Summer Brings Both Stresses and Smiles

Hello everyone, my name is Kevin. I am a fifth-year student studying Psychology and Cognitive Science. I also like to keep myself active, either by biking pretty much everywhere, or by pretending to be an athlete through intramural sports. This year, I will be one of your Life @ U of T bloggers! With summer here, I get to start my last year of undergrad at a different pace. Right now, my academic pursuits have taken a bit of a break, as I’ve decided to work and not take summer classes. Last summer, I decided to work and take one and a half credits. That was far too stressful, and with my last year coming up the rest should be beneficial. While this leaves me more time to myself, I still have to use my time wisely. I want to apply for graduate studies after I finish my undergrad, so I need to research what schools I can apply to, and if professors at that school would be working on research that converges with my interests. This process is a whole different challenge than applying for undergraduate studies, because I will likely have to get in direct contact with professors, and find out if the program is accepting applicants for the year. I'm also considering applying to schools in the United States, which requires me to take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), and I may have to start studying for that as well. Another challenge comes from the fact that my job is tiring; I work at a day camp, and I have to be on my feet all day. I'm pretty tired when I return from work, and I have to push myself to complete tasks, such as researching grad schools, hunting for housing in the fall, and even menial tasks around my place.

On the bright side, it finally gives me a chance to explore Toronto. Because I’ve always been somewhat pressed for time, I’ve relegated myself to mostly downtown. One confession: I’ve never been to Toronto Island. Or the Scarborough Bluffs. Last month was the first time I even stepped into High Park, as well as the first time I’ve ever seen the Blue Jays play live. I can’t possibly see everything that there is around the city in a summer’s time, but I’ll have a chance to experience more than I ever have so far. The summer also gives me an opportunity to hang out with friends coming back to the city from school. While many of them are working as well, it always seems like we have more time to hang out when work is done. And as a bonus, because I made most of those friends via work—I didn’t go to high school in Toronto—I still work with some of them, and that makes my job even easier, and fun as well. This summer I plan to work, explore the city, work more, plan for graduate school applications, work, try to get rid of this farmer’s tan, work, complain that I don’t get to travel this summer, and more work. Oh boy, this is going to be a fun summer! What are your plans for summer? Staying in school? Working? Traveling? Relaxing at your parents' place not worrying about a thing? Share with us in the comments!