Hi.

The general atmosphere at U of T will depend on your specific program of study. For the sciences program, the general atmosphere is rather lax (in my opinion). A lot of us don't really take class seriously (certainly not as seriously as we should), and we skip class all the time and make jokes about skipping class. In fact most of my time is spent at home due to the amount of classes I skip, so I can't really comment on social life on campus.

I've found that it was easier to make friends in university, because people here are much more likely to have something in common with you than people from your high school. Everyone in your classes are likely to have similar aspirations and interests as you so there are definitely opportunities to make friends. That being said I'm not very social and I prefer to avoid people for the most part. Once again, I don't dorm and I spend very little of my time on campus so I can't comment on the dorm part.

This thread is wonderful, thanks for making it!

A few questions, I hope you don't mind! First, do you know much about the Ethics, Society, and Law program? Or Trinity One - Ethics Stream? I haven't been able to find anything from students describing their experiences with them, so I'm curious.

Second, are there many/any opportunities for scholarships past first year?

And finally, an absolutely pointless question: just out of curiosity, you said you hated Queen's when you visited it - I got the same feeling, but I don't really know why. I thought the campus was beautiful, but my tour made me miserable somehow. Do you have any clue why you hated it?

Thank you!

Hello, steadierfooting.

I don't know anything about that programme first-hand. I believe that it's quite an interesting programme for those planning to pursue careers in law and public policy - quite a lot of selection in terms of courses. That being said, it is my understanding (which is quite ironic) that students in pre-law programmes tend to score lowest on the law school entrance examinations. I'm not sure if that's off-putting, but it's about all I know about Ethics, Society and Law. Apologies!

Past first year, scholarships are competitive. Students with the highest marks in each class receive some small remuneration, and there are scholarships which include the aggregate of the first two years, or three years, etc. Those are quite difficult to attain, unless you're in a small programme - but even then! There are those that require submissions and competitions, so if you're so inclined, you can seek them out - I'd imagine they're still difficult to acquire, though.

I have no idea why I hated Queen's. I can toss out a few ideas. The open house had me trudging through grungy, labyrinthine buildings to find the Department of Economics - which was just two blokes sipping coffee. That annoyed me, but was not much of a deterrence. I think I'd seen the grandeur of U of T, with all of its old buildings and whatnot. Then Queen's had a pleasant bell tower, and not much else. Perhaps I am just that fickle; I'd like to think not, but it may well be true. If Queen's were a more prestigious university, I may have been able to overlook it - but U of T had the edge there, too.

I hope this helps,
MattUK

Hello MattUK, thank you for your time in answering everyone's questions. I was accepted to Rotman Commerce in February and I am just about 100% going there. I just have a question regarding course selections. I know that the mandatory courses include Economics, Calculus and Management. What other courses would you recommend taking? Also, I know this question is very specific, but I applied to Woodsworth College and I was wondering if there is a piano available in residence. I am doing my ARCT this summer and I would really like to continue piano afterwards as well. If Woodsworth does not offer it, is there an alternative place where I can practise? Thank you for your time.

Hello SassyAmbivalence,

Good to see you solved your own problem.
I will just confirm that ECO105 is indeed the most appropriate choice. For Peace, Conflict and Justice studies, you'll want a grounding in economics that focuses more on current issues and applications, rather than the strict theoretical and mathematical concepts in ECO100 (which is intended for those pursuing economics onwards).

You'll probably end up with a less rigorous understanding of economics than your counterparts in ECO100, but it doesn't sound like such an understanding is really necessary for your purposes.

Good luck,
MattUK

Hey!
I got into UofT for Humanities (yay!)
but i have 2 questions.

1) I got rejected from Trinity (im assuming), and got into Woodsworth college.
& ill be a commuter! Soooo, IS WOODSWORTH COLLEGE GOOD ? Does it suck ? Will i like it ? :(

2) In the info package that i got in the mail, theres no mention of an entrance scholarship. All other uni's offered some money. Does this mean im not getting any from UofT ??

THANKS! :)

Hey, blackswan.

I can't offer much; just the general hearsay. Woodsworth college is renowned as the most luxurious of U of T colleges - there's a rumour that no one ever sees Woodsworth students around campus because they're too busy enjoying their lavish residences.

I'm not sure how true any of that is - there are plenty of video tours and whatnot on-line if you're interested in some substantiation. But from my basic knowledge, it's meant to be very nice.

~ MattUK

Hello, Quiz.

Those sorts of applied and hands-on programmes are found in technical schools and colleges, not at the University of Toronto.

Cheers,
MattUK

Hi,
I was wondering if you knew anything about the co-op management program at utsc?

Hi Matt!
It’s quite considerate of you to answer our questions on studentawards.

Have you ever heard of something called “___calendar”? I can't recall exactly the name of it but it was along the lines of “uncalendar’ or “undercalendar”.
An U of T rep at the open house told me it was a so-called calendar published by UofT students in which they would comment on the level of difficulty of courses, profs, etc. I visualize it as being something similar to a forum where UofT students would answer prospective UofTstudents’ questions.