Gradlife

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Hello, here I am, and here is the exciting moment when the Gradlife blog goes up for the first time! By the time you are reading this, however, it has already happened. As a result this blog will focus on space and time…

No, not really! My name is Trish and I’ll be with you for the year. About me’s include currently being a MT student at OISE and previously being an ESL teacher in Seoul, Korea. That’s about all I want to say regarding yours truly because we here at Gradlife want this blog to be about you.

On that vein, I should mention that I am new to U of T. This means I may be discovering things you figured out years ago. Please, let me be privy to your expert information. I know there are some of you out there who have walked through the UT hoops a few times and really know what’s up (and know how to get down). Sharing that information is going to be super helpful for me, but more importantly to the other grad students out there who are finding out information for the first time. Share the love, share the insight!

So first questions: How has the first month gone? What are you impressed with? What are you frustrated by? What have you discovered? What do you want to know more about?

Seeing as this is the first entry, I thought I’d share 3 online resources that I think are a must-see for new students and seasoned students alike.

THE HOLY U OF T MAP
map.utoronto.ca

Thank goodness and gracious that this thing exists. It replaces all the other old maps, and it’s interactive and mobile friendly. No longer must you shuffle through your agenda or desperately search for a map on campus. It is searchable, and has direct links to finding food, bike racks and washrooms. You would be a fool not to use this (even if you are a UT expert).

GRADUATE STUDENTS’ UNION (GSU)
utgsu.ca

Political leanings aside, this is a great “one stop shop” for UT resources. I say this mainly because the site itself is simple and easy to navigate (the equivalent of hitting the jackpot in the land of U of T). Find information on a plethora of things: health and dental plans, funding, athletics and clubs. See! I told you it was a one-stop shop!

GRAD ESCAPES
www.utgsu.ca/escape

Okay, I am cheating since this is part of the GSU, however I could not post a first blog entry to grad students without mentioning this. Grad Escapes are organized outings (on the cheap) that explore Toronto and it’s cultural riches. These are really popular and great opportunities for meeting new people. Take a break from the research and find supportive buds in the meantime! Book your tickets early to make sure you don’t miss out.

The last thing I wanna do is inundate you with tons of information (pretty sure your profs and research supervisors are doing that already), so I’ll leave you to explore. Thanks for visiting and we hope to see you again! : )