The Official University/College Discussion Thread (NSFW)

[Karma]

Well, since I just finished applying to my programs around two nights ago, I thought I'd make this thread to let myself and others air out their questions and concerns in regards to post secondary education towards the JBB members that are already in Uni/College - or even past it.

I think my main concern (besides getting accepted, which I most likely will) is in regards to living on residence and its financial aspects.

First of all, is it true that if you're planning to apply to live on residence, but you already have a job, that OSAP <font color="black">(Ontario Student Assistance Program)</font><font color="#0000cc"> </font>won't give you a loan? I don't know if it's different in the States or whatever, but someone here told me that this is the case with OSAP; they won't give you a loan if you already have a job. Of course, my job does not pay enough and I don't nearly work enough hours to try and support tuitions and residence fees so this is obviously my biggest concern.

Next, I wanted to ask how the experience of living in res. is in first year, more specifically the first couple of months? I know it won't really make a difference until I actually go through the moments myself but it is cool to hear advice/tips in regards to Uni and residence in general, so fire away with any comments you have to make and feel free to share your experiences.

Also, compare your likes/dislikes about high school with those of Uni/College if you can.

 

[Char]

College is a lot more freedom, but also a lot more distractions. Keep your head straight. If you need a loan bad, quit your job or file a LOA and then get the loan, then come back to work.. No harm playing by the rules, eh?

 

[Trip]

Where have you applied to Karma?

 

[Karma]

I applied to eight Universities. First because I'm keeping my options open and all of them are legit choices, and secondly because some of them offer coop in their program while others don't.

I think my choices (in order since we have to order them) were:

York (Law & Society), Waterloo, Queens, UTM, UTSC, Laurier, Ottawa (Co-op P.S), and Mac (co-op Philosophy)

In York I applied for Law & Society and at Mac I applied for a coop in Philosophy, while the rest were all for Political Science.

My top 3 is York, Waterloo, and Queens but since it doesn't really matter where I go to because Law school is my ultimate aim, I'm really not sure where I want to go. Most of my friends are planning to go to Mac or UTM, but I don't know if I should make my decision based off my friends' decisions, although it would be nice to still keep close to your tightest high school friends. I really want to stay on York or Waterloo res though, since I heard the student life on campus there is nice.

Say if I apply to York's law school (Osgoode) after I complete my undergrad at YORK. Would they favor my application more (assuming I meet or surpass the requirements, of course) since I went to thier University for undergrad as well? Or it doesn't matter?

 

[Trip]

Thought you were going for journalism as well? That might have been P.A.P.

Anyways, I think that it all depends on the reputation and calibre of the program. York has somewhat of a bad reputation for undergrads outside of Schulich, so they'd probably pick someone from say Queen's or Waterloo.

I applied to seven programs.

Business Administration at Western, Laurier, Commerce at UTSG, UTM, Mac, Journalism at Carleton, and International Business at Carleton. For all of them I need to pull my marks up...

 

[deception]

i never used osap, in hindsight i should have considered taking it cause it would have given me more flexibility. although, i do have buddies who have graduated just like me but with over $20, 000 dollars in student loans and no job. nevertheless, consider your own personal situation. as for having a job deterring your ability to get an osap loan, don't know but i'm almost certain it has no bearing.

my advice: locke do the international business program at carleton cause its cheap and you have access to all the government jobs in ottawa. moreover, i strongly recommend you take courses in economics, particularly globalization to supplement your learning.

my advice to karma: do a commerce degree at uoft and get an internship with one of the banks in the summer. fyi, i understand u of t requires commerce students to maintain their gpa above a certain number like 2.9, which isn't that difficult but something to keep in mind. remember you can get into any school doing poli sci but switching out of the program into commerce is an option you should strongly consider and often exercised by students.

 

[Trip]

What was your major deception?

Actually, the International Business program at Carleton is my lowest choice. I myself actually would not mind taking it but my parents (Asian, you know) think that Carleton's not prestigious or whatnot. If I do go into it though, I have no doubts it'll be the best experience of my life. Carleton's campus is amazing and Ottawa's a great city. Not to mention there will be a one-year mandatory exchange. I'll probably do it in Mandarin and will ace my courses in that because I learned it up to grade 7 in Singapore extensively.

Btw, deception, you went to UofT right? How would you rank the colleges?

 

[deception]

<div class="quote_poster">Locke Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">What was your major deception?

Actually, the International Business program at Carleton is my lowest choice. I myself actually would not mind taking it but my parents (Asian, you know) think that Carleton's not prestigious or whatnot. If I do go into it though, I have no doubts it'll be the best experience of my life. Carleton's campus is amazing and Ottawa's a great city. Not to mention there will be a one-year mandatory exchange. I'll probably do it in Mandarin and will ace my courses in that because I learned it up to grade 7 in Singapore extensively.

Btw, deception, you went to UofT right? How would you rank the colleges?</div>

well i changed my major a bunch of times. i ended up graduating with a triple minor in religions, history, sociology and finding it real hard to get full time employment. after i graduated last spring, i did my CSC (canadian securities course) and currently trying to get something in the financial field.

i did go to UTSC, mainly cause it was in the suburbs and i could easily commute with my car (really bad reason to do so). how would i rank the colleges? getting into anywhere downtown beats utsc and erindale (sp.) from an experience perspective. although, certain colleges have better programs than others, like UTSC has a good, competitive management program.

 

[Trip]

Oh never mind. I thought you went to the St George campus. I was asking about the seven colleges within the SG campus that any applicant would have to rank in order of preference in advance. Thanks anyways.

 

[Karma]

<div class="quote_poster">deception Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">
my advice to karma: do a commerce degree at uoft and get an internship with one of the banks in the summer. fyi, i understand u of t requires commerce students to maintain their gpa above a certain number like 2.9, which isn't that difficult but something to keep in mind. remember you can get into any school doing poli sci but switching out of the program into commerce is an option you should strongly consider and often exercised by students.</div>

Commerce is business/accounting, and business = math, and math means my failure. My cousin took the BBA degree at UTSC and he said Commerce is somewhat easier then that, but still difficult nonetheless. It requires a lot of math as well. I am horrible with numbers.

For political science (or any other social science), I think one of the requirements is a science course, and I've already checked out the course descriptions, most of which say that the math requirement for "natural science" courses are "minimum grade 10 skills".

Since I actually got a 47 in Grade 10 math, I'm not quite confident heading into that category.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">
Thought you were going for journalism as well? That might have been P.A.P.
</div>

Journalism was my choice when I was in grade 9 and 10, but I kind of lost the will to go into the field during grade 11. Somewhere, my amibition just decided to kick it up another notch.

Edit: By the way, why is this thread labeled as only a Canadian thing? The thread asks for any one to share thier questions/experiences and whatever else about Uni/College as they'd like. Not my fault if those lousy Americans/Euros don't wanna say nothin

 

[Notorious]

<div class="quote_poster">Karma Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">
Edit: By the way, why is this thread labeled as only a Canadian thing? The thread asks for any one to share thier questions/experiences and whatever else about Uni/College as they'd like. Not my fault if those lousy Americans/Euros don't wanna say nothin

</div>

You made it, didnt you?

 

[Voodoo Child]

<div class="quote_poster">Karma Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Edit: By the way, why is this thread labeled as only a Canadian thing? The thread asks for any one to share thier questions/experiences and whatever else about Uni/College as they'd like. Not my fault if those lousy Americans/Euros don't wanna say nothin

</div>

Sorry. I'll change that if you want, but I was thinking about creating a separate one for Americans, because the topics of conversation in this thread are really Canadian oriented. Reading this thread was like reading a foreign language to me, and I'm sure it'd be the same way if Canadians were to read an American college/uni thread. They're just two different worlds, not just in terms of academics and finances but socially as well.

 

[Trip]

<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Sorry. I'll change that if you want, but I was thinking about creating a separate one for Americans, because the topics of conversation in this thread are really Canadian oriented. Reading this thread was like reading a foreign language to me, and I'm sure it'd be the same way if Canadians were to read an American college/uni thread. They're just two different worlds, not just in terms of academics and finances but socially as well.</div>
You damn Yanks aren't so different after all. We just don't write SATs.

SATs blow by the way. I took it once when I was still thinking about going to school in the US. It's so easy that I wonder why so many American students gripe about how hard it is.

 

[Voodoo Child]

<div class="quote_poster">Locke Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You damn Yanks aren't so different after all. We just don't write SATs.

SATs blow by the way. I took it once when I was still thinking about going to school in the US. It's so easy that I wonder why so many American students gripe about how hard it is.</div>

Oh yeah, they're cake. Let me guess, you made a perfect score then.

 

[Karma]

<div class="quote_poster">CPaulDWade#3 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">You made it, didnt you?</div>

Well, I made it as a general thread, I guess VC added the *Canadian* part cause he got lost lol.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">
Sorry. I'll change that if you want, but I was thinking about creating a separate one for Americans, because the topics of conversation in this thread are really Canadian oriented. Reading this thread was like reading a foreign language to me, and I'm sure it'd be the same way if Canadians were to read an American college/uni thread. They're just two different worlds, not just in terms of academics and finances but socially as well.
</div>

Well, if it means more people will respond to the thread then sure, make an American one. I think this thread's title just scares people away cause of the *Canadian*. I'm actually contemplating doing law school in the States after I'm done my undergrad, so I'll be interested in the American discussion thread as well.

 

[Voodoo Child]

<div class="quote_poster">Karma Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I think this thread's title just scares people away cause of the *Canadian*.</div>

Nah, I think what scares them off is all the talk of OSAP, etc.

But I'll change the thread title anyway.

 

[Karma]

What does the (NSFW) stand for?

 

[Voodoo Child]

NSFW = Not Safe For Work

Anyway, to add my two American cents, here's my long, boring story of my college experience:

I'm currently at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. I applied to over twenty-five colleges, because in my grandfather's will I was given the money to do so. I early actioned at M.I.T., North Carolina, Notre Dame, Tulane, and Villanova. I got into all of them except for Notre Dame, which deferred me and then denied me when I applied regular decision. Then because the financial packages weren't quite what I was expecting from those four schools that accepted me, I decided to apply to Michigan, Colgate, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Penn, Vanderbilt, Wash. U in STL, and Wisconsin, all of which accepted me, Michigan offering me nearly full tuition. With Michigan's great business school and financial package in mind, I chose them, but then I had a family issue that I don't really want to go into, but because of it I had to stay at home for the next two years, taking classes at a local school. I finally made it up to Ann Arbor this year, where I'm technically classified as a junior, with full credit for the past two years. I'm majoring in business right now, but I'm 99.9% sure I'll be headed to the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern next year and switching my major, obviously, to journalism. I've been visiting the campus on and off over the past few years. Initially, I was looking at them for basketball, but then I fell in love with the school and what they could offer me academically through Medill. I reapplied there and was again accepted just a few weeks ago. I was offered preferred walk-on status for next year if I stick around at Michigan, but it'd be hard for me to pass up the opportunity to study journalism at Medill. As for the actual college experience, if you were a self-motivated person in high school, then you'll succeed in college academically. The course load, in my experience, has actually been lighter than it was in high school. The only difference is that there's not someone pushing you to do your homework. Socially, the parties up here at Ann Arbor are amazing, the people are very friendly, and the girls are fiiine (

). The one thing that kind of threw me for a loop when I first got here though was the fact that I had to schedule in my partying. In high school, I could party whenever I want, but it's not that convenient in college. Another thing that you'll miss when you go away to college is having your parents there as a safety net. You'll be a lot more accountable for your own actions, especially from a financial perspective. Also, on the note of studying, it's important to actually learn the material as you go along. Cramming doesn't work nearly as effectively as it does in high school, and you can't rely on meaningless 'busy work' type assignments to pull up your overall grade. That's about all I can think of for now. I'm rambling, so I'll just stop now. Let me know if you have any questions though.

 

[B.e.]

College is very different from high school. I just finished my first semester, and I definitely like college life way better. Its lest busy work, and more lets get to the point work. I haven't done a lame worksheet since I left HS. Your also going to get a lot more free time. For example I had a professor who finished class 20 minutes- to and hour early, almost everyday we had class. I've learned a lot from my first semester, and next semester I'll make sure to read a lot more. I think thats the key to most courses.

 

[Karma]

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">
As for the actual college experience, if you were a self-motivated person in high school, then you'll succeed in college academically.
</div>

I'm self-motivated, but I have this tendency to overhype my own capabilities. For example - although I know this won't work in University -in highschool I have this habit of saving big assignments till either the last day or the last night and staying up pretty much after school till the next morning finishing them. Obviously that won't work in Uni, but it's the kind of habit I have right now. I'm motivated to succeed but my problem is that my habits aren't very good at all and I'm cocky to the point that I don't expect anything less then 80-85 on any of my assignments, so I'm assuming first year of Uni will be a shock for me.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">
Another thing that you'll miss when you go away to college is having your parents there as a safety net.
</div>

That's one of the reasons I actually want to go live on residence, because if I just stay at home I'll keep on relying on them for things. I'd rather face whatever comes at my way alone and learn as I go, that's just how I am. Cushions are nice but when you face a hardship and that cushion is no longer there for you, what will you do then? That's the philosophy I live by and that's why I'd rather live by myself. Of course, it's going to extremely difficult, and I will miss my parents but I think it's something everyone goes through (or will eventually go through) and like with any change in my life, time will fix it.

 

[Trip]

<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Oh yeah, they're cake. Let me guess, you made a perfect score then.

</div>
I made a 2080 with virtually no prep. But by then I'd already decided to stay in Canada, so I didn't bother with the SAT II.

 

[Voodoo Child]

<div class="quote_poster">Locke Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I made a 2080 with virtually no prep. But by then I'd already decided to stay in Canada, so I didn't bother with the SAT II.</div>

2080? **** me, what is that on a scale of 1600? IE: What did you get on Math and Verbal, respectively? The 2400 scale is ****** up.

BTW - What do you mean by 'no prep'? Preparation? Who the **** studies for the SAT anyway?

 

[Trip]

<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">2080? **** me, what is that on a scale of 1600? IE: What did you get on Math and Verbal, respectively? The 2400 scale is ****** up.

BTW - What do you mean by 'no prep'? Preparation? Who the **** studies for the SAT anyway?</div>
I got no idea man. I only did it last May. As for the respective scores, I'll have to check later.

I thought you kids in the States have tutors and ****? One of my friends has a tutor and all.

 

[Voodoo Child]

<div class="quote_poster">Locke Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I got no idea man. I only did it last May. As for the respective scores, I'll have to check later.

I thought you kids in the States have tutors and ****? One of my friends has a tutor and all.</div>

Lol, maybe. I knew some of that went on, but I always figured it was just the brain-dead athletes who needed minimum scores that took up those services. Who knows though, all I know is that I went into the ACT hungover, finding out I was taking them about ten minutes before test time.

 

[Chutney]

Karma, I don't really think you'll have trouble getting into York. Their undergraduate is easy to get into, the stuff after that is a little tougher. Also, York usually sends their acceptance letters way before everyone else.

Locke, the college you choose at UofT depends on your subject. For the humanities, go for Victoria, St. Mike's, or Trinity (I guess). University College was pretty popular for psych students I think. Can't remember the rest. If you're commuting, at the end of the day it hardly makes a difference. If you aren't, I think New College has real nice residences (don't take my word for it).

 

[Trip]

I'm gonna be doing res and gonna study commerce.

Yeah, I've heard about New College having new residences. That's probably going to be my second choice behind Trinity.

 

[Karma]

Since I'm living on res, should I go for a job during the semester and try to balance it out (since I do need the money anyway) or focus completely on studying during the semester and just work everyday for the 4 months off?

 

[Voodoo Child]

Wait, there's a THIRD Trinity?

I have a friend who's playing soccer for a school in Texas named Trinity. It's one of America's top liberal arts schools, and then there's Trinity in Ireland. Popular name, eh? Where's this one?

 

[AznxBaller]

I got a 1900 on the SATs: 690 for Reading, 650 for Math, and 560 for Writing. VC, what kind of colleges would accept me with those kinds of scores if I don't retake them again?

 

[Trip]

<div class="quote_poster">Voodoo Child Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Wait, there's a THIRD Trinity?

I have a friend who's playing soccer for a school in Texas named Trinity. It's one of America's top liberal arts schools, and then there's Trinity in Ireland. Popular name, eh? Where's this one?</div>
This is a college in the University of Toronto downtown campus. Not really a school in itself, just that the campus is divided into seven 'colleges', but same classes are taught throughout the colleges.

Aznx, from what I heard, a 1900 should be good for every school outside of Ivy League. Or something like that.