hi! I got accepted to UC for this coming fall.. and I think I’m strongly considering going to U of T. I know this is super typical of an incoming college freshman to ask but I was just wondering how normal “floor crawls” are and like smoking within a dorm is. I’m really attracted to U of T’s reputable academics but I also just want to make sure that I’ll also get that fun & free college experience. Thanks in advance! xx
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hey ?there,
so, you wanna party, huh? you wanna get a little crazy after moving out of your parents’ house? live the high life? figuratively and literally? well, why don’t we have a little chat about residence. residence is great, but it’s even better when you know what you’re getting yourself into, so i’m gonna be straight with you about this.
there are very, very few people who don’t enjoy residence (this is based on the Very Reliable Document called: “Things Aska has Observed in Life and Never took Accurate Recordings of”). but seriously: i really do think most people like?it.
i lived in res in my first year, and despite being one of the shyest, most introverted people you’ll ever meet, i had a blast. there are endless people to meet and events?to attend in res, and you’ll likely make some lifelong friends while you’re there.
however, living in res?is NOT like living in a frat house. residence is run by residence life staff, who are adults hired by the university to make sure everyone on res is safe and not doing anything too dumb at any given time.
the residence life staff member who will be most immediate to your day to day life will be your don. a?don is an upper-year undergraduate or graduate student. they are in charge of building community on your floor, they’re there as a shoulder to cry on, and they’ll be there for you through all the new experiences of first year.
but they will also – make no mistake – bust you for smoking/drinking/breaking residence rules before you can?scream “SHOTS!”?i don’t know how much that will help you in deciding between uoft and another university, since most canadian universities have dons, but still: it’s best to go into these things with your eyes wide open.
yes, drinking and smoking and drugs still happen on residence. no rules are 100% effective, anywhere. but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t rules, and it doesn’t mean the rules aren’t enforced.
so if you want to do some partying once in a while, try to do it safely, and try to do it off res -?trust me, you’ll be doing yourself a favour.
other than that, congrats on getting into uoft and UC, and maybe i’ll see you on move-in day!*
best,
aska
* jokes i’ll probably be sleeping in.