Last week, I wrote a blog about how to deal with stress surrounding your future. Writing it reminded me that deciding what to do after your undergrad is a super stressful thing, which lots of people are struggling to figure out.…
These past few weeks I’ve started really worrying about my future—from impending grad school applications, to decisions about what career I’m going to pursue, to choosing what city to live in, lots of big life decisions are coming up. Some…
I really loved my experience with Alternative Reading Week (ARW) last year, so I decided to get more involved with ARW by becoming a project leader. In preparation for the three-day volunteer event in November, I attended an orientation session…
Front campus, in all its glory
It was my first day of classes at the University of Toronto, and I stepped onto the trampled turf of front campus with a pair of juvenile—and, admittedly, cliché—Converse and a backpack-sized collection of goals for the incoming year. I was brimming with a plethora of productive emotions, such as anxiousness, homesickness, and—probably the most helpful one—fear.
Luckily, I made it out first year alive, and with zero regrets. Zero regrets, that is, except for one.
I am in my final year of undergrad and scheduled to graduate this June (by some terrible twist of fate, I graduate on the date of my birthday thereby having to spend my 22nd year of life in CON HALL). These past four years have been spent strolling around King's College Circle, cramming at Robarts during unspeakable hours, and attending every puppy therapy event U of T has to offer. The fact that I may not be coming back next year has only recently hit me. As much as I tried to prepare for (see also: dread) the future, it actually did not occur to me that I'd soon be done my Bachelor's. It's a bittersweet feeling.
I embarked on a HONY-esque quest across campus to hunt down fellow fourth-years and ask them about their plans. Are you graduating? Taking a fifth year? Taking some time off? What have you learned here? What's been a memorable U of T experience? Please share intimate details of your life with this random, unnaturally peppy stranger!
From my mini adventure I have concluded that 1) Apparently no upper years go to school because it proved quite difficult trying to find fourth years on campus and 2) Apparently all upper years are in the same boat of worry, anticipation, and excitement for their futures. So fear not, fourth year friends! Here are just some of the lovely students that attend our school, starting with the loveliest of all (me):
Nancy, Neuroscience:
I'm graduating this year! I want to do an MSc in neuroscience research. I'm also looking into professional programs in public policy and global health. The biggest takeaways from my time here is to go after what you want, enjoy yourself, and that the best person to compete with is yourself. I'm super grateful for all the people I've met and friends I've made!
"The most precious thing in life is its uncertainty" Kenko As a 4th year student who is on her last semester of university before graduating, I’ve noticed that some of my current experiences echo those of my first year. One of…
Dear Fourth Years: From seminar papers, weakly class assignments, endless readings and the stress of post-grad looming over our heads like a scythe, I get it. LIFE IS INTENSE! Overwhelmed? Depressed? STRESSED? And, if you are like me, on the…
Last week, I talked about all of the LinkedIn knowledge that was handed to me from the Career Centre and a LinkedIn Recruiter, Perry Monaco. He mentioned something throughout the discussion that I found especially interesting, and it’s kind of…
Real life, is really anything I consider beyond the bubble of my undergraduate walls, and it seems horrifying. Especially when often enough it feels like all I hear about is: a) the economy isn't doing well b) so the job…
