Chances for UofT computer science? (American student)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Toronto
1

Merry Christmas! I’m a current American high school junior (3rd year) interested in the University of Toronto for computer science. I’m not sure how Canadian universities evaluate applications, so I’ll state my credentials as I would for any American university.

GPA unweighted: 3.7
GPA weighted: 4.2 (probably going up to a 4.3-4.4 after junior year due to AP courses)
Upward trend. Poor performance freshman year and consistent improvement afterward.

However, my GPA could drop. Unfortunately, that’s a possibility. I can’t say how much because first-semester final exam results haven’t come back yet. Let’s roll with the current stats.

AP courses taken: AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science A, AP Calculus AB, AP French Language, AP English Language, AP European History, AP US History

Honors courses taken: Physics Honors, Precalculus Honors, English I and II Honors, Biology Honors, Algebra 2 Honors

ACT Composite: 36
AP tests: 2 5s so far, expecting all 4s or 5s for this year’s AP courses.

Extracurriculars: CS teaching at library, Yale humanities program, hackathon wins, quiz bowl wins, and some other stuff

OK, so that’s my basic CV. I also have a few questions:

  1. Are extracurriculars even taken into consideration by UofT (or McGill, UBC etc.)?
  2. Does UofT (or any other Canadian university) consider freshman year of high school? It would be great if they didn’t, as I didn’t do well in freshman year.
  3. Are the admissions standards for American and Canadian applicants the same?
  4. Does UofT exercise a GPA cutoff and, if so, am I above that cutoff?

And perhaps most importantly:
5) What specific prerequisites or course requirements should I be aware of for UofT computer science or any related major? How should I plan my senior year schedule to meet these criteria?

In addition to these, of course, there’s the main question: What are my chances for admission to UofT computer science with these credentials?

2

What is your unweighted GPA for each year of high school?

Universities in Canada will not care about your freshman year of high school.

Your ECs will not be as important as they would be for US schools, but I am not sure if U of T even asks about them. D1 applied to McGill six years ago and D2 applied to multiple smaller schools in Canada three years ago and none of them even asked about ECs at that time. However, no one in my family has specifically applied to U. of T for undergrad.

U of T is very good for computer science. There are multiple other universities in Canada which are also very good for CS. Waterloo is the other one that is famous for CS but there are quite a few others as well. Some are a bit less expensive than Toronto for international students.

3

@DadTwoGirls Here are my unweighted GPAs for each year. These are estimates, as my school only states the cumulative GPA on the transcript.
Freshman year: 3.53
Sophomore year: 3.85
Junior year: Looking like anywhere from a 3.7 to a 3.9

One more important thing is that I do have Bs in math freshman and sophomore year, although I’m probably getting an A or A- in AP Calculus this year. Is this a big issue for applying to STEM degrees like CS, Data Sci, or Applied Math?

Also, what are the relative importance of grades vs. test scores when applying to Canadian universities?

4

bump

5

@DadTwoGirls based on the GPA data I provided, what are my chances?

6

I was hoping that others would reply who are specifically knowledgeable of the requirements for CS at U.Toronto.

The issue is that computer science is particularly competitive for admissions.

Otherwise your chances would seem to be quite good. Your freshman year GPA does not matter, you sophomore year GPA is very good, and your ACT is very good.

If you can get an A in calculus that should help some.

7

Ok, thanks! Upon having done more research, UToronto seems to be easier to get accepted to in general than to declare CS in due to the competitive major system. I’ll make another thread for my McGill chances, as McGill is possible to get direct CS admission into.

8

U of T has changed its admission policies for the current admission season for CS. They know have an admission guarantee. If you are admitted under the CS program and meet the GPA and credit requirements as laid out on this page, you are admitted to the major. https://web.cs.toronto.edu/a-new-first-year-experience

9

U of T will not care about your freshman or sophomore grades, nor your extracurriculars for CS admissions.

10

@bouders Thank you! This is exactly what I wanted to hear. I’ll definitely be applying.

11

If one applies to CS program, can you get rejected from the CS program but get admitted generally to St. George A&S or is it all or nothing?

Thanks

12

U of T doesn’t give alternate offers.

13

No, U of T gives alternate offers, we’ve just admitted via alternate offer.

14

@rubinov does that mean that the CS decisions are generally coming today? if alternate offers have been sent out?

15

I emailed then they said they released it yesterday I’m sad