A Vic Student’s Guide to Downtown Toronto

By Annie

Caffienate and Snack

Caffiends in Old Vic
Victoria College’s very own free-trade coffee house with the friendliest baristas.

Aroma Café at Bay and Charles
Healthy salads, sandwiches and soups galore. (There are also cookies and pastries, don’t worry.) And yes, this is the place where they give you free chocolate with your coffee.

Dark Horse Espresso Bar near Osgoode Station
A refined, photogenic and relaxing space for coffee dates and light studying.

Eat

Rabba Fine Foods east of Bay on Charles (open 24/7)
Need some groceries at 2AM? No problem.

Wish Café at Yonge and Charles
When you feel like eating brunch in a hipster’s bright, beach-y garden house.

Over Easy on Bloor
Diner-style breakfasts in a bright atmosphere.

El Furniture Warehouse on Bloor
The five-dollar menu makes this a clear winner for ‘where do we eat’ group texts.

Fresh at Bloor and Spadina
Pressed juices and quality vegan food.

Explore

The Cat’s Eye in the Goldring Student Centre
Look out for free food days and open-mic nights!

The Royal Ontario Museum
Free on Tuesdays for students! Just don’t forget your T-Card.

AGO Art Gallery of Ontario
Free on Wednesdays 6-9pm!

TIFF Bell Lightbox
Hosts the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival September 8-18. And don’t forget to check out the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival brought to you by young filmmakers later in the year .

Distillery District
Check out some knick-knack boutiques, sip on coffee from Balzac’s, grab some chocolate bars from SOMA, and gobble down tapas at El Catrin. The District also hosts the annual Christmas Market.

Kensington Market
Eclectic vintage shops, cute cafés and hip restaurants. Make sure to visit Wanda’s Pie in the Sky!

Yonge-Dundas Square
The Times Square of Toronto! The square hosts free movies and concerts year-round.

Queen St. West
Check out Black Market west of Osgoode Station for cheap vintage clothing and records.

Lakeshore
Go down to Union station and explore the Toronto lakeshore while you munch on a BeaverTails food truck pastry.

Ripley’s Aquarium
Walk underneath sharks and take photos with jellyfish!

 

Fearing the Freshman Fifteen?

By Annie

Gaining weight in first year is normal. What’s important is to be healthy and happy with how you think, feel and move.

Where to work out

Hart House

With an indoor track, cardio room, basketball court and art-deco pool, Hart House Fitness Centre offers a low-key environment within beautiful, historic architecture. Interested in a fun fitness class? Hart House holds Zumba, dance, boot camp and Aqua-Fit classes year-round. Not sure if you’re ready to commit? No problem – check out the Drop-In Fitness schedule.

Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport

This is the newest fitness centre at U of T. The Goldring Centre offers a more recreational atmosphere with indoor courts and a fitness room overlooking Varsity Stadium.

The Athletic Centre

The AC offers a more traditional gym atmosphere within the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education. It includes the only Olympic-sized pool in downtown Toronto.

Making healthy choices at Burwash Dining Hall

Look and plan ahead.

Burwash Dining Hall has a three-week menu rotation. You can find the menus here. Knowing what’s offered in the dining hall before you walk in will prevent you from taking everything you walk by. TIP: Burwash makes amazing sandwiches at lunchtime – check out the sandwich menu before you load up your plate at the hot dish stations.

A nutritious diet will help you do and feel better.

Remember that food is fuel for your brain. Serving yourself balanced meals, including vegetables and protein, may not be second-nature yet, but get into the habit now. Your future stressed and/or studying self will thank you. 

The desserts will be there next time, too.

It’s up to you how you want to eat, and the newfound freedom can be exciting. Coming from a family that scheduled dessert on specific days of the week, I was elated when I found out I could have a Burwash cookie (or three) every day. And when I was done my cookie(s), I could head over to the ice cream counter. And after my ice cream, I could grab a gluten-free brownie to go…

It’s important to remember that Burwash will frequently serve desserts. Don’t grab everything sugary in sight. Space out your sweets, and keep in mind that the portions everyone else may decide are appropriate may not be appropriate for you. It’s easy to think that eating three cookies after dinner is okay when your friends do it too. Take time to step back and remember your attitudes toward food in high school. What worked for you and what didn’t?

Burwash pro-tip: You can ask the Burwash staff member at the front desk to check how many meals you have left on your account BEFORE you swipe your T card.

Where Should I Study?

By Annie

E.J. Pratt Library

Study here if:

• You need a quiet, pretty space and are motivated by other focused students (Kathleen Coburn Reading Room on the main level)
• You want to curl up on some couches with a pretty garden view or study in groups (Student Lounge and Study Group rooms on lower level)
• You need absolute silence and a desk to yourself (study cubicles on perimeter of main and upper floors)

Goldring Student Centre

Study here if:

• You want a social and snack-friendly environment (Ned’s Café on lower level)
• You want a bright, beautiful, relaxed space to study (study space beside the upper floor music room)

Bora Laskin Law Library

Study here if:

• You want to explore off of Victoria College campus
• You want a quiet, modern space full of hard-working students

Hart House Reading Room

Study here if:

• You want to feel like you’re at Hogwarts
• You have to do some reading or creative thinking and require some seriously comfy couches

Robarts Library

Study here if:

• You need to study for long periods of time (Robarts is open 24/7)

• You don’t mind searching for a place to study once you get there
• You want silence and minimal distraction
• You like buildings that look like giant Turkeys

Margaret Addison Hall pro-tip: There’s a study room in the basement with couches, tables and chairs, as well as an elliptical machine for some serious multi-taskers. Just head left out of the elevators. You’ll need your key card to get in!

Dropping courses, CR/NCR and GPA

By previous contributor Minnie
Updated June 10, 2016 by Annie

While you’re planning out the next couple of weeks, one date to keep in mind is November 7th: it’s the last day to drop F section code courses from your academic record without it affecting your GPA. After this deadline a mark is recorded for each course, whether course work is completed or not (a 0/zero is assigned for incomplete work), and calculated into the GPA.

To learn about U of T grading policies, click here.

Nov. 7th is also the last day to add or remove a CR/NCR option* for F section code courses. Degree students in the Faculty of Arts & Science may select up to 2.0 full-course equivalents of their degree credits to be assessed on a Credit/No Credit basis. This option is available for Arts & Science students taking courses offered by the St. George Faculty of Arts & Science. Students may add or remove the CR/NCR option on Acorn. See the Faculty’s website for full details of the CR/NCR option.

To achieve a status of CR (Credit), a student must achieve a final mark of at least 50%. Marks below that will be assessed as NCR (No Credit). Courses with a final status of CR will count as degree credits but will have no effect on the student’s GPA. They will count as Distribution Requirements, Breadth Requirements, and degree credits, but cannot be used to satisfy subject program requirements unless explicitly permitted by the program, nor satisfy the 12.0 different FCE requirement between programs for your degree.

Please note: first-year seminars, including Vic One, are not eligible for CR/NCR.

Courses with a final status of NCR will not count as degree credits but will not count as failures, and will also not be included in the GPA calculation.

Students may exercise this option to a total of 2.0 full-course equivalents within the total number of credits required for a degree. The choice is not restricted as to year or level of course.

For more important 2016-2017 sessional dates, you can click here.

*Some courses may not be eligible for CR/NCR – check with the course Calendar or the relevant campus.

Money, Experience, and Satisfaction

By previous contributor Minnie
Updated June 10, 2016 by Annie

Studying every single hour you’re not in class can cause a student to be quite over-stressed. Balance is important part of achieving success in university. A part-time job might be an amazing way to stay focused on your career goals and garner some essential skills in the professional world. The Career Learning Network is the place to learn about the newest opportunities in every imaginable field. There are three important categories of jobs offered through the CLN that you should be aware of: work-study, on-campus jobs, and off-campus jobs.

From personal experience, the work-study program is an amazing way to transition into the professional world with the mentorship of U of T staff. Work Study positions are for full-time or part-time graduate and undergraduate students (domestic or international). Positions are available in the Fall/Winter Term (September-February) and the Spring/Summer Term (May-August). Jobs will be posted on CLN starting August 1st and will be removed by September 23rd; ensure you check the application deadline for each job posting as each employer may select a different deadline date. The 2016-2017 Fall/Winter work-study program eligibility is as follows:

• Students must be registered in a 40% course load continuously for the Fall-Winter term September 2016 to February 2017. Students are permitted to accept ONE Work Study position per program period.
• If you are registered in Toronto School of Theology programs you are not eligible for work study positions.
• Non-degree students are not eligible for Work Study.
• Students do not need to be OSAP eligible to apply for Work Study.

Every student is permitted to accept ONE work-study position per program period.

On-campus jobs and off-campus jobs are generally full-time opportunities geared towards third and fourth year students, though, there, you can also find many entry-level jobs such as tutors, sales associates, and babysitters. On-campus jobs are offered by the U of T, and off-campus jobs are offered by various organizations and corporations, internationally, and in and around Toronto. Please note: it would be smart and responsible to conduct a detailed search the off-campus jobs employers prior to submitting your applications, as they are not required to be affiliated with the U of T in any way.

Now how do you get to all these opportunities? Go to https://cln.utoronto.ca/home.htm, click on ‘UTORid Login’ under ‘Students’, and log in with your UTORid and password. Then, on the left-side, under the ‘CLN Dashboard’, click ‘Jobs’. Under jobs, you should see all three aforementioned options and a few more. Good luck and happy job hunting!

Balance is Key

By previous contributor Minnie

From personal experience, balance is the most crucial aspect about achieving academic success. Here are my steps to achieving just that:

1. Set SMART goals.

At this point, we all know what SMART goals are. Finding balance starts with setting realistic goals for yourself. With goals set too tremendously, you may end up wearing yourself out, feeling frustrated and disappointed in yourself for not achieving your goals. With goals set too low, you’ll have too much time on your hands and feel empty when you achieve your goals. The goals you set should be a bit of stretch, but not so much that you can’t achieve them. Consider setting goals for yourself academically, but also for other aspects of campus life. Stick to them, see them through, and see yourself improve.

2. Learn to study effectively.

Your education at college involves more than countless hours of studying, so learn how you best study and prepare for exams and then adjust your schedule accordingly. Spending too much time studying can actually lead to burn-out and produce a negative impact on your academic performance. Too little studying and/or cramming can also lead to disaster. So, along with realistic goals, develop a study schedule that works best for you. There are also amazing productivity apps that can help you. Stay tuned for more on those.

3. Learn to better manage your time. Avoid procrastination.

One of the biggest reasons for feeling stressed and that our lives are out of balance is when the time management beast awakens within us. Develop a system for managing and prioritizing your time, remembering to block out time for eating, exercising, studying, and socializing, as well as some alone time.

4. Eat well.

Food is amazing. There is no question that eating a balanced diet has a positive effect on a person’s well-being and on a student’s academic performance. Avoid the empty calories of junk food and strive for eating good food whether you prepare it yourself or eat at Burwash. It can get quite stressful trying to eat well on a student’s budget but it’s important.

5. Exercise regularly. Ok, fine, occasionally.

Doing some sort of physical activity provides many benefits from stress reduction to increasing your brain’s fitness. Exercising increases blood supply and sends oxygen to the brain resulting in better memory, reasoning, and concentration. The endorphins you get from exercising are great for improving your spirits.

6. Take charge of your life and prioritize.

Sometimes it’s easier for us to allow ourselves to feel overwhelmed rather than taking charge and developing a prioritized list of things that need to get done. You need to buck the trend and take responsibility. Develop a to-do list, even if that’s something you normally don’t do. Set priorities. And then enjoy the satisfaction of crossing things off your list!

7. Simplify.

It seems human nature for just about everyone to take on too many tasks and responsibilities, to try to do too much, and to try and please too many people. What you need to do is look for ways to simplify your life. Change your lifestyle. Learn to say no to requests for your help, it’s sometimes a hard thing to do, but sometimes you need to do it to protect yourself.

8. Don’t sweat the petty stuff.

It’s simpler said than done, but learn to let things go once in a while. So what if you skip a couple of meetings of the marketing club or that your clothes do not get cleaned every week or that you miss a few softball games. Learn to recognize the things that don’t really have much impact in your life and allow yourself to let them go, and then not beat yourself up for doing so. It truly is the big things that matter in life.

9. Explore your options, then get help.

One of the great things about college is that you have access to all sorts of help; you typically can turn to your professors, registrars, health clinic, and counselling centre for the assistance you need. Do not be afraid to ask for help and seek that assistance as early as you can. Don’t be embarrassed; we all need help at times, and that’s why all colleges have these resources available to you.

10. Know when it’s time to quit.

There comes a time when you are simply overwhelmed and there is no way out except to make some drastic changes. You should first look to your extra-curricular activities. Consider quitting an organization that is not important in the grand scheme of things. If you have cut back on all your social activities but are still struggling with your class, talk with your academic adviser about possibly dropping one of your classes so you can salvage the others.

Back-to-School Shopping 101

By previous contributor Minnie

It’s that time of the year again: back-to-school shopping time!

Below is my what-to-take-to-university list. This list is obviously not a comprehensive list. If you’re a commuter, you most likely don’t need to look beyond the first and second categories. Tips for staying on budget can be found below the following list.

Studying:

• Desk lamp
• Nice, comfortable office chair (TIP: the ones offered in residence aren’t the very best)
• Planner (TIP: buy your own or get one from UTSU on Clubs Day during Frosh week!)
• Dictionary and thesaurus
• LOTS of lined paper (TIP: Walmart is selling 150-packs for $0.10)
• Printing paper
• Pens, pencils, paper, file folders, binders, highlighters
• Scissors, tape
• Stapler, staples, paper clips, hole punch
• Post-it notes
• White Tac (TIP: so it doesn’t mark the walls)
• Stamps and envelopes

Documents:

• Passport or driving license
• Social Insurance Number
• Resume/CV and references
• Bank account details
• Old textbooks and notes
• Doctor and dentist details
• Other university documents

Kitchen:

• Mugs
• Kettle
• Knives, forks and spoons
• Bowls (TIP: for cereal, soup, ice cream, etc.)
• Small frying or omelette pan
• 1 small, 1 large saucepan with lids
• Can opener
• Coffee, tea, milk, sugar
• Sandwich bags

Outdoor:

• Sports gear (if necessary)
• Raincoat
• Umbrella

Healthcare:

• Multivitamins
• Painkillers
• Basic first aid kit – plasters, antiseptic wipes, bandages
• Some cold/flu remedy in case you are struck down by freshers’ flu

Bathroom:

• Bath and hand towels (+ possibly a flannel)
• Basket for shower supplies
• Box of tissues
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Soap
• Showergel
• Shampoo/Conditioner
• Nail clippers
• Deodorant
• Cologne/perfume
• Hair spray
• Hairbrush

Housekeeping:

• Febreeze
• Laundry basket
• Coat hangers

Electronics:

• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Computer and/or laptop
• Printer (TIP: B/W printing in libraries costs $0.15 per sheet, $0.50 for coloured per side)
• Intranet cable for your room
• Mini fridge (TIP: Lower Burwash has a communal refrigerator on every floor except the first)
• Phone, iPod, headphones and charger
• Camera
• Batteries
• Multi plug adaptor/extension lead

Clothing:

• Slippers/flip flops
• T-shirts
• Jumpers
• Trousers
• Underwear
• Socks
• Shoes
• Evening wear (TIP: for High Ball!)

Bedding:

• Sheets
• Duvet and duvet covers
• Pillows & pillow cases
• Mattress cover
• Sleeping bag (TIP: for when friends come to stay/when you go to stay)

Now, if you would like to stick to a budget, here are some important tips.

• Check to see if you have these items at home first
  • It’s time to be financially responsible for yourself, learn to save money and set yourself a budget to which you will stick to every time you go shopping
• You don’t always need to buy completely brand-new textbooks.
  • Before going to buy books full-price, check out the Used-Books section on Amazon, buy it second-hand via the U of T “Textbook Exchange” group on Facebook, and ask alumni if they’re selling their used materials, and go to BMV Books!
• Look online and in the local flyers for Back-to-School sales (!)
• If you’re staying on res, be sure to know your roommates and the people around you. For things like toilet paper, shampoo, soap, etc., you guys can share the cost!
• You don’t always need to buy brand name items

Planning Tools

By previous contributor Minnie

I am notorious for raving about Acorn, and there’s a good reason for it: all the previously separate tools for planning are now all in one place! When you log into Acorn, on the left side, you’ll see that under ‘Academics’, there’s an option called ‘Planning Tools’. This option guides you to four very important tools:

Degree Explorer

Degree Explorer is the University of Toronto’s degree planning tool. Review your academic history, degree requirements or use the planner to determine how future course choices might meet your requirements. This tool clearly lays out your unique degree and program requirements and indicates which requirements have been met and which are still outstanding. Degree Explorer also has a planning feature that allows you to plan for course selection years in advance ensuring you’ll satisfy all requirements for your degree and programs, because there’s nothing worse than realizing you’re one course short of graduation.  ‘Current Status’ displays the degree and programs you are currently registered in, as well as your estimated progress towards completion. You can see at a glance if you’ve completed the requirements of your degree or program. By expanding the plus sign beside your degree or program, you’ll see the individual requirements and which ones you’ve completed. The ‘Planner’ enables you to see on a time continuum courses you’ve taken in the past and add hypothetical courses in the future. You can create up to five saved hypothetical scenarios that will have no impact on your current registration. When you’re done, click ‘ReAssess’ towards the bottom, to reassess whether courses you’ve picked meet prerequisites.

Course Finder

Course Finder is the University of Toronto’s course listing search engine. Many of you may already be familiar with this, as you’ve already gone through registration and course selection. Here, you can search for courses filtered through the Faculty of the courses you need to find, or the breadth requirements. As you would search via Google, you should type in keywords of the course name.

Transfer Explorer

Transfer Explorer is for:

• Plans transferring to or within the University of Toronto
• Checking eligibility of courses taken at other institutions
• Checking eligibility of courses taken at U of T campuses other than your current

CIE (Centre for International Experience) opportunities can be found here as well!

Program Finder

Program finder allows you search and browse for programs by keyword, title, or subject. You can filter the degrees by type and level. Please recognize that all programs undergraduate or graduate are listed here, so please be careful when you’re searching, that you’re not looking at a program at the incorrect level. All programs for UTM, St. George, and UTSC are shown as well. There are some programs that are specific to campuses.

Exploring Your Degree with Degree Explorer

By previous contributor Nicole
Updated June 10, 2016 by Annie

*Please note that subject POSts are now referred to as programs.

I entered first year with a plan.

I was going to specialize in Developmental Biology by the end of my first year, graduate in three years, participate in a list of extra-curriculars that I personally chose myself, and do well in all of my courses. For the most part, I had my time in university meticulously thought-out. However, life decided to throw a few curveballs and while I’m not where I originally planned to be, I am happy with where I am now.

Academically, one of the best tools I had used to help me navigate the unknown that is university is Degree Explorer. It’s a free (!) service offered online by the university that helps you plan out your degree while making sure you fulfill all of the requirements necessary for you to graduate on time.

To navigate it, first, sign into degreeexplorer.utoronto.ca using your UTOR ID.

The first thing you’ll see is a neat summary page regarding what degree you are pursuing (either Honours Bachelor of Science or Arts, if you’re within the Faculty of Arts & Science), as well as your selected subject POSts.

All of the programs of study!

Press the plus button in any section to expand it. Since I registered as a first year student in Fall 2013, my requirements will follow what was listed in that calendar, regardless of what changes may accumulate in coming years.

These were the basic requirements based on the Fall 2013 calendar. They may have changed since then.

As you can see, expanding the degree program of study will give you a list of all the requirements you need to fulfill, including breadth requirements, major and minor program requirements and number of upper year 300-level courses.

Switch to the planner tab at the top of Degree Explorer and you get this really cool page that allows you to plan out your courses! The best part is that if you don’t meet a certain requirement for a course, the planner tools notifies you when you try adding the course. Furthermore, as your mind changes, you can make multiple versions of the planner. My current subject POSts are Physiology and Global Health, but at one point, I had made a version for Health & Disease and Psychology, Pharmacology/Toxicology, and even Political Science.

Hoping that the ACORN (ROSI?) gods will be good to me this year with course selection.

Once you fill out your hypothetical schedule, you can see whether or not your choices will let you fulfill all the requirements you need to graduate!

Achievement unlocked!!

Finally, you can access your academic history and see how you did over the years. Degree Explorer is something I wish I had in my first year, but now you guys will have seen it way earlier than I would’ve and can get a head start! Happy course planning!

Course Selection for Smarties

By previous contributor Minnie
Updated June 10, 2016 by Annie

Although most of the things I’m going to write about will be mentioned during the Vic One Summer Advising Session, I’ve always been one to appreciate a “digestion” period (a period in time during which I can understand important information and avoid feeling extremely overwhelmed when everything – especially something as important as choosing courses for your first year in university – is unloaded on me all at once).

Now, if you’re anything like me, you are probably quite conflicted about what major you want to pursue because you have so many interests. At this point, you might want to do a specialist, five majors, and two minors, all at once! I get it, I get it. You’re preaching to the congregation here (I’m a Frye graduate specializing in Financial Economics). Stop right there and take a deep breath. It’s time to start your preliminary planning.

The choosing of courses is the hardest part. It’s your time to explore the world of academia on your own, and you want to know it all. For this, I’m going to give you one piece of advice: prioritize. Know what you want to study first and foremost, and go after it with full force. If you don’t know what you want to study, make it your goal this year to get a taste of everything you have not yet ruled out and know by the end of the year. The good news is, you’ve got plenty of time from now until when you need to declare your program of study.

If you want to know a bit of the technical stuff, this is all you need to know for now, and this information will make a lot more sense after you’ve attended the Summer Advising session. Come back to this post after the session and reread it. You will have a better understand of what is going on.

Since you’re all Vic One students, you will already have two out of your five time slots per semester set aside for your Vic One courses. This means you only need to pick three other courses. Depending on which type of program – specialist or double major or single major with two minors – in which you wish to enroll in the future, you will be expected to meet certain criteria and take certain prerequisite courses. Take some time in the next couple of weeks to look over what your desired program requires by using the Program Information, the Calendar, the U of T Course Finder, and the Course Timetables. By consolidating the information from all of these sources, you can create for yourself a preliminary timetable.

Update by Annie: The new Timetable feature is very useful at this step!

You can then make a list for easy reference when you go online to enroll in your courses. For each course include the correct course code (e.g. ENG140Y), section code (F, Y, or S), and meeting section(s) (e.g. Lecture L0101, Tutorial T0201, and Practical/Lab P0301).

The reason this planning process is very important is because in university, you may not get your first choice. Have some back up courses planned in case any of your first choices are unavailable.

Some of you may be inclined to use Griddy to plan and have an all-in-one organizer. Please take note: Griddy is not connected to U of T in any way and we do not support the use of Griddy because there is always a possibility that the information on that website is inaccurate. Please take caution.

Update by Annie: The Timetable feature on the ArtSci website is like Griddy, but it is directly connected to U of T.

Lastly, be sure to pay the minimum installment or defer your fees (if you’re applying for OSAP) by August 23rd*. Congratulations. By August 23rd*, you’ll officially be a registered U of T and Vic One student.

*Update by Annie: This is up to date for the 2016-17 year.