Random question but someone mentioned this to me earlier and i got a little concerned. When choosing our tutorials/lab times, are we only allowed to take certain t/l sessions that match with our core? like for example if theres 2 cores and 30 tutorials and 30 labs:

core 1 where we have to take tutorials 1-15 and labs 1-15,
core 2 where we have to take tutorials 15-30 and labs 15-30 or some thing like that.

or can we just take whatever tutorial/lab available? if we are restricted to take certain tutorials/labs, how do we know which one we are allowed to take depending on our core?

whatever is available as long as it doesnt conflict.

Yup, you can choose whatever lab/tutorial you want. Also, depending on the course, many tutorials aren't mandatory

Whoever told you that labs and tutorial sections were delegated based on core section must have been eating a bit too much glue back in kindergarten haha. Any lab/tut can be chosen. One recommendation in choosing tutorials, often tutorials are used to go over practice problems. So dont choose the first tutorial section to go to, because there is a good chance you will have just begun learning the material being covered in the tutorial and you wont be able to comprehend the practice problems as well as you would if you had a few more lectures to go over the material.

While most tutorials are not mandatory, speaking as a student going into third year, I can attest that they are quite beneficial to attend. They will allow you to see worked examples of problems, try problems on your own and work with peers. The TAs are often helpful and willing to spend more time with you than a prof can afford, just based on group size alone and teh fact that a lot of people choose not to go.

Go to them for the first month or two, judge how much useful information you get out of it compared to doing something else with your own time, then decide if you still want to go. I only went to the ones I was required to go to after the first couple of months into the year, I still find they can be more or less helpful, depending on the TA.