Hello, I was wondering what you think about UTSG and UTM campuses, in your opinion which one do you think is better both academically and socially, or are they pretty much the same?
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hey there,
full disclosure: i’m a UTSG student, so i have more experience with the downtown campus. however, i don’t have like, any special allegiance to St. George, so don’t expect this post to have any prejudices.
my only true allegiance is to the original Oreo. don’t talk to me about that faux-marhsmallow double-stuffed crap. i’m definitely prejudiced against those.
UTSG (academic): the downtown campus is an all-arounder when it comes to academics, mostly because it’s so big. no matter what your interests are, you can probably find a good program to satisfy them. UTSG is neither a liberal arts or a STEM university – both mix and mingle within the Faculty of Arts & Science, which is pretty unique.
especially notable undergrad programs include engineering, rotman commerce, and international relations.
UTM (academic): UTSG has a lot of programs, but it’s not flawless. a common complaint from downtown campus students is that their degree has no real-world applications. which is a pretty reasonable complaint considering we’ll all be DROWNING IN DEBT after we leave this place.
in addition to having a solid (albeit smaller) selection of programs to match UTSG’s, UTM has a few programs unique to its own campus, which bridge academic study with real world experience nicely.
the most notable of these, i would say, are the Institute of Culture, Communication of Technology programs, management programs, and forensic science program. to be honest, the fact that UTSG doesn’t have its own communications program is kind of baffling to me (though our closest equivalent, Book & Media Studies, is gr8).
UTSG (social): if you want to have a social life on the downtown campus, you have to make it happen. the Faculty of Arts & Science offers a lot of flexibility in terms of mixing and matching programs, but that means that being in a certain program doesn’t guarantee you’ll see the same people all the time.
making friends means putting yourself out there, here more than anywhere. and there are opportunities to get involved in the community, be that your college community, the community around your academic department, or a certain extra-curricular organization.
however, it won’t come to you. you have to actually join stuff – which can be annoying and hard. if you’re commuting (which a lot of downtown campus students do), that makes things even more difficult.
also, UTSG can feel a bit old-boys-y, especially if you’re part of one of the older colleges. that can sometimes put people off.
so there is community here, but it’s hard to find, and a bit all over the place. there is almost definitely a community of people here that’s perfect for you. the trick is to find it.
UTM (social): UTM is a lot quieter than UTSG. it is also a lot smaller. the lack of a college system means that there is no intra-faculty bickering, which will save you a headache and a half. also, if you’re planning on living on rez, you will a part of the UTM residence community, rather than just the rez community at one college, which is very insular and can feel a little bit like being back at high school.
UTM tends to be a bit more peaceful than the downtown community, and students will often see deer on campus.
that said, you likely can’t sustain yourself for four years based on a friendship with a deer.
UTM also shares the rather unfortunate status of commuter school with UTSG, making community harder to build and maintain. relatedly, Mississauga is quieter in terms of things t0 do than Toronto, so if you’re someone who loves the nightlife, then you may want to think about that.
hope that helps! see ya around in September maybe,
aska