Hello again,
I was talking to a girl on the weekend who just graduated from UofT, but she kind of scared me, basically saying that all the rumors I’ve heard are true, and Life Sciences at UofT is brutal. She told me that Life Sciences is not a good path for me to take at a school that is so big and then she just wished me luck.
She that the readings they assign are really long and the work is really difficult and she had a hard time keeping up.
She said that it was so competitive that people would purposely mess up labs just so that you wouldn’t do well. Or they wouldn’t help you out if you needed notes or needed help understanding something.
Is UofT so competitive and huge that I will not be able to do well? I did pretty good in high school, but everyone going to UofT did – that’s why they’re there.
Also, I know being in university will not be a walk in the park, but is it really as difficult as they say?
And on another kind of related topic, if I schedule lectures back to back, I’ll be able to get from one to the other, right? Even if one is Central and the other is West? I’m just worried that there will be so many people in my first year classes that I won’t be able to get through the crowds to get to my next class in 10 minutes.
Thanks in advance for your answer, your website is perfect for a person like me who’s always worrying.
Madeline
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Madeline,
For your sanity’s sake, I’m going to be very blunt with you.
Stop talking to upper years.
We enjoy making newbies squirm.
Just sit back, have a margarita and some nachos, and enjoy the rest of your summer. Stop thinking so much about university because I swear you’re on the verge of an ulcer right now and you’re not even enrolled in courses yet!
Yes, university is competitive — but that shouldn’t be something you just allow to affect how “well” you do.
And, naturally, its “difficulty” is all up to you.
If you decide that hanging out with your friends the night before a midterm is a good idea, well of course it’s going to be pretty difficult. But even if you don’t spend your entire life in the library, as long as you at least do the readings and pace through things, you should be able to get by.
But for now, you need to stop dwelling on a level of difficulty you won’t even be able to test for another three months because you’re probably just going to make yourself sick.
As for crossing from west to central…
Eh, well, as much as possible, try not to make things back to back. It’s kind of a huge pain the ass, even if you have two courses that are considered “west,” the whole north and south parts of it aren’t considered.
Again, Madeline, calm down and enjoy your summer.
Cheers!
aska