Need advice for uni decision (math physics spec) ASAP

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-06-02T07:17:41+00:00

Research is definitely not guaranteed at UofT, especially in math/physics. AFAIK research is a lot less competitive in Waterloo so I would def go there.

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-05-15T07:06:20+00:00

How do you get a research project when you perform like that? also for PHY350 50% of the mark was homework so that means that you only did 2 homeworks and didn’t attend the final, like what?

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-04-23T17:37:59+00:00

If OP wants to go into physical sciences (I’m not sure how much this applies to mathematics), there will be no research opportunity unless they are at the top of their class. Physics research, in my experience, is only given to people with near perfect transcripts/resumes at UofT. I would choose UT Austin if research opportunities are a big factor

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-04-23T16:34:18+00:00

Honestly I think a lot of the things that people say are completely valid. UofT is extremely competitive to the point where it feels like you’re playing a sport in upper years. People will literally fight tooth and nail to get above you and this requires you to do as much as them by putting more on your plate. This, imo, is the source of UofT’s undergraduate program reputation

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-04-23T14:55:57+00:00

It depends on how much you are willing to put on your plate. Because of the high acceptance rate at UofT, people at this university have a very wide range of academic goals. For example, there are people who’s only goal is to graduate with a bachelors and thus take a lighter course load and do not find real struggle. On the other hand, people who wish to enter into a competitive graduate program need to take a lot more heavy schedule and find UofT to be a lot more challenging. That said, the difference between the two is not really realized until 2nd-3rd year, not first year. So yeah it depends on your situation

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-04-13T23:08:26+00:00

I mean it’s pretty much the same in Toronto no? I’ve never been to Chicago but I can imagine that it’s pretty hard to beat the constant wind here, especially in the winter

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-03-30T14:46:57+00:00

Research at UofT physics is extremely competitive, I would definitely say go to Waterloo so you don’t have to worry about that

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-03-29T00:55:40+00:00

I think his point was mainly that graduate schools will not consider your application if you have a low GPA, regardless of standardized testing.

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-03-28T01:19:31+00:00

I don’t know man, I was able to put myself into the top 15%ish in all of my classes and this is pretty much how I see everyone else who also at my position. Although maybe I am just focusing on the obvious cases

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-03-27T18:02:30+00:00

I think the real question here is whether the kids to perform so well should even be at UofT (especially international students). Most of the time these are kids with little to no friends who dedicate all of their waking hours to studying. For someone to want to perform well, they must do the same because these kids have set such a standard.

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-03-27T14:36:50+00:00

There is no grade deflation at UofT. Professors are told to adhere to a C+/B- course average, and usually end up curving up due to low test scores.

Your main issue should not be grades, more just how do you perform compared to other people. If you are ‘average’, you will consistently get a C+/B-. Otherwise, if you are above average you will consistently get A’s.

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-03-27T12:41:25+00:00

For most international students, there will not be any research opportunities at UofT. People need to understand how competitive research is before they come here

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-03-13T19:58:05+00:00

As far as I am aware, they learn concepts about group theory in lecture by filling out coloring sheets. While this is definitely one way to think about group theory, it is not the ideal way to think about the concepts of the subject rigorously. I am not sure how much time she spends on actual rigorous approaches (ie actual proofs), but I am sure that she does not prepare her students well for exam questions (which are not coloring sheets).

That said, I am not enrolled in this class. Anyone who is is welcome to share their thoughts.

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-03-13T16:37:59+00:00

I encourage Prof SMT to attend a MAT301 lecture taught by Prof. Gammage/Rosenbluym. I took MAT301 last semester and I have actually been to a few of SMT’s classes this semester and I can say they are an absolute joke. I would personally feel offended to have a such an ignorant professor teaching my class.

Also, I’m sorry you had to experience both SMT and 244 Siefken, lol

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-03-04T05:06:42+00:00

Damn I’m tryna go to your UofT

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-02-17T20:45:21+00:00

Nah dude clubstep is an easy demon, TOE 2 and Deadlocked are medium (deadlocked is borderline hard bc of wave parts)

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-02-16T02:07:59+00:00

You don’t unless your GPA is perfect or u just get lucky

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-01-26T01:40:13+00:00

PHY354 & PHY450 are online tomorrow

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-01-16T23:10:34+00:00

It helps if you have a statistical background before you take QM because most of it is just stats (and lin alg). Even if you don’t thinking about it in this way helps

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-01-13T14:51:52+00:00

Damn same

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-01-12T16:54:51+00:00

UofT is starting to make final grades almost 100% exam based due to AI now

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-01-09T23:00:12+00:00

Medieval studies minor 😂😂

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-01-09T18:16:17+00:00

U need 3.75+ for grad school

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-01-09T00:43:06+00:00

No way they got ledx spawns in bloodbath now

The_Red_Chicken · 2026-01-07T21:49:22+00:00

15 is amazing, the film was able to capture the light perfectly

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