I’ll be a first year soon and I don’t know what textbooks I need? Where I should buy them? When I should buy them? Also when do you think is too late to hand in my OSAP forms it’s almost mid august and I haven’t done it yet yikes

——————————————

hi!

first of all, let me say, welcome to u of t!

second of all, don’t worry! i know that that’s the absolute worst advice you could give someone who is worrying big time, but trust me.

you won’t know what textbooks you need until you get the syllabus from the prof. this might be when they put their course up on portal or not until the first day of class. i would highly suggest going to the first week of class before going to buy your textbook, as some profs will tell you how much you’ll need the book. and there really is no need to get a book that isn’t mandatory.

profs will also tell you either on the syllabus or in class where their books are available. some will be at the u of t bookstore, others might be at the bob miller book room, and some might be available at a printing centre, not a bookstore. this is also another great reason to wait until the class has started before going to get books. slow down, my wayward child!

as for OSAP, you should finish your application ASAP to ensure that you’ll be able to get the money before classes start. basically, the faster you finish your O$AP, the faster you’ll get your $$$.

hope this helps! good luck and i look forward to seeing you on campus in september.

xoxo,

aska

Hi! I was just wondering: what is the closest library to Convocation Hall?

——————————————

hi!

i’m pretty sure that would be gerstein.

there’s also this really nifty thing called google maps. it’s pretty cool. you can type in where you are and what you’re looking for. it’s AMAZING and totally beats having to wait a long time for a certain student blogger to catch up on questions!

hope this was informative.

xoxo,

aska

any tips on how to juggle work, studying, and socializing?

——————————————

hi!

the best advice i can give you is to figure out what’s important to you and what should be prioritized. i know that that sounds kinda cheesy and is probably something that you hear much too often, but i’ve found that sitting down at the beginning of every semester (or even month, life changes quickly) and figuring out what i want to dedicate most of my energy towards is very productive. then, you can designate the amount of the time you want to spend on each thing proportional to how important it is to you.

i would also highly suggest meeting with a learning strategist from the academic success centre. they can help you develop learning skills to combat procrastination, manage stress, and a whole host of other things. they’re really great and not a lot of people know about them, but they’re definitely an on-campus resource you should check out.

i hope this helps. good luck!

xoxo,

aska