• campus life,  clubs,  fun & places,  u of tears

    seek and you shalt receive

    I just need to know. Everybody says UofT isn’t as depressing and it’s what you make out of it, but I need a clearer answer. What’s it like there? Do you get to have a vibrant social life there? Are there fun things to do on campus? Like maybe attending games or idk just fun things to do.

    I want to study Economics on the St. George campus and I want to know if there’ll be time to do fun things on campus, in the city. I know I’ll be busy; it’s university it has to be.
    But I just need my university life to be fun and full of adventures, if that makes sense. Can I get what I’m looking for?
    Thank you.

    hey there,

    ok but those people are kinda right, it is what you make out of it. in my opinion, your sense of fun and adventure will entirely depend on how much initiative you take to seek out fun activities on your own.

    the baseline is, you will have fun and adventure at U of T if you actively seek it out.

    things to do on campus?

    to answer the first part of your question, are there fun things to do on campus? yes, a hundred times yes. there is honestly an overwhelming number of fun and exciting things to do on campus, happening everywhere and everyday. because of the large and diverse student population, there are more clubs and student organizations than you can count, and events are targeted to a wide range of interests.

    there’s everything from cultural or spiritual groups to artistic groups to academics/career focused groups and everything in between. like, there’s a club about bread? and definitely a LOT of clubs have game nights if that’s what you’re looking for.

    since you asked specifically about games, i can point you towards the GLG board game club, the esports club, and the tabletop gaming club, found on instagram at @torontotabletopgamingclub. but if you were interested in other things, you can also search up clubs by category on the utsu website, “find a registered club“.

    in short, i can tell you with absolute certainty that the opportunities do exist, should you wish to take them.

    but do you want to join clubs, student leadership, sports teams? are you the type of person to sign yourself up for an art gallery night? attend a karaoke event? sign yourself up for a weekend of cooking workshops? you gotta take that initiative and make that commitment, it won’t just come looking for you.

    that’s one thing i wished i knew earlier on in my undergrad. in high school, there were only so many clubs, you only really joined things if your friends were joining too, and it was easy to hear about everything going on. but at U of T, the biggest university in canada, you gotta actively search through all the noise and find the groups/events/opportunities you’re interested in. you gotta put yourself out there, into rooms where you don’t know a single person.

    vibrant social life?

    from what i’ve heard, many people at U of T don’t consider their social life to be particularly vibrant. there are plenty of people who do, but plenty of people who don’t. once it hits the second month of the semester, most people who consider themselves studious will mainly hang out with their friends by studying in the library. maybe there will be some fun things on the side, but as you go deeper into midterm season, those will be fewer and farther in between.

    it also depends on what you consider to be a “vibrant” social life. does that mean parties every weekend? having a large friend group to do things with? these things are definitely possible at this school, depending on your ability to balance your time. we are not a party school like mcgill or western, but parties do happen!

    this section is funny because i wouldn’t say i have a vibrant social life, i mainly only see my friends within the walls of a library. all of our hangouts happen during the first two weeks of school and reading week. but like, that’s kinda on me because i like my sleep. if you don’t (like most people at U of T), you can most likely have a vibrant social life.

    fun things to do in the city?

    y’all, if i had to pick a sentence to say in front of a lie-detector test, i would say that toronto is definitely a city with fun things to do. that’s a given.

    this one is hard to go over though, just because of the LARGE scope of fun things this city offers. toronto is THE city to socialize in and make connections in. i always say that i love toronto because it feels so connected and so, so alive. there is just such a depth and breadth of culture and community in this city, and it’s filled by the most incredible people with such interesting backgrounds.

    personally, my favorite events in toronto are kensington market pedestrain sundays and the annual nuite blanche event. but the best everyday thing to do is go exploring! every street here is filled with exciting things to see. there are also a lot of niche socializing events i’ve heard word about that you won’t see in most other cities.

    basically, if you’re at U of T, there will be some type of gathering within 2km, on or off campus, for pretty much every pursuit you could think of. it’s crazy. but it’s just a matter of hearing about the right events for you and making the time to go.

    which brings me to the second part of your question.

    will there be time to do all these fun things?

    yes, if you make the time. honestly, it’s completely up to you and your work ethic. economics is a hard program, but i know several econ students who do make the time to get involved in campus life and fun events. as long as you’re not taking 6 courses (pls don’t do this to yourself), or have a bunch of evening classes, you will probably have time to do fun things even if you have a part time job on the side. plenty of people have made it work.

    just don’t expect to have an abundance of free time. you’ll have to choose which fun things you want more out of the many options, since there will be only so much time in your schedule. most likely, your schedule will be packed, but it is absolutely possible to strategize and fit in time for fun and adventure. i’ve done it, and most of the people i know have done it. you can do it too!

    however, please take everything i say with a grain of salt. this is all just my opinion as informed by my singular experience, and you could have a totally different take when you get here!

    finally, if you wanted to vibe check what life at U of T is like, you could check out some student life instagram accounts. like @lifeatuoft, @uoftsu, @uoftsportandrec, @econ_uoft, @utsgdc, or @esauoft. your home college will also have plenty of student-run events! check out @myncsc, @innisicss, @vusac for example.

    over and out,

    aska

  • campus life,  fun & places,  library,  studying

    i know a spot. many, in fact.

    hi what are your recommendations and pros and cons for your favorite places on/near campus to study? i need to stop living at robarts.


    hey there,

    well, have you have come to the right place! i happen to pride myself on knowing better places to study than robarts. you’ll never catch me setting foot in there during midterm/exam season, you can literally feel the stress in the air emanating off students. no, i am a proud “i-know-a-spot” culprit and i am so glad you asked.

    it’s great that you’re looking for alternatives to robarts, because imo, changing up your study spot regularly can do wonders for your quality of life. if i study in the same place for weeks and don’t rotate it out, the walls start to look like we’re in a simulation, my eyes stop focusing, and i go a little crazy!

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    so here are my top recommendations for places to study.

    on campus

    1. gerstein library

    if robarts didn’t exist, this one would be the classic U of T study spot. it’s a super huge place, so next to robarts, this is the library where you’ll be least likely to be fighting for a spot. the little rooms on the ends of the halls are my favorite because they have huge windows where you can look at the pretty leaves and get some good natural light in.

    however, it can be a little loud sometimes in the general study areas (some people don’t take hints and you can only give so many side-eyes at their rambunctious laughter before giving up). so if you’re like me and lose focus when people talk, go on downstairs to the quiet study area.

    working the it crowd GIF

    i love how spacious this area is, and it is a great quiet space to get work done. i also love the design of the place, lol. i feel so University Student in there.

    pros:

    • outlets at every single seat!
    • lots of seats, lots of rooms.
    • you can get away with eating in here, but i’m not sure if it’s allowed?? i’ve done it but don’t remember if there are any signs saying not to…

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    • nice aesthetics.
    • building is in the middle of campus, so it’s easy to get to.
    • super long hours — closes at 10 or 11 pm, and one of the few libraries that are open that late / at all on the weekends!!

    cons:

    • you have to go all the way to the basement to get to the bathroom. unless i’m blind and they actually have more than one bathroom?

    2. hart house

    this is my personal favorite, just based on vibes. i feel like i can focus the best at hart house out of all my study spaces, and i’m not sure why? maybe it’s the semi-dim lighting and gothic windows.

    at hart house, there’s a great space to study on the main floor, but it’s also open to the public, so sometimes there are interesting people in there. (one time my friend and i were studying and an old man just sat down at our table and started playing chess.) the main floor is sort of like a cafe experience in that sense.

    but if you wanted a student-only space, there’s a great little library on the second floor. this library is a designated quiet space — actually, i would say it’s my quietest study spot on campus!

    i do also see people studying in the basement’s arbor room, but i’ve never tried that myself because that’s more of a social space.

    antisocial james dean GIF

    it can sometimes be hard to get a good spot here on a weekday, but it’s usually quite empty on the weekends. my favorite thing to do is snatch a spot next to the windows, because the ivy growing on the outside of the windows just looks SO PRETTY. also, in the winter, you can sit on the little cement seat below the windows and it’s literally a heated seat. or seated heater. who knows.

    pros:

    • stunning vibes and aesthetics.
    • you can eat on the main floor + basement (but not in the library)
    • wide array of options for noise levels
    • also in the middle of campus.
    • open for long hours, until 11pm

    cons:

    • few accessible outlets on the main floor, and not all tables have outlets in the library
    • busy on weekdays

    3. caven library at knox college

    next up, another place with stunning aesthetics. i am realizing that might be my main priority when choosing a study space…

    this library is famous for its gorgeous stained glass windows and is in every “U of T libraries >>” edit. it is also a designated quiet space, so we love that. eating, however, is not allowed — and if you try to eat, people will hear. it’s so quiet in there that it’ll take you 30 seconds to peel your granola bar wrapper open without it making noise.

    but, i love the secludedness of the little carrels in the back and outlets are pretty accessible. this place just screams dark academia and is the place to go if you need to romanticize studying to keep yourself going.

    beauty and the beast book GIF

    pros:

    • super quiet
    • great for focusing
    • absolutely gorg
    • not crowded
    • in the middle of campus

    cons:

    • closes super early at 4:30pm and is not open on weekends 🙁
    • no talking, no eating

    4. e.j. pratt library

    this place is a little out of the way unless you’re a vic student, but it’s so worth it. if you’re tired of U of T’s gothic tendencies, e.j. pratt looks quite modern and is just the color white. it has a very open feel since the second (and third?) floor is connected to the first through the main room.

    the whole place is a quiet space except for the basement. i’m not a big fan of the second floor’s seating situations, so my personal favorite spots here are the private 2-seater carrels in the back of the main floor. there are outlets there, and it is soo good for focusing. however, these are pretty popular so it can be hard to find an available one.

    pros:

    • low visual stimulation
    • quiet
    • very private carrels
    • open until 11:45pm on weekdays!
    • open on weekends, but only until 5:45

    cons:

    • every single time i’ve been here, someone has a hacking cough that echoes through the building
    • no talking/eating in the main room, but can in the basement
    • on the vic side of campus

    near campus

    1. the toronto reference library

    this place is another gorgeous spot for productivity. it’s sort of a given that there are a lot of seats and it’s super spacious in here, since it’s, like, the toronto public library. but what’s weird is that the wifi here is unreliable sometimes??

    anyways, there are so many spots to choose from here, but my favorites are the upper floor seats next to the windows that overlook the city, and the little glass cubicles on the middle floors that you need to book out. these are so entertaining to me, i feel like a zoo animal in them — great for minimizing distractions, since you are in plain view of the public and must look like you’re working.

    overall, the productive energy in this building is great, and when you look at hundreds of people getting stuff done, you are filled with the motivation to also get your work done.

    pros:

    • great views
    • productivity boost
    • can talk, but also pretty quiet!

    cons:

    • unstable wifi in certain spots
    • no eating??? but again, if you’re subtle they won’t catch you.
    • open on weekends, but quite busy on weekends and closes at 5pm then
    • i once reported a bomb threat there 😀 not the one that made the news though

    This may contain: a cat is looking at the camera with caption that says, i be in situation

    2. cafes!

    there are so many awesome cafes near campus that you can study in. i’m not gonna go through and rate them all because that’s a bit much and this is already a long post, but i’ll list a few good ones here: wildhearts cafe, 10 dean, nabulu, moonbean, carbonic, and neo. my number one place used to be charidise on baldwin, but they have raised their prices and are now more of a restaurant than a cafe. i’m in mourning about it and will tell everyone who will listen. their popcorn chicken slaps 🙁

    and, yeah! those are my study-spot recommendations on and near campus. my absolute favorite place to study on campus is a super-secret-spot that i will be gatekeeping, but other than that, know that you have just received gold. these spots will elevate your study experience and your life, trust me. pick up the phone and call that u-haul cause you are not living in robarts anymore.

    SpongeBob gif. Spongebob shoots finger guns with a sly grin, attempting to look cool as he backs out of the room.

    over and out,

    aska

  • campus life

    going back to back

    What do I do if the only schedule that works has a bunch of back to back classes? Am I just going to have to be late all the time?


    hi there,

    if you’re new to uoft, you might not know about our so-called ‘uoft time’ — let me explain. pretty much all classes (lectures, practicals, tutorials, everything) actually start 10 minutes after the official time that’s written. for example, 2:00 on your timetable actually means 2:10 for the actual start time. most if not every instructor follows this (i’ve never had any profs that insisted on starting at the written time).

    this will hopfully allow some travel time between back to back classes! in my experience those 10 minutes have been enough to get to my classes, but it might still be a bit difficult to get there on time if you have to walk all the way across campus. i’ve seen some people commuting with bikes or skateboards, so if that’s something you’re into you might want to give it a try. it can be kind of a pain to get around campus in the winter though especially, as snow and ice get in the way of things.

    i would definitely recommend making a route to get from class to class and doing a practice run beforehand to get familiar with the area and see how long things take. this uoft map is pretty handy when you’re trying to decipher the building names and where they all are, and there’s apparently an app, too. i’ve found that google maps and other map apps usually recognize uoft building codes too, e.g. typing ‘uoft msb’ will bring up the medical sciences building, which is pretty cool.

    hope that helps and best of luck finding your way around campus!

    aska