residence without dons (yay)…does that mean I don’t get to throw eggs at my don?

what’s it like living in a campus co-op house?

personally, askastudent doesn’t know…although my dad lived in campus co-op all 4 years of his U of T experience (in the 70’s) and loved it. however, askastudent has two american friends that are campus co-op experts. here is what they have to say:
number one: “dan”
guess its different for each house and each division, but as a general rule each house has chores to keep it tidy and stuff and divisions with meal plans get food. the big difference is that all this is run by a semi-commie government of house managers and other officials. otherwise its just like any other house. really you should just ask kelli cause shes on the board and is used to explaining things about co op.
i obviously took dan’s advice and asked “kelli”:
Well, being a pretty big fan of the co-op system, I’m just a tad biased. I also happen to live in what is arguably the best house in all of co-op, so my experience is a little different from someone who lives in, say, one of the crack houses on Spadina (don’t quote me on that one).
Living in a campus co-op house is a character-building excersize. You move into a house with anywhere from four to fifteen strangers, and you immediately have to establish some kind of relationship with them because, like it or not, you guys share the same space. It can be frustrating, but it’s also incredibly cool. Because of co-op, some of my closest friends are people from different backgrounds, programs, and often continents, and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to get to know them otherwise.
There are household chores like any other shared space (sorry, co-op does not pay for housekeepers), and members are also expected to contribute an hour of service to the co-op per month. These hours are usually parcelled out in the form of committees with specific tasks, and they’re actually a blessing in disguise because they provide an opportunity to get to know other members.
The main advice I can give to a prospective co-op member is to do your research! People who “need their space” and have a hard time living with others obviously should consider alternative living environments. As for co-op itself, there is a lot of variety in terms of meal-plan houses, non-meal plan houses, house size, location, etc. The main general advice I can give is to make sure you move into a house with a common room! This makes the difference between a house that feels like a boarding house and a house that feels like a home. Otherwise, co-op is full of some amazing folks and I wish I’d known about it when I was getting babysat in rez.
things that make campus co-op different from living in residence are the following:
* you live in an actual house in the annex that you will share with housemates (instead of some stucco contraption and weirdo co-ed washrooms)
* there are chores you divide, house duties, meetings, etc. – you are part of a “co-operative” now instead of you know…a group of rich kids from suburbia?
* every house has a different vibe and flavour to its environment – do your research and apply for the one that best fits your personality
* you might have to work your way up to co-op ladder in terms of supreme living arrangements, rooms, etc. be prepared.
that being said, everyone i know who’s done the co-op thing has loved it, made long lasting friends and found the arrangement convenient and stress-free. plus one of the co-op houses on sussex grows their own salvia. weird, but i guess cool?
cheers, askastudent