hi there! im an incoming uoft for sept 2024 and i’m just curious where can i find/which websites i should go look into to find professors that can provide students with volunteer experiences/research opportunities? or specifically, as an incoming student, is it possible to apply for volunteer positions at hospitals? and if so, how may i do that? where or which resources can i go look for that opportunity? thank you in advance
hey there,
welcome! this is a great question. you want resources? i’ve got them. heck, i am the resource.
1.research opportunities on CLNX
so, there aren’t exactly websites where you can just search and find professors who have available volunteer/research experiences open to students.
HOWEVER, there is something sort of similar, and it’s called the career & co-curricular learning network (CLNX). i think you’ll only have access to this once you get your utorid closer to september, but it is a really important site to know during your time at u of t. CLNX is a launching pad for applying to on-campus jobs, exploring clubs, applying to experiential learning opportunities, seeing different career events happening, and more.
most relevant to your question, it’s where you will be able to search and apply to research opportunity programs (ROP)s. ROPs are research experiences that are supervised by a u of t faculty member, and CLNX has a searchable/filterable database of all of them. you’ll be eligible to participate in ROPs if you’ve completed between 4.0-13.0 credits by the end of the school year — so you’ll have to wait until the spring of your first year to apply. note it down, applications are open for this between mid-february to mid-march every year.
2. research/volunteer opportunities through other means
CLNX is not the only way that you can gain access to research or volunteer experiences. some advice i’ve heard is to ask your professors and TAs if they are currently in need of research assistants or if they can direct you towards opportunities. they might not always conveniently have a spot for you, but they are connected and might be able to help you out! little tip: you might improve your chances if they know who you are, so go to office hours throughout the semester and participate in class.
i’ve also answered a similar question here about getting into research, if you wanna give that a look. there, i mention @uoftursa on instagram, the uoft undergrad research students’ association, who post events geared towards getting into research. another group to look into might be the uoft research network, @uoft.rn .
3. volunteer positions at hospitals
the great thing about u of t is that it’s near and connected to many of the top hospitals in canada.
- one popular opportunity i’ve heard about is volunteering at sickkids. sickkids is affiliated with u of t and is super close to campus, offering both summer and year-round volunteer programs for post-secondary students. to be eligible, you just need to be 18 or older and enrolled in post-secondary education. posting for this year’s 2024 fall program, which starts in september, will open on june 3.
- another great one to volunteer at is UHN, the university health network affiliated with u of t. through this, students are able to volunteer at toronto general hospital, toronto western hospital, toronto rehab, and princess margaret cancer hospital. applications for this are open all year. if you want to do actual research through the UHN though, i think you’ve got to be a grad student.
- mount sinai hospital also takes volunteers, but they are currently full—their website says to check back in the fall for openings.
- st. michael’s hospital takes year-round volunteers through the unity health network
anyways. i hope this was helpful, good luck with everything! and please don’t put too much pressure on yourself to get involved with all this during your first year. students usually get involved with research and volunteer stuff after their first year, once they’ve settled down academically.
over and out,
aska
p.s. y’all are asking so many questions :D. i’ve never done so many posts in such a short span of time, this is me every waking hour:
but, pls pls keep ’em comin.