Need pre-program advice @ UTSC

[anuj912]

Hi

I just need general tips, like what to study, how many courses to take, HOW to study ( thats the important one), any general advice on how to succeed so i can get into second year co op

[thephenom]

Take 4 courses, 1 less than usual, that'll give you more time to concentrate on other courses.

Keep up with readings and get your hands on past tests/exams and make sure they are from the same prof.

[geronimo]

I don't think it would hurt if you took 5 courses per semester. If not, then maybe take 4 courses per semester and 2 in the summer.

[dislilkid]

taking 4 courses allows you a little more time to focus on those more... but if you take 5 u have the leeway of dropping a course if your not doing well. Overall i think taking 4 courses helped me out alot and got me into co-op... just work hard and dont go out as much as highschool and you should get in

[Sniper001]

taking 4 courses allows you a little more time to focus on those more... but if you take 5 u have the leeway of dropping a course if your not doing well. Overall i think taking 4 courses helped me out alot and got me into co-op... just work hard and dont go out as much as highschool and you should get in
I'm not in university right now, so you don't have to listen to my advice. However, one would think that the best thing to do is just take 5 courses and than drop a course if you feel you aren't able to handle the workload or if you don't like the particular prof.

Not sure about you guys, but in high school, many people take the minimum 6 courses (for the whole year) when choosing course selections. However, they don't realize that if you just choose the full 8 courses, you can just drop the other 2 courses later on in the year (based on whether the teacher is a hard marker, personal reasons, etc.) So that's just where I got my logic from...

[SamsonLi]

Take 6 courses. Study your ass off. Don't slack off. (YOU WILL REGRET IT)

Participate and visit office hours. Suck up if you can but it's not necessary.

Drop your lowest course after midterm. And hell, drop anything that is low. But make up for it in the summer. You need to keep your GPA TOP NOTCH if you want to go from pre to co-op. And make sure you get the RESUME HELP CENTER BESIDE THE LIBRARY to CHECK your resume before handing it into COOP. Don't BE LAZY and think your resume is good enough. Don't waste your opportunity and do this properly. After getting into co-op, then relax....a lil bit.

[thephenom]

I'm not in university right now, so you don't have to listen to my advice. However, one would think that the best thing to do is just take 5 courses and than drop a course if you feel you aren't able to handle the workload or if you don't like the particular prof.

Not sure about you guys, but in high school, many people take the minimum 6 courses (for the whole year) when choosing course selections. However, they don't realize that if you just choose the full 8 courses, you can just drop the other 2 courses later on in the year (based on whether the teacher is a hard marker, personal reasons, etc.) So that's just where I got my logic from...

Take 6 courses. Study your ass off. Don't slack off. (YOU WILL REGRET IT)

Participate and visit office hours. Suck up if you can but it's not necessary.

Drop your lowest course after midterm. And hell, drop anything that is low. But make up for it in the summer. You need to keep your GPA TOP NOTCH if you want to go from pre to co-op. And make sure you get the RESUME HELP CENTER BESIDE THE LIBRARY to CHECK your resume before handing it into COOP. Don't BE LAZY and think your resume is good enough. Don't waste your opportunity and do this properly. After getting into co-op, then relax....a lil bit.
From experience, studying for 6 midterms will bring your marks down. 5 might be ok, but 4 can definitely guarantee you maximize the time you have to study for 4 courses.

And as pre-program, you are stuck with 3 required courses that you can't drop before applying to mgmt coop, so if you take 5 courses, 2 will be electives, and you can only drop one of those. (The curriculum might have changed over the years, so take a look at what courses you NEED before you register for courses)

[anuj912]

Hey thanks for all the advice, just another question now.

I have taken 4 courses (3 of the core required) Calc/Econ/Mgmt and as an elective i wasn't sure what i wanted to take.
I chose intro to astronomy since i am somewhat of a science person myself (I had applied to engineering and also took chem/physics in highschool). After reading the course description on the calendar, it said it is a viable course for both science and non science students.

I can always choose another course but i have no idea what to take as an easy elective

Also another thing. It says that applicants to co op will only be considered after end of first year.
When is the end of first year exactly? after the winter term or the summer term? Also, if i get denied to co op, do they auto consider you for non co op mgmt?

[SamsonLi]

Your best bet is to talk to the co-op department (i'm assuming management co-op).

Hey thanks for all the advice, just another question now.

I have taken 4 courses (3 of the core required) Calc/Econ/Mgmt and as an elective i wasn't sure what i wanted to take.
I chose intro to astronomy since i am somewhat of a science person myself (I had applied to engineering and also took chem/physics in highschool). After reading the course description on the calendar, it said it is a viable course for both science and non science students.

I can always choose another course but i have no idea what to take as an easy elective

Also another thing. It says that applicants to co op will only be considered after end of first year.
When is the end of first year exactly? after the winter term or the summer term? Also, if i get denied to co op, do they auto consider you for non co op mgmt?

[pezD]

i heard astronomy is a good course and if you feel confident about it then go ahead and take the course, some other courses i heard that is not too bad is first year sociology and psychology. In addition, you should also consider taking 1 credit in humanities in first year because management bba requires you to take 1 credit in humanities. I find it helpful to get it out of the way in the first year than to go back later to find something to take outside of management..... I'm not sure if this still apply or not... but in first year i needed to take a calculus course as well (required for management)

End of first year means end of winter term- ppl generally apply for coop management or just management around april (i think.. around that time). If you're interested in coop management you will need to submit a resume and cover letter to the coop department and request a change from your preprogram (b.a) to b.b.a on ROSI (where you selected your courses). If you get denied from coop - they will accept you in management... that is if your gpa meets the bare minimum. If you can't get in after winter term (after April) try taking some summer courses to improve your GPA or if you dont feel like taking summer courses you don't have to. but apply again around june-july.... there's a second round. do the exact same procedure.

Getting into Coop management from pre program is possible - just work hard; that's what i did and got into coop management from the preprogram.

If you have any other questions, let me know! might be slow in replying as i'm taking summer school with exams right now =p

[anuj912]

i heard astronomy is a good course and if you feel confident about it then go ahead and take the course, some other courses i heard that is not too bad is first year sociology and psychology. In addition, you should also consider taking 1 credit in humanities in first year because management bba requires you to take 1 credit in humanities. I find it helpful to get it out of the way in the first year than to go back later to find something to take outside of management..... I'm not sure if this still apply or not... but in first year i needed to take a calculus course as well (required for management)

End of first year means end of winter term- ppl generally apply for coop management or just management around april (i think.. around that time). If you're interested in coop management you will need to submit a resume and cover letter to the coop department and request a change from your preprogram (b.a) to b.b.a on ROSI (where you selected your courses). If you get denied from coop - they will accept you in management... that is if your gpa meets the bare minimum. If you can't get in after winter term (after April) try taking some summer courses to improve your GPA or if you dont feel like taking summer courses you don't have to. but apply again around june-july.... there's a second round. do the exact same procedure.

Getting into Coop management from pre program is possible - just work hard; that's what i did and got into coop management from the preprogram.

If you have any other questions, let me know! might be slow in replying as i'm taking summer school with exams right now =p

Ah, thanks for the advice :D

What year did you get into co op? and what was your gpa?

[pezD]

I got into coop right after my first year (after winter term). So that was a while ago, since i'm graduating soon =s

GPA? personal information.
But it wasn't that great compare to people i know that got 3.8 out of 4.0 in their first year. And over the years, the requirements went up anyways....
Resume and cover letter helped out though - start joining clubs/organizations (MESA is a popular one at UTSC for management/econ students) or volunteer or work.

[geronimo]

I was in the pre-program and I didn't go to the writing centre and I still got into regular management. I didn't get into co-op because my GPA was too low. As for what was on the resume, I did have some volunteering with AccessAbility Services. :)

[DrDoodle]

I was in the pre-program as well and while I did not get in(because I did not really study), I can offer you this advice.

AT UTSC,
Don't screw yourself up by taking un-necessary electives. I can't begin to tell you the number of people at that school that take useless electives. I fell for that trap too. Everyone suggested - 'oh take the easy courses to boost your grades' ....by all means take one or two, but don't get into the habit of taking 5 or 6 in one year - you're only going to be wasting money and time. The BIGGEST PROBLEM at that school is they allow you to take almost ANY kind of courses from any program. They really don't have a fixed curriculum if you think about it. Other schools wont allow you to do what UTSC does.

Tackle the challenging courses first.
If you are the type of person that likes to slack around (like me ..>:( ) then this program is not for you. You are much better of transferring to another school. When I found out, that I didn't get in, I transferred to another uni. (BEST DAMN decision I EVER made..) So do the required courses first and if you are really serious about wanting to get in, then do study hard. And once you do get in, then you can slack a little.

In all honesty, I was really stupid because I slacked around and listened to the wrong people. But I do have a couple of friends that got in and that's because they were serious about their education (which everyone at uni/college should be)

Lastly, if you are unable to get in, I would highly recommend that you try and transfer out to another uni/college. Lots of people who screw up after the first year in the pre-program decide to try out for the second year. I think its a real waste of time trying to bring your GPA up a second time around. If you're GPA is already low from the beginning, it is very hard and in extreme cases, impossible to bring it up to even 2.8 +. After the second attempt - most people who dont get in decide to transfer into other programs such as economics/poly sci etc (which is kinda dumb if you really dont want to do that in the first place)

So, best of luck to you and everyone at that infernal program, I hope this helps!

[geronimo]

^ Good advice, and although you didn't make it into the program, I'm glad you're happy wherever you are now. ;)

[acetace]

If you're in pre program management i say don't worry about co-op first. because you will have enough tough times getting yourself into the actual managment stream... you gotta crawl before you walk right

My advice is study hard hang out with the right crowd (studious ones... cuz they tend to bring you to study and they'll become your study buddy) and utilize the available resouces (i know sometimes they give you bad advices, but you have to learn to weed them out and take what you need, just remember they are only a second opinion not instructors) there are also study skills clinic and time managment clinic throughout, even though you might know most of them it might be a good idea to review those skills

if you have trouble with math remember there's always a math aid room that's staffed throughout the day so you can ask any math related questions... coming from a computer science specialist you have no idea how much time i spent in that room.... the last i remember it was on second floor of ARC the south eastern room, but that was a year back not sure if they moved...

about course loading take 4 core and 1 elective seems to be a good mix for people... i would like to share a popular managment student's strategy (even though i'm not managment myself) for the elective pick a 2 exam course (50% midterm 50% final, or any course that have as few assignment as possible).... risky yes, but i have seen people managing up to 7 courses by picking courses like this... assuming you are studious and keep up with the studies having fewer assignments will actually work toward your benefit (doesn't apply if you are slacker though)

[anuj912]

I was in the pre-program as well and while I did not get in(because I did not really study), I can offer you this advice.

AT UTSC,
Don't screw yourself up by taking un-necessary electives. I can't begin to tell you the number of people at that school that take useless electives. I fell for that trap too. Everyone suggested - 'oh take the easy courses to boost your grades' ....by all means take one or two, but don't get into the habit of taking 5 or 6 in one year - you're only going to be wasting money and time. The BIGGEST PROBLEM at that school is they allow you to take almost ANY kind of courses from any program. They really don't have a fixed curriculum if you think about it. Other schools wont allow you to do what UTSC does.

Tackle the challenging courses first.
If you are the type of person that likes to slack around (like me ..>:( ) then this program is not for you. You are much better of transferring to another school. When I found out, that I didn't get in, I transferred to another uni. (BEST DAMN decision I EVER made..) So do the required courses first and if you are really serious about wanting to get in, then do study hard. And once you do get in, then you can slack a little.

In all honesty, I was really stupid because I slacked around and listened to the wrong people. But I do have a couple of friends that got in and that's because they were serious about their education (which everyone at uni/college should be)

Lastly, if you are unable to get in, I would highly recommend that you try and transfer out to another uni/college. Lots of people who screw up after the first year in the pre-program decide to try out for the second year. I think its a real waste of time trying to bring your GPA up a second time around. If you're GPA is already low from the beginning, it is very hard and in extreme cases, impossible to bring it up to even 2.8 +. After the second attempt - most people who dont get in decide to transfer into other programs such as economics/poly sci etc (which is kinda dumb if you really dont want to do that in the first place)

So, best of luck to you and everyone at that infernal program, I hope this helps!

The reason i am in this program is because i am somewhat of a slacker...

I didn't try hard enough in high school, so here i am determined to change that.

Thanks for the advice though and just wondering, what uni did you decide to go to?

[CSR]

I was in the pre-program as well and while I did not get in(because I did not really study), I can offer you this advice.

AT UTSC,
Don't screw yourself up by taking un-necessary electives. I can't begin to tell you the number of people at that school that take useless electives. I fell for that trap too. Everyone suggested - 'oh take the easy courses to boost your grades' ....by all means take one or two, but don't get into the habit of taking 5 or 6 in one year - you're only going to be wasting money and time. The BIGGEST PROBLEM at that school is they allow you to take almost ANY kind of courses from any program. They really don't have a fixed curriculum if you think about it. Other schools wont allow you to do what UTSC does.

Tackle the challenging courses first.
If you are the type of person that likes to slack around (like me ..>:( ) then this program is not for you. You are much better of transferring to another school. When I found out, that I didn't get in, I transferred to another uni. (BEST DAMN decision I EVER made..) So do the required courses first and if you are really serious about wanting to get in, then do study hard. And once you do get in, then you can slack a little.

In all honesty, I was really stupid because I slacked around and listened to the wrong people. But I do have a couple of friends that got in and that's because they were serious about their education (which everyone at uni/college should be)

Lastly, if you are unable to get in, I would highly recommend that you try and transfer out to another uni/college. Lots of people who screw up after the first year in the pre-program decide to try out for the second year. I think its a real waste of time trying to bring your GPA up a second time around. If you're GPA is already low from the beginning, it is very hard and in extreme cases, impossible to bring it up to even 2.8 +. After the second attempt - most people who dont get in decide to transfer into other programs such as economics/poly sci etc (which is kinda dumb if you really dont want to do that in the first place)

So, best of luck to you and everyone at that infernal program, I hope this helps!

Good advice...

-4th yr bba

[grappos13]

hi there..

finished all my courses last summer at UTSC BBA co-op...and what one replier said was true.. do not take useless electives early on... i took politics in my first year twice (both semesters) and i thought it was a humanities... turns out it wasnt.. then for some reason i took two more politics in second year even tho i knew they werent humanities.. i guess i liked politics..in the end, you only have to have 1.5 extra elective otuside of humanities, management and econ.. so i took 2.0.. an extra one that i didnt need to..also.. do not drop courses if u can afford it... i ended up with 3 courses...twice.. waste of money and time as i had to pay to take a course on co-op term... if you play our cards right, you should be able to finish nicely after April of your 4th year... including 3 co-op terms....however i ended up after the summer following.. with 6 courses that summer to finish...

next.. i found that first year was pretty easy compared to the other years... i for sure did less work in first year compared to the other 3 years and my GPA was much much higher in first year than the following ones... first year you should be able to do really well in if you did well in highschool in similar courses..3.7 GPA should be quite attainable with a little work.. not even an extreme amount of work...thats saying u get between 80-84 in all 10 courses... go up our down a few courses as welll...

also.. getting into co-op from pre-program after first year isint too bad i dont think.. i remember some friends of mine getting into co-op after first year with like a 3.1 GPA..but a really good resume.. so a 3.3 after first year should get you in with a decent resume... 3.3 as you know is basically getting 77-79 in all your courses.. which should be very attainable in your classes...

if you have any questions on the program, feel free to email me and ill get back to you as soon as possible.. can give you hints and such...

i went into accounting from the program.. but not to the same firm that I did 2 co-op terms with.. currently with one of the big 4....so u never know what can happen...so if ur in that stream and need some advice.. give me a shout