My return to the University of Toronto was always part of the plan. I never had the desire to leave this chapter of my life incomplete. Last year, I took the leap and here I am, back in the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto basking in the scholastic glow of student life, dreaming of finally being able to hear and experience the sweet melody of Pomp and Circumstance with all of you, my colleagues in academia.
Perhaps I should start at the beginning. Hello, my name is Jasper, I am technically a fourth year Victoria College student studying Philosophy, English, and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations; however, this past year I have been in the process of reconfiguring my POSt to include Public Policy and Sociology. More important than that, I am one of the 2016-2017 Life @ U of T bloggers, and I am here today to proudly present myself to you as I begin my voyage of putting all the fine details of my experiences as a U of T student on display hopefully for everyone’s benefit and perhaps entertainment.
As you may have gleaned from the beginning of this post, last year I returned from an academic hiatus to complete my undergrad degree. How long was this hiatus you ask? Why seven years, my soon to be friends, and yes your math is correct, I am a mature student complete with sage wisdom of the world beyond our campus borders. Many are probably wondering why I decided to come back after tasting the sweet nectar of freedom from lectures and exams. There are many reasons that I can think of to answer this question but the core reason I returned was because, like I said, it was always part of the plan.
What I hope is implied by what I’m getting at is this: I could have chosen to transfer and complete my undergrad degree at any university, but ever since my hiatus there was never any question in my mind about whether or not I would come back to U of T. I mean, transferring to UBC, UVic or any western university would have been a much simpler transition back into student life, as opposed to traversing a large chunk of our majestic country (by tent and car) to return where I originally began my undergrad journey. But I was drawn back here by how amazing my experiences were at U of T before I left.
This university and the community that it fosters shaped my world perspective and allowed me to thrive in the real world even before I was in receipt of that valuable parchment acknowledging my capability to do so. To me that is a huge testament of the quality of education and experience I am receiving at U of T. That being said, I’m extremely excited to be able to share with you my present and future experiences, and hopefully I’ll effectively do so from a useful perspective of someone who’s already braved the world outside of university, the world that we are all preparing to enter (in my case, re-enter).
Perhaps I should start at the beginning. Hello, my name is Jasper, I am technically a fourth year Victoria College student studying Philosophy, English, and Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations; however, this past year I have been in the process of reconfiguring my POSt to include Public Policy and Sociology. More important than that, I am one of the 2016-2017 Life @ U of T bloggers, and I am here today to proudly present myself to you as I begin my voyage of putting all the fine details of my experiences as a U of T student on display hopefully for everyone’s benefit and perhaps entertainment.
As you may have gleaned from the beginning of this post, last year I returned from an academic hiatus to complete my undergrad degree. How long was this hiatus you ask? Why seven years, my soon to be friends, and yes your math is correct, I am a mature student complete with sage wisdom of the world beyond our campus borders. Many are probably wondering why I decided to come back after tasting the sweet nectar of freedom from lectures and exams. There are many reasons that I can think of to answer this question but the core reason I returned was because, like I said, it was always part of the plan.
What I hope is implied by what I’m getting at is this: I could have chosen to transfer and complete my undergrad degree at any university, but ever since my hiatus there was never any question in my mind about whether or not I would come back to U of T. I mean, transferring to UBC, UVic or any western university would have been a much simpler transition back into student life, as opposed to traversing a large chunk of our majestic country (by tent and car) to return where I originally began my undergrad journey. But I was drawn back here by how amazing my experiences were at U of T before I left.
This university and the community that it fosters shaped my world perspective and allowed me to thrive in the real world even before I was in receipt of that valuable parchment acknowledging my capability to do so. To me that is a huge testament of the quality of education and experience I am receiving at U of T. That being said, I’m extremely excited to be able to share with you my present and future experiences, and hopefully I’ll effectively do so from a useful perspective of someone who’s already braved the world outside of university, the world that we are all preparing to enter (in my case, re-enter).
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