After completing my first year at The University of Toronto, I can confidently say that I had an impeccable experience. The campus had a wide variety of activities available as well as clubs that were easily accessible to all students. The University of Toronto creates a warm and friendly environment which allows all incoming students to feel welcome.

Through the transition between high school and university, I had no idea what to expect when I stepped foot on the university campus. But to my surprise, it was one of the easiest things I have ever done. Even in the time of a pandemic, there was so much ease provided by all the upper-year students and the faculty at U of T that the transition into university, one of the most difficult things that one can think of, was ultimately turned into one of the best experiences I have ever had. The university, the professors, and the community as a whole are one of the kindest and most warm-hearted people I have met in a really long time. U of T has been my dream school from the moment I chose that I wanted to go to university. Of course, everyone, including myself, would hear about the discouraging reviews about U of T, and sure for a while that did scare me off coming here, but all the negative reviews about how stressful it is and how you shouldn’t come here if you value your mental health truly are not accurate. This university has proven to me that if you put your best foot forward and try your best, you have the best chance at getting grades you never thought you could achieve. No university is easy, and no matter where you go, there are always going to be challenges along the way, but U of T has been able to show how much they care and how much they are willing to change for their students and staff to get the best experience a university could offer. So my advice, is don’t listen too much to the negatives, try your best and no matter what university, U of T or not, you go to, you will achieve all that you have ever wished to achieve.

UofT encourages students to study different disciplines. Beyond academic, there’re also great opportunities to get involved in the student life. However, it’s not a place to boost your undergraduate GPA. And you need extra effort to reach out to professors and academic advisors since the student body is huge.

I had a great experience at UofT especially being in the VicOne Program which provided a small class experience in such a big school, so definitely apply for that if you’re able. I got super close with my VicOne classmates and they were all so helpful and kind throughout my first year. It also made it a lot easier to make friends. The professors are also very nice and understanding and want to help you do well (although they are pretty hard markers compared to other schools). I came into my first year being very scared about going to UofT because of its reputation, and maybe the STEM side is different, but as a Social Science student, I had a great experience and thoroughly enjoyed what I was learning, my professors, and my peers.