I’ve heard from people 2 things about uoft that im not sure are true and I would like them clarified. 1) if you are a commuter on frosh week you won’t enjoy it/make any friends. 2) it is incredibly hard to find friends at uoft as there isn’t the best clubs/groups to meet others.
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hey there,
1) listen, any experience can suck – frosh week is no exception. some people go to frosh and it just isn’t fun. also, commuting to frosh is kind of a pain. so that’s a bummer.
BUT i would say that the general attitude towards frosh week at uoft is positive. the great thing about frosh is that all the disparate schools, colleges and offices at the university come together during frosh to explain who the h*ck they are and what the h*ck they do.
here is a list of orientation events put on by student life last year. as you can see, it’s pretty comprehensive. that page also links to the orientation schedules of most of the colleges and faculties last year. peruse those if you want to have a better idea of what you can expect from frosh week.
it’s also important to note that residence and commuter students don’t have a separate frosh, so there’s plenty of opportunity to make friends with people on- and off-rez.
also, commuter students vastly outnumber residence students at this university, so it’s not like you’re going to be in some sort of friendless minority. in fact, most colleges’ frosh weeks have events specifically for commuter students to get together and socialize. if you go in with an open mind and you’re willing to participate, you’ll probably leave with at least a friend or two.
2) friends will not just come to you. you do have to actually talk to people if you want to make friends, and when you spend a significant part of your time sitting silently on a bus/train/subway, that might not come as easily to you once you get to school.
however, if you are willing to talk to people, you’ll find friends cropping up everywhere – in your classes, in clubs that you may be involved with, at jobs you may take on-campus, etc. not every club will be what you’re looking for, but if you look widely and early, you’ll soon find the place or places that are a fit for you.
here is a list of organizations on campus if you want to start exploring now. as well, i’d encourage you to hang out in your college’s commuter lounge and talk with people there (most colleges have one, or equivalent).
all in all: yes it’s hard to make new friends in a new, unfamiliar environment, but i wouldn’t say this is harder to do at uoft than anywhere else. the university has a lot of opportunities for new students to connect with the community on campus, so don’t be afraid to try out different things!
cheers,
aska