At the end of the workshop, we each shared one word to reflect on the past four workshops. I shared the first word that came to me, strong. It may be quite an obvious choice, but it still captures what I’ve come to feel by the end of the series.
Orientation Week: My Experience
Now that it’s August, and I've got the summer blues, it’s safe to say that school is no longer a taboo topic. With course selection and housing under my belt, it’s time to mentally prepare myself for long nights…
A primer on extracurricular activities – my experience
Movies about university usually feature a party or two. As an incoming first year student, the movies I binge watched to gather information about the next four years of my life did not prepare me for the reality of it.…
Strength Series – Part 3: Academic Success
I may not have graduated and received my degree yet, but that doesn’t mean I can’t celebrate along the way. It’s been a long three years, and as I go into my fourth, I’ve learned that celebrating even the little things, like finishing an assignment and starting another semester, makes the journey more enjoyable. Maybe I don’t need an entire cake to celebrate finishing an exam, but acknowledging my hard work and perhaps, even a cupcake, will suffice.
A New Cycle – Bicycling on Campus/ in Toronto
The only memories I have of cycling when I was younger were my first tricycle (still have it!), being chased by wild dogs when I tried to learn to bike and trying to bike between joggers; assuming that people would move out of my way when I rung my bell. However, with the guidance of my teammates and cycling daily to and from practice in the Fall and Summer, I can now confidently cycle on the busy streets of Toronto.
Nine truths: Finding Off-Campus Housing
When I chose to study in the metropolis of Toronto, I knew housing wouldn’t be easy. The application process to live in residence was simple and I ended up with a best friend as a roommate. But when second semester…
My work-study period: Q and A, GPA, experience, and success
This week I took questions about Work Study positions on Instagram. Although they are answered there, this post will go more in depth to address those inquiries. Q: Do you need to have a high GPA? A: Not necessarily. While…
Annotating my books
A habit that I've picked up recently is annotating personal copies of books that I'm reading by writing criticisms, underlining brilliant passages, or writing in the margins about things I like or relate to. I used to be a person…
Strength Series – Part 2: Career
Exploring careers is like finding the right pair of jeans (I still have yet to accomplish the latter). Basically, I need to keep searching for the right fit, discovering what I like and what I don’t like. It has to feel good in all the right places and I should feel confident in it. I’ll probably have to try a bunch, and even get some tailoring done.
The City as My Classroom – One Programs
Our last class outside the classroom was our "Psychogeographic Walk" in which the goal was to get lost (literally). We created a set of directions such as two lefts then right and stuck to it religiously. We had spent the whole year discovering the city and once you've circled UC two-to-three times, you notice things you often overlook!