Hey aska,
I?m a hopeful U of T Engineering Science student.? I am in a dilemma right now on deciding what residence would be best for me.? I am thinking either 89 Chestnut of New College.? I like the hotel style rooms with your own bathroom, and the supposedly amazing food at Chestnut, but I am unsure about the walk to the campus.? Also is Chestnut mostly Engineering or Arts?? New College is really close to Bahen, but I?ve never seen any pictures of rooms, or heard anything about the food.? Is the walk from Chestnut to campus that big of a deal?? Can you suggest any other residences for Engineering Science students, and where do most of them go?? Thank you for the advice!
???????????????
I always assumed that Engineers at U of T lived in a dank hole in the ground where they painted themselves blue and built bridges out of popsicle sticks, but I assume I am wrong. Since it is much later than you originally proposed your question, I am going to pretend that you got into U of T and your dreams haven’t been crushed. So here is where the Engineers live on campus:
The answer is up to Housing Services! Glamorous, right? While U of T offers a residence guarantee to any first year full time undergrad, as a professional faculty you will have to rate what residences appeal to you on their form. Then the various residences will sort through the applications of the engineers that chose them as number one and choose the top number of students by average. (Innis Residence for instance, holds 60 spots for the 60 engineers with the highest average who chose Innis Residence as their number one housing option.) It is kind of like a bizarre game show, I guess.
There are all kinds of different residences at U of T that vary by architecture, meal plans, roommates, religious choices at all. Since I don’t know you, I don’t know what you like. So here are some questions I will ask you and then you can make up your own mind:
Do you have lots of money or a little bit of money? 89 Chestnut is very expensive ($10,000 a year!) while Innis and Woodsworth are cheaper because they don’t come with a meal plan.
Do you want to live a roommate or alone? Some of the classic residences like UC, Vic, New and St. Mikes still pull the old “sleep with a roommate in the same room” thing. Innis, Vic and Woodsworth offer suite style residences, with seperate rooms and shared living rooms/bathrooms and kitchens. Some single rooms are available in some residences too, with a meal plan.
Are you religious? You should go to St. Mike’s then, where you can live with a whole bunch of Catholics!
Do you like hip modern fixtures or an old classic vibe? Woodworth, Rowell Jackman and Innis are totally IKEA, while the residences at Victoria College and UC have that leafy greens Victorian thing going on.
Can you cook? Do you want to live in a co-ed environment?
89 Chestnut is about 30 minutes away, which seems like no big deal in the summer but is a serious inconvenience when it gets cold. It is also super expensive! I hear it is a fun place to live (you are living in a hotel) and has amazing food, but if you can afford something cheaper and more conveinent, I’d say go for it. If you don’t get in, you will go to Chesnut anyway.
Here are all the websites for the college residences. Peruse them, take a tour.
Good luck with the living, man.
xoxo, Askastudent