more AIF questions

[Horus]

I haven't hand in my AIF yet, it's been more than 3 weeks, I know that it is recommended to hand in within 3 weeks but absolute date line is in March.

Is there any negative side to handing in AIF outside of the recommended time frame?

One of the main reason I did not feel like handing in the AIF is because the only mark I have on the AIF is a 66% English (which i took in summer school) I want to wait until I get my ~85% advanced function mark which should be out next week. I'm in a term school but advanced function is semestered (because it needs to be completed before taking calculus) so there is no other grade 12 final marks i can put on.

Also, I've started to retake grade 12 english at a private school, but I couldn't finish the course until mid March. I'll probably get ~85% this time. How would you think university will look at it?

waterloo:
I repeat a course, that's 1% off overall avg. for math faculty taking courses outside of day school have a negative effect. and I have done it twice, both in English. but is English a "special' course that they won't consider as bad when taking outside day school?

UT:
I heard rumors that UT will only look at your first attempt of the course not sure if it's true.

Mcmaster:
I don't think there is any negativity in taking courses outside day school or repeating course for this university.


also for the SAF (similiar to AIF) that i have to fill in for UT it asks you self evaluate yourself alot. should i overestimate or underestimate myself?

[Clayton]

Horus wrote:

...should i overestimate or underestimate myself?

Why would you do either? They want people who can be honest and actually know their strengths/weaknesses. Not someone who's too headstrong/stupid enough to think they should lie because they think they're too good, or not good enough.

[Prabhakar Ragde]

Horus @ Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:45 pm wrote:

I repeat a course, that's 1% off overall avg. for math faculty taking courses outside of day school have a negative effect. and I have done it twice, both in English. but is English a "special' course that they won't consider as bad when taking outside day school?

Why would you think that? There's a reason that English is required for admission.

[Horus]

Clayton @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 3:13 pm wrote:

Horus wrote:

...should i overestimate or underestimate myself?

Why would you do either? They want people who can be honest and actually know their strengths/weaknesses. Not someone who's too headstrong/stupid enough to think they should lie because they think they're too good, or not good enough.

for example my current average is around 85% I think it have equal chance of going up or down in the next term.

one of the questions in UT asks me about my estimated average, should i chose 85-89.9 or 80-84.9?
choosing 85-89.9 would mean i'm slightly overestimating myself and choosing 80-84.9 would mean i'm slightly underestimating myself.

Prabhakar Ragde @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 5:09 pm wrote:

Horus @ Wed Jan 21, 2009 10:45 pm wrote:

I repeat a course, that's 1% off overall avg. for math faculty taking courses outside of day school have a negative effect. and I have done it twice, both in English. but is English a "special' course that they won't consider as bad when taking outside day school?

Why would you think that? There's a reason that English is required for admission.

because only in math faculty courses taken outside of day school have a negative effect. I think the reason to this is because they don't want students to take math outside of day school. but for English it might be different.

[syntax_error]

English is different. Consider the fact it is required by all programs one would apply for, commutation is weighted heavily. The amount of people who treat is as a subject that does not 'apply' to them, and simply get by has caused Universities to pay attention to this course. As any course one takes out of the school year time table, one does not get a full experience of the course nor the same level of understanding.

In short, yes there is an negative effect. As if you are applying for a math faculty and retaking math because you failed the course.

[Prabhakar Ragde]

Horus @ Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:43 pm wrote:

because only in math faculty courses taken outside of day school have a negative effect. I think the reason to this is because they don't want students to take math outside of day school. but for English it might be different.

Some Math Faculty applicants take English in summer school because their English skills are not good and they think that summer school is easier, or to "get it out of the way" because they want to focus exclusively on maths and sciences during the regular school year. I believe both of these would be frowned upon.

There is a place in the form where you can explain the reasons for taking courses in summer school or night school, so if you have legitimate reasons, you are not penalized.

[BafisComen]

I have a question: In the section on the Waterloo AIF where you have to describe your extracurricular activities. Do you guys simply describe what you did, or do you add things like what you got from it etc.

[endless]

there is a limit of 80 characters or something for that section.
at first i jazzed it all up thinking it was 80 words, but when pasting it into the chart i realized i now had to do some heavy shortening.

there isn't really any room to put any thought into what you learned and such, so they just want us to keep it simple.