General – Page 124 – Life @ U of T

Winter on Exchange

Spring has definitely sprung in Edinburgh. Last weekend, we saw the sunshine for the first time in what felt like months, and everyone emerged from their winter hideouts. As awesome as the change in weather is, it got me reflecting on the not-so-great weeks leading up to this.

Getting Involved!

When applying to a professional school, many applications require an autobiographical sketch of your extra-curriculars or activities that you participate in. It allows the admissions committee to assess those “soft skills” such as interpersonal, leadership, and collaborative skills that are not captured in your GPA or standardized test. Whenever I’ve spoken to undergraduate students, this area seems to be the one that they are the most apprehensive about. What activities are they looking for? How do I stand out? From my experience there appears to be one key aspect to engaging in extra-curriculars, and that is passion.

Searching for Water

Well, hello there! If you’ve even seen me standing outside a classroom looking frantic, its almost definitely not because I have an impending test or other duty to perform in class. Most certainly, it’s the look on my face when I realize I have a two-hour lecture to sit through, my water bottle is empty, and I don’t know where the nearest water bottle fill-up station is. Fortunately, nearing the end of my second year of university this is happening less and less often as I become more familiar with the campus and where the water fountains are located.

Here is one H*** station located at Trinity College's Buttery building — Here is one bottle filler station located at Trinity College's Buttery building

I have intuitively been able to find many of the filler-stations on campus. The gyms all have (at least) one, the large cafeteria spaces all have one, and many lobbies and libraries have one. But there are dozens on campus with more being added all the time (check out the new Bora Laskin Law library!). What that should mean is that no one should have moments of “where can I hydrate?!” anywhere on campus. I’ve dedicated this entire post to where to find water on campus, and (if you’re not already doing so) why you want to carry a water bottle with you all the time.

‘So Long, Winter!’ (or, ‘Later, Midterms!’)

“English summer eating up the atmosphere Day-time bathers sleep in the shade Clouds crawl over dampening our attitudes People run for shelter from the pouring rain” - ‘English Summer’, by The Moons

Well, we did it. Mild or not, our first winter here in Toronto has come to pass, and we're in one piece! With one final flurry of tests, I’ve wrapped up midterm season, too. It’s a peculiar feeling - one on hand, having so many evaluations has made time pass by awfully slowly. On the flip side, it feels like freshman year has passed me by entirely too quickly.

Calling All Veggie Lovers!

Lettuce delve into the wonderful world of vegetarian food on campus! Olive these radishing meals are sure to beet your hunger pains and squash your bad mood. If you carrot all for what I’m dishing out, peas continue reading! Phew! Okay, now that I have reached my self-imposed pun quota for the day, let’s begin!

Veda

There are two Veda locations on campus; there’s one in the Multifaith Centre and one in Sandford Fleming. This is by far one of my favourite places to grab a bite between classes. They’re dedicated to serving healthy and delicious Indian food. All of their curries are nut-free and gluten-free, and they have a good variety of vegetarian and vegan options.

Last time I went, I had a small curry bowl combo, which costs $10.25. I got to choose two curries and one type of rice, I got three pakoras on the side, and I got an apple juice. The portions are huge—definitely enough to take some home and eat later—and I really love the taste. They’re one of the only places in the city that I know of that serves butter tofu, which is SO DELICIOUS!

The Green Beet

This adorable gem is located in the basement of Gerstein. It gets quite crowded at peak times, but it is definitely worth it. They have a great variety of all-vegetarian fare, and lots of vegan options too. Last time I went, I got a delicious veggie lasagna. It was creamy and cheesy and just generally yummy and it came with a side salad tossed in sweet balsamic vinaigrette. My meal cost $6.66.

A Semester of Realizations

With the semester winding to a close, I'm reaching the exact midpoint of my degree. That realization, along with Alex's review of his semester, has left me feeling very introspective. Like Alex, my semester has been full of highs and…

Help others, help yourself with Community Action Projects

One of the best ways to take a study break and feel great is to get involved with a volunteer initiative! It's hard for any student to take on commitments outside of the classroom — but volunteering is fun, rewarding, and gives you a sense of accomplishment that you are helping to make your community a better one.

Game of Groans: an exam themed parody

Winter Exam season is coming.

A photo of Ned Stark overlooking, with the words "brace yourselves, exam season is coming"

As April quickly approaches, the average seasoned student will be preparing themselves for the onset of the most stressful time of year: final exams. Similar to the fabled “winter” from the popular HBO series Game of Thrones, exams are dreaded by most and require rigorous preparation of student-friendly rations like caffeine, extra sleep and good study snacks. It’s difficult to say when exams will truly come, as it is not unlikely that the exam schedule will be released later than expected. Like the Wildlings, the masterminds behind our seasonal exam schedules are unpredictable creatures and some of us prefer to leave it up to the U of T Gods to decide whether or not we will have consecutive exams (which sadly rob even the most battle-worthy students of their mental perseverance).

Basic Training: Lessons for Student Life

Hi there! This is my good friend Conor. We met at Trinity College Orientation Week 2014 and have been buddies since. Among other things, Conor and I share a passion for physical activity and education, and we share teaching responsibilities for a Bootcamp class at UofT.

10274177_10203685559126582_3800031889733152331_n — My buddy Conor is one of the most intelligent and honest people I know, and he is always able to provide the best advice!

This week I sat down with Conor to discuss the four pillars of the HealthyU mandate (MoveU, SafeU, HappyU and FuelU). I am always eager to hear Conor’s perspective on important issues, because his life experiences include being a full-time student, a fitness instructor, and Military Maritime Surface Officer with the Royal Canadian Navy. Mostly, I was interested to know how Conor applies some of the techniques and teachings he has received from the military in his life as a student. I learned a bunch of new military jargon; concepts that have considerable applicability to student life too. Here I’ve pieced together our conversation:

When Things Don’t Go as Planned

Going on exchange involves a lot of planning. You plan where you’re going to live, what classes you’re going to take, what flights you’re going to book to get there. Subconsciously, you also make other, less concrete plans about things like the friends you’ll make, the trips you’re going to take, all the cool new experiences you’ll have. You guys can probably already see where this is going, right? You arrive on you’re meticulously planned exchange, ready to put those plans in action, and then….all of those plans fly out the window.

Category: General (page 124)