University Advice - Toronto

[mjrand]

Here's my story. I never finished high school. When I was about 15, in the middle of 10th grade I developed a condition that caused me to sleep at least 18-20 hours a day. It made it impossible for me to continue to go to school, let alone anything else. I'm 24 now and I no longer have this condition and function fine now and last year I finally got my GED.

Not finishing high school really cause me to go into a sort of depression and getting the GED has lifted my spirits somewhat. Now I'd like to go to university. Specifically into electrical engineering. Unfortunately I've looked at some of the prerequisites to getting into these universities and these courses, and they are far beyond what I had to learn to get my GED. Also I know how much competition there is with other students, with only the ones with the best grades getting into these. I have no chance at competing with these people. This is starting to drive me back into a depression.

I was always good in math when I was back in school, but that was so long ago, I'm not sure I remember most of it and I never really learned the complicated stuff like calculus, etc... Is there any way I can get special consideration or advantage over the fresh out of high school students? I've been out of school for about 10 years. What can I do to improve my chances? More than anything, I want to get a degree in eletrical engineering. I'm not sure they'll even let me in the school though.

The 3 universities I'm looking at are UofT, York University, or Ryerson University.

Thanks for any help you can give guys.

 

[Mo0o]

Community COllege. then 4 year

 

[mjrand]

How many years would I have to go to community college before I could apply to university? Would community college give me enough of an advantage over the high schoolers to definitely get into the university of my choice?

 

[Eeezee]

I agree, do two years of community college first. It's cheaper, and some states guarantee admittance to public universities if you finish a bunch of classes at community college first.

Most of the high school students that go to college today are RETARDED. Getting into a university is easy. Getting into a private university might be hard, but some people put a lot more importance in this than is necessary. Look at the top 50 list of schools in any field and you will see many public universities in the top 20/top 10. Even a top 30, top 40 school is fine, and it should be easy to get into those with a bare minimum of effort.

Of course, this advice might not work so well in Canada; I'm sure it all works the same way, but you should probably talk to some advisers at those schools in any case. I would highly recommend community college first. Your performance there may help reflect how much you're capable of doing at a university.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Eeezee
I agree, do two years of community college first. It's cheaper, and some states guarantee admittance to public universities if you finish a bunch of classes at community college first.

Most of the high school students that go to college today are RETARDED. Getting into a university is easy. Getting into a private university might be hard, but some people put a lot more importance in this than is necessary. Look at the top 50 list of schools in any field and you will see many public universities in the top 20/top 10. Even a top 30, top 40 school is fine, and it should be easy to get into those with a bare minimum of effort.

Of course, this advice might not work so well in Canada; I'm sure it all works the same way, but you should probably talk to some advisers at those schools in any case. I would highly recommend community college first. Your performance there may help reflect how much you're capable of doing at a university.

It really depends on what you're after. A lot of the elite ibanking and consulting firms recruit heavily from the top10 universities and it drops off considerably after that. THe same goes w/ med schools, they give good gpas at elite universities more weight. The presitge of the name makes a difference. and if you're after those universities, the acceptance % from HS is better than from a community college

 

[Mr Smiley]

Go to CC for a year then transfer to a larger school. That is what I did. Study your ass off for a year and if you get a 3.5 or above, you will be in better standings than 95% of all other college students.
Also, a lot of community college's have transfer programs with larger schools which makes transferring classes really easy. Check with the school before hand.

 

[mjrand]

Thanks for all the great advice so far guys.

So what type of program/course would you recommend I take in community college that would help me towards getting accepted into electrical engineering in a regular university? And is 1 year enough or am I going to need 2? Seems like there are different opinions on this.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

take core classes and do well in them. most universitys wont accept other schools in major classes so dont bother with those. im thinking things like english, basic math if you need it, history, etc. go ahead and apply to the school you want to go to, but the CC route is fine also

 

[tokie]

Being an Ontario student (in university), let me tell you this: if you don't know basic differential calculus going into first-year engineering, you are screwed. That is quite simply the only way to put it. Also, community colleges in Ontario suck ass and you can't really transfer easily like you can in Alberta/BC. What I think you are going to have to do is get admitted to a General program, take beginners calculus (should be some MATH-00*, not even 100 level), and some other things you need to catch up on. From there, get high enough marks in those classes and apply for engineering as a student already in the school. You should also remember this: if you can hold a fork, you can go to York. Also, Ryerson is terrible. You can probably get into UofT Scarborough or Mississauga, but not St. George.

 

[josh0099]

I would say go however long it takes for you to finish 2 Semesters of Calculus...Maybe even take a basic circuits class if you have the time/money just to get a feel of what you will be taking and maybe be ahead at the start of your engineering program...

 

[mrkun]

Originally posted by: mjrand
Thanks for all the great advice so far guys.

So what type of program/course would you recommend I take in community college that would help me towards getting accepted into electrical engineering in a regular university? And is 1 year enough or am I going to need 2? Seems like there are different opinions on this.

I doubt there are many of us that are familiar with how the community college system works in Canada, myself included. You need to find out if your local community college has transfer agreements with 4-year universities. They probably do, and that will illustrate what you need to take before you can transfer into your desired field of study. For EE you're going to need three semesters of Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Equations for Math; three semesters of Physics; and probably two semesters of Chemistry. That's going to be the same anywhere in the world. You may need to take some general education classes too, but I don't know how the Canadian university system works. Anyway, what you really need to do is make an appointment with a community college counselor; they'll tell you everything you need to know and how long it will take.

Edit: Oh yeah, you may be able to transfer before you complete all the prerequisites.

 

[mjrand]

Originally posted by: tokie
Being an Ontario student (in university), let me tell you this: if you don't know basic differential calculus going into first-year engineering, you are screwed. That is quite simply the only way to put it. Also, community colleges in Ontario suck ass and you can't really transfer easily like you can in Alberta/BC. What I think you are going to have to do is get admitted to a General program, take beginners calculus (should be some MATH-00*, not even 100 level), and some other things you need to catch up on. From there, get high enough marks in those classes and apply for engineering as a student already in the school. You should also remember this: if you can hold a fork, you can go to York. Also, Ryerson is terrible. You can probably get into UofT Scarborough or Mississauga, but not St. George.

If I go to a place like Seneca College, would that help more than community college or is Seneca also considered a community college? Are there really no good CCs in Toronto?

I most definitely don't know differential calculus. Hell, I'm not even sure I remember basic algebra. Are there college classes for that too?

Is there some type of test I can take to see what level I'm at? Will the college administer some type of pre-admittance test?

 

[tokie]

Originally posted by: mjrand
If I go to a place like Seneca College, would that help more than community college or is Seneca also considered a community college? Are there really no good CCs in Toronto?

I most definitely don't know differential calculus. Hell, I'm not even sure I remember basic algebra. Are there college classes for that too?

Is there some type of test I can take to see what level I'm at? Will the college administer some type of pre-admittance test?

Seneca is a college. Community Colleges like they have in the US don't exist in Canada. Going to college in Canada is not going to get you the degree you are looking for, especially in Ontario where the two are not interrelated.

Yes, there are classes for beginners to calculus/algebra, as I mentioned previously, it would probably be designated MATH-0** to signify that it is less than a first year course (the 0). There isn't any sort of test you can write for math courses and the school won't administer any admittance exam. You need to apply through the OUAC (I think it's called that.. it's been a while since I did it), but I'm not sure how you would do it through them since you are a mature student.

 

[SaturnX]

Originally posted by: tokie
Being an Ontario student (in university), let me tell you this: if you don't know basic differential calculus going into first-year engineering, you are screwed. That is quite simply the only way to put it. Also, community colleges in Ontario suck ass and you can't really transfer easily like you can in Alberta/BC. What I think you are going to have to do is get admitted to a General program, take beginners calculus (should be some MATH-00*, not even 100 level), and some other things you need to catch up on. From there, get high enough marks in those classes and apply for engineering as a student already in the school. You should also remember this: if you can hold a fork, you can go to York. Also, Ryerson is terrible. You can probably get into UofT Scarborough or Mississauga, but not St. George.

First off, York is a terrible choice for Engineering any way you slice it, they just recently obtained accreditation from the PEO after losing it, however I can pretty much guarantee that competition won't be too high, but at the same time it won't have a good rep in the working world that I can assure you.

Second Ryerson Engineering is not terrible either, it is very much a quality program, but relative to UofT, Waterloo, Queens, etc... I would rank all three higher than Ryerson, but it is a far better choice that York.

Lastly, Engineering at UofT is ONLY at St. George, since the entire faculty is located downtown.

All the big name engineering schools, Waterloo, UofT, Queens, McMaster, Western will all have stiff competition, back when I started Electrical Engineering, 90s out of high school were required Waterloo, as well as all the other big name schools.

I'm not sure how they treat "Mature Students" but that will vary with each school, but you should check admission guidelines for all the Engineering schools in the area to get a feel for what you're up against.

Also, depending on your interests, you might want to check out some of the Electrical Engineering Technologist programs out there at the Colleges, too see if that suits you. Also, there is UOIT out in Oshawa as well which I'm sure won't have as high competition as some of the other Eng. schools.

 

[mjrand]

Originally posted by: SaturnX
First off, York is a terrible choice for Engineering any way you slice it, they just recently obtained accreditation from the PEO after losing it, however I can pretty much guarantee that competition won't be too high, but at the same time it won't have a good rep in the working world that I can assure you.

Second Ryerson Engineering is not terrible either, it is very much a quality program, but relative to UofT, Waterloo, Queens, etc... I would rank all three higher than Ryerson, but it is a far better choice that York.

Lastly, Engineering at UofT is ONLY at St. George, since the entire faculty is located downtown.

All the big name engineering schools, Waterloo, UofT, Queens, McMaster, Western will all have stiff competition, back when I started Electrical Engineering, 90s out of high school were required Waterloo, as well as all the other big name schools.

I'm not sure how they treat "Mature Students" but that will vary with each school, but you should check admission guidelines for all the Engineering schools in the area to get a feel for what you're up against.

Also, depending on your interests, you might want to check out some of the Electrical Engineering Technologist programs out there at the Colleges, too see if that suits you. Also, there is UOIT out in Oshawa as well which I'm sure won't have as high competition as some of the other Eng. schools.

Based on what you're saying, my only really good choice in Toronto for EE is UofT. I understand that the competition is tough. That's why I'm here asking how I can get an edge on these other students. I'll take whatever prerequisites in college that are necessary beforehand to gain an advantage.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: Eeezee
I agree, do two years of community college first. It's cheaper, and some states guarantee admittance to public universities if you finish a bunch of classes at community college first.

Most of the high school students that go to college today are RETARDED. Getting into a university is easy. Getting into a private university might be hard, but some people put a lot more importance in this than is necessary. Look at the top 50 list of schools in any field and you will see many public universities in the top 20/top 10. Even a top 30, top 40 school is fine, and it should be easy to get into those with a bare minimum of effort.

Of course, this advice might not work so well in Canada; I'm sure it all works the same way, but you should probably talk to some advisers at those schools in any case. I would highly recommend community college first. Your performance there may help reflect how much you're capable of doing at a university.

It really depends on what you're after. A lot of the elite ibanking and consulting firms recruit heavily from the top10 universities and it drops off considerably after that. THe same goes w/ med schools, they give good gpas at elite universities more weight. The presitge of the name makes a difference. and if you're after those universities, the acceptance % from HS is better than from a community college

I've never known anyone from a field where the name of your school mattered, and I do know some doctors. I do not know any accounts or anyone that would work for a bank/consulting firm, so perhaps you are correct there.

I know a lot of people, and the general consensus is that it doesn't matter where you went to school, so long as you got a good education; even Harvard graduates can leave without learning anything.

 

[Eeezee]

Originally posted by: mjrand
Thanks for all the great advice so far guys.

So what type of program/course would you recommend I take in community college that would help me towards getting accepted into electrical engineering in a regular university? And is 1 year enough or am I going to need 2? Seems like there are different opinions on this.

Luckily, you won't need to "apply" to an engineering program in a regular university; you should be able to just declare it as your major and start taking the courses.

I think 2 years at community college is a good idea, followed by 2 years at a university (maybe 3). At the CC, you'll want to take plenty of calculus courses and whatever core electrical engineering courses you can find. The rest of the courses you'll want to take are basically general education requirements (gen eds, stuff everyone needs to take to graduate at most universities, english/literature/etc.)

Ultimately, talk to an adviser at the CC and an adviser at a university you want to go to. Figure out the best route for getting a bachelor's from the university. Figure out which courses transfer, and take those. Take as many math/engineering units at the community college as you can IF THEY TRANSFER, if they don't then make sure you get all of your general education requirements out of the way before hitting the engineering courses.

 

[mjrand]

Thanks for all the help guys. I'm going to contact some colleges and speak with some advisers after the holidays and hopefully figure something out. You guys have been a great help.

 

[imported_yovonbishop]

Originally posted by: mjrand
Here's my story. I never finished high school. When I was about 15, in the middle of 10th grade I developed a condition that caused me to sleep at least 18-20 hours a day. It made it impossible for me to continue to go to school, let alone anything else. I'm 24 now and I no longer have this condition and function fine now and last year I finally got my GED.

Not finishing high school really cause me to go into a sort of depression and getting the GED has lifted my spirits somewhat. Now I'd like to go to university. Specifically into electrical engineering. Unfortunately I've looked at some of the prerequisites to getting into these universities and these courses, and they are far beyond what I had to learn to get my GED. Also I know how much competition there is with other students, with only the ones with the best grades getting into these. I have no chance at competing with these people. This is starting to drive me back into a depression.

I was always good in math when I was back in school, but that was so long ago, I'm not sure I remember most of it and I never really learned the complicated stuff like calculus, etc... Is there any way I can get special consideration or advantage over the fresh out of high school students? I've been out of school for about 10 years. What can I do to improve my chances? More than anything, I want to get a degree in eletrical engineering. I'm not sure they'll even let me in the school though.

The 3 universities I'm looking at are UofT, York University, or Ryerson University.

Thanks for any help you can give guys.

I graduated early from high school and never took my SATs, ACTs, or anything. I went from high school to a community college for a year and a half, then transferred to a university based on my GPA at the community college, not anything dealing with high school. So I guess I'd have to agree with most of the others and say that a community college is your best shot.

The best thing you can do for yourself is not to underestimate your abilities. Don't decide you can't do something before you try. Good luck and keep your head up!

EDIT: I transferred with a 3.98 GPA in Computer Science, then switched my major to math. I'm not exceptionally smart. It wasn't even that excruciating at the community college to get those grades. This isn't to brag, but to show you that you could do it with enough hard work. So definitely take the core math and other major stuff there then worry about other stuff once you get to university.

The only requirements the community college had was a high school diploma or GED. So you'll be able to get into one I'm sure.

 

[SaturnX]

Just browsing the UofT Engineering Admissions pages, I'm not sure if doing college with be of any help, as they state for Mature Students (21+), they need to get the results of the six required high school courses:

o English (ENG4U)
o Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U)
o Chemistry (SCH4U)
o Physics (SPH4U)

* one of:

o Advanced Functions (MHF4U)*
o Mathematics of Data Management (MDM4U)
o Biology (SBI4U)
o Earth and Space Science (SES4U)
o Geometry and Discrete Mathematics (MGA4U)

The admissions page goes on to say that if you're a mature student and you want to apply, to check with your local school board to enroll in the courses. Transferring into Engineering (from what I've heard) from another University program is difficult enough, I'm not even sure how much more difficult it would be from a college program.

http://www.prospective.enginee...ns/applying/mature.htm

 

[imported_yovonbishop]

And that's a strange condition. I've never heard of such a thing:Q

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: Eeezee

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: Eeezee
I agree, do two years of community college first. It's cheaper, and some states guarantee admittance to public universities if you finish a bunch of classes at community college first.

Most of the high school students that go to college today are RETARDED. Getting into a university is easy. Getting into a private university might be hard, but some people put a lot more importance in this than is necessary. Look at the top 50 list of schools in any field and you will see many public universities in the top 20/top 10. Even a top 30, top 40 school is fine, and it should be easy to get into those with a bare minimum of effort.

Of course, this advice might not work so well in Canada; I'm sure it all works the same way, but you should probably talk to some advisers at those schools in any case. I would highly recommend community college first. Your performance there may help reflect how much you're capable of doing at a university.

It really depends on what you're after. A lot of the elite ibanking and consulting firms recruit heavily from the top10 universities and it drops off considerably after that. THe same goes w/ med schools, they give good gpas at elite universities more weight. The presitge of the name makes a difference. and if you're after those universities, the acceptance % from HS is better than from a community college

I've never known anyone from a field where the name of your school mattered, and I do know some doctors. I do not know any accounts or anyone that would work for a bank/consulting firm, so perhaps you are correct there.

I know a lot of people, and the general consensus is that it doesn't matter where you went to school, so long as you got a good education; even Harvard graduates can leave without learning anything.

I think it depends on the med school. i think like most other things, the places at the top hvae the luxury of cherrypicking the best candidates so a lot come from the top universities. its been confirmed by a lot of admissions committees that your undergraduate institution does matters. it wouldn't exlude you but it does help, especially in interpreting your GPA

 

[mrkun]

From these posts it sounds like you're going to have a tough time of it being in Canada. If you lived in the U.S. this would be easier it seems.

 

[mjrand]

I've done a bit of research and there appear to be 4 main colleges in Toronto. Centennial College, George Brown College, Humber College, and Seneca College.

However, none of these colleges seem to offer the basic math, etc... courses that you guys mentioned. Only degree/certificate programs. What am I missing here?

For the local Torontonians here, which of these 4 colleges is the highest rated of the pack and which would be the best choice in helping me to get accepted to UofT in electrical engineering?

 

[tokie]

Originally posted by: mjrand
I've done a bit of research and there appear to be 4 main colleges in Toronto. Centennial College, George Brown College, Humber College, and Seneca College.

However, none of these colleges seem to offer the basic math, etc... courses that you guys mentioned. Only degree/certificate programs. What am I missing here?

For the local Torontonians here, which of these 4 colleges is the highest rated of the pack and which would be the best choice in helping me to get accepted to UofT in electrical engineering?

As I said previously, in Ontario we don't have the college-type transfer programs that exist in Alberta/BC and the US through community colleges, so don't even bother looking at them. What high school courses did you take and you have on your transcript? OAC or the new curriculum? As someone else pointed out in response to one of my posts, you are probably going to have to choose between Ryerson and UofT St. George (and York if your marks are too low). If you are willing to go out to Kitchener-Waterloo or Hamilton, then you have McMaster/Waterloo/Maybe the other school out there I forget what it's called.