UofT for Physics Is it really that bad?

[glueball8]

So what about Waterloo? is that just as hard?

I thought the CAP exam is for high school students?

Oh I was there for hmm a high school program for physics. I only went to a classroom and a lab though...

 

[Howers]

I wonder whether students who have an A average would be complaining about the teaching/difficulty of the courses, etc... ?

Sorry.. I don't buy it: it's common for every student to complain about how difficult classes are at their university. I also don't see how this is a bad thing; do you want to just sail through university?

Yes, but I am giving it everything I got. I am also one of the top students from high school. I will never get beyond a B+ at this school.

People at other schools still go out like twice a week and are A+.

 

[will.c]

Being a top student at high school is kind of a joke though - I'd actually be interested in a study that shows to what level it is indicative of college success. One of the valedictorians from my high school dropped out of university due to the social pressure of not being the smartest in the class anymore, and for the most part all the other top 10% students went on to be fairly average at college as well.

 

[JasonRox]

People who go to UofT tend to complain more. Probably explains why it seems like they work harder, but in fact, it's just that they complain about it much more.

 

[cristo]

Yes, but I am giving it everything I got. I am also one of the top students from high school. I will never get beyond a B+ at this school.

People at other schools still go out like twice a week and are A+.

Perhaps you're not doing the right kind of studying, and so whilst you may be spending a long time, it may not be very productive. Have you sought advice from one of your advisors? That is what I would do if I were you, instead of complaining about your college.

Also, you should not compare yourself to other students: saying that people at other schools go out twice a week and get A's is a really weak argument; they are not you! What's to say that if you went to their college you'd get A's if you went out two days a week? Nothing.. you could get lower grades than B's.

 

[Howers]

Perhaps you're not doing the right kind of studying, and so whilst you may be spending a long time, it may not be very productive. Have you sought advice from one of your advisors? That is what I would do if I were you, instead of complaining about your college.

Also, you should not compare yourself to other students: saying that people at other schools go out twice a week and get A's is a really weak argument; they are not you! What's to say that if you went to their college you'd get A's if you went out two days a week? Nothing.. you could get lower grades than B's.

I've talked to teachers and they said I was doing really good. They also reminded me that this is UT, however you want to infer that.

I don't know if my study habits are good or bad... I do as many problems as possible, and read the text. I'm still ahead most of the class.

I'm not complaining about my college, or my grades. I'm just telling the poster what to expect from UT. UT will ackwoledge your B. So may other Canadian schools. But when it comes to say American schools, I think you're at a disadvantage.

 

[glueball8]

What is the cut off mark for UofT physics?

From Electronicinfo it says that its from 70s-mid 80. Why is it so low or that not the cut off mark?

 

[vincebs]

There was once a guy who went to Western for undergrad. Now almost every graduate student in the U.S. and Canada learns electrodynamics through his textbook (Jackson). Don't pick U of T because of its "prestige", your undergrad school's prestige doesn't matter, it's your research experience, recommendations, achievements, and GPA that matter the most.

 

[Gokul43201]

To my knowledge, U of T and McGill Science depts. are known for being harsh on grades. These are also the only schools I know of that include the average class grade for the each course in student transcripts. So, the grading policy shouldn't really hurt your application at an ideal grad school committee (a fictional creature) where they will be able to compare your grade with the class average. It will hurt directly for things like applying for Med School, where the raw numbers matter.

 

[glueball8]

how big a difference is there between UofT and like MIT? and what's the difference? (physics wise of course)

 

[nicksauce]

To my knowledge, U of T and McGill Science depts. are known for being harsh on grades. These are also the only schools I know of that include the average class grade for the each course in student transcripts. So, the grading policy shouldn't really hurt your application at an ideal grad school committee (a fictional creature) where they will be able to compare your grade with the class average. It will hurt directly for things like applying for Med School, where the raw numbers matter.

I wouldn't say this about McGill. I am an undergraduate here, and just about everyone I know in the honors program has at least a 3.5, and quite a few have 3.9 or better. Maybe because the markers are easy, or maybe because the students are very smart. I don't know. Many times profs give ridiculous exams where the average is like a 30-40% and then they curve as they see fit, which would give some credence to the easy marking hypothesis. The students here put a whole lot of work in, but I can't really compare that amount of work with any other universities. Or maybe these high grades are untrue, and my friends are a misreprentation of the students. One of my profs has some statistics posted on his door, so maybe I will go get them and post back later.

 

[hamsterpower7]

bump

anybody else goes to UT that can back up Howers point?

 

[Violinist]

I personally think toronto is harder than other school,
There is a reason for having so many people complaining
On the other hand, people that I know of goes to u of t and have a fine life
I still think that is is more reputable than other university as well, IF you are planning to go to grad school in US or UK because it is more likely that they heard of the school at least more than guelph or york ; those are good schools as well just not popular in outside of Canada

by the way, happy thanksgivings everyone! :)