A Timeline of my Life at U of T

In honour of U of T’s 193^rd birthday, I thought I would share a timeline of my experience here! 🙂  Acceptance: Receiving my acceptance letter from U of T was arguably one of the best moments of my life since U of T has always been my dream school. I may have screamed and shed a tear or two. Luckily, I was at home so no one else witnessed the scene (except my family, who screamed with me). Orientation/first impressions: I went to visit the St. George campus over the summer so I could get a feel of the university before school officially started. This was the very first time I saw the campus in person, so I was really excited. My family came with me, and they were, as you can imagine, equally as excited. But I must admit, the campus was quite empty when I went in the summer, so I got the wrong impression that it would remain relatively similar when the school year officially started (boy, was I wrong!). In general, I really liked the atmosphere of the school, especially the view of the front campus. Although I didn’t go inside any buildings, I loved the aesthetic exterior of all the buildings and the interconnectedness  of everything. Orientation day was the second time I visited the campus, but it was the first time I commuted to campus. It was totally worth it because I met some great people and reconnected with some old friends!

First year: While I was a bit nervous, I was mainly excited to start attending classes. The first week was a roller coaster of events. Professors went straight into teaching, due dates were thrown into the air, and readings began to pile up too quickly. Luckily, I quickly learned to make use of my time, and doing the readings beforehand really helped me stay on top of my work. The class sizes were also overwhelming at first, but now, I kind of like big class sizes because I get to meet a lot of people! It took me a while to adjust to the university life, so first year was a big learning experience for me, but I still really enjoyed it! 🙂

  Current: Flash forward to today, I feel like I’ve learned a lot from my two years at U of T. I’ve also learned a lot about my academic interests. I really enjoyed my English and biology-based courses in first year, which is what led me to choosing my majors. I’ve also developed better studying habits and note-taking skills, became more involved in school events (like joining extra-curriculars!), and memorized the entire GO transit schedule by heart (seriously). I’m nearing the end of my second year, which means I’m halfway through undergrad, wow! So far, I’ve enjoyed my time here, and I really look forward to what’s to come 🙂