Life @ U of T

I always considered myself more adept to communicating through written word. The idea of speaking in public always prompts anxious feelings inside of me. It has been found that “public speaking” is the number one fear in America. However, so many professions require proficient oral communication. Even as a pharmacist, although I likely wouldn’t be delivering speeches to the mass, there is an important component of oral communication that is involved; this is commonly seen when we deliver patient counselling on medication. For me, it always felt like the thoughts in my head were racing before I could actually vocalize these thoughts. I would always feel self-conscious if what I was saying could be incoherent to the audience. I figured that oral communication was a skill I needed to improve on. But how does one improve how they talk?

Dear readers, This is my final post of the semester and so I think it's fitting for me to dedicate this one to the life-force, the stronghold, the foundation of my health. Extra firm futon mattress, this one is for you.

My bed is the location where I recuperate, where my body has a chance to regenerate, and where my mind rejuvenates. I spend 7-9 hours sleeping in my bed each night, and I am not ashamed of it. That’s right, folks. I sleep enough! Often, it seems like in this rigorous academic environment, there is an unspoken competition among classmates to be the most sleep-deprived student. “I slept 4 hours last night.” “Lucky you, I slept 2.” “You think that’s bad? I pulled an all-nighter at Robarts.” So, in this bizarre game, who wins? Sleep-deprivation turns into a weird and unwelcome badge of honour. I think we should work to change that culture as students. I think it’s natural to be well-rested, and its commendable to carve time out of our days to give our bodies and brains rest. If only there was a prompt on LinkedIn that could recommend you for sleeping enough….

"Tracing patterns across a personal map And making pictures where the lines overlap" - 'Where the Lines Overlap', by Paramore

A couple of weeks back, a friend told me about an upcoming art exhibition happening over at the University of Toronto Art Centre. I was interested in going to the opening night, but engineering did its thing and I wasn’t able to make it. However, seeing as how I’ve had a sudden uptick in free time lately, I took the time out to appreciate some of the amazing talent we have right here on campus.

We still have a month of exams ahead of us, but summer is just around the corner and I could not be happier about it! Every day, its sunnier a bit longer and just a little bit warmer and it has a really positive impact on my mood and energy. But for me, this summer is going to look a lot like this whole year. Just like during the year, I'll be working part-time and taking classes. At first, I worried that I wouldn't really get a summer break and I'd be totally burnt out by the time the fall semester started. But then I found a part-time summer job on campus; now, I'll be doing really interesting work in my area of study, and I will be able to easily line up my courses with my work schedule so I'm able to have time in the week to relax, get outside, and enjoy the sunny weather. It can be tough to find a summer job, but there a lot of ways that resources at U of T can help you get started.

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.