Tag Archives: graduation

Ride or Die: Friendship at UofT

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Remember how I told you how I have a bad habit of making homes out of human beings? Well, I’ve made a permanent nest in my best friend Shaquelle’s presence. We met in second year in POL200 through a mutual friend and have been inseparable since. The first thing we ever bonded over was Plato’s Republic. Our first hangout was a photoshoot session at Philosopher’s Walk.

Our first ever hangout session !

I went to my first EVER extracurricular event, the ES&L High Table, with her. Everything I’ve done at U of T, she was right there beside me always. And now here we are, a few months from graduation, with me moving to a new city for grad school and her taking a year off, and I can’t help but start to feel the separation anxiety. The thought of a year without her, of not seeing her almost every day, makes me so sad. I miss her the second she leaves.

She prays for me to find love; she’s always been there for me when it seemed like no one else was; she offered me her lunches when she knew I was not eating; she accompanied me like a big sister to my photoshoot for the Athletic Centre when I told her how nervous I was. I cannot imagine a life without her. She can sense when I’m about to have an anxiety attack, knows when I’m on auto-pilot and can even read my mind sometimes. Boy talks, lunches at Sid Smith (poutine for me and Spring Rolls for her),endless conversations about the effects of colonialism on one’s sense of self…ahhhh. She’s been there for me through the crazy highs and lows of my undergrad. She’s my wingwoman, my sister, my personal hype-woman, my doppleganger and my other half. I want her to be a bridesmaid at my wedding, a Godmother to my children, the planner of my divorce party etc. I love her like family. I wish that you find a friend like Shaquelle during your time at UofT.

And I’m excited to live it up this summer and CELEBRATE. But what about after this summer? I’m going to be so far away. I can feel the loneliness already. I know that this is how it is. After middle school, after high school and now after undergrad. The time has come to move on and we can’t take all of it with us. I know there’s always skype. But it’s not the same. I hate distance. Everyone I love is going to be so far away – scattered across the globe. It’s selfish of me to want to keep them all close to me (that would be like caging butterflies).

And what about everyone else I’ve made a home out of here? What is going to happen when they all leave? Who will hold my hand through the suffering that awaits me? Who will tell me I can do it when I don’t think I can anymore? Who will pick me up when I fall down?

Me?

I don’t know if I’m strong enough to stand on my own just yet.

-Sarah

Life, leisure and graduation

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When it came to writing this week’s post, I must admit I had difficulty determining what exactly I was going to write about. As the semester draws to a close, “life at U of T” is more or less winding down as classes end, students begin hunkering down in Robarts for hours on end and campus organizations begin making preparations for next year’s activities. I am myself writing this post in-between working on two major assignments, with my calender rife with red ‘ASSIGNMENT ‘X‘ DUE TODAY’ ink — I don’t expect I’ll be getting much sleep over the next three weeks.

I ended up deciding to write about fun. More specifically the anticipation of fun to be had in the future — once we all can finally close our course books and breathe the fresh air that is the freedom of leisure time.

That is ultimately what we are all striving for, right? The opportunity to lounge comfortably. All of our hard work, all of our efforts, sleepless nights, stresses, tears, anger, frustrations, can be grounded in our desire to pursue something for its own sake because we wish to pursue it. This is true in the immediate context as well as in life generally.

For many, the summer months encapsulate this idea. From May to August students everywhere relish in not having to commit themselves to coursework, stress over exams, or write assignments. They can more or less do what they want when they want and put their “academic” or “professional” life on hold for a few months. This situation is somewhat less true, however, for graduating students like myself as we must supplement this time we feel we should be devoting to leisure — something we have in all likelihood done for as long as we can remember — with figuring out the rest of our lives. Perhaps this contributes to some of the fears that many graduating students currently hold. (For a great post on this topic you should read Sarah’s ‘Post-Grad Blues‘.) Feeling not only fearful of the unknown — or “what comes next”  — in addition fearing that whatever does come next necessarily lessens the amount of ’”free” time we have available to us. I’ve said it before; growing up sucks.

And yet, despite how sucky it may be, we have to intelligibly keep our wits about us. While we have to be mindful of what our lives will look like post-June 2013, we cannot let it occupy our every waking moment. The idea that “free” time exists is misplaced; there is no such thing. All time is precious and all time should be spent in pursuit of whatever makes you happy. This isn’t to say that hardships and roadblocks won’t emerge along the way in pursuit of your happiness — again, growing up sucks — but such things are more or less inevitable and are a part of the vigor of life that makes living so interesting in the first place.

To the graduating students out there who may be feeling lost, confused, hopeless, or useless: Be confident in the skills and abilities you have gained through your time at  U of T and seek to succeed in life, whatever it throws at you. You are smart, you are resourceful, and view an unclear future not with fear and disdain but with opportunity — an opportunity for you to leave your mark, pursue leisure, and be happy.

Life is, after all, what you make it.

- Matteo

My Graduation Bucket List

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This is no ordinary list of goals for the school year…this is my GRADUATION BUCKET LIST!! My time as an undergrad is limited. I only have eight months to self-induce every possible “university experience” before I enter the realm of post-grad. I feel like I still have so much to learn, so much to do and so many people still to meet! WHERE TO START?!

  1. Give my parents a walking tour of UofT (yes, I am in fourth  year and my parents have yet to see where I go to school)
  2. Take pictures of all of your favourite spots on campus and seasonal ones of scenery for a more holistic photo album to show your grandkids
  3. Find the Inner Bamboo Garden and enter into reflective withdrawal (DONE)
  4. Make time to have lunch with EVERY one you cancelled on because of readings, extracurriculars or work (make sure to get legal sized paper for this list). (Almost done…)
  5. Find a fellow FC Barcelona fan and watch a game at Sammy’s Café dressed in red and blue
  6. Participate in a protest about something you are passionate about (Any leads?)
  7. Travel somewhere exciting during reading week with only friends from university
  8. Spice up your resume with the help of the Career Centre and update your style to get ready for your post-grad life. Check out their amazing Graduating Students Employment Service tool!
  9. Become besties with a prof (Done)
  10. Go on a U of T themed date. All those couples walking hand in hand down St.George like they got clouds for feet and rainbows for sidewalks. Obvs I’m missing out on something. Must make time in my schedule for pre-class flanter! (Done!)
  11. Go stargazing at U of T’s very own planetarium 
  12. Buy some overpriced U of T swag from the bookstore
  13. Attend a Varsity Blues Soccer game. I want to bleeed bluueee!!!
  14. Sit in a random introductory cognitive science, economics or biology lecture. I already sat in a physics lecture and let’s just say that was a once in a lifetime experience. Totes PHUN. -_- (Get it?) (Done!)
  15. Have an intense philosophical debate at philosopher’s walk (What exactly is the meaning of life?) (Done!)
  16. Raise my hand and show the world my brilliance in a lecture hall without having an anxiety attack (DONE!)
  17. Figure out what you want to do in life and how you are going to actualize your vision
  18. Learn a new skill by taking a random workshop, class or lesson on campus
  19. Visit the Hart House Farm and drink some apple cider next to a bonfire
  20. Overcome my greatest fear (my fear WOULD be the fear of showing people how awesome I am)
  21. Participate in a U of T tradition (any ideas?)
  22. Get fit and leave university looking fine, fresh and fierce! (Zumba crew, UNITE)
  23. Get published
  24. Do something extremely out of character. Something so random that one day you can tell others about that one time…
  25. GRADUATE

Yes I do have a bunch of personal goals I need to accomplish before graduating which I cannot really blog about here! Whenever I complete a task on this bucket list I will come back and write next to it completed and will obviously tweet about! So let the GAMES begin!! And may U of T be ever in my favour!

Fellow fourth years, what’s on your graduating bucket list? My list looks a little empty.

And first years, what’s on your university bucket list?

-Sarah

Endings & beginnings

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My final post could not have come at a more opportune time. In the torrent of change and conflict and joy that has come in the last few months, I feel as if I have at last been reborn. It feels weird to write my final post so I’m trying not to overthink it – in the words of John Cage, “don’t try to create and analyze at the same time; they’re different processes.”

In almost every possible way, my world has inverted and its horizons have been stretched toward the abyss. I have meditated on the uncertainty of the paths of our lives, and have been shown so many ways in which my life can be deliberate, rebellious, compassionate, and kind.

We come to university to try and be something. Sometimes it is something that our family or friends or society has asked us to be. Sometimes it is the something that we believe our future selves to be, and we come here to articulate that. Often, though, we don’t know precisely why we are here. Or, upon our arrival, we realize that this place can give us radically different things than we initially believed to want or need.

It’s okay if university changes you. That means that it’s doing its job. It’s okay if you change your major over and over; if you grow each time; if an elective course or a chance meeting with a professor brings out a side of you that you hadn’t found yet. It’s also okay if you fail.

Not knowing you, reader, based on statistics alone I can say that at some point while you are here, you will struggle. There will be days where you will feel anxious, depressed, misunderstood, or alone. There will be other days that are bliss beyond compare; when you will find places and people and ways of living and ideas that seem to materialize from the ether and are ready to embrace you when you are ready to do the same. There will be classes in which you’ll excel, and there will be other times when you wonder how you’ve even gotten this far. You will lose yourself, sometimes. You’ll be tempted to dissolve into an identity on the basis of your gender, major, religion, socioeconomic class, history, or ethnicity. At these times, I hope you will remember two things. Firstly, that you will always be capable of more. Secondly, that you are enough, right now, exactly as you are. Enough.

Your GPA is high enough. You are a good enough writer or speaker or athlete to chase after the things you want to do. The people I’ve seen excel here weren’t always the best – they were just the least inhibited. They recognized how intensely free they are. Chances are, the people in your classes will probably really like you if you talk to them. Generally, people don’t want to hurt you, and if they do, you will survive. They will teach you to be forgiving yet unapologetic when the world calls for that sort of thing. You will find compassion in unexpected places.

It’s important that you don’t forget about who you are, because that person has been there for your whole life and is just waiting to flourish. Stop waiting. You must learn how to bloom where you’re planted. It is the greatest skill you’ll ever know – and besides, you’re in fertile soil.

Don’t go quietly. The things that you’re most afraid of are the ones that control you. If you’re uncomfortable with math, or with asking for what you need, or with saying “no” when you mean it, you need to realize these things. You need to practice them. This is a good place to practice and make mistakes. You need to know the kind of power that comes from finding the bridges that are your weaknesses, fortifying them, and crossing over to the other side.

And so, to everyone who has read my posts this year: thank you for sharing your time with me, it’s so strange to share my life with strangers; but more so, it is liberating. To those who I know personally – those who are the essence of “U of T” in my own mind – thank you for the lectures you made me attend, and the books you made me read, and all of the faith, wisdom, and empathy you could manage. There has been an incredible number of people who have truly shaken and shaped my world in ways far beyond the scope of this post. Everything that has happened – both good and bad – we must eventually release and let go completely, carrying only the ways that it has changed us. As strange and uncertain as it all feels, I am ready for this, and far more brave as I depart than when I arrived.

This is a very good thing. A lot of love and talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage.

Jennifer

A Stumble Down Memory Lane

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My unofficial anti-graduation photo courtesy of Cry School Yearbook:

I often think of a quote I came across by Pico Iyer in Room Magazine that began with “we travel most when we stumble.” The writer expanded on the phrase, saying her best travel experiences were the ones that were unplanned, unexpected and even uncomfortable at times. I couldn’t help but think of my own stumbling (and falling) this year. It hurt. It felt painful. There were moments when I was brought to depths of darkness I never knew existed within me. The journey was tough and uncontrollable. Luckily, when I stumbled, I had many crutches to help support me so I could continue my journey: family, friends, students, even professors. Who knew I could survive? I certainly didn’t feel I could in my worst moments.

My final post isn’t a warning to prepare for the worst but to prepare for the unexpected. What I am saying is if you think life is going to unfold in an order like A-B-C-D-etc, etc, you’re dead wrong (or an extremely boring person). Life is more like A-B-X-T-C-Y-Y-WHY?!?-O-K. Life is about the stumbles, the different paths you notice when you decide to take a risk and shoot off of the main road. I’d say U of T is a pretty mainstream road to head down as an undergraduate. It’s a road that many of us feel safe being on because we believe it will lead us to bigger and better things. In fact, a lot of students I know don’t want to leave U of T after four years because they feel so secure here. I think we all go through university at our own unique paces; some of us speed through U of T on cruise control as we listen to GPS voices telling us exactly what to do while others struggle to keep up with the pack. A few of us even want to fast track, racing towards the finish line, wherever that may be. We all envision final destinations, the dreamland of the future but there will be bumps, crashes and breakdowns along the way. That’s life.

During my own drive down the U of T highway, I’ve bypassed undergraduates who have crashed and burned, hit by disappointment and devastation over things that at the time, seemed major. One conversation in particular stands out in my mind. It happened last school year when I was walking through Queen’s Park with a fellow classmate and asked him what he was planning to do after graduation. He told me that after spending a year studying abroad at Oxford, he fell in love with the school (who wouldn’t?) and was applying to their incredibly competitive English Masters Programme. To increase his chances of getting into Oxford, he told me that he was applying to two different strands in the English programme.

“Where else have you applied?” I asked him.

“Nowhere else,” he said.

“Isn’t that a little risky?” I asked, sounding like an insurance salesman.

“It’s Oxford or nothing,” he retorted. And that was that.

I suppose I felt a little shocked by his attitude and that his future, his world, revolved around one school. In his mind, he was on a one-way road to Oxford. No turning back.

The thing is, he didn’t get accepted into Oxford. But I think that rejection was probably the best thing that ever happened to him. Yes, rejection can hurt in any situation and I’m sure he thought his ABC life plans were ruined but I think he became a stronger and more openminded person. Now he’s at another school in England and miraculously has a girlfriend. There are ups to the downs in life. Truly.

I think my favourite moments in life have been the ones where I have looked around and thought to myself, how did I get here?  The times when I’m pinching myself because I’ve realized that a month prior, I had no idea that I would be doing whatever I was doing in that moment. Those are my favourite times in life that I freeze in my mind while I continue to move forward. I’ve had a few of them while I’ve been studying at U of T. I live for those moments.

As many of the bloggers this year get ready to graduate, I’m being left in the dust because I dropped a credit requirement I needed for my degree. As I hit the button on ROSI to officially withdrawal from the course, I knew my decision to drop probably meant summer school or returning to school next year for a victory lap. It wasn’t something I was anticipating and I don’t know where it will lead me, but I kind of love that uncertainty.

I just want to extend my thanks to the readers of this blog, especially those who felt compelled to speak up and comment. Whether you’re continuing down the U of T route or are switching gears and graduating, I hope everyone has a safe and happy journey to wherever they want to be.

Erin

I’m going to tell you a secret

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I carry some secrets with me, I mean, I think its only human to have things you wish to only share with your inner self, or those closest to you. But what I want to tell you is something that yes, is close to my heart, but something that I also think you can benefit from. Something I wish I knew before I started university, something I wish somebody had told me. But, alas, the transition from innocence to experience is a solitary one.

Life isn’t easy. Ok, that I already knew, believe me. But, what I didn’t know, and what felt like a secret, was how many emotions are involved in the process of growing up. The ups and downs, the tears and smiles. For some reason I thought it would be so much easier, I expected a smooth ride into adulthood, at least after what felt like a turbulent adolescence. But, as we grow older, the disparity between the ups and downs grows bigger. The decisions we need to make are astronomic, the hearts that can break will fall into a million pieces, but the happiness can be insurmountable. We need to ask ourselves if the reward is worth the sacrifice, and university is a paradox in that way, because it can be seen as both a sacrifice and reward (at least for some).

Take the time in university to discover yourself; don’t let your own identity be kept secret from you. It’s not just about learning what you like to study, but learning about what things in life you want. Now that I’m on the brink of graduation, I look back at my x number of years in school, and I realize that I have overcome so much, I went from doing so badly in my first years to doing extremely well now. In my last year I have also figured out a small particle of truth about myself (now that’s just for me), perhaps because when we are faced with endings we force ourselves to reflect.

With graduation upon me I am getting kind of sentimental. Before, I couldn’t wait until I could leave, and don’t get me wrong, I still do, but with a bittersweet flavour in my heart. I spent so long here, I’ve grown attached to the certainty of classes, essays, stress and the few wonderful people I’ve gotten to know. My advice is to appreciate the experience while you are still here, and not let it pass you by. Get to know yourself so that when you are done your time at U of T, you feel confident in your experience. Have no regrets.

I want to say thank you to all of my readers for giving me the outlet to express myself, to my Upbeat team for inspiring me, and to Andrea, you helped me rediscover my passion for writing, I will be forever grateful.

Desiree

These are the things we’ll miss the most after graduation

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Yesterday I received an email from the Office of Convocation. It’s almost time. So, with the threat and/or promise of graduation becoming a clearer and more prominent figure on the horizon, I’ve compiled a list of essential U of T experiences to have before graduation*.

* many of which are inspired by a true story ;) … can you guess which ones?

—-

#1: Go to a toga party and wear the same toga to a classics lecture the morning after. Feel appropriately dressed.

#2: Witness the Lady Godiva Memorial “Bnad” invade one of your first year lectures and march through, banging drums and drowning out your professor’s lecture with the same ungodly, hilarious 8 bars of music over and over until they exit through another door.

#3: High five an academic idol. Feel nerdy.

#4: Make pies on Pi Day (March 14th!) and share them with mathies. Feel nerdier.

#5: Order pizza to your second-floor balcony seat during a lecture in Con Hall.

#6: Wander through the halls of the Faculty of Music at night and listen to them practice. Let chills run down your spine for all of the particularly beautiful parts.

#7: Find a physicist and have them show you around all of the contraptions in the basement of McLennan Physical Laboratories.

#8: Find an engineer and have them show you around the roof of McLennan Physical Laboratories.

#9: While you’re at it, spend some time on a roof garden. Maybe even check out the urban agriculture projects.

#10: Take a field course. Preferably one that involves going into the sea in rubber-boot-pants.

#11: Write controversial articles in your college newspaper and/or the Varsity. Just for fun.

#12: Sing in your college/course union’s talent show. Especially if you have no vocal or theatrical talent, because in all honesty, this is probably your last chance.

#13: Dance on the front lawn of University College at night, in the rain. Get muddy shoes. Regret nothing.

#14: Have an “Iron Chef” during a late night at your residence. Make something gross, like chocolate-covered carrots.

#15: Study abroad and go on as many unplanned train rides with new friends as you can possibly fit into a semester or two.

#16: Make something cool. Robots. Solar car. Concrete canoe.

#17: Put your name in the hat for everything, even if you feel underqualified. You’re going to be given a chance far more often than you think you are.

#18: Take a course as far outside of your major as you can possibly get. Push your boundaries and grow into the space you’ve created.

#19: When the upper years in your college try to drag you out of your room in the middle of the night and make you sing outside of other college’s residences during frosh week, let them. Laugh. Sing the loudest.

#20: Start putting your hand up in class when you really want to know something. Stop putting your hand up in class when you really want to show everyone that you know something.

#21: Go on as many organized weekend trips with strangers as possible. Not a skiier? You are, now!

#22: Ask as many professors as you can to tell you the most important thing that they know. Write it down.

#23: Give up on the hope that ROSI will ever let you get through course registration without crashing. Accept fate.

#24: Learn about all of the forms that sex and God and gender can take. Try some on for size.

#25: Go to Trinity College High Table dinners and wear an academic gown and pretend you’re Harry Potter. Act nonchalant. Know that half of the other people in the room are doing the exact same thing.

#26: Learn all of the things you want to carry with you after you graduate: how to give a speech, organize a protest, perform a scientific experiment, write convincingly, talk to strangers, use math and statistics, cook a signature dish, stand up for yourself, interview for a job, start a company, evaluate information, respect people you don’t agree with, publish findings, create meaningful relationships, say “thank you” and have it understood, and decide what you think defines a life well-lived. We’ll never have more time for it than now.

Jennifer

PS: Feel free to share your “essential U of T experiences” in the comments! Let me know what I’ve been missing!

You Are What You Study?

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In my ENG 434 Cook The Books class, we’ve discussed the statement “you are what you eat” but I wonder, can the same be said for what you study? Hopefully, whatever field you’ve decided to specialize, major or minor in, will make an impact on the way you think but I do not necessarily think that your degree will define who you are and limit what you can be when you graduate.

On Monday, I went with Chad to see NASA Astronaut Drew Feustel speak at Hart House. Neither Chad, nor I, are in any way related to the U of T Space Program. Wait a second. U of T has a Space Program? Yes, that was our reaction, too. Nonetheless, everyone was welcome to attend and the audience was surprisingly diverse, ranging from a crying baby to the senior citizen with a hearing aid who sat in front of me to a person who felt compelled to ask,”Do you think humans can have a longer life expectancy in outer space because there is less pollution?” (Feustel responded that the stench of the recycled oxygen in the space shuttle is so gross that workers like to avoid going inside of the spacecraft after landing, therefore, is living in smelly, cramped quarters actually worth a longer life expectancy?). Uh, yeah. So we didn’t feel like aliens invading a space program lecture or anything.

Given the end of NASA’s space shuttle program over the summer, it was pretty amazing to hear someone who has visited the International Space Station not only once, but twice, speak about his unique experiences. While Feustel talked about his 8 minutes 20 seconds journey into orbit (the Space Shuttle Endeavour goes from zero to 17,500 miles an hour), he also mentioned his journey from university to NASA. Feustel revealed that he actually studied Geophysics and worked in underground mining throughout Canada and the United States. It’s safe to say that the jump from underground mining to outer space is a pretty far leap but Feustel proved he didn’t let his background in Geological Sciences define and limit what he can and can’t accomplish.

In fact, Feustel seemed to stress that being a well-rounded individual was the key to his success. Obviously, a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences added to his repertoire of academic accomplishments but in order to gain a competitive edge for NASA’s recruiting process, he built up his qualifications and became certified in scuba diving and learned how to fly a plane, personally testing and pushing himself to see if he felt comfortable in different environments.

While Feustel talked about his own unique carved path, I couldn’t help but think about when I tell people that I am a double major in Aboriginal Studies and English. There have been times when I have watched people process the subjects I have chosen and it becomes quite obvious that they do not recognize Aboriginal Studies and English as “safe” fields of study.

“And what do you plan to do with that?” “Where will those subjects lead you?” They quiz me. I’ve tried to stop giving a long-winded defense about why I have chosen this specific journey (quite simply, I derive pleasure from gaining knowledge and exploring ideas in these areas, it is my passion) and have also refrained from telling them that I will be okay. The thing is, I really do think I’ll be okay.

While I admit, very few people on planet earth will ever get beyond earth, Feustel shows that a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences didn’t restrict his dreams of becoming an astronaut. What I’m trying to say is that if you work hard enough, shoot high enough and dream big enough, it’s you, not necessarily your degree, that will get you places, perhaps far, far away. So be like Feustel. Enjoy life on earth but don’t forget to shoot for those stars.

Erin

NASA Astronaut Drew Feustel and his former professor, U of T's Vice President of Research, Paul Young.

 

How to stay at U of T for longer than 4 years: the Victory Lap!

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So you love U of T so much that you just can’t seem to register yourself for convocation.

While this is probably not the major determining factor for most students who end up taking the glorious “victory lap” (euphemism for “Ughhh I’m not graduating this year”), it doesn’t matter, because the more the merrier!

So far, through my many visits to my Registrars Office and some supplementary reading from the Calendar, I’ve discovered two main ways that you can keep on being a student at this school after 4th year:

1. Get degree now, take courses later

If you decide to convoke because you already have fulfilled all your degree requirements, then you can simply return as a non-degree student and continue to take courses. After your convocation, or even during the summer of, the school system will automatically switch your student status from degree to non-degree when you enroll in more courses. In other words, you won’t have to actually do anything about the switch. The system will keep your information for one year, after which you will have to re-register if you want to take more courses (i.e. your ROSI account will be shut down after one year).

A major downside to switching to non-degree student status is that you will get the lowest priority in terms of course selection. For example, for the 2010-2011 Fall/Winter course enrolment this August, priority enrolment for degree students ends on August 4 and the P indicator is removed August 6 so that non-degree students won’t be allowed to enroll in courses until August 13. Knowing how badly ROSI tends to behave during the Course Selection War Time Zone, if you plan to enter the battle as a non-degree student, I’ve been told by a veteran to prepare a list of as long as 20 courses for backup so that you will not have to resort to an FML situation.

Keep in mind, though, that if you plan to take courses this Spring/Summer semester while also having registered for convocation in June, you’re technically still considered to be in your 4th year of study because you will have 14 or more credits underneath your belt. From the table below, you can see that you’ll still get the highest priority for course enrolment.

Year of Study Start time for course enrolment
4 April 6, from 6:00 a.m.
3 April 6, from 7:15 a.m.
2 April 6, from 11:00 a.m.
1 April 6, from 2:30 p.m.
Non-degree April 6, from 4:00 p.m.

a

2. Take courses now, get degree later

Your second option is to push back the date of when you want to obtain your degree. If you are currently registered to convoke in June but want to stay as a degree student past the current Winter semester, simply let your Registrar’s Office know of your change of plans. I was told by the Innis Registrar’s Office to notify them of any change of heart before April 30. Should you decide to do this, you will remain a degree student as you head into new semesters and all distribution requirements and limits regarding extra courses will still apply (e.g. no more than 6 FCEs at the 100 level can be counted towards your cGPA).

Depending on what your purpose for taking additional courses is, you might find this to be a more plausible option simply because of how much pain and anxiety it will save you during course selection. Remember that even if you’ve applied to graduate school and are still waiting to hear back, there is no immediate need to graduate by June if you are not sure of any acceptances yet – since you will have fulfilled all your degree requirements, taking any extra courses won’t prevent you from being eligible to accept any offers. Should you end up with an offer in hand by, say, June (congrats mate, at least that will make one of us!), it won’t be too late to request for convocation in November.

Good luck everyone! As usual, hit me with any questions and I will try my best to provide you with a good response!

-Lucy

Grad fears and existential woes: the unaccustomed Asian kid’s perspective

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As I walked across King’s College Circle the other day, I caught sight of the familiar downtown Toronto backdrop sparkling in the clear night sky. When I graduate, I will miss this place, I thought. Shocking, I know.

Some of my experiences here may have bred in me a sense of bitterness, but they’ve also taught me that the worst experiences can also be the best. Let me explain. The ability to see the Ultimate Good within the bad is strongly and inversely correlated with how much time is left before the experience is over. Naturally, since I am set to graduate in a couple of months, my appreciation for the current state of my life has reached an all-time high.

However, the certainty that accompanies any ending also comes with consequences, a prominent one being the uncertainty of what happens when one door closes and another a million others open. Fear of the unknown, therefore, makes me reluctant to graduate. Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben was only partly right – greater responsibility not only accompanies greater power, but also greater freedom.

For the last 16 years I’ve accepted a full-time education as my life’s primary purpose. So the immediate and sudden lack of education is starting to resemble something like an impending doom. It’s like I’ve been speeding down a dark tunnel hoping to get to the end of it and be free. Yet now that I finally see light at the end of the tunnel, it’s starting to get so bright that it’s blinding. And soon…soon I’ll just be a tiny particle adrift in the sea of chaos that makes up infinity. Who am I? What is to become of me? What am I doing here?

What is the meaning of life?!

All of this has made me realize that as exciting as graduation sounds, I’m not ready to make the leap. This implies a 5th year. A victory lap. Just the sound of that makes me cringe. After all, I am Asian, and it’s an integral part of my culture to look unfavourably upon the act of “taking longer than usual,” especially when it comes to education. It’s just uncool to take a gap year or do an extra year of school. Basically, anything that deviates from the “norm” is unacceptable.

Ultimately, ya gotta do whatcha gotta do. Throughout my past couple of years of soul-searching, I’ve found that if you believe in your dreams goals so much that you are willing to openly defend their validity to just about anyone (including your parents…oh the irony), then not only will people cease to challenge your goals, but you’ll already have made it half way there.

You see, most people do have the capacity to achieve their goals. The bigger problem is that most people do not know what it is that they want to achieve. In this sense, if staying for a 5th year is largely beneficial, then by all means do it. Consider the larger scheme of things: sacrifice a little in the present and maybe your future will thank you for it.

The same goes for anyone who’s not graduating but wishes to switch programs. Such a huge undertaking requires a lot of introspection and logical evaluation of the consequences. But don’t be scared to listen to your heart. It is definitely admirable for someone to pull through four years in a cut-throat program like Engineering Science, but focus on the present: are you happy with yourself by choosing to take on such a challenge? If you want to pull the “I’m just being practical and realistic” argument, remember that only certain programs offer heavy components of applied knowledge and hands-on experience. For the rest of the programs out there, like the majority offered by the Faculty of Arts and Science, you probably won’t be able to apply your course-based knowledge directly to a specific job after you graduate. So why not learn something you’re deeply passionate about instead?

More and more, I’m starting to sense that on top of achieving, our undergraduate years should be spent exploring. Explore your options, take it one step at at a time and be patient about knowing yourself, who you are and who you are not. Don’t jump to conclusions and grab onto random goals like “I must get into medical school” just because everyone else seems to. Trust me, most people don’t really know what’s going on with their lives, even if they come across as self-confident and driven.

And above all, make your education here worth it, even though not everything is offered to you on a silver platter. It’s true what they say: you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.

–Lucy