November 2015 – Page 5 – Life @ U of T

MoveU Scary Skate & Varsity Centre Fun

Halloween is over, so we’re officially allowed to countdown to Christmas right?

I LOVE holidays, especially Christmas. I can’t wait to see the city all dressed up and to go gift shopping and skating in Nathan Phillips square.

First-Year: A Mid-Semester Review

This past month has undoubtedly been one of the more strenuous months of my life thus far, and that probably goes for a lot of my fellow freshmen. Midterms hit me hard and have left me feeling absolutely exhausted. Even though mental wellness month just ended, I still think it's important to make sure sure that I head into the second half of this fall semester with a healthy mindset.

Specters and Phantoms and Ghouls, Oh My!

In the spirit (tee hee, see what I did there?) of Student Life’s fifteen-minute leaf walks on campus—and also in the spirit of Halloween—I have decided to create a walking route of my own. Autumn leaves may be a tad more picturesque in terms of dead things you can observe on a walk, but ghosts are cool too. Without further ado, I present to you my campus ghost walk!

My Mini-Escape to LBU (Life Before University)

I am writing this post from bed. Five days ago, I found myself in the emergency room of a hospital with a rather bad kidney infection. After I was released from the hospital, my boyfriend insisted I take some time to recuperate, called my mother to come fetch me and that’s how I ended up here — writing my weekly blog post from the comfort of my childhood bed. October had been a stressful month; debatably the most stressful month I've had in a long time and though the kidney infection has been a bummer, I am thankful to have the mental rest that has come with the physical rest my body needs.

Put title of blog post here (or: the perils of writing)

Words. Words that form a thesis statement. More words, separated into paragraphs. Further words. In conclusion, words. When I start a new paper, the first thing I type looks something like the above, or, more often, a string of frustrated nothing. Something like: askljaldjsadieruhejbrjnfgmkngfkgkfkgslmsdgkmdskmf. Starting to write is tough. Identifying the right moment to turn your zillions of tabs of research, piles of books, and pages of notes into your paper is always a challenge - and despite your preparedness to go, you’ll always be flipping through some book mid-essay trying desperately to find that one line you wish you had saved the page of.

A paper with the words "writing an essay" written on it with fruit loops spread out over the text to do the "i"s and make round letter shapes. — Very critical to my writing process: snacks. Photo via areta ekarafi/Flickr.

Are You Going Global?

Bonjour!

Hola!

Namaste!

Guten Tag!

Ni Hah!

No, I don’t actually speak all these languages (gosh, I wish I did) but get this- U of T has sent students to all the places these languages are spoken and many, many more besides. All the international programs through which students can study abroad will be having an informative fair this week at Sid Smith from Tuesday through till Thursday!

International House Hunting 101

A few weeks ago, I (finally) moved into a permanent apartment here in Edinburgh. If you’re thinking “but a few weeks ago was the middle of October! School started in September! What are you up to?” you are not alone in your surprise about my living situation.

The Yellow Brick Road: Tips for First-generation Students

Follow the yellow brick road. Follow the yellow brick road. Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow (follow, follow?) the yellow brick road, the munchkins of Oz sing. For Dorothy, the yellow brick road is the path she needs to take to get to her destination—the Emerald City. Without the road, her journey would have been a bit more difficult.

A forest trail covered in leaves. — Imagine my disappointment when this yellow road didn’t lead to an emerald city, just a clearing filled with . . . dirt.

Building Community

A common phrase in the pharmacy profession is that "pharmacy is a close-knit community". It didn't take too long for me to realize that this phrase was even applicable to pharmacy school! Despite the class sizes being 240 students, it felt very reminiscent to middle school days when you would have classes with the same people everyday. You begin to say "hello" to your classmates because you recognize them, and they recognize you. From there, it's easy to strike up a conversation, even if it's just small-talk about the mutual feeling of stress towards the midterm-season.

Taking a Break with Green Spaces

Living in downtown Toronto can be fun, and as U of T students we're rarely bored. But it's easy to forget that living in the concrete jungle, we don't experience nature as much as we probably should. Here, then, are…

Month: November 2015 (page 5)