| University Entrance - Click HERE for Original Thread |
| anschutz_93 |
I thought that I could slack off in calculus class (I have 19 "absences" thus far). I was under the impression that to get into engineering (@uofa) all you needed is >82% average (easy).... I didn't know that you had to get over 70% in all five classes though.
I'm now stuck with an 87% average (math30, math31, English 30, Chem 30, Physics 30) but a 68% in Math 31 meaning I'm fucked...
How firm are they on the 70% minimum rule?
What is the best way to fix this?
I'm looking for an online summer school type thing... |
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| vash1789 |
| i just finished 1st year engineering and the entrance percentage back in sept 2007 was around >80. Im not aware about that 70% minimum thing....just maintain a high avg and you will get in. |
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| JustinL |
| Start working your ass off in calculus. Engineering isn't easy, especially in the math classes. Getting in is one thing, getting through first year is another, especially competing with people who are getting 90% in high school. |
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| st185celica |
i dont believe the 70% min for each class rule was in place when i applied which was 2 years ago. if it was, i was not aware because i remember getting below 70% in math 31 also
most likely if you have an average over the requirement you should be fine.
best choice is to talk to a councilor at the U in person, by phone or email them
here is the general inquiry email: info@engineering.ualberta.ca and phone number: 780.492.3320
they might not respond because you dont have an ualberta email so talking to someone in person or by phone might be the best choice |
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| anschutz_93 |
quote:
15.7 Faculty of Engineering
15.7.1 BSc in Engineering
I. High School Applicants
Subject Requirements
(1)
English Language Arts 30-1
(2)
Chemistry 30
(3)
Pure Mathematics 30
(4)
Mathematics 31
(5)
Physics 30
There is a quota of 590 first-year places and 760 second-year places.
Notes
(1)
Applicants from other provinces and territories of Canada: Students from other provinces who have clear senior matriculation and who would be acceptable in a similar program in those provinces may be considered for admission at the University of Alberta. Such applicants must have completed senior matriculation courses in the same subject areas as required of applicants from Alberta high schools.
(2)
Applicants from outside Canada: Admission requirements for students presenting other than Canadian admission qualifications are outlined in §17.2.
II. Transfer Applicants
See §14.2.
III. Nonmatriculated Applicants
Subject Requirements
(1)
Chemistry 30
(2)
Pure Mathematics 30
(3)
Mathematics 31
(4)
Physics 30
Other Requirements
(1)
A mark of at least 70% in each subject
(2)
General nonmatriculated requirements §14.3
IV. Aboriginal Applicants
See §14.1.
V. Special Students
Students holding a BSc in Engineering or a Science specialization, e.g., Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computing Science, Geology, may register as special students in the Faculty of Engineering. For further information regarding admissibility, see §12.2(7).
Maybe I'm not a Nonmatriculated student? I don't know...
I do have a uofa email so I'll try giving them an email just in case. |
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| st185celica |
| i think a Nonmatriculated student is a "non-mature" student |
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| Prudz_lude |
| A non-matriculated student is someone under the age of 21 for those who don't know. I would still apply. You never know, you do have a high average, might get in. But yah, as the others said, you will be doing a ton of calculus in engineering. My gf is going into her 4th year of biomedical materials engineering and she has done countless calc. classes. Good luck, i don't evny the math you are about to have to do at all :p :lol: |
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| unlimited |
hey sorry to jack your thread but iv got some questions along the same line.
iv taken all the sciences(bio, chem, physics) and am taking Calculus(math 31) right now.(last semester of Gr.12) and i have applied for Engineering at the college here then transferring to U of A. but i was thinking last night about why i am taking engineering. I want to eventually do business law so as my degree before applying for Law School was gonna be engineering. but my marks in calc are not all that and i really don't like it that much. and according to many, in Engineering you practically have to marry Calculus and Physics. so i'm considering revising my options and instead do a BA(as my English and Social marks are my highest, 85 and 96% respectively) and then head to Law School.
what do you guys think? |
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| anschutz_93 |
quote:
Originally posted by Prudz_lude
A non-matriculated student is someone under the age of 21 for those who don't know. I would still apply. You never know, you do have a high average, might get in. But yah, as the others said, you will be doing a ton of calculus in engineering. My gf is going into her 4th year of biomedical materials engineering and she has done countless calc. classes. Good luck, i don't evny the math you are about to have to do at all :p :lol:
I'm going straight out of HS, so I don't know what applies to me. :dunno:
I have no problems with the math, I just didn't feel like working because I thought I was in the clear... The crazy bitch started talking gibberish the first day about doing all 200 questions in the text book for each unit. I said fuck that and stop going to class. After a couple weeks I was told if I didn't start going to class I would forfeit the credits (same thing happened with my block one last semester, but that was because I was 1/2hour late every day lol)... I finished with a 90% in pure math 30 /w 92% on the diploma last semester so I can probably do it if I put in some effort. |
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| st185celica |
having gone through the first two years of eng. at the U of A i would like to warn you not to relate anything from HS to calc. classes at the U.
i got 98% in pure math 30 and that means shit all when your dealing with your first calc. exam
i dont mean to preach or offend you in any way, but i had some friends who did really well in math 31 in HS and thought they would just cruise through their first calc. course and boy were they wrong.
on the other hand i also suggest not to worry about it too much
i remember on my first calc. midterm the class average was 40%. so everyone's in the same boat |
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| jordanturbo |
quote:
Originally posted by st185celica
having gone through the first two years of eng. at the U of A i would like to warn you not to relate anything from HS to calc. classes at the U.
i got 98% in pure math 30 and that means shit all when your dealing with your first calc. exam
i dont mean to preach or offend you in any way, but i had some friends who did really well in math 31 in HS and thought they would just cruise through their first calc. course and boy were they wrong.
on the other hand i also suggest not to worry about it too much
i remember on my first calc. midterm the class average was 40%. so everyone's in the same boat
You might not want to relate the material/ mark from math 31 to Uni calc. but doing good in math 31 and understanding all the concepts is key to doing decent in Uni. I found. Even though I was going for my Bcom and math 113 was the only thing required, i decided to take math 101 since it is transferable if I ever decide to move over to engineering.
I did pretty well with my math course in uni, and I believe that was because I had the basics down from HS though it was 100x more intense |
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| shortie |
quote:
Originally posted by unlimited
hey sorry to jack your thread but iv got some questions along the same line.
iv taken all the sciences(bio, chem, physics) and am taking Calculus(math 31) right now.(last semester of Gr.12) and i have applied for Engineering at the college here then transferring to U of A. but i was thinking last night about why i am taking engineering. I want to eventually do business law so as my degree before applying for Law School was gonna be engineering. but my marks in calc are not all that and i really don't like it that much. and according to many, in Engineering you practically have to marry Calculus and Physics. so i'm considering revising my options and instead do a BA(as my English and Social marks are my highest, 85 and 96% respectively) and then head to Law School.
what do you guys think?
law school is the biggest waste of the MOST money you can possibly imagine for the most useless few years of your life.
might as well get drunk every day and go through life wasted, because it is alot cheaper to do that at home than paying $11,000 a year before books and living expenses for doing the exact same thing at school and ending up leaving after 3 years $60k in debt and a shitty articling job that makes less than 60k a year... not to mention the 10's of 1000's of money racked up through undergrad... it isn't worth it, trust me, and it's super depressing to realize how fucked up the legal system is in the real world -- it can be an interesting subject, but it is a lot more practical to buy a book on the subject and read it at home and on vacations that you will never, ever see for many years of studying and paying off ridiculous debts.
:blink:
just trying to get others to realize the truth without making the mistakes I have .... unless, ofcourse, your parents are billionaires and will pay it all for you -- then fuck you anyways lol
and you will need more than just a BA to get into the good schools with how competitive they are all getting. better do a lot of community service, extra curricular activities throughout undergrad, have amazing marks (3.7 gpa at least, I would say), supreme lsat (158+) and a good reason as to why you are better than all the other applicants. |
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| unlimited |
^
thanks for your input. ill take it into consideration!
have you taken Law School or anything along those lines? |
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| Prudz_lude |
| she just said she has lol. I would suggest you learn how to read before applying :lol: just kidding, only playing. |
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| thumbz |
If you want to get into law school I'll recommend doing a BA and taking some easy 4 classes such as basket weaving, HECOL 210 (Sex Ed at the Uni level) and mixed choir (And, of course, Econ 101, also known as remedial common sense. The answer is always where the two lines on the graph cross). Law school is cool too cause if you do good on the LSAT you can get into it with a semi low GPA. But the downside has also been pointed out... chances are youll be a low paid ambulance chaser if you get in with a low GPA and don't go to Harvard.
As for the engineering guy: My friend got into Engineering after grade 12 with a 82 average and a mark of 56 in ENGL 30. The 70% rule is a guideline.
Oh, and yah, university calc is way different then Math 31. To put it simply, Math 113 which is full of kids who took Math 31 still has an average of 1.5. I kid you not, that was my math 113 average Winter 2008, you can look it up it was George Tokarsky's lecture.
And, I want to rant about the U of A now. Fucking bastards wont transfer me into fucking Immunology and Infection for whatever reason:mad: |
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| shortie |
thats because the u of a administration is run by retarded monkeys ....
and yes, learn to read entire stories lol you will fail the lsat reading comp section at that rate ;) just teasin'
people think law school is so amazing... its mostly a bunch of conservative pricks whose daddies pay their entire way so they can actually afford to do it. for us regular folk, well, it f'd me over for many years of debt now... I don't even work in the profession what so ever because I hate it and how freaking political it all is. most down to earth grads don't even work in the field and never would - it is like selling your soul. especially if you expect to make any decent money after graduation, you will have to do corporate and dont expect to ever sleep or have a life as you will be doing the crappiest jobs for very very rich partners and pulling a good 70hr week for maybe, if you are lucky, 80k to start....
my advice - stick to something academic and will do you good in life - like engineering, medicine, business (sometimes), etcetc |
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| cupcake |
shortie, I'm sure you're an awesome person, but it sounds like you went into law school for the wrong reasons and with the wrong expectations. Just out of curiousity, how much research did you do before you actually went into law? Why did you apply and what did you expect out of it?
To be honest, starting at 75k with "unlimited" potential is a lot better than a job that starts at 50k but caps off at 75k. Also, if you don't mind, what are you doing now? |
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| vash1789 |
quote:
Originally posted by JustinL
Start working your ass off in calculus. Engineering isn't easy, especially in the math classes. Getting in is one thing, getting through first year is another, especially competing with people who are getting 90% in high school.
did you just finish 1st year eng? |
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| JustinL |
quote:
Originally posted by vash1789
did you just finish 1st year eng?
That's one way to put it hehe. I did 1st year and struggled the whole time before deciding it wasn't what I wanted to do. I switched into the B.Sc. Kinesiology program and graduated that in 2002. I'll have my MBA wrapped up in August.
I was unprepared for the intensity of 1st year engineering compared to high school. |
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| vash1789 |
quote:
Originally posted by JustinL
That's one way to put it hehe. I did 1st year and struggled the whole time before deciding it wasn't what I wanted to do. I switched into the B.Sc. Kinesiology program and graduated that in 2002. I'll have my MBA wrapped up in August.
I was unprepared for the intensity of 1st year engineering compared to high school.
yea its tough shit...but i managed to beat it heh |
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| shortie |
I went into law because I was always interested in human rights and constitutional litegation and what not. I spent a good 5 years on a hospital for children's youth advisory council regarding united nations conventions... I was very naive to think that law school would be awesome and great... it was interesting for sure - the topics are informative (for the most part) and I kept an open mind to learn about other things (really ended up enjoying wills and estates)... however, having spent some time doing probono type stuff for student legal aid and actually working within the court system and seeing the complete ridiculousness that has become the system (even I as a student got several accused people off of drunk driving and other such offences for dumb reasons, even though they obviously were guilty) and how much of a 'old boys club' it really is... I also was NOT prepared for the absolutely outrageous debt it would cause me... my first year I could not have a job on the side (soooo much studying, etc) so I lived off a student line of credit and student loans... 1 year = $30,000 debt.... you do the math...
the administration I delt with were just complete asshats, screwing people around and what not... I may have had an odd case, but it happened. I am POSITIVE other schools are a lot better than U of A though, and if I had had unlimited funds I would have transfered elsewhere and repeated everything for that matter.
I did not go in expecting some amazing 6 figure income.... but I did not expect to hate the profession and be in somuch debt by the end that even a 60k to start job F's me over...
The job field just is NOT for my type of personality... I hate suits, I had snobby asshats who think they are better than you (there is a LOT of that, trust me), I hate drinking (you gotta be a good drinker to fit in... firms often sponser parties and booze nights), I dislike the dishonesty and often lack of morals from those around me (not ALL, but some)...
law school f'd me over financially, thats for sure, mentally it was just intense as shit and probably took a good 10yrs+ off my lifespan.
good look finding an article that is more than 70k unless you are literally top of your class... which is very, very very difficult with the competitiveness of law school. the prospect of future potential is pleasent, perhaps, if you excel and know the right people that is.... but have fun trying to pay of at least 60-90k debt afterwards on a starting salary for a student at law...
better off going into trades, skipping the drama and 7+ years of school to do undergrad and law, the debt you rack up, and you will be making far more to start than any law grad...
just my perspective on it... I might be a bit bitter, but I also want people to be well aware of what they are getting into, as most go in thinking it is a walk in the park and not a problem to be making the millions $$ right after completion. there is nothing more awesome than being 25, having spent your entire life in school, only to come out with more debt and bitterness than most people can even imagine racking up before they turn 30.
after school I got into the car and dealership 'industries'.. worked a bit in sales (hated it.. hate lying to people and being an asshole), administration side, and now I work on the finance side of it... love it... definitely dont make that much money at all, but I would rather have a job I love! honestly... I make a fraction of what most of my classmates do/will, but meh.
hope that helps.... if you have more questions feel free to ask! there are definitely SOME upsides of law... and some people are just born to go into it ;) |
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| Beerking |
Moral of all this.... High School is nothing compared to Univ. The only reason for High school and especially grade 12 is to get you into proper study habits, if you slack off and take grade12 as a joke you will have a rude awakening once you get into univ. If you ahve poor studie habits, poor class habits, poor attentitive habits then do not bother with Univ and save your money, you would be better off digging holes for bus fare, at least you can come late and not worry about failing.
I had two friends (well Acquaintances) who were very smart in grade 12, I mean they never studied, came late, goofed off but got great marks and they went into engineering. THEY GOT THEIR ASSES HANDED TO THEM, they failed miserably and cried and cried all the time about how hard it was and all the money they had to spend.
Have fun :blue: |
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| Prudz_lude |
quote:
Originally posted by cupcake
To be honest, starting at 75k with "unlimited" potential is a lot better than a job that starts at 50k but caps off at 75k. Also, if you don't mind, what are you doing now?
That is kind of a closed minded statment right there. 75k caps? for what? Science, business, medicine, arts they all have unlimited possiblities and do not have caps. An example is my friend Sarah. Her father used his arts degree to get into psychology and is loaded. He is working on his phd right now and i believe is suppose to have it handed to him this year. That was all from an arts degree.
My boss just graduated from business at the u of a and is a manager of a cell phone store. He is clearing 60k a year because he brought his education to upper management. He is making more than every other manager and doing a great job. Not only that, he has his actual business plan underway and i know he will be happy and making 6 figures no questions asked.
My girlfriend for example, biomedical materials engineering. She is getting paid less than a mcdinks employee right now doing diabetes research. She will be paid 50kish for a long time doing research but she will easily make over 6 figures and will be in textbooks for her discoveries in the future.
Saying those kinds of degrees have caps is like i said, closed minded. Every degree has potential to do great things for society and has potential to provide great wealth. |
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| cupcake |
Prudz, I never said degrees have caps, I said JOBS. Learn to read.
As for shortie, ah, I see where you're coming from. As someone who is working in the criminal justice system, I'm definitely NOT touching criminal law with a 10 foot pole. :D I can see I'm entering into it (if I get in) with a different perspective than you did. I'm already jaded and bitter but probably not as much as I will be when I make it through. Ha Ha.
Some more insight into how U of A is would be awesome. I'm actually thinking of U of Victoria since it has the co-op and a joint MPA program. That's just me thinking big though. I'll just PM you though since I'm sure no one else is interested. Ha Ha. |
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| Prudz_lude |
quote:
Originally posted by cupcake
Prudz, I never said degrees have caps, I said JOBS. Learn to read.
As for shortie, ah, I see where you're coming from. As someone who is working in the criminal justice system, I'm definitely NOT touching criminal law with a 10 foot pole. :D I can see I'm entering into it (if I get in) with a different perspective than you did. I'm already jaded and bitter but probably not as much as I will be when I make it through. Ha Ha.
Some more insight into how U of A is would be awesome. I'm actually thinking of U of Victoria since it has the co-op and a joint MPA program. That's just me thinking big though. I'll just PM you though since I'm sure no one else is interested. Ha Ha.
then yah, that is true, jobs tend to cap at a certain point. |
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| Beerking |
quote:
Originally posted by Prudz_lude
then yah, that is true, jobs tend to cap at a certain point.
Degrees can cap to a point if you do not pursue anything. If you think you can find a job making over $75000 a year with just a arts degree, then you are dreaming. You pretty much pointed out that yes people can make more money, but they are all pursuing they're education further to get them that extra cash.
What I am trying to say is that with an arts degree you will not find a good paying job in that field, you may find a job that pays really good down the road but it will have no relevance to that shitty degree.
Undergrad degrees do have a cap to them (more specifically science and arts). Unless you have hook ups or are really strong willed and determined, a science or arts degree is not going to pay you much, graduate studies, phd's will though. |
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| kevito_ |
quote:
Originally posted by anschutz_93
I thought that I could slack off in calculus class (I have 19 "absences" thus far). I was under the impression that to get into engineering (@uofa) all you needed is >82% average (easy).... I didn't know that you had to get over 70% in all five classes though.
I'm now stuck with an 87% average (math30, math31, English 30, Chem 30, Physics 30) but a 68% in Math 31 meaning I'm fucked...
How firm are they on the 70% minimum rule?
What is the best way to fix this?
I'm looking for an online summer school type thing...
I'm going to be an asshole and say:
If you can barely make the minimum requirements, what makes you think you would have any reasonable chance at being a successful engineer? There is no excuse for a 68% in calculus at the high school level for someone interested in science or engineering. It's not a hard course... and its the basic building block for most of the mathematics you will be using.
Specifically, what discipline of engineering are you looking at? Specialties such as transportation and civil engineering have a lot lower requirements than something like engineering physics or mechanical engineering.
Take a summer school class and get that mark up high. Alberta High downtown offers quick classes over the summer, but unless you complete them.
You can always take general science first year and transfer into engineering. Just don't turn into someone who is forever trying to get into a prestigious faculty... then suddenly your 30 years old and clue in that maybe it's just not going to happen.
...it's curious to see that Engineering still needs English 30... my program didn't need English 30 ;) |
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| shortie |
quote:
Originally posted by cupcake
Prudz, I never said degrees have caps, I said JOBS. Learn to read.
As for shortie, ah, I see where you're coming from. As someone who is working in the criminal justice system, I'm definitely NOT touching criminal law with a 10 foot pole. :D I can see I'm entering into it (if I get in) with a different perspective than you did. I'm already jaded and bitter but probably not as much as I will be when I make it through. Ha Ha.
Some more insight into how U of A is would be awesome. I'm actually thinking of U of Victoria since it has the co-op and a joint MPA program. That's just me thinking big though. I'll just PM you though since I'm sure no one else is interested. Ha Ha.
I did my undergrads at uvic - LOVED it there, loved the atmosphere, the location, the laid back and awesome profs. I had a roommate who was in law when I was there and she liked it alot, however, (at least back then) the co-op program was not as great as it sounds - it is a lottery system (pick names outta hats for limited spots) and also you have to pay co-op fees and there are less positions available than people in co-op
hah but awesome school...
kinda off topic.. but ya |
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| Beerking |
quote:
Originally posted by shortie
I did my undergrads at uvic - LOVED it there, loved the atmosphere, the location, the laid back and awesome profs. I had a roommate who was in law when I was there and she liked it alot, however, (at least back then) the co-op program was not as great as it sounds - it is a lottery system (pick names outta hats for limited spots) and also you have to pay co-op fees and there are less positions available than people in co-op
hah but awesome school...
kinda off topic.. but ya
U of vic has a good Co-op program, I have a student from there working for me right now. |
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| unlimited |
thanks for all the input (shortie) .. and yeah im not expecting to get an amazing job right outta Law School. and now the only thing thats got me worried is if i can pay it without too much debt.. is it more a year than engineering ($6k a year)? and i will be looking more into it (costs, better schools, etc..)
and iv decided not to go into engineering and will do a BA now. i have heard the U of T law school is the best in Canada. and i will also look into UVic.
as for living expenses, which is probably the biggest worry for me once high school is done. is that i get it free if i go to Edmonton or Vancouver or Toronto (family living there and allowing me to stay :D ) |
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| cupcake |
quote:
Originally posted by unlimited
thanks for all the input (shortie) .. and yeah im not expecting to get an amazing job right outta Law School. and now the only thing thats got me worried is if i can pay it without too much debt.. is it more a year than engineering ($6k a year)? and i will be looking more into it (costs, better schools, etc..)
and iv decided not to go into engineering and will do a BA now. i have heard the U of T law school is the best in Canada. and i will also look into UVic.
as for living expenses, which is probably the biggest worry for me once high school is done. is that i get it free if i go to Edmonton or Vancouver or Toronto (family living there and allowing me to stay :D )
On average, law schools cost $10k/yr and that's just tuition alone. I'm assuming books will be $1k to $2k per year? And possibly more? Then you have to think about fees and all other fun add ons. If you go on the Oxford Seminar website, it has a pretty good booklet that summarizes all the entrance requirements, specialty programs, tuition of the law schools in Canada.
U of T is very competitive and I guess rightfully so. U of A is a good school and so is UBC. So, the three schools in the cities that you get free living accommodations offer schools with good reputations. And who knows? Maybe you'll change your mind after you enter into university. Things often change about 10 times once you get into post-secondary.
quote:
Originally posted by shortie
I had a roommate who was in law when I was there and she liked it alot, however, (at least back then) the co-op program was not as great as it sounds - it is a lottery system (pick names outta hats for limited spots) and also you have to pay co-op fees and there are less positions available than people in co-op
hah but awesome school...
kinda off topic.. but ya
Sounds like the co-op I'm in right now. Ha Ha. We would get accepted but afterwards, it was up to us to find a job from the list, etc. The year before me, only 50 out of 70 people got jobs. I'm paying $2600 in tuition this year, except none of the credits I've earned go towards my degree. On the bright side, I'll get an extra 6 words on my diploma?
There are always work abroad programs at U of A. Things always work out. :) |
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| unlimited |
| ouch! ahaha, thanks for the info cupcake. |
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| the_fornicator |
They'll only bend the minimum requirements *if* they're short on applications. being engineering, that's not gonig to happen so you're fucked.
same almost happened with me in my 4th year. Computing Science students need at least a 2.3 (C+) average each semester to continue to the next year / semester / graduate.
I set up my last semester proper and saved a harder com sci class for my last semester and took it with 2 arts classes. I figured I can get a 3.7 or 4.0 in my two arts classes and cruise through the com sci class (didn't care what I got so long as I passed).
A week before the final, I found out that not only do you have to have an average of 2.3 in all your classes to graduate / continue to the next year/semester, but also a 2.3 average in all your math/stats/computing courses, again, each semester.
Since I was only taking one computing course that semester, I needed a 2.3 in it. Bad part was that I was just barely passing my operating systems course. Damn near shit myself cause if I didn't meet that requirement, I wouldn't graduate.
I stopped studying my arts courses and just concentrated on that one computing course for a week and ended up acing the final -even found an error in the final. Thank jeebus the stars were aligned for me -the prof said that I did so well in the final (was impressed that I found an error in it) and assignements (botched the midterm hard), he just gave me the mark I got in the final as my final mark (98%). Ended up with a 4.0 in that course.
Sweet. |
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| shortie |
quote:
Originally posted by unlimited
thanks for all the input (shortie) .. and yeah im not expecting to get an amazing job right outta Law School. and now the only thing thats got me worried is if i can pay it without too much debt.. is it more a year than engineering ($6k a year)? and i will be looking more into it (costs, better schools, etc..)
and iv decided not to go into engineering and will do a BA now. i have heard the U of T law school is the best in Canada. and i will also look into UVic.
as for living expenses, which is probably the biggest worry for me once high school is done. is that i get it free if i go to Edmonton or Vancouver or Toronto (family living there and allowing me to stay :D )
LOL!! you better have a fricking 98% gpa average in ALL classes throughout your entire undergrad, and it better be an honours degree and at least a 164 lsat if you expect to get into U of T law :)
just a heads up |
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| cupcake |
quote:
Originally posted by shortie
LOL!! you better have a fricking 98% gpa average in ALL classes throughout your entire undergrad, and it better be an honours degree and at least a 164 lsat if you expect to get into U of T law :)
just a heads up
Funny story. One of the girls that was in my LSAT class asked the instructor about "safety" schools to guarantee entrance into law. Then she asked about U of T.
I was about to turn around and say "If you're so desperate that you need to apply to "safety" schools, don't even think about U of T." Of course, that wouldn't have been very professional of me...so I just made fun of her to other people. :p |
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| kevito_ |
What exactly constitutes a safety school?
Are there some schools that 'feed' programs of high prestige universities? |
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| shortie |
safety school (for law at least) are the less 'prestigious' ones... not that it matters in canada, as there are so few schools that every law degree has the same ability to get the same jobs, unlike the states where there are hack schools... in canada, the safety school are the ones that are easier to get into because of lower averages required and lower lsats... mostly people just enjoy bragging about being at U of T... a lot of law students are all about the tooting of own horns... and its hard to do when you have to go to your worst 'safety' school and you cant brag :P
not that it matters at all... |
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| the_fornicator |
| i.e it's called a backup plan. |
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| euro_ftw |
| fuckin nerds.:lol: |
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| pheoxs |
Might be a bit late but I figured I'd post this to help yeah.
I just finished my first year of eng ... and honestly if your struggling in calculus, don't bother, I know people getting 85%+ in high school and were pulling off 50's on the midterms/finals ... so unless your prepared to work a lot harder or your really really lucky i guess...
Edit: Also, the one nice thing about engineering is everything is curved. In my chemistry class I got a 60% overall which ended up being a B- because our average was really bad due to a hard final exam. And also, 50% isn't necessarily a pass. Some courses, like when I took economics, because of the curve a 37% ended up being the passing grade... |
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| 2HIGH~PSI |
if you have any questions regarding engineering at the U of A..i currently just finished my 4th year and have probably 4 courses left...
IMO its not too bad, some of the courses are quite hard, but the bell curve balances it out...ive walked out of an exam and almost dropped out of university i thought i did so bad, on top of failing the midterm. Surprisingly I passed, with a half decent mark (C), which is much much better than a fail. I have many instances where this has happened, maybe too many to be talking about.
Engineering is a great backround to have as it is universal. You can work anywhere in the world and the math, physics, and knowledge is the same, making job opportunities endless. The course structure also teaches you how to "problem solve" which is very desirable in business and other aspects of many different careers.
feel free to drop me a pm and i will answer any questions to have regarding courses, structure, difficulty etc.. |
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| anschutz_93 |
2High~PSI: I will probably take you up on that, but I don't really have any questions right now. I should be in a good position now, my calculus mark finished above 70% so w/e lol.
pheoxs what is the source of that graph? I think that the term "high school averages" takes into account all subjects, not just the five subjects which are used for entrance into engineering.
I took economics 204 as my option class... Talking to guys at the UofC the class is should just be a GPA booster, you show up, you get a good mark. Is it just as easy up here? |
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| pheoxs |
anschutz_93: The source was our intro to engineering class (engg 100) so I'm pretty sure its reliable and its the average they used to admit students so I would assume its just the 5 requirements.
I took Econ 204 as well, I really enjoyed it actually. Gordon Lee is an awesome teacher. I didn't end up doing so well in it mainly because I went into the course with my same mentality from high school, didn't bother studying much/at all, it was my first midterm and well ... I failed the midterm, but I ended up bringing my mark up to a C+ by the end of it which turned out to be my worst mark lol. |
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| tho_chi |
| I would hope that you could finish with over a 70. The calculus final this year was very easy. When I was taking to the Engineering Faculty all I they told me was 82 or greater average. You should be in the clear:thumbup: |
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| vash1789 |
| yea the calc final was easy this year. Eng phys was killer tho |
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| chrenan |
Interesting thread.
If your attitude and work ethic were poor enough for you to decide to coast on a course required for entrance into the university program of your choice, you may not be well prepared for university.
You need to prepare yourself for an environment where you are a number and nobody cares about you. If you are already grasping at straws to get into a program, you likely won't survive if you do get accepted.
I did an Honours Economics degree at U.W.O and an MA Economics & Finance at UofA. In undergrad, the Honours Economics program started with 120 students in 2nd year (1st year is a general year) with only around 15 students graduating in 4th year. Same at the UofA for grad school, about 20 in the program with only around 5 ever getting an MA. Despite the jokes in this thread about Economics 101 (which I agree is fluff), the math by the end of grad school was mind-bending stuff.
Good luck. |
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| skiontwintips |
| To the OP, note that the posted minimum admission requirements are only a guideline for admission - if a program is oversubscribed the U of A will work its way down the list from the top applicants until it reaches the cutoff point for # of seats available - typically this point is actually much higher than the minimum requirements posted. |
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| HiTempguy |
quote:
That's one way to put it hehe. I did 1st year and struggled the whole time before deciding it wasn't what I wanted to do. I switched into the B.Sc. Kinesiology program and graduated that in 2002. I'll have my MBA wrapped up in August.
I likened the first year of engineering I took to be like "getting repeatedly kicked in the face every single day for 8 months" (yes, that is a direct quote from myself ;) ). Engineering is truly one of the more acedemically challenging programs you will find yourself in. I unfortunatley made the mistake of attending the RDC transfer program. I "might" still be in engineering to this day if I had of just went to U of A the first year (which accepted me right away back in 2006).
I will also admit my study habits were not the best. They were there (I can study just fine, had an 85% average in high school, lowest mark was an 80% I believe in Chem 30) but I had an incredible difficulty with having to teach myself what I did not learn in class. I am now enrolled in Instrumentation at NAIT after a 1.5 year hiatus from school. It is still technically in the engineering stream but if you are in engineering and drop out/fail at it you will always wonder what if? I would love to go back into engineering and start all over again at U of A but I cannot afford to spend another year failing if it came to that. |
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| WRCftw |
University is all about interests. You will do well in a class you are interested because you will naturally apply yourself. I'm a 4th year Bcomm Accouting co-op student, with an ok GPA (3.5) and I nearly failed alot of "easy" courses because I hadzero motivation to go to class or study. But when it comes to accounting classes and philosophy classes I get A's because I like it.
If you've researched engineering and really like it you'll be fine, it's all about how much time you are willing to devote. University isn't hard it just requires you to fall in love with your area of study and make it a huge part of your life. In my first year of sciences (you have to apply to business at UofA afer your first year) I was in Chemistry. I really liked chemistry and physics in High school (got 90's) in them but lost interest in my first year and my marks hit the floor.
Coles Notes: If you love it, you'll be fine! Hit the books hard and remember to take a break once in a while and enjoy life :thumbup: |
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| ehrgeiz |
Different strokes for different folks I guess, but IMO you guys are nuts. I couldn't fathom going to school again; it's like paying a retarded amount of money to be tortured. I haven't actually been in a "real" classroom since like Grade 9.
The idea of sitting and listening to someone for hours then having them give me homework which would take away my personal time, all the stress and worry I see students go through.... Ughh.
Are the career and the extra pay really worth it? From my experience and observations, no matter where you feel your career lies on the "successful" chart, eventually it just becomes a job.
This had nothing to do with the OP, but I was reading the thread and felt like soap box'in it. |
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| chrenan |
quote:
Originally posted by ehrgeiz
Are the career and the extra pay really worth it? From my experience and observations, no matter where you feel your career lies on the "successful" chart, eventually it just becomes a job.
Sure, at some point it is just a job for me, no doubt about it. But six figures in an air conditioned office on a 29th floor downtown is a pretty nice way to make money. I'd say the six years of University, student poverty, and hard work in my career so far to get to this point has been totally worth it. Sure, I could make the same money "on the rigs" as some people insist on telling me. However, I haven't burnt out my body doing physical labour which has allowed me to stay competitive in my sport of choice. I don't work evenings or weekends, I have lots of time to spend with my wife, and I get plenty of vacation time. That being said, office life is not for everyone, you need to pick carefully, a career is a marathon not a sprint. |
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| Prudz_lude |
quote:
Originally posted by chrenan
Sure, at some point it is just a job for me, no doubt about it. But six figures in an air conditioned office on a 29th floor downtown is a pretty nice way to make money. I'd say the six years of University, student poverty, and hard work in my career so far to get to this point has been totally worth it. Sure, I could make the same money "on the rigs" as some people insist on telling me. However, I haven't burnt out my body doing physical labour which has allowed me to stay competitive in my sport of choice. I don't work evenings or weekends, I have lots of time to spend with my wife, and I get plenty of vacation time. That being said, office life is not for everyone, you need to pick carefully, a career is a marathon not a sprint.
This man delievers the good advice!!! |
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| ae1969 |
quote:
Originally posted by chrenan
Sure, at some point it is just a job for me, no doubt about it. But six figures in an air conditioned office on a 29th floor downtown is a pretty nice way to make money. I'd say the six years of University, student poverty, and hard work in my career so far to get to this point has been totally worth it. Sure, I could make the same money "on the rigs" as some people insist on telling me. However, I haven't burnt out my body doing physical labour which has allowed me to stay competitive in my sport of choice. I don't work evenings or weekends, I have lots of time to spend with my wife, and I get plenty of vacation time. That being said, office life is not for everyone, you need to pick carefully, a career is a marathon not a sprint.
Ditto.
The only difference I have over Chrenan is that I am on the 19th floor and I leave when I feel like it .... :D The beauty of consulting.
I love physical labour...... but I would rather exert myself physically working on my car, chopping wood at the cabin, playing hockey etc..etc...etc..........
A University Education is TOUGH to beat..... Oddly enough I lacked that focus in my first year of University as well but things worked out...... but the PARTIES with the Education and Nursing women made up for it. That is reason enough to go to the U. |
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| chrenan |
quote:
Originally posted by ae1969
The only difference I have over Chrenan is that I am on the 19th floor and I leave when I feel like it .... :D The beauty of consulting.
You crazy Consultants! We have to do coffee soon Alex, I figure I'm a couple of weekends worth of work away from having the 951 on the road, the Konis arrived this week!!! :D
Alex speaks the truth, half the fun of University is the social aspect. I had a great old-fashioned University experience, leaving a small town at 18, going to another city to a big University (Western). First year was an unfocused blur as well for me, buckled down after that. By the time I got to grad school (UofA) I had the routine down to perfection and was able to cut loose a lot. Fun times, I wouldn't trade them for anything. |
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| ehrgeiz |
quote:
Originally posted by chrenan
Sure, at some point it is just a job for me, no doubt about it. But six figures in an air conditioned office on a 29th floor downtown is a pretty nice way to make money. I'd say the six years of University, student poverty, and hard work in my career so far to get to this point has been totally worth it. Sure, I could make the same money "on the rigs" as some people insist on telling me. However, I haven't burnt out my body doing physical labour which has allowed me to stay competitive in my sport of choice. I don't work evenings or weekends, I have lots of time to spend with my wife, and I get plenty of vacation time. That being said, office life is not for everyone, you need to pick carefully, a career is a marathon not a sprint.
To be honest I have a similar situation as a consultant in my respective industry, maybe not quite six figures yet, but I'll be there shortly. Well that's if I can actually motivate myself to work more than 25 hours a week. All I'm really getting at here is that there are plenty of backdoors into great careers that don't require a small fortune in student loans and six years of your life.
That said, I do envy the ability to take a degree (some degrees) anywhere in the world and not have to worry about money.
Regarding the social/party aspect, all I can say is I've never needed school to keep my whistle wet and my dinky stinky. I suppose all the scattered ass in post secondary (specifically GMAC) would definitely make it more convenient, but it's just not worth 10k/year to me. |
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| JustinL |
| There is an enjoyment factor and sense of satisfaction from learning. Sure it's tough some days and I get tired of writing papers, but I've gotten a whole lot better at it. If money was no object, I'd probably always be taking a university course. School is not for everyone. |
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