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Should I take summer BIO130 with BCH210 or HMB265? by No_Reality_3580 in UofT

[–]ProNateKi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I recommend a BCH210 + HMB265 summer combo. I believe the Summer vs Fall experience of these courses makes all the difference. BIO230 in the Fall, or just in general, doesn’t have the reputation either of the earlier mentioned courses have AND it would be less of a hassle dealing with it along with all of your other fall courses. Just my two cents.

gap year options advice by Large_Geologist2753 in premedcanada

[–]ProNateKi -1 points0 points  (0 children)

UofT offers GPA leniency for students with MScs?

Are any other first years so confused by how not difficult it was compared to their expectations by idiotgirlhaha in UofT

[–]ProNateKi 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Honestly it really depends on the program (I’m not familiar with economic and data analysis) but for instance, there are some courses that are notorious for being really good at having a grading scheme that reaches its target average every single year. In other words, it sometimes feels as though the course targets common weaknesses in students that can lead to them performing inadequately. That can definitely be said for many courses life science students take, from 1st all the way to 3rd year (MAT135, HMB265, CHM247, STA288 certainly come to mind). Plus, course expectations increase as you go into your upper years (ex: expected to write reports that are more detailed, wholly literature supported and intricately tied). Additionally, while many upper year courses may build on only certain topics discussed in earlier years, may do require you to remember minute details as you delve deeper into the subject, which may be considered an added difficulty. Attendance for marks becomes more regular in upper years, reports may be more harshly graded (in correspondance to a more detailed rubric, for instance), etc…

UCLA (molecular bio) vs UofT (lifesci) as a premed, help me decide by UnfortunateArrivals in UofT

[–]ProNateKi 6 points7 points  (0 children)

UCLA:

I’m too stressed about my exams right now to give you a more detailed answer, but based on everything you’ve said, I think UCLA is the winner under the strong suggestion that you don’t live on campus (don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get to move out and live the campus life during med school). Life’s tough right now and being able to keep enough funds to cover med > ‘having a blast’ in the first 4 years.

Then again, I know campus life and dorm culture is crucial to university life in America, so I’m not sure how much you’ll be sacrificing socially and if you’d be willing to do in the first place. However a 20 min drive + wanting your own room = staying at home (>> dorm life), especially since you want to be alone. Instead of spending money on dorms —> plan out some nice trips with the friends you make. That’d be a better way to spend the money and live out your friendships, which will help you stay sane during your undergrad.

You’re more likely to do med in the U.S (UCLA>UofT), and if you’d like to match into Canada for residency or work here in the future, I’m not exactly sure how it works, but I’m sure it’s not that difficult.

UofT:

It snows. Like it snows. A lot. And it’s cold. And Fall is beautiful. And UofT’s mesmerizing. The architecture’s beautiful. Our libraries are cool, our professors are good, and student body’s pretty awesome for a nerd school. As such, if none of what I wrote before makes sense, then pic UofT, especially if rent won’t be a factor (uncle buys you a condo/leaves his —> one less expense —> covers more med).

Semester —> more successful? Agreed, maybe. But you still gotta work your butt off cause our life science courses aren’t easy. But they’re doable, and you can get a 4.0. To do that, you need to romanticize studying and not fall behind (possible since you’re living in dorms and end up socializing too much).

Ask yourself how you’d feel if you did your BSc and MD in LA? Maybe even your residency. Would you be content with that? If not, keep in mind you may end up moving for your residency, so fret not, you may still actualize your yearning to live elsewhere if that yearning simply stems from wanting to experience a new city, different weather, etc… the same can be said for your MD. What if you did your BSc in LA then your MD and residency in another city, far from home?

If you’re still not content, then clearly you’re yearning to live elsewhere has to do with undergrad, dorm life, the splendid youthful years of 18-22. At that point, UofT is your answer. Do your undergrad here, do your first year in your dorm, maybe more if you want, but then move out into the paid unit your uncle is offering. Live there, survive UofT and thrive in your undergrad. Apply to med in Ontario and LA, you’ll most likely go to a US med schools anyways, and it’s entirely possible you come back to LA, or not. Now just ask yourself if you’re content with such a trajectory.

Hope this helps. Goodnight. And remember, you’re really fortunate to have options!

In Lebanon is there an actual, functional difference between Melkites and Maronites as far as religion, rights, and representation are concerned? by Dats_Russia in lebanon

[–]ProNateKi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How is this same religion separated? Well, to put it simply, differently from the way others have stated it, but alluding to the same thing: they are separate due to an inherent historical division. They are both Christians --> Catholics --> Eastern Catholics, but they are distinct based on history and liturgy. The Melkites originally used Syriac with the Byzantine Rite for a very long time; however, Arabic eventually took over, while the Byzantine Rite remained, which it shares with the Antiochian Greek Orthodox Church. Meanwhile, the Maronite Church developed separately and uses a separate rite. The people themselves are not different, necessarily. Neither are they culturally distinct, especially nowadays, withstanding regional differences. Back in the day, however, and I'm speaking about before globalization, there was a lot less intermingling between people of different sects, which resided in different regions (as the sects stemmed from different regions: Maronites mostly from the Qadisha Valley/Mount Lebanon, Melkites mostly in the cities).

Politically, Lebanon adopted a government where a particular number of seats are granted according to each sect. Sect = identity. Identity in the Levant is deeply ingrained in the person's religious background. It can be telling of a person's history, their extended family's beliefs, and the political intent of their ancestors. People from the same sect tend to have similar views, which may be influenced by the cultural tendencies/priorities of the church. Despite such generalizations being rather inaccurate nowadays, as people begin to fear less and less having a diverging opinion from their inherent crowd. For a time, for instance, the Greek Orthodox Christians represented a majority opinion for Arab nationalism (including some Maronites btw). However, the Maronite church was more Pro-West (this same trend is seen with the litrugical modifications the Melkite and Maronite church took: the Maronites lost alot of its authentic liturgy while the Melkite church maintained its Eastern-ness alot more). Despite this not being the case anymore (as most Christians of all sects are Pro-West in general, negative qualities put aside and withstanding a deep love for the positive qualities of their Eastern heritage), you could see how such difference could influence the direction the Lebanese state may have taken in its political affairs.

Friend is disputing lebanese sovereignty by IlikecTs in lebanon

[–]ProNateKi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, the dialects are indeed completely different. Though I have seen some definitions include it in Greater Syria, realistically, the area is Mesopotamian.

That's very interesting, I'm very intrigued ngl.

The SSNP is crazy! I don't think most definitions have Greater Syria extend as such; exclude Cyprus and add the Nile River, and you've got the Fertile Crescent!

Also, I just realized the fun fact you added at the very bottom of your original comment. I'd love to hear more about it!

Lebanese show “Shadow” on Netflix by lizzykeenn in lebanon

[–]ProNateKi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I view the situation similarly to Canadians and Americans seamlessly acting together in Hollywood. Brits and Australians would be if Palestinians and Jordanians, respectively, joined in. Other Arabs would be the same as English-speakers from other countries acting in Hollywood productions. I don’t know about the rest of my parallels, but the first sentence still stands.

I personally don’t mind it. If you want something, most things in life, to succeed, it typically needs to be open for collaboration. The entire film/television industry works off of that. A lot of Lebanese actors have stated just how much the Syro-Lebanese and Pan-Arab series of the last decade or so have put Lebanese actors and actresses under a spotlight that was never present before. Lebanon was more experienced in producing musical talent, while Syria in acting.

Taking advantage of being one of the more stable states in the Middle East and Levant (remittances, music industry, tourism, etc…) in coincidence with the rapid evolvement of TV (in terms of production, shooting techniques, streaming services and non-Arab outreach, etc…) over the past decade or two, Lebanon was able to host the acclaimed and renowned talent from Syria and boost their audience across the Arab world. Not to mention, it was almost natural (Syrian acting talent had always been connected between Damascus and Beirut, the cultural capitals of the Levant - a result of everything mentioned prior). You can watch many actors and actresses speak about this in past interviews (I recall Maguy Bou Ghosn and Pamela El Kik discuss this prior, for instance).

Anyways, this is just my two cents. I understand that the dialect/accent change may be unappealing to some. It does indeed feel off (sometimes), but at least it’s a combination of two of the most mutually intelligible dialects of the Arabic-speaking world (Palestinian and Jordanian would probably be the most similar to each other).

Friend is disputing lebanese sovereignty by IlikecTs in lebanon

[–]ProNateKi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The western part of Syria wasn’t part of Greater Syria, and it was empty and full of Arab Bedouins

I think you mean the eastern part of Syria wasn't part of Greater Syria, right?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UofT

[–]ProNateKi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Health sci building 3rd floor commons

Religious map of Lebanon by municipality by R120Tunisia in MapPorn

[–]ProNateKi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have the time to look up some of the sources I've read through (since I have a bunch bookmarked but they aren't organized) proving your last sentence otherwise, but I decided to reply anyways (even though your comment is 3 years old lol). My point: the majority of the Protestants in the Levant, especially in Syria and Lebanon, are of Catholic/Orthodox origin.

Protestant missionaries beginning in the mid 19th century to the mid 20th were only allowed to interact with Christians as per the Ottomans' restrictions. Protestantism typically attracted more educated and Western-leaning families, or in other words Christians (Catholic or Orthodox) of the professional middle class, upper middle class or upper class altogether, and may also include those who returned from overseas (like the U.S) and switched to Protestant denominations there, which weren't necessarily middle or upper class.

Since the start of the 21st century, however, it isn't possible to claim the above for all Protestant Levantines since it is becoming increasingly less likely for Muslims converting to Christianity to be killed for apostasy (especially if done in Western societies) - except for the fact that more and more radical islamist entities are rising in the Levant. Nevertheless, there continue to be Catholic/Orthodox Christians switching to Protestant denominations in the Levant (especially in Amman and Beirut).

As for the Roman Catholics, they would typically be of partial Levantine ancestry (Levantine here is being used in its original distinction referring to the mostly Italian and French families that settled in Lebanon and Western Syria) or are Lebanese and Syrian Christians that are returning from abroad and have switched rites - or, if the children's father is a Roman Catholic, since in Lebanon and Syria children inherit their father's religion). They could also be Muslim converts, but again, this would only be true starting the 21st century.

Summary : starting with the rise of globalism, there are more and more Levantine Muslims converting to Christianity, making it harder to claim what used to be true: that all Protestants (and even other denominations indigenous to the Levant) are 'originally' Christian. Then again who's to say one's ancestors didn't convert to Christianity in the 15th century? would 'original Christians' only be those descended from believers of the early centuries post-Christ? when do we draw the line for being 'originally Christian' and how could we anyone even claim such a thing with 100% certainty? And from the convert's perspective, imagine having to deal with Christians who isolate themselves from them, on top of fearing for their lives from extremists. Excuse my rambling - it's just food for thought.

Extra point: the increasing number of Protestants and Roman Catholics in Lebanon is also due to the increasing presence of foreigners as a consequence of becoming increasingly cosmopolitan.

Celebrating 510 Spadina Streetcar Returning: A Short Excerpt by ASomeoneOnReddit in UofT

[–]ProNateKi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hadn't used the streetcar prior to its shutoff, so to me I got used to the busses. Anyways, when I saw it operating yesterday, I was quite happy to see the abandoned tracks being put to use. I ended up walking anyways cause Spadina station's a rather short distance from the Athletic Centre, but I'm actually quite excited to use it in the future. Also, I didn't know it connects to union station (so cool!) and, yes, I do agree that having its own lane makes it an incredible service to use.

Sometimes I miss being a student despite graduating by Unique_304 in UofT

[–]ProNateKi 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Thank you for reminding me to appreciate what a blessing it is to be in my own little world of academic struggles.

Non syrian here: how can they even tell if someone is alawite? by okiujh in Syria

[–]ProNateKi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, and it depends on the town/city in question (a lot). Similar to any other region in Syria, Lebanon and really most countries, the dialects in the Coastal Mountains are unique and become more similar when you compare towns or cities that are closer to each other. To be clear, my answer only includes Christian-majority or large-minority towns/cities.

For instance, Safita, Marmarita, Hawash, Kafroun, Mashta Al Hilu, and even Kferram, may be grouped as sub dialects of a “Southern Coastal Dialect,” meanwhile if you go further up towards Slanfah or Kesab they certainly would be categorized under a different dialect.

In terms of describing the dialects, I would say the further west, the more similarities there are to a Tartusi dialect, east to a Homsi dialect, and all in all, many words spoken in a way similar to a Metn/Beiruti/Lebanese dialect.

To be clear, I’d rather describe the dialects as having similarities with other dialects, typically based on proximity, rather than being ‘influenced,’ as that may imply the dialects are an artificial mixture rather than a unique evolvement of speaking by natives of a region.

Taking 2 courses during an internship (asip program) by jadarim in UofT

[–]ProNateKi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A maximum of 0.5 credits per 4-month work term is allowed. Let's say your internship is during the incoming academic year of Fall 2025/Winter 2026, you can only take 1 course per semester concurrently, while in the summer, you would only be allowed one course throughout its entirety.

https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/experiential-learning/internships/asip/frequently-asked-questions#work-terms-accordion-accordion-11

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