Hello all!

I'm an albertan student applying to the UofT, just to put it out there, should I be excited, happy, nervous?
How's the social scene? Is it a very disciplined and 'boring' university, per se.
How are the students? profs?

Basically, just how's the environment in general?

Also! Which colleges do you guys suggest I should be studying at? :)


Thanks !

Thanks!

Are there many international students in U of T?

Hi, fourth year student going to UofT (downtown campus) here, also pleased to answer your questions :).

You should be excited, though it's hard not to feel nervous -- I definitely felt like that before I came to University also. But think of it this way: it's a fresh chapter of your life, and you're going to have so many new experiences, both academic and non-academic.

UofT is so big that there's a plethora of social scenes to be found here. You'll find partiers; you'll find others who go to pubs once in a while to unwind. You'll find studious groups. You'll find people who are very political, and people who are less so. At the same time, because of the diversity of classes you'll take, you won't be inclined to just stick with one group of people. I've made many friends at UofT -- each of different personalities. The profs vary by course, but a lot of them have been great: there are ones that are supportive and helpful, others whose wittiness will keep you entertained in class. I find that it helps if you talk to your profs outside of class (during office hours); I find myself much more inclined to be engaged in a course if I know the professor well.

I love the environment here; I find it beautiful. I love that there's a mix of old and new buildings. Each term, some of my classes are always in a building in which I've never had class before -- these classes always feel like new adventures. I love that I can walk a block south and find myself in vibrant Chinatown, or walk north and have lunch with my friends at a pub on Bloor. For studying, there's around 30 libraries here; I'm sure among those you can find a library with an environment that you like. (Personally, I favour Robarts, Gerstein, or the Innis Library)

I go to Innis; it's a rather tight community and the people at the registrar here are very helpful. I've also been involved in a University College club and I found people there really nice as well.

Hey! Frosh here, speaking from my less-than one year experience, and I say you should be excited!

Reason #1: Toronto. What's not to be excited about? At U of T, you'll meet people from all walks of life and all corners of the world. That being said, there are lots who'll share your interests and lots who'll interest you: athletes, nerds, poets, artists, hipsters, activists, musicians ... you'll be surprised. Everyone's different and it can be quite an eye-opening experience to meet so many different people. (Of course, not all of them are going to be nice.) Make sure to attend your frosh week and make friends - that way, your class of 1000 will be less intimidating. (Prepare! Your first Con Hall class is going to be packed!) There are plenty of international students as well, and I've met a surprising number of Americans in addition to everyone else.

Profs are generally helpful - of course, it depends on who you have - but I've found most to be personable and approachable, especially considering they have thousands of students. Most of them are also quite distinguished in their respective fields. I've had a few name-drop people they've worked with (Bohr, Chomsky, McLuhan...the list goes on). You can visit them during office hours.

Like icey, I fell in love with the environment at U of T. It's so big and diverse, you'll never get bored. I literally spent the first three weeks exploring (read: getting lost) around campus, and I still haven't covered every inch. If you're an architecture geek or just a lover of beautiful buildings, U of T is a great place to be. The library system is also a huge plus - they have just about every book you'll ever need, and it's great to switch your study place around once in a while: depending on your mood, you can go traditional (Caven, Emmanuel, and Graham libraries come to mind), modern (Pratt, Noranda, Ivey) or something in between (Laidlaw, Gerstein, and probably some other library I haven't been to yet). Robarts, the giant concrete peacock where you'll most likely spend a lot of time writing essays, also has a place where you can rent and watch DVDs!

Don't listen to those who say there is no social life at U of T. While the workload can be pretty heavy, especially during midterms, essay season, and exam season, there are hundreds of clubs to suit your every interest - and if there isn't, you can start your own. (We have a Quidditch team! And there's always a pub night or party-type thing going on someplace.) Just don't lose track of your work, especially if you have a ton of readings assigned. Lovely bit of wisdom I got from upper-years here and at school: university, especially U of T, is what you make it.

While you're in first year, take advantage of the seminar courses - they're a nice change of pace from the 200+ student courses, and you get to interact closely with a prof on a topic that interests them. (Vampires! Vikings!...and many others! Physics and the universe too, if you're into that sort of thing.) They will also help you fulfill your breadth requirements.

Yay Trinity! May I ask what you plan to pursue? If you're going into IR (or other politics-related courses really) or immunology, you're in the right place. As for the student profile, just write down exactly what they ask of you and emphasize your community involvement. They generally look for well-rounded people.

Finally, not to be cheesy, but the letter from Student Life said something to the effect of "you are not the same person you were four months ago." It's true. You'll grow up a lot in your first year :)

(Alternatively, if you didn't feel like reading the gigantic chunk of text above, you can just visit http://thevarsity.ca/wp-.../01/feature-jan-23.png. Hurrah!)

Hey Paridhi,

I am applying for Victoria College and I was wondering how is the student body there?
Are the organizations and clubs passionate etc. ?
Are the people at Vic snobby or friendly etc. ?
Did you live in res?

Sorry for bombarding you with all of these questions - it's just relieving to see that there is a vic student out there to give advice to applicants! :) Thanks!