing. 

    i do wanna say, though, that even if that course won’t be considered for admission, it absolutely won’t HURT your chances. as long as you have 5 other 30/31 courses, there’s nothing wrong with taking a class you’re genuinely interested in. especially one as cool as advanced acting. don’t let the pressure of getting into uoft make you give up something you love!

    cheers, 

    aska 

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  • courses,  life science,  prereqs

    crazy, random happen-stances

    August 16, 2026

    hiya! i’ve heard you talk about bio120 before and ive gotten interested in being in STEM recently and am looking into it but i only took grade 11 biology, should i put it off for another year to focus on my other major while taking grade 11-12 math and chem online? that way when i take bio120 i can also hopefully take more stem related classes in general as well. any advice helps!  

    heyyo, 

    this question is an insane coincidence. literally the very last asker was also wondering about taking bio120/bio courses without the high school prereqs. and i answered that question AFTER you submitted this one, so it’s not like you were influenced. wild. 

    this coincidence is actually super lucky for you, since that other asker let me in on a liiiiittle scoop of super relevant info: it may actually be possible for you to take bio120 right now, before even taking grade 12 bio. the last asker had also only taken grade 11 bio, but they contacted the course coordinators and were able to get permission to enroll anyways. now, i can’t guarantee you anything (so don’t come after me if they reject you…) but i would recommend getting in touch with the bio120 office just to see if they’ll let you in. 

    as for whether you should take some online high school classes… well that depends on two things: if you wanna take a program in biology, and how many years you have left before you want to graduate. 

    if you only wanna take bio120 and maybe some other stem courses as electives, then it may not be necessary to take all those high school classes. there ARE some stem courses designed to be taken as electives by people without a science background: eeb214, eeb215, for200, imm250, and nfs284, just to name a few. there’s also a ton of life sci courses that only require bio120 and bio130 as a prereq, so if you can get into those two, you’ll gain access to even more options.  

    now if you’re interested in a bio minor, i have some really heartbreaking news for you… some of the required classes do require you to take chm135/chm136, which require you to have taken grade 12 chem and math. while you can always go bug the department for special permission, i feel like the odds may not be in your favour if you’re doing a whole program. but hey, prove me wrong and give it a shot. 

    if you wanna do a MAJOR, my advice is basically the same as if you were doing a minor: probably best to take some high school classes online. however, i do wanna point out that the bio major requires you to take chem classes as part of the program, which the minor does not. 

    oh, and if you were eyeing a different STEM program entirely (and i just wasted the last 45 minutes… no hard feelings…), you can check out all the details here. 

    finally, you should also prob consider how much time you want to spend on your degree. if there’s still 3-4 years left until you plan on graduating, you still have plenty of time to take some online courses and push back taking a stem major by a year. if you only have 1-2 years left, though, you could totally take some electives (and maybe a minor) but it would be pretty difficult to do a major. 

    sorry for this super long-winded essay of a response, i hope that it helped! and that you were able to get through it without falling asleep… 

    if more questions pop up for you, feel free to flood my inbox. 

    cheers, 

    aska 

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  • biology,  prereqs,  programs

    the power of intrinsic motivation

    August 16, 2026

    hi!! i’m in a bit of a weird situation and i don’t know where else to go so i can’t tell you how grateful i am for this site :)!!

    so i just transferred into uoft st. george as a first year history student (only 1.5 transfer credits) BUT i found my love for biology in the last couple years but that means i have very few high school pre requisites :(. i took grade 11 bio online and got the waiver for bio120 (fingers crossed i get into a class!) but i have no chemistry and no grade 12 math, ive been doing self study of chemistry and math (and some bio still) going through textbooks and thinking about taking a lighter course load and then taking at least grade 11 chem online and maybe a grade 12 math in second sem.

    would it be possible at all to load up on bio classes (as well as my history classes weird double major i know) and still get in as long as bio is an open major even if i lack so many pre requisites? sorry i know this is a weird predicament but any help is appreciated!! tyty <33 

    heyyo, 

    awww i love to hear when you guys love aska! it’s so nice to know that i’m actually helping people, y’know? 

    i also totally understand your situation. there are plenty of people who start uni for one thing but then discover a new interest. i, for one, don’t think it’s weird at all to be a bio/history double major! it’s pretty awesome that you can explore two of your interests in your degree. and hey, it’ll open up more job opportunities too. 

    the sucky part of this is, as you talk about, the extremely annoying world of prereqs. the fact that you got permission to enroll in bio120 is great, and i think it’ll help you out a lot going forward. lemme break it down for you. 

    sorry, that was a little cringy.

    the recommended courses for first year bio majors are bio120, bio130, and some chem courses: either chm151, or chm135 AND chm136. you already have permission for bio120, check! ideally you’d take that in first semester. bio130 requires grade 12 bio and chem. since you’re taking bio120 and presumably high school chem online, i’d email the course coordinators to ask if you can take the course. chm135 and chm151 require chem and math. same scenario here: if you’re interested, email the department to see if they’ll let you in. no promises, but it’s worth a shot. just make sure to mention your plan to take those high school courses (and bio120). 

    the good thing about the bio major is that it is not required for you to take all those courses in first year. it is recommended, but since it’s an open enrollment program, you can still enroll even if you don’t get into all of the courses i talked about. so, if you’d rather focus on your history major this year (or if the department denies your requests, stupid red tape…), that’s no problem. i think it would be totally fair to take a lighter course load so that you can also do those high school classes, and maybe even that self-studying you mentioned. you may not have the time for the latter even with a reduced course load, but hey, who am i to deny you the power of intrinsic motivation? 

    so to sum everything up, i think the best course of action would be to take those online high school courses (make sure they’re through an accredited school!), and then either a) contact the chem and bio departments to see if they’ll let you into those classes, or b) just focus on your history major this year (+bio120) and then be ready to go for bio/chem classes in your next year. it’ll mean a TON of time in the lab next year, but such are the sacrifices we make. 

    anyways, i hope this helped! i know it’s kind of a complicated situation (it always is when it comes to programs/prereqs), but hopefully this helped you to make sense of it all. good luck, my future mad scientist and/or the next philomena cunk. 

    cheers, 

    aska 

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  • credits,  transfer credits

    a tale of two disclaimers

    August 16, 2026

    hey aska, 

    incoming first year here. in high school, i took two dual credit courses (you get high school credit as well as university credit for taking them) at an accredited canadian university  

    both were 200 level courses that were pretty surface level so i did end up doing well in them.  

    i’m hoping to get the credits transferred onto my uoft record because that would be two less classes i have to take. i’m not looking for these courses to count towards my degree or my gpa or anything i literally just want the credit. 

    the transfer credit tool was no help, and neither was reddit because they’re mostly concerned with degree requirements and prerequisite courses and stuff.  

    so basically what i’m asking is. as far as you know, would i be able to get the credits transferred? or is there no way of knowing and the registrar can just be like ‘nah’? 

    heyyo, 

    i cannot tell you for certain, but it does seem like you’ll be able to get those credits! 

    this site says that you can get up to 3.0 transfer credits for postsecondary courses you took in high school. so there is def a precedent for people like you! one disclaimer: certain programs (such as comp sci) do have restrictions on transfer credits. i do have a few friends in artsci programs who had their dual enrollment courses considered towards their degree, though, so i don’t think it’s too restrictive. 

    the other big disclaimer is that you have to have disclosed these courses on your application. i’m not totally sure what that means. if you’re an ontario student, i assume it would be included in the info that your school uploaded to ouac. if youre

    as for the broader question… i can’t make any promises, and i guess there is a small chance that they just say “nah.” 

    i would really encourage you to email transfer.artsci@utoronto.ca to get a bit more clarity. i think you should be fine, but who am i but a rando undergrad? if you’re still nervous i would reach out to that email. make sure you clear everything up by the end of your first semester. 

    oh, and one last thing: your transfer credits will not count towards your GPA, but they will (probably) count towards your degree. they will likely not count towards your program, however. if you’re going into artsci, most transfer credits will be put towards completing your “breadth requirements,” which is basically a requirement that says you must take a certain number of courses in various different subject areas. this means that you won’t have to take as many “elective” courses in uni. it’s good for some, but bad for others such as myself, who has some very niche interests that only uoft’s strangest courses can fulfill. i mean, who DOESN’T want to take “witchcraft, religion, and the powers of the occult”? no one, that’s who. 

    i really hope this helped you! i’d look out for the results of your transfer credit assessment from the end of august to october. if you do get your transfer credits approved, make sure to check out this page to figure out what all those random words on your assessment mean. 

    cheers, 

    aska 

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  • askastudent announcement

    it’s not deja vu, trust

    August 12, 2026

    heyyo,

    good news and bad news for loyal aska readers.

    the bad news: last week, a month of aska posts got swept away, never to return. unfortunately uoft’s IT department had to cleanse some sites because there were some issues with the platform we use. this means that aska has to repost all of the questions answered in the past month and fix broken links all over the internet. luckily i have drafts, but they were edited a bit, so it’ll take a wee bit.

    ^me rn^

    i’m still 100% open to new questions while i work on the restoration process tho, so don’t be afraid to send em in!

    the good news: you all get to read all those answers again. and you WILL read them again, because you love aska that much.

    see you on the other side.

    cheers,

    aska

    Read More
  • admissions,  getting into U of T,  neuroscience,  UTSC

    my friend… take a breath

    July 7, 2026

    Hi! I’m going into grade 12 this fall, and I really want to apply to neuroscience at the Scarborough campus. My grade 11 semester 1 grades were good (95.5% average), but not my semester 2 grades (low 90s average), which dropped my overall grade 11 average down to a 93%. I also only got a 92 in chemistry, and only got a 90 in English – both of which are prerequisites for the program. How much would low grades in those two courses affect my chances of getting into the program? 

    Thank you so much!

    heyyo, 

    my friend… take a breath. 

    you are so fine right now. a 93 average is nowhere near being “not good.” in fact, an average like that could get you into most programs in ontario (only excluding the absolute most competitive ones). i know it might not seem like it, if you’re comparing yourself to people on reddit who are worried about their 97% averages, but you are doing really really well. 

    utsc neuroscience has a recommended admission average of high 70s, or low 80s if you wanna do co-op. even if those numbers are actually a little higher, or even if your grades drop a bit next year, you would still be in a very good position to get into the program.  

    i don’t have any super detailed advice for you, other than to just keep doing what you’re doing! of course you should stay focused on school, but don’t stress yourself out over it too too much. as long as you stay on top of your studies next year, you will be perfectly fine. take some time to enjoy your hobbies and hang out with friends before you get to uoft and that’s all over… 

    ok i’m just kidding, of course you’ll still have time to do fun stuff in uni. but it is true that you will probably have a bit less free time than you used to. so enjoy your senior year, keep up the good work, and try not to get too wrapped up in admissions (as hard as that is)! 

    cheers, 

    aska 

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  • economics,  es&l,  programs,  UTM

    as clear as glass

    July 3, 2026

    Hello! 

    I had a question regarding switching majors and pre-requirements for the major I’ll be switching into. 

    I’m graduating Grade 12 soon and I’m a Group A student. I’m an incoming undergrad student starting the fall semester. I was initially accepted into UofT (UTM) for humanities without co-op. I declared my program of interest as Law, Ethics, and Society. 

    However, I have changed my mind to economics, preferably with co-op. Economics as a major is under HBA. I have completed MHF4U (Advanced Functions) and ENG4U (English) which are required. The rest of my top 6 average is safely above the required grade I need for my conditional offer. I plan to complete MCV4U (Calculus and Vectors) in July after I graduate. I know it is not required but it would greatly benefit me in first year classes as I have been struggling self-learning the material without a structure.  

    My questions are: 

    1. Would the time of my MCV4U grade being sent to UofT affect anything? (around late July — Early August). 
    2. Do I need to contact UofT to change anything like my department [BA (Humanities) -> HBA (Social Sciences)]? or, 
    3. Do I simply register for classes required for Econ POSt? and, 
    4. Are there classes that I would not get priority in that I should be worried about? 

    I apologize if my email seems unclear. 

    heyyo, 

    congrats on the acceptance! and no worries my friend, you were very clear. so clear, in fact, that some may call you glass. 

    …i apologize for the lame joke. 

    the only thing i had to look up was what “group a” means. for those who also have no idea, it usually refers to people who are applying to ontario universities that are current high school students within ontario. apparently i’m already old, because back in my day, we called that the “101” application and everyone else would use the “105” application. how the times change. 

    sooo as for your actual questions… 

    i don’t think that taking calculus in the summer will have any impact on anything at utm at all. it’s not a requirement for the program you wanna take, you already have your offer, and you already have your diploma, so i don’t see any reason why utm would care. yes, they will probably get your grade through ouac but it won’t have any bearing on your uni life. so breath easy there.  

    you also don’t need to contact utm about switching departments. first of all, you wouldn’t be switching from a ba to an hba. at uoft, almost every bachelor’s degree in the arts is automatically an hba. the only way you’d get a ba is if your gpa is between 1.5 and 1.85 when you graduate. so someone at utm taking law, ethics, and society would get the same degree as someone in utm’s econ program.  

    another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t actually enroll in your program until the end of first year. you’re not formally tied to law, ethics, and society yet, so there’s no need to contact anyone to change anything. so yes, as you said, what you need to do this year is make sure you take the courses required to get into the econ program. then, at the end of first year you can apply to both the econ program and the co-op program.  

    i couldn’t find anything directly answering if you’d have to worry about not getting priority for the classes you’d need, but i took a quick look on timetable builder (if you don’t know about it already, you’re welcome, it’s amazing) and there doesn’t seem to be any restrictions. fwiw, i enrolled in classes outside of my admission category in first year without having to go on any waitlists.  

    i hope all my advice helped and that it wasn’t too overwhelming! you can always talk to academic advising if you have any more questions. you’ve got this. 

    cheers, 

    aska 

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  • housing,  residence

    monkey clanging cymbals moment

    June 30, 2026

    hi aska 

    i missed the deadline to accept my first year residence guarantee offer by three hours because i’m a dumbass.  

    im on the waitlist for university, vic and new college now. is there any hope of me getting an offer? or should i give up and look for off campus housing? 

    heyyo, 

    oooouch i’m sure that was painful. but remember, you can make dumb mistakes and still not be a dumbass. we all make stupid mistakes, even (or maybe especially) aska.  

    (i think we can all relate to homer sometimes…)

    i couldn’t find any official information about how the waitlist would work for you, since most of it was for upper-year returning students. however, there were a few ancient reddit/facebook threads that said it was first-come, first-serve for first years. i can’t say for sure if they’re right, but it’s possible. in that case you’d have to be near the very front of the line, since i’m assuming you got on the list 3 hours after the guarantee window closed

    the fact that you’re on three different waitlists gives me hope too, especially if one of them is for the college you belong to, since you’d probably get priority there.  

    i also found an old aska post from 2016 which says that waitlist offers start going out in late june/early july. not sure if that’s still the case, but if it is, you might be getting one soon! 

    now while i do think that there is a very good chance that you get off the waitlist, you should still have a backup plan. the first place i’d start with is uoft’s off-campus housing site. they have a bunch of resources and programs, as well as a handy-dandy housing finder that lists places for rent by trusted owners. if you have a friend who’s also coming to uoft, you might want to consider being roommates with them, since it’s usually cheaper to split a 2 bedroom than rent a 1 bedroom/studio on your own.  

    you can also check out the standard rental sites. realtor, zillow, and rentals.ca always have a ton of listings, many more than the uoft housing finder. the downside is that you have to be a lot more careful when considering renting a place listed on one of those sites, since they aren’t vetted nearly as much as the those on the housing finder. if you ever find yourself questioning the validity of a listing or just need some help, uoft does provide support! 

    in the end i think it’s likely that you’ll get off of the residence waitlist, but i can’t make any promises, so i think it’s worth it to start searching for somewhere off-campus just in case. if it ever comes down to it, uoft also has an emergency housing support program that can help you find somewhere to stay. 

    i wish you the best of luck in getting off of the waitlist and/or in your housing search!! 

    cheers, 

    aska 

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  • academic standing,  petition,  suspension

    knocking it out of the ballpark

    June 30, 2026

    Hi Aska! Hope your summer is going well, and you are not terribly overwhelmed by a bunch of students asking you stuff.

    I am a student at the UTSG campus, Faculty of Arts and Science. To give you some context, I started university as a physics specialist, did terribly, had basically zero support systems, and put all my time towards school. The transition was rough, I got put on probation, thought I could stubborn my way through it, could not, realized halfway through second semester that I, in fact, hated my degree program, switched to different classes, and a completely different program. 

    My first semester of second year, I failed two classes, and got D’s in the other three, but second semester got two Bs, an A and a D in my new program (i know that last one is a rough point). I submitted a petition explaining my circumstances, as I did improve just a bit too late, attached I had two ta support letters, a profs, and proof that I have enrolled this summer in an academic support program and that in winter I attended counseling. I completely rebuilt my support program, and mentioned this in my petition. I also attached a new academic plan I made with my advisor, planning on taking an extra year regardless of outcomes. 

    I think I did a decent job of explaining my circumstances, why I believe I improved and am improving, that I think taking time off would be no helpful for me at this time, and have as much proof as I think I can gather to back up my story, but my main worry is that I do not have any extenuating and/or special circumstances, no recent deaths in the family, no sickness other then a cold ect.  

    Do I have any hope of getting my suspension lifted? Or am I pretty much screwed? 

    Thanks! 

    heyyo, 

    i just want to say right off the bat that you’ve done a lot of great stuff already and i think you should be proud. 

    unfortunately i am but an undergrad and i have zero secret knowledge about how suspension petition works. i do, however, have internet access, and i found this website which taught me the basics.  

    so seems like you’re either doing a petition for early return from suspension or a lift of suspension. both of those seem pretttty similar but with one caveat: if you’re petitioning for an early return from suspension, the website does say that it’s uncommon to do so before the one-year mark of your suspension. based on the clues you’ve given me though, i’m guessing it’s been about a year for you, so in that case you should be ok. but it is something to keep in mind. 

    anyways, i do see where you’re coming from, as that page does talk quite a bit about how you should explain any extenuating circumstances that led to your suspension, and you don’t have any “obvious” things that could fall under that category. however, while it may not be as glaring as struggling financially or a diagnosed mental health problem, you do mention that you were completely lacking a support system when you first came to uoft. the fact that you were in that situation and have now put in the work to build some supports for yourself is notable and i do hope you wrote a bit about that in your petition. 

    i also wanna point out that while, yes, extenuating circumstances do seem to be important, it also appears that it is just as (if not more) important that your application shows what you’ve done to make sure that you succeed after your return. and i really do think you’ve knocked it out of the ballpark on that one. 

    (ps: what is it with me and baseball sayings in this post? I HAVE been keeping up with the jays a lot lately…) 

    so overall, while i obviously can’t say anything for certain, i do not think that you’re screwed. i really do find the amount of work and thought you’ve put into the petition impressive and i hope the people reviewing it will think so too. if you ever have more questions about it though, i’d recommend that you get in touch with your college registrar’s office. 

    i’m crossing my fingers for you! 

    cheers, 

    aska 

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  • admissions,  applying for U of T,  getting into U of T,  rotman

    what in the psychic connection?!

    June 9, 2026

    Hi, I’m a grade 11 student in ontario and I’m taking advanced functions and I’ll get roughly an 89 or 90 if I do really good on the final. The thing is, my school doesnt offer calculus so I’ll have to apply with my AF grade unless i take it in nightschool the first semester of next year.  So how are my chances of getting into rotman (finance and economics) and if theyre not good, should i take calculus in night school to get a better grade and apply with that? if not, what can I do to improve my chances 

    Hi, I want to apply to rotman finance and economics but i have an 88 in advanced functions and a 95 in english, my school doesnt offer calculus first semester so I’ll have to apply with my AF grade unless i take it in nightschool so how good are my chances, and if theyre bad should i take calculus in night school or work on a strong supplemental application? 

    heyyo, 

    sooooo to address the elephant in the room… 

    these two asks are so so SO similar that it’s scaring me a little. the logical side of me assumes you two are bffs who go to the same school and both realized you should consult the very wise askastudent you found on google. but part of me kinda hopes that you go to school in two entirely different cities and had the same idea at basically the same time because you have a crazy psychic connection….

    ok with that out of the way, to answer your question(s). it’s definitely not weird for schools to only have calc in second sem, i’m pretty sure my medium-sized high school did the same thing. i’d be pretty surprised if your school truly didn’t offer it at all, though. from what i know, every school in ontario has to provide any course that’s required for post-secondary programs. but if not, then yeah, night school/online school is a valid option.  

    however. with that said. i would highly, highly encourage you both to take calc in day school during your second semester of grade 12. that’s right, aska is getting a little serious with this one. 

    now this is of course not to say that you’re completely doomed if you don’t follow my advice, but there’s quite a few reasons why i think you should just stick to day school for calc. for one, the rotman admissions website says that they encourage students to take courses in their day school if possible. while this isn’t an automatic disqualifier and you could probably explain this away IF your school doesn’t offer calc at all for some reason, you might as well avoid doing anything that could potentially hurt your chances. 

    another reason is that… your marks in advanced functions aren’t bad at all. the rotman website says that mid-high 80s averages are the general range they’re looking for. i know that it can get competitive and you’d prob wanna be a bit higher than that to feel safe, but even THEN, having an 88-90 in one course will not make much of a difference to that average.  

    and also, hate to break it to ya, but calc is probably gonna be harder than advanced functions. imo, pushing it forward into first sem will only make things a little trickier for you in what will probably already be a stressful time! both of your advanced function marks seem pretty solid to me, so it’s not like you’d need calc to “save” your average anyways.  

    so what i think you can do to improve your chances is, as you said, to start prepping for an awe-inspiring supplemental application. 

    (this will be the admissions officers when they see it, fr fr) 

    the supplemental app will include some timed written and video responses, usually about your skills/interests and community involvement/extracurriculars. the questions change every year so there’s no way to know for sure what will be asked, but you can work on strengthening your involvement in ecs, volunteering, or a personal project, as well as jotting some points down about why you’re interested in business (and rotman in particular). 

    that’s all i have for you, you psychically connected duo. i hope my advice landed, and godspeed in calc and your applications! 

    cheers, 

    aska 

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