frosh = friends?

Hi,

I will be unable to attend Frosh Week because I’ll be arriving campus 3 days after it starts, but I am kind a worried because almost all the sources that I have read indicates that this is an important “mile-stone” that first-years need to take, and that it was a good way to meet friends, socialize, get used to the campus etc… I’m also dorming, so I have this little irrelevant fear that I won’t get along with my roomates (in Innis) because they’ll know each other better before I arrive, and I’ll sort of be the “outcast”.

I was just wondering, am I really missing much? I’m sure there will be other opportunities to find friends, socialize, and attend orientation that may help me as a first year? I just don’t want to be left out, or feeling like I’m missing something that so many people are hyping over.

Cheers,
Catherine

Hey Catherine!

Don’t worry! Frosh week is pretty fun, sure, but it is by no means the dealbreaker when it comes to social life at U of T.

To make you feel better, here’s what I didn’t like about frosh week: they pretend to feed you, but actually all you get is two burgers a day, you really don’t sleep ever at all, you can’t officially drink, but everyone seems to be acting funny, and you’re totally wiped out when classes start. Still feel like you missed out? Well, maybe so, but there’s still no reason to worry.

Living in res also gives you a leg up on meeting people, especially people involved in Innis student life– which you’ve probably realized by now! Several of my roommates at Innis didn’t do Frosh, so I made sure to bring them along to meet others, and, for better or for worse, we ended up being one of the busiest suites on the block! I’m sure your roomies will be just as down to hang. House events and residence programming simulate the same sort of get-to-know-yous that frosh does, anyhow, so you’ve got a second chance there.

Honestly, Catherine, I made my best first-year friends in my classes- for one thing, you already know you have similar interests as those people, as opposed to a fairly arbitrary commonality such as your year and your college. And second of all, it’s simply more natural to chat after class about your cute prof than it is to get a stranger to guess the celebrity name taped to their forehead at 9am on a Saturday (true story, it was Rachel McAdams for me, and I didn’t even know who that was!). Getting involved in campus activities, getting a part-time job, and just being friendly and outgoing go pretty darn far.

One last bit, and this is mostly for future froshies- if you missed Innis frosh, I hope you opted-out of the $100 fee in time! A few years ago, the Innis College Student Society, who run Frosh, included a somewhat greedy referendum in the yearly elections, which changed Frosh fees from opt-in (you pay when you sign up) to opt-out (you’re automatically charged on ROSI, and have to contact them a month before frosh to get your money back if you aren’t going). If you ask me, the kind of student who doesn’t go to Frosh is often the kind who wouldn’t know to vote in student elections, so thats why the motion passed overwhelmingly– and now a lot of first-years are paying for something they don?t even get! Bummer spice!

Welcome to U of T!

aska