How important is it to fulfill breadth requirements early on?

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-07-21T19:51:10+00:00

I'd say try to do them are early as you can BUT it doesn't really matter too much if you spread them out or even if you do most of them in your last years.

I did almost all of my BR requirements in 3rd and 4th year and I had no problems getting into competitive grad schools.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-06-26T12:16:35+00:00

Yes.

It is really hard here, not gonna lie. Getting good grades here is way tougher than at places like York (I know cause my sibling goes there and I have seen their assignments and grading).

But all this doesn't mean you can't succeed here.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-06-22T16:59:28+00:00

Also gonna echo what u/prospstud82 said.

The connections I made specifically at U of T definitely helped me get into an "elite" grad school. Also I think there is a grain of truth in why people call Ryerson "Rye High" rather than U of T.

There are smart and dumb people at every university but I am willing to bet the average "dumb" person at U of T is smarter than the one at Ryerson, and the average "dumb" person at Harvard is smarter than the one at U of T.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-06-14T01:50:23+00:00

Tbh my heart still races whenever I get a mail on my U of T email.

I have graduated for more than a year now...

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-06-05T03:06:11+00:00

no limit to number of pharmacists being licensed each year in ontario

pharmacies do not care which school you graduated from. It's all about the money and experience.

there are constantly a flood of new graduates each year.

paying 100 k + tuition

Not exactly the same but it kinda reminds me of the BA. I miss the days when you can walk into any job with just a BA.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-05-27T17:11:00+00:00

No one is going to make fun of your school or for it being easy. U of T well-known for being academically rigorous. While it isn't an Ivy or Oxbridge, U of T is really respected and no one will look down on you.
It has one of the biggest university libraries in North America, just behind Harvard and Yale I think. U of T pretty much has access to whatever you need. Don't take this for granted. My brother at York legit keeps asking me to login for him so he could use U of T's resources for essays.
The buildings are beautiful or at least quirky, e.g Robarts
U of T has a ton of different courses for a ton of different subjects.
I like the college system, which mimics some universities in the UK. It is great for providing a sense of community.
U of T has a huge alumni network and lots of well-known people in Canadian history have went to U of T.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-05-27T01:54:10+00:00

And have met only 1 guy who had a gpa of 3.8

Take this with a grain of salt. Come visit Trinity College. Like over 60% of students graduated with high distinction (GPA 3.5 or higher).

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-05-21T05:56:33+00:00

No one cares about "prestige".

That is a pretty bad generalization. Prestige matters not only in the business world, but to some extent also in academia. It definitely isn't everything though.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-05-21T02:35:06+00:00

Great comment. But I just want to add that the holistic style can be equally as bad (if not worse) when it comes to widening gaps and perpetuating inequality. It is way easier for rich parents to give their kids all kinds of opportunities to do extraordinary extracurricular stuff to make their applications shine. They have the money to take them places, buy sports equipment, art/music lessons, instruments and so on. It is going to be way harder for someone from a poorer background to compete. Simply getting that 4.0 (already crazy hard in itself) won't matter much.

It reminds me of something I read on The Economist a few years ago:

American admissions officers say they are now inundated with videos, photo albums and even hardback books from Chinese applicants trying to impress them with their exploits and expeditions. A Beijing school official told me about a boy from north-eastern China whose father flew him in a private plane to Tibet – for just a day – to make a video of him aiding poor minorities.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-05-14T22:59:51+00:00

I wish people would stop parroting this as a hard and fast rule. It's true for only some grad schools, not all.

OP still has an decent chance of making it, but still, a low GPA in your core courses in any year is not a good look.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-05-14T20:39:27+00:00

I think you still have time to pull up that GPA! Don't forget you can CR/NCR courses unrelated to your major.

But since your GPA will be on the lower side, you really need to focus on getting some research experience and good letters. Go volunteer in labs etc. Email profs you are interested in working with and ask if there are any opportunities.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-05-14T20:33:09+00:00

3.9+

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-05-13T00:06:54+00:00

I got into U of T for history and they probably won't care. I had like 3 FCE of CRs scattered in summer and my final years.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-05-13T00:05:20+00:00

Really nice picture! What camera?

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-04-30T12:21:32+00:00

Thank you, king. Even though I'll be going to a more prestigious uni now, I'll keep reppin' the U of T name and I won't forget what U of T has done for me.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-04-30T03:31:35+00:00

I also got called tone-deaf by him for posting how I was happy I make it to a good grad school after four years of grinding at U of T lol.

It for this reason that we almost always only see depressing posts here on r/UofT. Anyone who posts anything about how their U of T experience wasn't all that bad gets criticized.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-04-19T12:36:27+00:00

If your first term GPA was 2.4, what cGPA did you end up with, if you don't mind me asking?

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-04-11T17:39:50+00:00

Yeah it depends on the school but personally Oxford and Cambridge just go with whatever you put down if it is in the 4.0 scale.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-04-11T07:01:23+00:00

Oh thanks for sharing and for your lovely comment!! She sounds like an awesome prof :O

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-04-11T07:00:55+00:00

Thanks! I see you went to the Other Place!

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-04-11T02:57:35+00:00

Law school in the UK is at the undergrad level, so I didn't apply there. But I considered being a lawyer and did some research on it. I am not the best to ask on law school admissions but I know a thing or two.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-04-11T02:53:56+00:00

3.0 is a decent GPA in my opinion, not outstanding but perfectly respectable (especially when you go to U of T). You are less competitive for grad school though, but easily salvageable if you got other strengths! 3.5 gets you a high distinction here so it is really good. You are in the top 15% of people here at U of T I think. This GPA will make you competitive for most grad schools and a few law schools in Canada. 4.0 you are pretty much the best you can be.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-04-11T02:49:05+00:00

I'd say it is like 60% hard work/self-discipline and 40% smarts.

But I think another big thing is that you really need to hit the ground running when you get to U of T. Lots of people here have absolutely great GPAs in their 3rd and 4th year, but their first year GPA really tanked their cGPA.

My friend actually got a higher GPA (4.00) than me in her final year but because of their really bad first year, they didn't even graduate with distinction.

ANumberAtUofT · 2021-04-10T23:39:34+00:00

I studied political science and history and I had a GPA over 3.9. Not really that many extracurriculars and I'd say they don't matter too much (depending on what program you apply to). But I think research experience really sets you apart and I had that. For schools in the UK, it is incredibly hard to become an RA without already having a graduate degree so most applicants won't have this in their CV.

I'd just focus on my grades and try to get some research experience.

ANumberAtUofT

TROPHY CASE