FAQs for TRSM students during COVID-19 home isolation
Below are some quick links to important and relevant content on this page for students during the COVID-19 pandemic. More information can be found on the Ted Rogers School of Management's COVID-19 Updates.
Have you had enough sleep? Exercise? Food? Water? Social time? Even if you’re fed, exercised, and up to date on your sleep, you might still experience distraction. Help minimize distraction by focusing on tasks. Create a weekly schedule and make daily to do lists. When you sit down to study, take a minute to take a few deep breaths to center yourself and your mind to focus on studying. If you still find your mind wandering to other tasks, keep a distraction list of things that come to mind or worries that you have so you have a record of things you need to do afterwards. There are also lots of great apps that can help you focus, like Forest, external link, opens in new window.
For your environment, a crucial first step is setting up a space that is conducive for studying. In Creating a Productive Study Space,, external link, opens in new window Thomas Frank discusses how to create your own personalized study space. (Start at 2.31 in the video if you want to jump right into setting up a home space.) Still not sure how you want to set up your at-home study spot? Have a look at a website Frank created, where people across the globe post their study spaces, external link, opens in new window. Oregon State University also has a handy guide of PDF fileElements for a Productive Study Space, external link, opens in new window.
When you need to focus for an extended period, tell your family or roommates. To minimize interruptions, consider putting a “Studying: Do Not Disturb” note on your door (if you have a private space) or next to you (if studying in a common area). To reduce friendly virtual distractions, turn off your phone or let friends and family know that you won’t get back to their messages or calls while you’re studying. As an added bonus, telling people that you are studying creates accountability.
The University of Virginia has also created a tip sheet on Preparing to be a Work-from-Home Student, external link, opens in new window.
How can I maintain motivation and productivity during times of constant change and uncertainty?
Motivation is affected by goals, beliefs, perception, and expectations. This means that motivation is highly personal and is related to more than just academics. It is nevertheless important to identify the factors of motivation that influence your academic success. When thinking about motivation, it’s useful to think about two areas: internal (intrinsic) and external (extrinsic) motivation, external link, opens in new window. External motivations are reward-driven, such as grades, money, and praise from others. But what’s most helpful is working on internal motivation strategies because you have the most control over these types of motivation. Here are some internal motivation strategies.
Eat the Frog, external link, opens in new window is a fun way to remind yourself to do the hardest thing first. For example, if you are procrastinating on studying for your finance exam, you might want to do many other things before studying and spend the day worrying about your exam. Instead, the wisdom of the “eat the frog” method is to start studying for your finance exam before doing other tasks. It may sound difficult, but it will help ease stress.

“Note to Self” is a writing exercise that encourages you to look closely at course descriptions and learning outcomes and then rewrite them in a way that is meaningful to you. This provides a personalized resource that you write when your interest/motivation is high that you can read when your motivation/interest is low.
Positive self-talk, external link, opens in new window is another rewarding internal motivational strategy. When you lack motivation to do something, it’s helpful to tell yourself positive things to boost optimism. An example of positive self-talk is saying, “I’ve studied really hard and I am going to do the best I can on this exam.” It may seem awkward at first, but once you get used to it, it can be a powerful motivational tool.
A resource from the University of Michigan on finding motivation during strange and uncertain times, external link, opens in new window also has a few more useful tips on keeping you going and this blog post on Study Tips During Quarantine, external link, opens in new window has more helpful strategies.
Need some accountability?
Join the Program Advising and Student Success’s Virtual Study Hall, external link on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 2 - 4 p.m. until the end of the April exam period. Students join at 2 p.m. to set goals, then work quietly on their own, and check back in at 3:50 p.m. to check in with their study session goal.
Are there tip sheets or online tutorials to help me with calculator use and functions?
Toronto Metropolitan University Student Learning Support has videos on how to use the Casio-fx-9750GII calculator, external link, opens in new window and how to use the TI-BAII Plus Calculator, external link, opens in new window.
For course-specific help, TRSM Program Advising and Student Success has additional tip sheets and videos around calculator support on our Tip Sheets webpage.
I want to do well on my ACC exams. What are the best ways to study for accounting courses?
For general study tips, check out this video about study strategies for remote learning, external link, opens in new window and these online learning strategies, external link, opens in new window.
- For ACC100-specific recommendations, Professor Else Grech’s YouTube channel, external link, opens in new window is a great resource.
The Program Advising and Student Success’s Academic Peer Helpers from the Tutoring Centre also have some strategies for studying for accounting.
Focus on understanding core concepts. With accounting, it is crucial to master the basics before progressing to practice problems. Connect core concepts to problem sets so that you understand the theory as well as practice and application.
Focus on understanding what individual formulas are helping you achieve. This breaks down the formula into an understandable format. If you forget the formula in the exam, you can rely on your knowledge and theory of the formula to help guide you.
Practice writing out full budgets/statements that might be on the exam and annotate them with important information. For example, you may note where a number came from or if it was added or subtracted from another line in the statement. Writing these out will help your review process and visualize connections during the exam.
It may feel tedious, but practice is the best way to learn. And remember: the more familiar you are with content and practice questions, the more time you will have during the exam to work on tough questions and review your answers.
If you’ve been provided with practice exams, use them as a diagnostic to see where you are at in your studying. Cognitive science tells us that we learn well from our mistakes, so focus on fixing any questions you got wrong. Practice tests also give you a sense of what the real exam will look like.
Then set up a virtual study group. This helps with accountability and provides a community where you can ask each other questions and explain ideas to solidify your learning.
What’s the best way to organize my math notes?
While there’s no one way to organize your math notes, here are some suggestions from the Program Advising and Student Success’s Academic Peer Helpers from the Tutoring Centre.
Organization
Start by organizing notes lecture-by-lecture. Usually, each week’s topic builds on the previous week’s, so be sure you understand previous material before adding new content.
Review and note taking
Review as many questions as possible. As you go through these questions, keep a separate sheet of paper to note important formulas and to break down the steps of complicated questions. These notes will serve as review sheets for studying and speed up your familiarity with the formulas. The end of chapters and textbooks often have a summary of helpful formulas.
Write summaries
Organize your notes chapter-by-chapter and write summaries. This helps your learning in two ways: summarizing helps you figure out what you know and don’t know and chapter summaries mean you can easily find answers to concepts you don’t know because they are organized around the textbook structure.
Check for errors
Review your notes as you go along and double check for errors. This is an essential step with math notes. Getting the wrong answer can be as simple as incorrectly inputting a decimal point - remember to be vigilant!
Now that I am taking all of my exams at home, how can I set myself up for success in this new testing environment?
Making the shift to all online exams might seem tricky at first, but the key is to adjust your expectations and prepare for the new means of testing. Start to think about how the exam will feel from your home study space and remove distractions.
- Some parts of your exam-taking strategy will remain the same, no matter the environment, but have a look at these Five test Taking Tips for Online College Students, external link, opens in new window to remember during exams.
- Some strategies for Adjusting to Online Learning and Taking Online Exams, external link, opens in new window can be useful for all stages of preparation, from study to exam time.
- If you're taking an open book exam, external link, opens in new window, try these strategies from Simon Fraser University.
To help manage your expectations, consider using the Toronto Metropolitan GPA Calculator to do some grade projections.
The Program Advising and Student Success also has learning resources to help you study, including PDF fileTips to Answer Different Types of Exam Questions.
In these uncertain times, how do I keep myself feeling like a balanced and whole human?
Remember that you are a whole human being. That means there are lots of different parts of you that need nurturing - not just your brain. Below are some links to wellness strategies and offerings to help keep you feeling like a whole, balanced human
- The Toronto Metropolitan University COVID-19 page has FAQs about wellbeing.
- If you are feeling fear or anxiety, Toronto Metropolitan University has an article about How to Cope with Anxiety and Fear About COVID-19.
- Toronto Metropolitan Student Health & Wellness have support available online, including tips for healthy eating, physical health, mental health, well-being during exam season, personal development, and getting enough sleep.
- ThriveRU has workbooks and tips for resilience.
- Practice art therapy, like making a scrapbook or downloading coloring book pages.
- Your body is important too, so think about PDF filePhysical Strategies to Support Learning, external link as well.
- Watch this simple video about How to Relieve and Get Rid of Stress, external link, opens in new window.
- Practice mindful meditation using this quick video called Meditation 101: A Beginner’s Guide, external link, opens in new window or an app like Stop, Breathe & Think, external link, opens in new window.
- CBC has curated a list of free, no equipment online classes, external link, opens in new window.
- Need some social time? Try Netflix Party, external link, opens in new window, create/join a virtual book club, or have a virtual game night, external link, opens in new window with friends.
- RU Student Life is hosting some fun events. See the TorontoMet Today article for a full list of activities.
- Limit social media and news exposure, establish realistic time limits to check each hour or each day.
- Allow yourself to nap, rest and recover from the last few months!
- Create your own self-care activities!
How to Relieve and Get Rid of Stress - Relaxation Tips for High School and College
Meditation 101: A Beginner’s Guide
Enrollment
* Don’t see your question here? Find more FAQ and the most up-to-date information at torontomu.ca/covid-19.
Check out the Ted Rogers School of Management's COVID-19 Updates
The delivery of online classes may vary. Please check your course syllabus or inquire with your instructor.
To help you decide which courses to enrol in, you should refer to your program’s Undergraduate Calendar for your program to see what is required next. Pay close attention to prerequisites.
Every time you enrol in a course review your Advisement Report. Your advisement report is like a road map or check box that lets you know what you’ve completed, what you’re enrolled in, and how many courses you have left. Please note for Business Management Students and Accounting and Finance Students: your advisement report will not be fully complete until you declare your major.
Yes. If you have applied to graduate, and have completed your program requirements successfully, you will still graduate and be awarded your degree/certificate. To check your Graduation Status on RAMSS, go to the View my Graduation Status.
After June 1, you will be able to confirm your graduation to employers by requesting a free “Confirmation of Graduate Status” letter on RAMSS, by printing an unofficial transcript from RAMSS, or by using the online Degree Verification service. Details about the printing and distribution of award documents and official transcripts will be forthcoming.
To give students every possible opportunity to succeed, Ryerson, with the unanimous support of deans, is providing undergraduate and Chang School students the following options for winter 2020 courses: maintain your assigned letter grade, which will contribute to their GPA or replace your final undergraduate course passing letter grade with a credit (CRD), which will not contribute to their GPA.
Please refer to the webpage for COVID-19 updates for details on CRD and NCR grade options.
You will have to decide which choice is best for you. For advice on CRD and NCR grade options contact your Student Advisor.
For students applying to Co-op by June 1, 2021
- For the purposes of calculating CGPA for application into the Co-op program, any course with a CRD or an NCR designation will not be included.
- For the purposes of course completion requirements being met for application into the Co-op program, courses with a CRD designation will be included, but courses with an NCR designation will not.
- Program Specific Requirements: For students in GMS, it is expected that students have completed GMS400 with a B+ or CRD.
For students currently in the Co-op program
- For the purposes of calculating CGPA for ongoing academic standing, any course with a CRD or an NCR designation will not be included.
- For the purposes of course completion requirements being met for the ongoing maintenance of academic standing within the Co-op program, courses with a CRD designation will be included,but courses with an NCR designation will not.
- In order to remain in good standing with OSAP, students are required to pass a full-time course load, as defined by OSAP - three or more courses, or two or more courses if you have a permanent disability (PD) indicator on your OSAP application.
- Students who select an NCR grade will not receive a credit for their course. As such, if you do not have passing grades for at least three courses (or two courses for students with a PD indicator) for your Winter 2020 term, you are at risk of being placed on OSAP Academic Probation.
Yes, students can review updates in regards to awards and financial aid online.
Yes, the Centre for Student Development and Counselling (CSDC) is physically closed, but has moved to a virtual support system.
At Ryerson, you can get the most up-to-date information about health and wellbeing support on the Student Health and Wellness COVID-19 Updates and Resources from Student Well-being Services page.
Should I be aware of any upcoming important dates?
Yes, below are some important upcoming dates to keep in mind. However, it recommended that you also visit Toronto Metropolitan University's 2022-2023 Undergraduate Calendar for more significant dates and detailed information.
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Friday, November 19, 2021 | Last day to drop a fall course (No Refund of Fees) |
December 8 - 19, 2021 | Fall Examination Period |
February 19 - 25, 2022 | Winter Study Week |
April 18 - 30, 2022 | Winter Examination Period |
Support needed | Toronto Metropolitan University Contacts |
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Your program advisor: |
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The Chang School of Continuing Education course offerings, important dates and enrolment information | The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, opens in new window |
Questions about class assignments, exams or make-up classes. |
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Academic accommodations | Academic Accommodation Support |
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The Toronto Metropolitan University Library |
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Student Financial Assistance (SFA) |
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The ServiceHub |