On the school calendar, the first semester might as well highlight the months of October and November as not the months that belong to fall, but to midterms instead. Like I have mentioned before, midterms are notorious energy-drainers. It’s easy…
Get Your Laugh On (Finding Place and Purpose at U of T)
In my first year, I went with a guy from residence and joined a sketch comedy troupe. I was really nervous and I suspect he was as well, though he never showed it. He was from Waterloo and performed on…
Why I Might Pretend to Embroider Kanye West Quotes at Parties
The other week at a party, a stranger asked what I did. I told them I was a student at U of T. But then they said, “No, what’s your thing? You know, for fun." So I just paused and…
A Conversation with a Friend about Life
Last week I met a friend for coffee. It was the end of summer that I saw him last — O how that winged tyrant flies! — and it was lucky because he’s graduated and he’s very busy these days.…
Difficult Conversations: Conversations as education instead of confrontation
University life is fraught with plenty of difficult and intimidating conversations, which many students try to avoid like the plague. Some of these conversations lie within the academic sphere, such as explaining to a professor why you think you deserve…
in which we talk about how to focus
Wandering around clubs fair during Orientation Week often produces an overwhelming adrenaline rush; we grab brochures, freebies and put our names down on a lot of mailing lists. New year. New start. September is the month to try new things.…
The Jolly Season of Midterms
Oh midterm season, that dreadful time of year when everyone hides in their rooms or at the library, with their heads buried in their textbooks, forgetting that they ever had a social life. As a second-year student, I know the…
Health and Wellness . . . Yes Please! (Attack of the Appendix)
So this happened, and now I can laugh about it. (#laughUofT) It started with a stomach-ache on Thanksgiving Monday. I must have eaten too much mashed-potatoes and apple-crisp. But the pain lasted overnight, concentrating on the lower right side of…
In which we talk about how failure is okay
In first year I arrived at Victoria College, determined to study Classics and Literature, and get into Concurrent Education to become a teacher. Enrolled in the Vic One Frye (Humanities) stream, I was thrown headlong into exactly what I had…
Things that make me anxious during mid-term season
It’s that festive time of year again when we celebrate the midpoint of the semester by donning our favourite sweats, while subjecting ourselves to sleep deprivation and massive amounts of studying. These rituals often take place collectively at Robarts or…