This week on the web: U of T has recruited women’s hockey pioneer Vicky Sunohara, students are preparing to step into the ring with ROSI one more time, and…

Wait for it…

A Robarts tattoo.

(more…)

This week on the web: (more…)

What ROSI looks like in my head. "WAITLIST"

For all the first years (and anyone who suffers from ROSIphobia), here are some course selection tips and tricks I’ve learned throughout my years at U of T. Hopefully they’ll help you beat ROSI at her own game: (more…)

You’ve just received your offer of admission from the University of Toronto. Congrats! While you may feel excited and hopeful now, there’s still time for you to encounter the dread and anxiety experienced by most students about to start university. You might even be missing high school already. Never fear! U of T knows just how to handle this – let me introduce to you… the seminar course.

I see you.

(more…)

Sage Advice from a First-Year Student (Part 6)

I have observed in my limited life experience thus far that there are two distinct types of accomplishment: detached and attached. An example of a detached accomplishment for me would be high school. I poured my heart and soul into my senior years, joining every club to plump up my resume, putting extra effort into all my essays and writing mile-long bibliographies, being a teacher’s pet – I have no shame, racking up honours and proficiencies and acing every class. The ultimate goal, of course, was University of Toronto. When I crossed the stage at graduation, I felt intense pride, laced with passionate relief. It’s a miracle I wasn’t selected to be valedictorian because my speech would have been as follows: “My fellow students, it’s done. High school, you’ve just been wrecked. Peace.”

This was a detached accomplishment. I was finished, and as much as I relished receiving my diploma, I mostly just wanted to leave. It wasn’t about learning per se: it was a means to an end, a bridge to better things. I was a great student in high school and I performed highly. But when it was all over, in many ways, it was meaningless. It was something I had to do, so that I could do something else.

An example of an attached accomplishment on the other hand, for me, would be writing. When I finish writing a piece, I worry about it. I contemplate it. I edit and edit and edit, and thoughtfully decide when it’s ready for public viewing. Once I allow others to see it, I crave feedback. I continue to worry and care, and I never truly move on, because the experience of writing that piece and the criticism I receive for it stays with me as I write the next piece. It’s an attached accomplishment, because I’m never truly finished with it – I care about it, and I will continue to so long as I continue writing.

I’ve recently come to the revelation that I want my BA at U of T to be an attached accomplishment. I don’t want to study just for the sake of finishing, so I can once again get my degree and run in the opposite direction, thankful I made it out alive. I want the degree to have meaning, and I want it to intermingle with my next educational endeavor so its meaning is unremitting.

(more…)

It’s that time again. The semester has started and for some of us, we have to go through the hell of picking and choosing which course to drop or take, weighing options, opinions and feelings about a certain course. There are some courses that are just absolutely fabulous and you know it – partly because of the long waitlist that you’re in. However, as a 4th year, I can tell you now, don’t despair! Even if this article does come a little late, hopefully this will be helpful to you next year or the year after.

First of all, being waitlisted doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. Here are a few things you can try:

1. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN. Before you even start the semester, make up a schedule and make sure to have a few backups. Unless there is some sort of reason why you can’t, try adding 6 courses and drop 1 of them after the first week.
2. When you’re on ROSI registering for your courses, enumerate your courses by how important they are to you. If you absolutely NEED a course, make sure to sign up for that first.
3. Go to the first class. Maybe the course wasn’t what you expected it to be and maybe you might be happy that you didn’t take it. If you still want to take the course, talk to the professor after class. Your dedication to the course will likely make he or she inclined to give you a spot in the class. There might be some paperwork involved depending on the department, but if you want to get in, it’s worth it! The chances of getting into a class this way gets higher as you reach higher level courses.
4. If option 3 doesn’t work, stalk ROSI like a stealthy panther when the waitlists turn off. Or here’s a strategy: find someone who wants to drop the course, sit side by side sometime when the waitlists turn off, have the person drop the course and immediately after he/she drops it, attack and register!
5. If you need a certain course to graduate but you can’t for any reason, you can use the Dean’s Promise. If you find yourself in this situation, you should go see your registrar by the first week o f classes in September.
   

Finally, here are a few important dates for this semester. Good luck on all of your scheduling endeavours!

Ahhhh, it’s that time of the year  that we love to hate and hate to love…the dreaded/beloved course selections. I don’t know about you but I’m on the love side. There’ s nothing like planning a fresh new academic year. It’s just so full of hope, optimism, and excitement…free of the crushing weight of readings, labs, exams, and tutorials. It’s the calm before the storm and yes, I love to savour every moment of it.

Unfortunately, ROSI wasn’t so kind to me this year. I’m in my final year of undergraduate studies and got the late 10 AM enrollment time…leaving me on waitlists for courses that I desperately want to take. But alas, that is the life of a U of T student.

Read what other students are tweeting about course enrollment…some were successful, others, well, not so much!