Hi,
I'm a high-school senior, and I've been looking at the Arts & Science program, and I had some questions (both ArtSci and general):

1) In ArtSci, I saw that the example timetable didn't have any elective-looking classes in the first year at all - can I take, like, a philosophy class, or a sociology class as an elective as part of my ArtSci? Or do I need to do an Honour degree to take those sorts of classes?

2) (This sounds lame...but) How hard is it to get into the ArtSci program? Is it worthwhile? It looks good, but I want it to be really good before I move across the country for it!

3) I looked at the meal plan and the menu options already, but I couldn't tell if there are any honestly 'healthy' options - are there? Do you use up all of your basic meal plan by the end of the year, usually?

4) If you stay in residence, are the bathrooms/showers communal?

5) Are the admission offers for ArtSci later? And if they are, will it affect my chance of getting into the residence of my choice (I need to stay in an all-girls' dorm)...?

I know it's only October...but I'm lame

Thanks in advance!

Well I'm first year Artsci, so I'll give your questions a try...
1. You can take electives. You have to take a first year science course at some point, but you can defer it till second year or do it in summer school if you want to take another elective like philosophy. It's actually pretty easy to get into most of the electives too, so don't worry about that.
2. I won't lie, Artsci is harder to get into than a lot of other programs. That being said, it's a really amazing experience. For your application, they'll take a combination of your average and you score (from -5 to +5) on the Supplementary application. If you really want to get in, focus on making the Supplementary application really stand out. And whether it's worth moving across a country for? I moved from Vancouver, and have absolutely no regrets.
3. Since I've only been here a little while, I'm not as good one this one. There are some healthier options, but to be honest, getting them can be a pain, especially on weekends when most of the places are closed. If you really want healthy food, the best bet is get a small meal plan and cook some for yourself.
4. Bathrooms depend on the residence. The info is all on the housing site.
5. Artsci admissions are a bit weird. I got mine at the beginning of April, but some people didn't get theirs till well into May. However, res is done on a lottery basis, so it won't affect your chances, and if you need a particular dorm (like all girls) there's a good chance you'll get it.

Hope that helps! Good luck with everything!

I'm not in Artsci, but I'm a third year, so I can comment on the general questions

3) I would say that Mac's menu is pretty unhealthy (a lot of fast food), but there are definitely healthier options such as Bridges (vegetarian) and Piller's wraps/sandwiches. People also generally like Bistro, the major restaurant on campus.

There is a budget planner on the Hospitality (i.e. food places/meal plans) website, so you can follow that. Depending on your appetite/what you prefer to eat, you may find that you are spending your money way faster or way slower than the budget. If you haven't finished your basic plan by the end of the year, that money will go to waste, so lots of people just buy huge boxes of their favourite drinks or candy or something just to spend the rest.

4) All washrooms are basically communal, except for Les Prince single rooms which have personal washrooms. However if you are in a suite (Keyes)/apartment style (Bates)/Les Prince double rooms (also personal washroom per room), you will share with only 1-5 other people vs. the traditional residences, where you will be sharing with the entire floor.

I don't know anything about ArtSci but I'm in 2nd year and live on residence now and I also did in first year so I can answer res/meal plan questions.

Non-communal washrooms in Hedden too. There are a bunch of washrooms on the floor, and they're all rooms with a lock. Each one has a shower, toliet and sink. You share them with others on your floor but there are lots of them. They aren't public washrooms like most of the other residences have.

Whidden first floor also has the same type of washrooms as Hedden for some reason.

Les Prince has personal washrooms in your room.

The non-traditional residences like Keyes and Bates also have non-communal washrooms.

That said you said that you needed to be in an all girls residence. There's only one all girls residence and that's Wallingford and as far as I know they have the public washrooms.

The public washrooms are really not that bad though. The showers take a little getting used to but the washrooms get cleaned every day and stuff so it's okay.

As for healthy options on campus there are actually quite a few options. Yeah there's a lot of places that have the more unhealthy options like fries, burgers and pizza but there are other options too.

In Commons they have a salad and fruit bar with lots of selection, they also have Your Healthy Choice. YHC has two stations, one with custom pasta/stirfry where you can get either pasta or rice noodles with lots of veggies, and they also have chicken. The other station has different healthy meal selections each day that the chef cook's up for you. For example they have pitas with different stuff in them, sometimes they have steak and other different types of specials. Their meals come with options like salad and rice so it's healthier than having the burger and fries.

In Commons definitely stay away from Sizzles.

Commons also has Pillers, the place with different sandwhiches and wraps and they have tons of veggie options to put on them. There is also a Pillers in the student centre.

In the student centre at Creation X they've also added some healthy menu options this year. For example the turkey burger with cranberry which I tried earlier this year, it was good.

The student centre also has Japan Teriakyi Experience. I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but this is it: http://www.teriyakiexperienc e.com/

Bridges as mentioned is a vegetarian resturant that is pretty healthy. Don't worry if you're not a vegetarian either, the food is great. I'm not a vegetarian but this definitely my favourite place to eat. It's a little more expensive but it's worth it. They have a ton of different options on their menu, as well as a daily special that always changing. They have a pasta bar as well with a ton of selections to choose from, many different types of veggies, as well as beans and tofu. Whole wheat pasta is also an option. If you're not a vegetarian and you're skeptical about it don't be, you won't even miss meat. Their veggie chili is wonderful, as are their soy chicken options. I've tried a bunch of different things on the menu and enjoyed them all. All their bread is whole wheat multigrain but it tastes so good and you'll feel better eating healthy carbs. They also have vegan options.

Bistro is a good resturant but I they have so much on their menu so I can't go into detail about what they have there that is healthy. The food is good quality though, like the kind you'd get at a regular resturant imo.

They also made lots of different types of fruit smoothies at different locations around campus that are good.

I wouldn't say the Meal Plan has mostly unhealthy options, I would say it all depends on the choices you make. Obviously choosing fries or pizza every time you go to get a meal is not a healthy choice.

I personally try to make healthy choices, and also keep fruit and healthy snacks and drinks in my room.

Meritt, don't worry about being lame- I am only 2 weeks cooler.

The ArtSci program seems great for students with widespread academic passions! Makes you feel Da Vinci-ish just thinking about it However, I'm a little confused about its selectiveness. On what basis are 60 applicants able to be chosen out of thousands? I understand that it's based on both supp+marks, but what are 60 students able to prove in this that many others don't?

I am not too worried about the supplementary application, since it would be a lovely chance to illustrate a strong passion for both Arts and Science through my extracurriculars and interests. It's the 'marks' aspect I'm confused about. Urgh I don't want to sound ignorant, but I keep thinking that one needs 95%+ in all grade 12 subjects to be accepted into ArtSci. Is this even kinda true?

I ask because, although I have a strong interest for both Arts and Science, it has always been easier for me to excel in Maths and English/Philo than in bio/chem, and this is shown in my marks (high 80s and low 90s in science vs 95+ in everything else). Normally, I would've chosen to not focus on the sciences but I was captivated by what I learned in bio and chem and couldn't see myself not exploring the sciences a bit further. I feel like working a little harder can let me excel.

However, would the disparity in marks be a big deal? The fact that this program is so selective scares me into thinking that any little deviation from 'academic perfection' can decide whether a student is accepted or not. Although I feel that this program is perfect for me, I'm getting increasingly worried that I might not be 'perfect enough' for it.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Hey, I'm in first-year Arts and Science too and hmac pretty much summed it up well (I know who you are )
I know when I first applied I was intimidated like crazy. It sounds scary to be one of only 60 chosen (68 I think actually this year). But don't let the numbers scare you! All the people in Artsci are not some crazy geniuses who have found the solution to world peace or invented some great new technology. The sense of community in Artsci is great (you really can't find anything else like it on campus really) and the classes are amazing (trust me ... I have crushes on half of my profs already!)
As for feeling that you're not perfect enough, no one in Artsci is perfect. The program isn't looking for the smartest or greatest person, but rather someone who could really belong here. I'm no expert, but I'd really suggest you just be yourself in your Supplementary and let your personality show through. I talked about my love for the Phantom of the Opera because I'm a huge musical lover.
And as for marks, honestly, if you don't do so well in one class, it won't be a deal-breaker. I definitely did not have 95%+ in all my classes and I still got in.
I'm sure that if you belong here that you WILL get here.

Heyy - well im a first year artsci as well. And I’m sure you can get the feel that we love to help fellow artscis - even those interested in artsci. Thats the cool thing I’d say about being part of artsci - you really get that family feel where everyone is there for you. In first year, you actually are paired up with a second year - sort of like a big brother - where they help first years adjust to university.
classes are amazing and the profs are ridiculous (in a good way) and accomplished
its also a bonus being able to choose almost any class you want in any faculty - you just have to get a full year of a first year science at some point.
mark wise - I had a 93 average - nothing amazing compared to some. sure I did well in English and calc but I also had an 80 in gr12 chem. - so no were not all super gifted so you have no reason to be intimated.
The supplementary was fun I thought - again shows who you are and how your ideas come across - I was actually planning not to do the supplementary because I thought I had no chance of getting into the program, but at the last minute, I whipped some answers together to keep my mom happy lol – so basically don’t give up on artsci because its not all based on marks – thankfully.

It's good to know that the artsci admissions reality isn't at all as scary as I pictured it to be. Thanks again!

on a different note, i was just wondering: why did you guys decide to go into ArtSci?