u/ItzMrMikel

Hey everyone,

I'm trying to decide between these two laptops for university and would appreciate some advice:

Option 1 — Lenovo ThinkPad T14 Gen 2

• Ryzen 5 PRO 5650U
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB SSD
• Refurbished
• $449.99 CAD

Option 2 — MacBook Air 15.3"

• M4 chip
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB SSD
• Open Box
• $1,299.99 CAD

I'm going into Computer Science, so the laptop will mainly be used for programming, IDEs, schoolwork, browsing, etc.

I'll also have a desktop PC that I can use for gaming and other demanding stuff, so I don't really need the laptop for gaming.

My main question is: Is the MacBook Air worth spending an extra $850 CAD over the ThinkPad for a CS student? Or would the T14 be more than enough for university?

I'm also wondering about things like macOS compatibility with CS courses, programming tools, battery life, portability, and how useful the extra performance of the M4 would actually be.

Which one would you choose, and why?

Hey, I’m a first-year CS student and I’m trying to decide between HPS120 with Cory Lewis or HPS110 with Mark Solovey and Marga Vicedo Castello. I’m not really sure which one would be better for me.

I’m mostly looking for something with a manageable workload since my other courses are pretty heavy as I will be taking it in the winter.

If anyone has taken either of these, which one is easier or more chill for a STEM student? And how are the profs for grading and workload? Any advice would help!

Just wanted to fulfill as many of my breadth requirements as possible and wanted to see how my timetable looks. I will be living in residence!

I am slightly concerned about my Fall Mondays, as having four classes back to back might be too much. I have heard that the ENG100 prof (D. Flynn) is quite bad, so depending on how EAS151 goes I might take EAS152 in its place (I would have to move the CSC111 lecture to the afternoon to fit it in properly), but I would like any suggestions!

BR 1: EAS151 and ENG100
BR 2: HPS100 and I plan on taking PHL245 next year
BR 3: UNI198H1 and HIS112H1
BR 5: Math and CS courses fall in here

https://preview.redd.it/1lteg9xy5e4h1.png?width=708&format=png&auto=webp&s=70828d16bf84984bd25ceedf29b6e0f5482dc574

https://preview.redd.it/pafzqke06e4h1.png?width=711&format=png&auto=webp&s=03c5e8ad61ceecfb476f7376c27b631df40f1690

Hey, I’m an incoming first-year student trying to enrol in EAS151 and it keeps showing “Enrolment Blocked” in ACORN.

According to the Japanese language website (https://www.eas.utoronto.ca/languages/courses-and-enrolment/japanese), I was supposed to take the Level Check A, which I did, and I scored under 10 (meaning I skip Level Check B and the interview). It says I should just be able to enrol in Japanese on ACORN.

But whenever I try any of the Japanese language courses (including EAS151 and others), they all show enrolment blocked and I can’t add them to my cart.

What’s confusing is that when I search up introductory Chinese or Korean, those courses let me add them to my cart normally, so it seems like it’s only Japanese that’s blocked.

Has anyone dealt with this before or know what might be causing it? Not sure if it’s a placement restriction, timing issue, or something I need to fix with the department/registrar.

Any advice would help, thanks.

https://preview.redd.it/lhd4sirckp3h1.png?width=877&format=png&auto=webp&s=41cb2c2fb7284451d8b4fec6199652f503d33d26

 I was dumb and assumed I had a strong shot at Waterloo CS and could ride their co-op program to success.

Now that I didn’t receive an offer (and will most likely be rejected next week), I’m looking at UTSG CS instead.

For anyone who has graduated from or is currently at UTSG, could you share some guidance on how to maximize my chances of breaking into big tech? I’m especially interested in how to make the most of courses, secure strong internships, and where to look when applying for jobs.

For context, my admission average was ~98.3%, with math contest participation and other extracurriculars.

https://preview.redd.it/lp3msrdfu4yg1.png?width=1420&format=png&auto=webp&s=2f3e5fba5631be590b420d475d5c097496939ee5

My application went under review the start of the month and now the status has changed to, "* Your application will be reviewed by the Admissions Office shortly, please check the Applicant Portal regularly for updates."

But using inspect under ApplicationDecisionStatus it says "A decision is pending for your application."

I assume this means that I am in?