“Woke up this morning I was laid out flat on the dark side With the moon and the room on the wrong side I took a needle, sewed myself right back at the seams I saw my universal gleam” - 'Flick of the Finger', by Beady EyeLiam Gallagher might not have the same vocals he did back in Oasis’ heyday, but his last effort to bring back the glory days with his (now disbanded) Beady Eye did bring back some of the open lyrical interpretation the band was known for instigating - but I digress. Nevertheless, it makes for a great quote that can relate to the idea of starting the new year with resolutions. It’s a time of year when - for whatever reason - you can see your errors more clearly, and when you decide to pick up the metaphorical needle and attempt to sew yourself back together again. I’m not typically one to fall into the societal norm of setting resolutions specifically to ring in the new year - but given that this will be my first full year as a university student, I decided to give it a shot.
One Down, One to Go
Crazy as it may seem, this semester’s almost over! Classes ended this week, and finals season has finally arrived. If it weren’t for my impending doom, I wouldn’t have been able to tell that it’d already been four months since I first touched down in Toronto. Amidst all the hapless cramm — I mean, conscientious studying, in a bout of productive procrastination I thought I’d take a look back at my first semester here at U of T.
Adjusting to Time Management
One thing that’s become particularly evident to me this semester has been the drastic changes needed to my time management methods. I’ve heard from other first years that they too have had to adjust to new work habits, regardless of the discipline. Relating to my own experience, my time budgeting skills in high school were pretty sub-par, which led to me attempting some serious adjustments on the fly in first-year.
First Years – Unplugging on Campus
The start of the ’gap’ between midterms and finals is definitely a good time to find more opportunities to de-stress where possible. As I’ve been emphasizing the importance I’ve placed on striking a balance between work and play, I’ve decided to find out where my fellow first-years have been going to relax on campus. Specifically, I’ve been looking for places to ‘unplug’ and unwind without keeping a constant eye on my phone.
First-Year: A Mid-Semester Review
This past month has undoubtedly been one of the more strenuous months of my life thus far, and that probably goes for a lot of my fellow freshmen. Midterms hit me hard and have left me feeling absolutely exhausted. Even though mental wellness month just ended, I still think it's important to make sure sure that I head into the second half of this fall semester with a healthy mindset.
On Exploring Toronto
Having had a (relatively) lax last couple of days, I decided to get out and discover a new part of Toronto. At a photo walk last month, I met a couple of people who work at Fujifilm who recommended I…
First-Years and Midterm Stress
Fall is in the air, but for us university students, that just means that midterms have arrived. Personally, this past long weekend consisted of studying for a term test and a midterm, getting work done for other courses, and giving…
A Song of Ice and Frosh
Hey there, fellow first-years! I’m Alex, a freshman Computer Engineering student. Over the course of the next few months, I’ll be sharing my experiences as a first-year student at the St. George campus. I'm one month into my time here,…
Finding Your Forte
You’re four. Your grandmother asks you what you want to be when you grow up. What a silly question, grandma! Has she not been noticing your doctor’s kit for the last eight months?? Maybe it’s the science-fiction-romance poetry you write…
What would you tell your first-year self?
What would you tell your first-year self? Over the past three years there have definitely been times when I wish I could go back in time to tell my first-year self something. Sometimes it's something that I wish I could have…