Hello everyone, I am Lionel from the Materials Science and Engineering program at the University of Toronto, St. George Campus. As I have had a complete in-person academic year in Toronto, I’d like to share some of my study and life stories with you.
Learning at U of T
Studying in a country with a different culture from my home country is not easy, but my new friends and I embraced the challenge with continuous hard work. Being different from students in other Faculties, we need to take six or seven courses each term. For the first year, we are required to learn some fundamental core courses, including Calculus and Linear Algebra, Mechanics and Electrical Fundamentals, Engineering Strategies and Practice, Engineering Chemistry and Materials Science, and Fundamentals of Computer Programming, as the necessary preparation of the upper years. To be honest, I have to spend exponentially more time on understanding the course content than in high school, and the time for doing practice problems is always not enough. In the Fall Term, I always felt lost and doubted myself, and I even forgot my enthusiasm for learning new things. Fortunately, this year I met many new and like-minded friends who have a similar schedule as me, and we always help each other in the courses we are good at.
It is always important to ask professors and TAs questions as it is the most effective and straight way to learn. Most of my professors are kind, and they are willing to help students during office hours. The teaching teams also provide an online discussion platform, and even a tea-time session to help us learn in a flexible and healthy way. Before the exam period, I often tried some past exams posted on the faculty website. The Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering offered me a very positive learning atmosphere. I will keep up my hard work and always seek for improvement.
Life in Toronto
Toronto is a very modern and diverse city, and there are many tourist attractions downtown. The location of the campus provided me the opportunity to visit the places I was interest in. If some of you are willing to visit Toronto, I would like to recommend the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), a place I have visited twice, and Canada’s National (CN) tower. If you are interested in Basketball and Hockey, you can go to Scotia Bank Arena to watch the Raptors or a Maple Leaf’s game! However, I have to say the public security and transportation system in Toronto is much worse than in Shanghai. It is dangerous to be outside at night in Toronto.
The main reasons for me to choose U of T include its academic reputation, location, and diverse and multicultural learning environment, but it is also important to choose a suitable university by yourself. These are some parts of my university life. I wish you success in finishing your high school journey and getting into your favorite majors and universities.