EPTShitting my pants about University - Page 2
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SnipedSoul
Canada2158 Posts
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Elixir2k12
Canada1 Post
Now, I applied for Life Sciences at UTSG and UTSC and currently taking calculus. UTSG is definitely harder to get in comparing UTSC and UTM. I suggest you apply to UTSC if you haven't. Why don't you apply for Ryerson/York? They are good universities too! Deadline for applications for 101 applicants is March 1st, you still have time And, there is nothing wrong with taking a victory lap, you could go back to high school and take some other courses that would boost up your average after your pre-req. If you don't know, U of T does not like repeated course. | ||
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babylon
8765 Posts
On March 01 2012 11:52 Leftwing wrote: It's a personal choice for me, a chance to escape where I live and experience something new, where most of my friends will be too. It's not just for the sake of going to a good school. I almost find that going to the same school as a bunch of good friends can end up closing you to a lot of new experiences, and I'd actually recommend going to somewhere with almost no good friends if you're really looking for something fresh. If you have the time, apply to more schools. I'm not sure how the Canadian system works up there, but hopefully it's not too late to shoot in some extra applications, especially if Canada has rolling admissions. | ||
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Silidons
United States2813 Posts
On March 01 2012 11:04 Probulous wrote: Did you even read what you wrote? He is trying to do exactly what you did. He is just finding it harder. Just because you waltzed through your school work doesn't mean everyone does. Finally your highschool grades matter because that is what gets you into the degree you want. So yes they do matter. unless they have a way different schooling system elsewhere, high school grades don't matter at all if you go to a CC first. | ||
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Leftwing
Canada229 Posts
On March 01 2012 13:26 babylon wrote: I almost find that going to the same school as a bunch of good friends can end up closing you to a lot of new experiences, and I'd actually recommend going to somewhere with almost no good friends if you're really looking for something fresh. If you have the time, apply to more schools. I'm not sure how the Canadian system works up there, but hopefully it's not too late to shoot in some extra applications, especially if Canada has rolling admissions. I applied to Queen's, U of T, York and Western as fall back or alternative options. I want to go to Queen's not because of friends, but because I've been there and I like it. I'm on the recruiting list for Queen's Football and it's a great place to be, my tour of the campus was great and of all the Universities I've toured (7 in person) I like Queen's the best. It's convenient I know some people who are going there so I'm not all alone, but not everyone I know is going there. I'm just nervous that when midterms come I'll be on the bubble. On March 01 2012 13:25 Elixir2k12 wrote: Hey, I was kind of in a same situation. My Data Management mark was horrible in mid-term and Ryerson put me on waiting-list(basically rejection). I then accepted my offer for Collaborative Nursing with George Brown-Ryerson. After two weeks of nursing, I decided to drop it because I realized it wasn't my thing...( I got refund but they cut $100, which is fine to me) Now, I applied for Life Sciences at UTSG and UTSC and currently taking calculus. UTSG is definitely harder to get in comparing UTSC and UTM. I suggest you apply to UTSC if you haven't. Why don't you apply for Ryerson/York? They are good universities too! Deadline for applications for 101 applicants is March 1st, you still have time And, there is nothing wrong with taking a victory lap, you could go back to high school and take some other courses that would boost up your average after your pre-req. If you don't know, U of T does not like repeated course. I applied for York as well, but that's really the last place I want to go. U of T is really picky about repeated courses and summer school courses, I noticed this when I did my SPF for their Engineering Application. Either way all I have to do is come back for a year and if I do well in 1 course then my average is automatically boosted by like 5-10%. I've planned my courses for next year in case I need to do a victory lap just in case. | ||
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babylon
8765 Posts
On March 01 2012 14:16 Leftwing wrote: I applied to Queen's, U of T, York and Western as fall back or alternative options. I want to go to Queen's not because of friends, but because I've been there and I like it. I'm on the recruiting list for Queen's Football and it's a great place to be, my tour of the campus was great and of all the Universities I've toured (7 in person) I like Queen's the best. It's convenient I know some people who are going there so I'm not all alone, but not everyone I know is going there. I'm just nervous that when midterms come I'll be on the bubble. Ahh, I see. Well, in that case then, here's my advice: Since you're nervous, you've got to sit down and make yourself like the other schools you've applied to as well, in particular the ones which you have a higher chance of being accepted to. Of course, keep working hard (especially important in the case of wait-listing), but try not to treat this as an end-all, be-all sort of thing. You'll probably have as great an experience at any of the other universities you applied to, so long as you keep an open mind.  | ||
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UmiNotsuki
United States633 Posts
If so, you've got a lot of hope. If not, who knows, it could still happen. Either way, it'll all be a faint memory in the future when you've got a Ph.D. in Computer Science and the world is at your feet :D Good luck!! | ||
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LonelyIslands
Canada590 Posts
Honestly, If I had to do it all over again, there is no way I would go to University. I wasn't fortunate enough to have my parents pay for my education. | ||
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craz3d
Bulgaria856 Posts
On March 01 2012 10:54 Leftwing wrote: I'm probably not the only one who's in this situation here, but from reading around the majority of people here have the grades to get into the school of their choice, I however, fear I do not. Basically everyone I know has been accepted to at least one school besides a relatively few people, as most of my friends got early acceptance to either Engineering or Business programs (both requiring way higher averages than I could ever hope for). The real kicker happened today when Queen's University (the only school I'm interested in) sent out their first round of acceptances. I opened facebook today and literally say about 30 people bragging about being accepted. My marks aren't high, averaging low 80s and high 70s at the moment with one class bringing me down with a 62 (I basically screwed the pooch on this one), however as of now I only have 2 classes that count towards admission (81 and 62, evening my average out to a mere 71.5). I screwed myself over by taking a grade 11 class my first semester and the grade 12 class in the second semester, as well as a spare. I have 4 classes this semester (Calculus, Advanced Functions, Chemistry and Biology) that I need to do well in or I'm basically not getting in. The Programs I applied to are Hardware Engineering and Computer Science, both of which are requiring around an 80-83 average (at least last year it did). I'm really freaking out and worrying if I'm going to get in as I didn't do as well as I expected in my first major Calculus and Biology tests, however I'm doing will in my Chemistry class (100% on first test) and decent in my Functions class. I'm worried because my acceptance is basically relying on my midterm marks (which will be around middle of April) and my PSE for Queen's and SPF for U of T. I'm at the point now where it's clear, I'm either going to just graze by (not likely) or I'm going to end up taking a victory lap, however both my parents are heavily against it. Is anyone else in this same situation or am I the only one here? In my experience, the acceptance does rely mostly on midterm marks. The amount of money (if you qualify for any) will rely on your final grades. I'm not sure if your highschool comes into consideration. Here's my case: I tanked my average by 5% (82 to 77) after the midterms and it didn't matter. I too had horrible grades in Physics and Advanced Functions (65, 52). I applied to downtown UofT/Mac/Western and got offered a spot at UTM (Life Sciences) and at Mac (Social Sciences). I took the spot at UTM. This was late May/early June 2006 if I recall (big if, the acceptance was a lot later than everyone else's though). As for your case, I know for sure there's a Computer Science program at UTM, but I don't know what their standards for admission are. Two of my closest friends also graduated from that program and immediately started work with RIM. This was one/two years ago. Most likely, you will get an alternate offer for a spot at UTM if my case is anything to go by or a spot at the campus of your choice in another program. Don't worry about the future though. Know that your priority right now is to get to work. If you still have difficulties, get a tutor in the course you are having difficulties with. | ||
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Coramoor
Canada455 Posts
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Angel_
United States1617 Posts
And then we hit traffic. I hate traffic. I despise traffic. And traffic makes me nervous. And it turns out, when you get nervous on top of being in pain because your bowels actually want to kill you, it makes life really really difficult. So I'm sitting here, and I have to let off a little gas. Just a little. The cramp is starting to get awful and i just need to let a little bit off. But I'm a little worried because I'm not sure what's going to happen. I know some of it's gas, but I know I've been having mini eruptions every time I go, so I'm just a little bit nervous. And my sister is half asleep right next to me and she's at that age where gas is gross and your body is gross and everything is ew gross, so I don't want to be noisy, and i'm just a little bit concerned about what's going to happen. I have to though, I just fucking have to. I'm dying. And then it happens. The moment just comes and it happens, and I let it go a little, and I go a little. Just a little. Just a clear little that was definitely not just air, but! Just a little. Just a wet little. And I'm holding my breath and I look over and my sister is asleep, and I feel a little bit better, but I'm scared at this point, because I know I can't let off anymore ever again before I get home because I can't trust it. She gets out of the car and has no clue and I'm flying the fuck home. I am flying the fuck the hell to home...and I'm freaking out because I have to fucking go. I don't just have to go I have gas and it is horrible and painful and life sucks and then it just... Fucking volcanoes man. I'm driving casually, I'm afraid to move. I'm sitting in a mud bath. Staring at the road and contemplating my life to that point, wondering how the fuck I'm going to get out of my car and through the house to the shower. ------ I don't think I can really help but maybe that cheered you up. I couldn't help myself after the title. You sound like you know what you want. Your parents might not be happy about it, but...your job isn't to spend the rest of your life keeping your parents happy. Keep looking at other options. Whatever you like go for. Don't make it more complicated than that right now. And don't be too impatient. | ||
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OpticalShot
Canada6330 Posts
First of all, what makes my experiences relevant? I went to U of T for the Engineering Science program, graduated in 2011. Recent enough, relevant enough. That's all that needs to be said, I guess. Let's start with your grades. Hitting a shitty average grade, I agree with that. Generally, across the universities in Ontario, acceptance grades for engineering programs are 75-90 depending on programs. As you may come to notice soon, as long as your marks are high, your extra curricular things don't mean jack shit. University counsellors come to high schools and give a whole speech about how you should write down your leadership and club activities on the application forms - but generally, for engineering / computer science, your grades get you in. I've seen so many people in my first year that barely spoke a word in English, but I could "smell" that they were a "99 student because of 9000+ hours spent in library." Needless to say, many of them dropped out within the year. Anyway, you don't need a stellar grade, but you need a decent one nonetheless. It's actually a pretty good indicator of whether you'll be able to handle the stress and transition of first year. No excuses. If your grades aren't up to par, you should seriously reconsider yourself and evaluate fairly whether you are fit for the subject. Let me put it this way - if you wanted to go into the program so badly, you've have given your best to get the appropriate grades. If your best is short of what the program requires, then you probably aren't fit for it. No excuses, the blunt truth. Someone mentioned that at the undergraduate level, it doesn't really matter which university you attend. There is some truth to that statement - no matter you go, you'll be slapped with a B.A.Sc (Bachelor of Applied Science), if you go the engineering route. On the resume, that's basically what'll stand out. You should include your school, of course, but usually that doesn't matter. However, the connections you make differ greatly from university to university. The research opportunities, and even the direction or the focus of the subject differ greatly based on the professor(s) / faculty. Hell, it even differs a lot between civil engineering or infrastructure engineering in the same university (U of T) (I went infrastructure). To put it simply, I got my current job probably because of the two professors I've worked with during my undergraduate years (research / thesis). Heck, I might not have done a transportation major if it wasn't for one of those two professors who greatly inspired me. Go to a reputable school for your degree. Do not settle for less. Certain schools and certain programs are put in high regard for good reasons. Paying for your own education. This can be a great self-motivator - if you're paying thousands of dollars for your own education, you better give it your best. I payed for my own tuition through scholarships and student loans. You probably know about OSAP - and you should definitely apply for it. It's interest-free during the study period. After graduation, yes you are faced with a sizeable debt, but then as long as you find employment, it shouldn't be too hard paying it off. Currently I'm completely independent; I pay for my own rent, food, utilities, insurance, gas, plus I am paying off my debt. Although it'll be another couple months until I'm OSAP-debt-free, I am sure that I made the right choice by paying my own tuition. Don't worry about not getting accepted yet - acceptance letters continue well into April/May. Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you have additional questions. | ||
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Recognizable
Netherlands1552 Posts
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GreatFall
United States1061 Posts
Alternatively, you could go to junior college and get really high grades there and then transfer to a good university. This is great because you end up with the same degree from the same school as that nerd kid you used to beat up in high school, but you spent almost half as much. The only catch is you CAN NOT go to junior college and fuck up or get less than amazing grades - if you do, you are totally screwed. | ||
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DanielHetberg
141 Posts
Basically, as someone else suggested, make sure you're working hard enough. I don't mean 120%-never-see-the-sun working, I mean honestly working: always attending classes, always doing homework, always preparing for tests as much as you need to (and not more, because overpreparing is actually detrimental to performance). If you do that AND if you have the talent it will take you to make it through university with acceptable grades anyway, you should get decent enough grades. Whiffing one class probably wasn't the greatest choice to begin with, but it's human to err. University officials, surprisingly, are also people. Talk to them, if it's a close thing in the end. Also, maybe even more surprisingly, parents are also people. Sit down with them and tell them what you're intending to do and what you're doing to get there. Make sure you keep true to what you're announcing, and I would be surprised if they didn't consider giving you a second chance (if everything goes tits-up). | ||
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