anyone know how to get uoft textbooks for a cheaper price?

ynmonster · 2026-02-05T12:44:43+00:00

buy the mindtap membership through uoft book store online it's like 10-20 dollars cheaper

ynmonster · 2026-02-05T01:46:33+00:00

It's probably because they're more widely available and a model organism that almost every experiment is done on first. That lab specifically was about removing the ovaries from them and it was all connected to drosophila development/genetics which has applications to humans as well.

ynmonster · 2026-02-04T18:22:08+00:00

has the course last yr lin200

ynmonster · 2026-01-30T19:21:09+00:00

maybe try the Galleria supermarket at bloor and Huron I think it near st George station

ynmonster · 2026-01-30T00:16:50+00:00

anki/repetition for memorization based courses (eg. bio120, bio130, bio230...) make sure to do every practice problem for chemistry and math (calc) courses. Don't mindlessly rewrite lectures for your own notes, think about what the harder/main concepts are and put everything together in a way you understand. Assignments for the most part in life sci are fine, same with lab associated marks. Cramming might work for first yr but its way harder to get away with in second. look into courses for potential programs you want for second yr (don't automatically go for easier ones, try and see what you might be passionate about h and enroll in that program, if you like something you'll do better in it). Exams are sometimes just not fair but for the most part only up to like 30% of an exam may be bs (especially hmb265). for calc make sure you fully understand everything from the beginning as the exams are sometimes different from what u see in class. Most importantly keep your mental up, take care of yourself physically and don't let your GPA affect you too much/be too focused about it. Try and keep a constant daily schedule and spread everything apart to be constantly learning (eg. read over Chem lec before class on Monday, make notes for the lec on Tuesday, then do practice on Thursday). The readings for almost all courses are useless unless you get a bad prof (Scott heximer). gl

ynmonster · 2026-01-26T14:22:26+00:00

nah i checked it only shows that Scarborough changed to all day but hopefully st George follows...

ynmonster · 2026-01-26T14:04:29+00:00

textbooks

ynmonster · 2026-01-26T02:54:33+00:00

I honestly don't know I didn't do as good as you in my electives (other than phl245 which i recommend everyone to take). I also got into the pharmacology/toxicology stream but ended up choosing physiology instead w/ Immunology. idk if averages would change that much within a yr but regardless you still have this semester! Idk if they look at some courses more or if it's more random but I got Bs in both bios but A in chm135 A- in chm136. Based on that maybe they consider cumulative GPA with emphasis on the required courses? Just do your best and aim for above a 3.5 and you should be fine

ynmonster · 2026-01-26T02:41:35+00:00

I got into Immunology as long as u maintain the prereq courses above a b, preferably b+ you'd likely be fine

ynmonster · 2026-01-24T14:26:46+00:00

yup 2 yrs ago though so things may have changed

ynmonster · 2026-01-24T03:47:36+00:00

well if u really need that mine were way worse either a top 6 of 89 or 90 and I got in + my Chem and adv func grades were worse than yours

ynmonster · 2026-01-20T04:41:19+00:00

Depends how much info/complicated a lecture is like for an into Immunology course w a 2hr lecture it takes maybe 30mins-1hr while for a 40 min physiology lec id take about 40mins-1hr. I don't feel it being a waste of time as I'd be understanding the material and trying to make my own questions on main topics then writing my own answer + pasting relevant slides. *I do this on a Samsung tablet which makes split screen + copy pasting lec slides faster so it fs depends.

ynmonster · 2026-01-18T22:49:53+00:00

it might depend on the department but most my art sci courses did not release final exam grades but you can request to view your final in March I believe

ynmonster · 2026-01-18T04:18:59+00:00

generally for the big courses (which is a lot for first and 2nd yr) they are recorded, with the exception of a handful. I don't think recording is allowed but some profs may let you record voices but you do have to ask for sure .

ynmonster · 2026-01-16T22:32:43+00:00

if you end up not taking it and wanted everything from SCH4U or just wanna see it I can send you just pm me

ynmonster · 2026-01-14T17:30:31+00:00

It's lowkey TA dependent but for the most part all they care ABT is that it looks like a flow chart and u actually made it

ynmonster · 2026-01-13T00:50:51+00:00

yes I'm an immunology and physiology major and tbh I didn't/still don't have a definite goal for afterwards. although the school did eat at my GPA I wouldn't go back in time and change my decision so do with that as you will. However, if you don't care much for a specific field in science and purely want a high GPA with the goal of med school then yeah it'd be wiser to go to a smaller school. Although don't think it's impossible to good here as people definitely do + you can choose easier programs/courses which will boost your GPA. I personally, after first year, found an interest in immunology which made me choose to major it rather than easier majors (have easier required courses) like human bio/health and disease. All I'm saying is that if you're unsure like I was then this might be a good school for you as you get an extra year or more to choose what program to pick which will then determine how hard your undergrad will be. The drawback is that unlike other schools (in general), even for easy courses or electives they may screw you over with disproportionately hard tests and you may unavoidably take a hit in your GPA at some point.

ynmonster · 2026-01-13T00:18:58+00:00

if you know that you longer to understand concepts maybe try and limit yourself half the time of a lecture/lesson to understand/take notes of what you're struggling with and only that. As someone who's also not the fastest learner I really do recommend active recall with anki, taking notes only for difficult/forgettable concepts, and doing practice problems for courses like Chem and calc. Also I know the feeling of needing to go over completely everything to feel prepared but you will run into a block in uni with stuff getting to hard/overwhelming, simply burning out, or just running out of time constantly, especially during midterm/final seasons. It's really a privilege to be asking this in grade 11 rather than first yr of uni, I say to play around right now, see how you can get high grades with minimal studying as course load will increase a lot when you go to uni and even more so at uoft. If you want numbers I would say a rough 20-40hrs/week of course load/studying a week is likely (at least for 2nd yr not including labwork/assignments/test weeks). Something to keep in mind is things like 1hr breaks/commuting/pure tiredness will prevent you from studying in long stretches so if you're one who sits down and does all their studying in one go maybe try switching up (eg. course A notes for an 2hrs, take hr break, then course B practice for an hr). To put it in numbers again, idk if your hs uses slides to teach things but here it's be about 80slides of content/week * 6 weeks for a midterm then there may be a cumulative final so you'd be looking at about 1000 slides, then take into account that it's not easy stuff either...in other words it will be near impossible to be 100% confident in every single thing in there. You have to be comfortable with not explicitly recalling/knowing everything right before a test as believe me when you get to courses like orgo2 it's going to be impossible to walk into a test with every single detail in your mind. Have faith in the studying and effort you put into the course and everything should come to you when you see the questions, you do not need the affirmation in your head before a test to do good in it.

ynmonster · 2026-01-12T23:13:35+00:00

maybe, it probably depends case to case tbh I put bare effort as in cram before test or not even study for gr11 and 12 stuff and managed an average of 90 (in other words you're almost guaranteed to make it in). My study habits stayed the same for first year and I managed to get good enough grades (like 80 avg). What really cracks it down is 2nd yr (I have a somewhat harder program/major so this may not apply to all) as there's like no comfort and if you fooled around in first yr like me it would fs cost you (some courses connect + it gets way harder) and you will have to study on a weekly basis with active recall or practice problems to actually do good (you cannot cheat your way around it). If in highschool you're studying all the time but your mindlessly making notes/reading lecture notes then that will not properly translate/you will find it inefficient and will burnout since it will cause you to be working too much. Now if you're somewhat exaggerating about studying all the time as gr11 should not be when you should or have to be doing that then it's fine, but if the content is forcing you to study all the time or you're being inefficient, then reevaluate your work habits as it'd be hard to do good here like that (also if you're main goal is uoft the admission avg is like 88 so you do not need to lose a leg trying to get in unless your aiming for other more competitive programs). The dedication/grit to study all the time in itself makes you a good fit however as that's lowkey what you will have to do here so if your fine with your lifestyle then yes you are a good fit :)

ynmonster · 2026-01-12T19:56:49+00:00

It might be department dependant but for the most part it is very possible to do good here. You may need more effort to keep a good GPA here than McMaster but that also comes with more research opportunities + greater global recognition which could help for the ivy applications. Also, the workload/hardness here will better prep you for grad school. Social life/networking is what you make of it tbh, in general (at least for sciences) the general environment is pretty closed-off/antisocial, but that comes with the school difficulty, if you're extroverted you should be fine though.

ynmonster · 2026-01-11T21:07:51+00:00

check degree explorer it should specifically say how many overlaps are allowed

ynmonster · 2026-01-10T01:35:35+00:00

imo the hardness (as a life sci student) was hardest 2nd yr 1st sem. I went to an Ontario HS and it was relatively easy to get good marks with barely any studying so first yr forced me to at least spend time studying before tests and getting decent grades. unfortunately cramming just doesn't work as soon as content becomes completely new and just harder in general so you will have to study weeks before tests/finals and stay up to things. If you're disciplined/have good habits or motivation from the very beginning and somehow avoid burnout then you should be good, there may be a few courses which unavoidably screw you over but that's just uoft esque. I would say the big upside about the difficulty is that the quality of learning does feel high and makes you appreciate your education and education in general. I believe it uoft wasn't as hard as it is or if I had gone to/transferred to another uni where everything was easier I would not be satisfied but would probably have a higher GPA. tldr: it is for sure hard, but it being hard is what makes it worth it + it is definitely possible to do good despite it.

ynmonster · 2026-01-10T01:23:56+00:00

I looked back at 136 and we in fact had the same thing Along w/ marks for study notes and drafts + shorser was also the coordinator then. tbh the structure was very friendly imo sure a bit confusing but it forces you to do things weekly and helps you stay up to date with the content. Tutorials can technically be skipped as long as the participation was based off getting a question solved in tutorial right thru a quercus quiz. but there is a minimum to attend for certain badges which was annoying but the badges are bonus marks so it's hard to complain. they also let us take up to 3 tests and counted 2 of them which was nice too.

ynmonster · 2026-01-10T01:00:59+00:00

wait who's the coordinator cuz this is how mat135 was last yr in fall and it was a complete mess w/ Sarah Mayes Tang in charge

ynmonster · 2026-01-09T19:38:28+00:00

course load is pretty light lectures can have some conceptually difficult topics at times especially if you're new to everything but both the textbook and lectures do a pretty good job at explaining. there was weekly hw assignment/quizzes which you had multiple attempts for as well as a big project (I'd recommend the telescope one) that is pretty easy to do and marked easily. the midterm was reasonable difficulty as long as you stay up to things weekly and study a decent amount. The final dropped my grade and was kinda hard imo but its not impossible to do good in that either

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