Overall the program was great! It was impressive in terms of teaching and learning environment, and I feel I have gained a lot from my years of study. Although there is no graduate program to apply for in this program at my university, there are many commendable aspects of the undergraduate psychology

During my research in grade 12 about prospective universities, my main focus was on the University of Toronto, and how their students succeeded in the school. I was met with many negative reviews saying that I should not go there for my undergraduate degree and that it was very hard for no reason. Taking these reviews into consideration, I still picked the University of Toronto as it had most things that I was looking for at the time, even though it was hard. Upon entering the university, I found that it was not as hard as people on the internet made it seem. I believe a large portion of why people rated the University badly was because the school demanded that you do a lot of work. By this, I mean that I had a lot of assignments per week, but they were not necessarily hard. The frequency of work paired with the new and exciting university environment was hard to balance and people were often found sinking in a deep hole of their own making. I learned that to succeed in this school, time management was key. One needs to be able to balance both school and social life to make sure that they are attending to both at the right time. I did this with the help of Excel in organizing my assignments, and Google Calendar to have a visual representation of the work I had to do and when I had to do it. In conclusion, to be able to handle U of T, you need to stay on top of your time and know how to organize both your school and social lives to make sure they work together in unison.

overall a great university, definitely a lot tougher than high school, with lots of research opportunities, and special guests come in all the time to talk about their research or their university experiences.

Psychology at U of T is a good choice. Most professors are good and care about students. Some of them, however, are the opposite and give students a hard time. They are unprepared for classes and don’t provide enough support material to prepare for assignments and exams. Instructions can be hard to follow and sometimes there is no feedback because the class size is huge. Unfortunately, some courses are only available with these profs, and students are left with no option. Good tip is to check RateMyProf before taking a course. This will tell you what to expect from a prof and their course

I study psychology specialist. My course instructors are responsible and respectful. I think that our psychology program focuses on research because each psychology specialist student must take a lab course to complete the degree. If students are interested in research psychology, I will introduce them to enrolling in psychology specialists. However, the psychology department also provides some courses that teach basic psychological principles and includes different psychology areas (e.g. cognitive, development

I like the psychology specialist program since it offers a range of courses that introduce you to different branches in psychology, so I can explore topics I’m interested in during first and second year, and dive deeper into certain areas at high levels. The courses also help build research skills because we need to learn about research procedures by writing study proposals and conducting literature reviews. What I don’t like about UofT in general is that class time can be very long, sometimes going to 3 hours. This makes it hard to learn since students often get too distracted or tired after a while. So to succeed at UofT, you really need to find ways to focus in class and take helpful notes.

Psychology professors are usually very supportive, and the amount of course work is reasonable. In terms of extracurricular activities, there are tons of opportunities and resources at the career centre, however, it may take a bit searching and digging to find the most suitable resources.

Psychology at UofT is a good choice. Most professors are good and care about students. Some of them, however, are the opposite and give students a hard time. They are unprepared for classes and don’t provide enough support material to prepare for assignments and exams. Instructions can be hard to follow and sometimes there is no feedback because the class size is huge. Unfortunately, some courses are only available with these profs, and students are left with no option. Good tip is to check RateMyProf before taking a course. This will tell you what to expect from a prof and their course.

This programme also allows students to take classes in neuroscience, biochemistry, and mental health, further broadening their exposure to different areas. Professors are great and very knowledgable, even having online lessons, you will be able to engage in the lessons.

The University of Toronto is a school that arouses a lot of discussions, both online and offline. Online, and especially on forum-based websites such as Reddit, I’ve noticed that people’s opinions and reviews fall on extreme sides of the spectrum; from reading them, you’d get the idea that UofT is either superior to all other schools, or the worst place on earth. I hope that my review is representative of the middle ground, as I fall into the underrepresented camp of “it’s okay”.

A lot of my negative experiences so far at UofT can be attributed to the global pandemic. For example, I’ve found the social life at UofT to be quite lacklustre over the past two years, but the school can’t be blamed for this. However, there are definitely times I’ve believed that UofT could have better handled the challenges that came with the pandemic, such as the confusing and disorganized shifts between in-person and online learning.

A major strength of the school I must highlight is its quality of education. I certainly can’t speak for everyone and for all programs, but I have found that my professors thus far have been, for the most part, intelligent, compassionate, engaging, and qualified to teach. I have learnt a lot over the past two years, not just in terms of my program itself (Psychology and Art History double major!), but I feel that I have learnt a lot about learning itself, and how to be the best and most efficient student I can be. I do feel at times that the grading schemes in certain classes are unfair, and believe that the school should have a more standardized extension policy, given that some professors don’t provide extensions at all.

If you’re an international student like me, you probably will find yourself grappling with the cost of education. UofT is incredibly expensive, and while I do believe in the school’s quality of education, I think that it is overvalued in its monetary value.

One of my absolute favourite things about the school is its location. UofT is located in a part of Toronto that is both deeply connected to the greater city, and also feels like its own place, somewhat separate from a lot of the hustle and bustle. As an international student in the pandemic, I’ve definitely spent less time than I would like to in Toronto and on-campus, but it truly is amazing. There are a lot of places to eat on and around the campus itself, including cafes, dining halls, and food trucks, though I wish there were more variety. However, the nearest grocery store and/or supermarket is farther away than I would like; I wish there were one on campus, it would definitely be valuable!

The last thing I’d like to speak about is accommodation. Over my time at UofT, I’ve lived in two of its dorms (Chestnut Residence and Whitney Hall), and I’ve found both to be quite satisfactory. The rooms themselves are comfortable and quite spacious for a dorm. The Dons at both buildings are great; they’re helpful, available, and feel like genuine friends when you need someone to talk to. On the other hand, the people on your floor (even the people right next door) can sometimes feel like complete strangers. I definitely think the school could do more to foster a more friendly and warm environment in each dorm, though I suppose this also could be another consequence of the pandemic!

I hope my review has been helpful! Though of course, recent events have affected university life deeply, I still feel there are many factors that are in the control of the school itself that require improvement.