New School-year Resolution Le Deux. This year I will… 2. Manage my time better … Though I really, really don’t want to jinx myself, I usually do pretty well in school. And I should… after all, as any of you…
Happy New Year!
I’ve always thought of the New Year starting in September. Maybe it’s to do with my cultural background (in Judaism, we celebrate the New Year in the fall... actually, right now). But I suspect it has more to do with…
Just text me!
Okay, so everyone anticipates university being expensive. Tuition costs can be found online, and you can also look up how much it’ll cost to live on or near campus. Of course, you’ll still have to mortgage your iPod and maybe set up a payment plan on your liver, but there’s comfort in knowing how much you have to pay. In fact, the costs associated with university are generally set, or slightly variable under your control—your phone plan, food, rent, are all chosen by you, at least to a degree. Your tuition, gym membership etc. are set, and also invariable, so they can be planned for.
This leaves the big unknown, the real outlier, the forever elusive… textbook costs. Sometimes, a class will have a course materials pack costing $20 flat (though there are the hidden costs of the copy store potentially being swarmed by cops and “busted”). Other times there will be a textbook for $175, or a whole bunch of books (and the prof always says the specific editions matter…) for a cumulative $250.
All totaled, textbooks can cost as much as $1000 in a given semester, or as little as $250, in my experience, and their prices are completely out of your control.
EXCEPT! Oh, happy day! As in all things money-related the market has worked its magic and ways to save money (with additional costs in the form of time, travel and inconvenience, unfortunately) have appeared over the years.
Frosh Prince of Bel-Air
Hello fresh, er Frosh student lifers, out there in the ether. As your first important bit of orientation info about life at U of T, you should know, never use Wikipedia as a source in any of your assignments. So,…
Leader of the pack
When I was packing for university, it was more like I was packing for The Island than Canada’s capitalist capital. I would stress out that I had to buy, like, a stapler before I left, and my mother would tease me mercilessly: “You do realize there may be a few stores in Toronto, Lizzie?” or “Yes, if need be we can ship you deodorant, but I think you’ll be OK just buying 17 sticks for now.”
As a jaded fourth-year, I can happily say that I was both right and wrong in my packing technique. Here’s my philosophy: you can buy anything you need in Toronto. Or, at least, if you can buy it elsewhere in Canada, you can probably get it here. That said, when you’re new to a city with so much to adjust to, it’s comforting to already have everything you really need. If you don't take it from me, take it from her. (I was going to embed the link, but the words "storage," "spruce" and "dorm room" lost their meaning.)
The kids are alright!
Hello student lifers! Here’s the thing about campus in the summer: it looks the same, it sounds the same, but it just doesn’t feel the same. This being my third summer on campus-ish (first summer I lived on campus, second I took…
ROSI, I love you, but you’re bringing me down.
Hey y’all, happy summer, happy post-Pride, happy heat wave! It’s a beautiful morning here in Koffler, if a bit muggy outside, I’m visualizing the wonderful salad I’m going to eat at lunch today, and a few mornings ago I had…
Are you pro-test?
I had every intention of ignoring the G20. As previously stated, I didn’t know where I stood on all the issues I thought were at play, and thus didn’t want to align myself with a side that I didn’t agree…
How not to choose roommates
So, student lifers, the other day I got a pretty nerve-wracking text. It was from a friend I lived with up until May of this year, saying, "My aunt sent me a birthday card in the mail with a cheque to our…
Bright lights, small univer-city
A huge part of my job is writing profiles of students for the intuit Student Life Guide. In addition to overwhelmingly amazing involvement, these students all share one thing: each and every one commented on how massive U of T…