Entering university can undoubtedly be anxiety-inducing. Does UofT truly live up to its reputation as UofTears? What are some secrets to surviving life in UofT? In this post, Sammi Chan and Greg Antono from MSSA’s Exco team dish out some of the things they wish they knew before starting their life at UofT.
1. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t do well in your first year.
Sammi: University is different from high school, there are a lot of things you need to get used to and it takes time. Your professor will set expectations for you to follow, but it might be dramatically different from what you had experienced before. Many first-year students don’t obtain the grade they want and that is completely alright. To be completely honest, most graduate schools don’t even look at your first year’s GPA. What is important is that at the end of first year, you choose the right programs for yourself and to ensure that not only are you happy with your academics but you also have a healthy mental life. Getting a bad grade for one test, or assignment, or even one course is not going to destroy your future. Just make sure you understand what you did wrong and try to avoid making the same mistakes next time. There are a lot of support groups and writing centers on campus that can help you with your academics, if not, talk to a friend, it always helps to have someone listen to you.
Greg: I personally think that your first year is meant to be a struggle to find your place and passion in university. My first year was honestly quite brutal and disastrous, but in retrospect I needed that struggle. Fresh out of national service, I arrived at UofT hoping to study Neuroscience and Spanish (something that I was set on doing since I’d left high school three years before). I enrolled into UofT’s Life Sciences programme and found myself lost in a sea of wannabe doctors and researchers who were definitely much more invested in the course content than I was. Disinterested and disheartened, I started to perform less than satisfactorily in my Science courses, but soared in my language-related ones. It took me more than a year before I realized that I was persisting on doing this programme because I thought I had to prove my worth the same way as all these other kids (in the Sciences). In my second year, I finally followed my heart and chose to pursue Linguistics and Spanish instead, something I felt (and continue to feel) way more comfortable, passionate and happier about. Now there’s no looking back!
2. Join some clubs and meet new friends! (And take your time!)
Many first-year students don’t like to join extra-curricular activities because they want to focus on their academics. However, you can meet a lot of new friends at student clubs, such as MSSA! You can either join clubs that are related to your academic field, or join athletic, cultural clubs. There are over 1,000 clubs to choose from! Don’t be afraid to meet new friends and say hi to people, you might meet the best man of your wedding! Maintaining a balance between your social and academic life can improve your university experience. Clubs days happen in the first two weeks of September and you will definitely find a club that is suitable to you!
Sammi: Personally, I joined three different clubs in my first year, which included MSSA, North American Model United Nations (NAMUN), and the University of Toronto Model United Nations (UTMUN). Although it was a bit hectic because I took on positions in all of these clubs, I made a lot of great memories and met many new people! Even in my second year, I decided to add in more fun and joined UNSOC (a MUN society) and The Varsity Newspaper! I strongly recommend that you choose an extra-curricular that you enjoy because school itself is stressful enough!
Greg: I, on the other hand, wasn’t particularly involved in clubs during my first year, with the exception of MSSA. I’d signed up for several clubs during Orientation week as well, but I never really found something that I was genuinely interested in and passionate about enough during my first year. That being said, I continued my search and in my second year I became more involved in other organisations/extra-curriculars such as Frontier College (a literacy organisation), Society for Linguistics Undergraduate Students (SLUGS) and Kawsaxkuna: the Latin American Studies Journal. It’s really never too late to get involved, meet and find your area/thing/people.
3. Use your CR/NCR credits. Expand your horizons!
In case you don’t already know, there is a thing called CR/NCR at UofT, which stands for Credit or No Credit. What this means is that you will still get a credit (CR) if you pass a course and get over a 50%, but your grade will not be shown on your transcript. If you get lower than 50%, you will get a NCR, but your grade will still not be shown on your transcript. You only get 2.0 CR/NCR credits in your entire four years, so choose wisely.
Greg: Don’t be afraid to explore courses outside your comfort zone! That’s what these CR/NCR courses are for as well. UofT’s degree breadth requirements include covering 4 or 5 core areas. You could be a Science student, but you will have to take Humanities/Social Science courses. Vice versa for Arts students — this is when you can challenge yourself and learn something out of your niche!
Sammi: However, one tip we have for you is to use the majority of the credits in your first year, because after first year, most of the courses you take are compulsory. Unfortunately, like many first year students, I wanted to save my CR/NCR credits, which was a mistake because I could have credited my PSY100 course to make my CGPA less fortunate. WELL, LESSON LEARNT!
4. You can borrow a lot of things on campus including chargers, films, cameras and laptops!
You’re able to borrow up to 50 items at libraries (not just books! As an undergraduate student, you can borrow films as well). You’re also able to borrow phone, tablet and laptop chargers, or headphones, at certain libraries including Gerstein, Robarts, E.J. Pratt and Emmanuel College! You’re also able to borrow laptops from some of these libraries. Students from Daniels faculty are also able to borrow photography and AV equipment.
5. UofT has a total of 44 libraries, which means you will totally find a place to study on campus! Find your own unique spot!
Sammi: You can always find me at either Robarts or Gerstein. On most days, Robarts is open 24 hours, which can be helpful if you have a lot of studying to do (but we really don’t recommend you to pull too many all-nighters). My other favourites include the Noranda Library, also known as the Earth Sciences library, as well as E.J. Pratt at Victoria College. Honestly, you will always be able to find a spot on campus. Make sure you are well-caffeinated and comfortable and you will be good to go! Oh, and don’t leave your valuables unattended, if it is possible, bring a friend, or else at least tell the person that is sitting next to you to watch your stuffs!
Greg: My go-to spots are the Bora Laskin Law Library (high ceilings and natural light!) and Gerstein! I’m also at Victoria College a lot, as that’s where my department is, and it has both Emmanuel College Library (which is small but has serious Hogwarts vibes) and E.J. Pratt. Apart from these libraries, I also like the study spaces at Goldring Student Centre at Victoria College. I spent a good part of my first year discovering these study spots, as I like to change things up every so often!
6. Over 700 programs are offered at UofT, so many to choose from! Fear no more because there will always be one that is right for you!
Sammi: To be completely honest with you, I came to UofT without really knowing what to major in. I thought about doing a double major in Psychology and English, but then and I was also torn between being a life science or humanities major, I thought it was quite weird to do a mixture of both. I was still confused during summer break after my first year, so I took BIO120 just to test out whether I have life science potential. I think the good thing about UofT is that because there are so many programs to choose from, there will always be one that you will like. After taking courses in Humanities, Social Science, Business, and Life Science, I decided to do a double major in Political Science and English and I love it! Remember, you should enjoy what you are studying because for all I know you have to do it for at least three years!
Greg: As I mentioned earlier, I entered UofT thinking that I would be in the Life Science programme and spent the first year or so doing courses like Organic Chemistry (and suffered — to this day, I still question my decisions). I always loved languages but I never thought that I would end up pursuing Linguistics and Spanish as a double major! Not only that, studying Spanish also made me increasingly curious about Latin America, which led me to adding a Minor in Latin American Studies. I even just completed a semester abroad in Argentina, which is something I never would have imagined a few years ago. The options at UofT are limitless and it is completely up to you to decide how you want to shape your degree. I think everyone should get creative and be proactive in finding out about all the opportunities UofT has to offer (in any field at all!).
7. There isn’t only one traditional, conventional route to success. Also – your GPA does NOT define you.
It can’t be helped. People will compare their grades after papers or exams. They will ask about and compare GPAs, even though you’re in completely different programmes. There will be people who say that Arts students have it easy, and that the Life Science/Engineering kids have it so much tougher. The fact is that UofT is a stellar, academically-challenging school, and that everyone has their own trajectories. You may be inclined to feel that your GPA defines you (it’s hard not to, when almost everything you’re doing for the whole academic year is measured in percentages and grades), but it’s really about the process, like the skills you pick up and the people you meet and learn from!
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