Healthy Campus 101

Hi all! Sometimes, it can feel as if being a student is a barrier to living a healthy lifestyle. It's easy to get caught up in a mindset that eating instant ramen daily, experiencing irregular sleep patterns, and becoming caffeine-dependent are inevitable consequences of being a proper university student (sometimes I think these things myself). But, really, with all the resources we have at the St. George campus to better our health, is it possible that this mentality is simply an illusion? I have a sneaking suspicion that the student gig does not necessarily need to include attending random clubs’ AGMs for the free pizza. In preparation for this week’s Design For Change conference, I decided to brainstorm a list of ways that UofT is a Healthy Campus in line with some of the themes of the roundtable discussions at the event. On Thursday, student and staff will get together at Hart House to discuss designing a shared vision for a healthier University at the first annual Design for Change conference, and we (students) are all invited! That sounds pretty super to me.

A Glimpse Into The Literary Fair – Video

The Video Crew paid a visit to the Literary Fair hosted by the Hart House Literary and Library Committee on January 21st and conducted interviews with various clubs and organizations. Check out the video to find out more about the…

Graduation Inspiration: Meet Juliette

I work for my College’s residence building, and through this job I have the pleasure of meeting some really wonderful people. This week I decided to write about a coworker and fellow U of T student who inspires me to work harder and prioritize my long term goals.

Juliette is a third-year student, studying Employment Relations at U of T. Amazingly, this is her final year at university, as she has managed to graduate in three years by following a strict regimen of self-discipline, wonderful study habits, healthy lifestyle choices and a six-course workload. Born in Edmonton, Juliette spent her childhood Vancouver — eventually moving to Hong Kong with her family at the age of seven to go to French school. Juliette eventually made the transition to a British International School, where she attended until Grade 11. In Grade 12, Juliette moved again; this time travelling across the world to finish her high school diploma in Toronto, where she would eventually make the decision to pursue post-secondary studies at U of T.

In the home stretch

In my last year of undergrad, I felt pulled in a lot of different directions. Should I start working after graduation, or go back to school? What could I actually afford to do? Scariest of all, what did I want to do?

A field with two paths stretching out ahead. — There are probably more than two paths for you post-grad, but you get the idea! Image via Google Images.

The Weird and the Wonderful: A New Year’s Resolution

Well, hello there, U of T! I know it’s been three weeks since we rung in 2016 and the ‘new year’ excitement has worn off considerably with classes and assignments already piling up (it’s not just me, right??) but being my first post of this year- let’s talk resolutions.

For me, seeing as most of my courses are full-year, the second semester always seems to be longer, more difficult and most importantly, colder. (though I’m told that this winter is one of the mildest yet- positive temperatures in January- whaaaat?!) But even though the second semester brings on so many more challenges to deal with, I decided to voluntarily add another little one on the side in the form of a resolution: to explore Toronto more. Last year was a busy one, and what with academics, commuting, and managing extracurriculars, I found myself not venturing outside the 'U of T bubble’ as often as I should have, which is really a pity considering how much Toronto has to offer.

An Insider’s Guide to Choosing Courses on Exchange

Well, it actually happened. Real life is back: school started again after the winter break, classes are in full swing, and assignment deadlines are looming again. All of that fun academic stuff – classes, assignments, readings and lectures – might not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about exchange, but they do form a big part of your experience. So I thought the time was probably right to write a post about choosing your courses while you’re studying abroad.

#TryItUofT – Yoga!

As students, we often feel stressed out. Understandably, we attempt to find ways to cope with the stress by taking part in activities to “de-stress”. Finding that “one thing” that allows us to take a step back, breathe, and relax. This can include a multitude of different activities such as sports, reading, gaming, etc. For me, I was looking for something that wouldn’t take up too much of my time and would leave me feeling relaxed and energized. Recently, I have found the perfect activity to do just that, and that happens to be yoga! In line with the #TryItUofT campaign, I felt it was fitting to share my new found love for yoga!

#HowDoUMove: the DPA of UNI

If you grew up in an Ontarian elementary school, you probably remember the Daily Physical Activity (DPA) program, which required teachers to facilitate a minimum of half an hour of physical activity per school day. It was a commendable initiative, but it fell short for me as my school's idea of physical activity was to get us to run around the neighbourhood boulevard right after we arrived at school. For me, this was not ideal as I was the kind of kid who more-so preferred long, slow, chatty walks in the morning, and not running in my low-rise Garage jeans being chased around by my homeroom teacher.

It wasn’t until my intermediate grades that I got into running, and stuck with it on the high school cross country team. Now as a full-time university student, I recognize that it can be challenging to find the same time and energy resources to be active. That said, I am able to achieve my prescribed half an hour of physical activity on most days.

Breaking the Ice

In my very first post, I gave a pep talk for when you’re on your way to office hours. Did you read it? Did you go? Are you and your profs best friends now? Do you give each other wardrobe advice and go ice-skating? Well, that’s wonderful! Just in case you wanted some more concrete advice, however, I have been compiling a list of potential icebreakers that will start you off on the right foot with your winter term profs. What better time could there be to share this list than right now, when you have to break literal ice on your trek to your prof's office and break figurative ice upon arrival? The way I see it, there are five main icebreaker categories:

Clubs to Get You Moving in 2016

Welcome back! I hope everyone’s well on their way to settling into a new semester. I can’t say I started it particularly enthusiastically; however, I feel I’m very much back in the groove. I start a circus silks class at…

Category: Get involved (page 145)

I work for my College’s residence building, and through this job I have the pleasure of meeting some really wonderful people. This week I decided to write about a coworker and fellow U of T student who inspires me to work harder and prioritize my long term goals.