The Varsity Handbook (Sept 2, 2023)

Important people on each campus

Coming to the University of Toronto, students often consider the friends they’ll make and the people they’ll come to know. However, all students should also be aware of a few key people on their respective campus who will shape the trajectory of their U of T experience. Here’s a list of names every student should know, broken down by campus.

UTSG

In 2013, Geography and Planning Professor Meric Gertler took on the role of university president, committing to a focus on leveraging the university’s urban locations, strengthening international partnerships, and implementing new strategies and modes of learning. As the Chief Executive

Officer of the university, Gertler works with a leadership team that includes various vice presidents and the UTM and UTSC principals to guide the university’s direction. Gertler also represents U of T at events in Toronto and around the world; in a press release, Gertler stated that in the 2022–23 school year, he has “visited India and Africa” as part of U of T’s international strategy; for instance, he travelled to Rwanda and India during the 2022–2023 school year to represent the university at a global celebration and a new facility opening, respectively. As the dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, Professor Melanie Woodin presides over 27,000 undergraduate students. She ensures that the faculty’s teaching staff has access to resources to successfully implement their courses. Woodin also regularly interacts with students engaged in activities on campus; in spring 2023, she switched roles with a student as part of a “Dean for a Day” fundraiser. In spring 2023, students elected Elizabeth Shechtman as the 2023–2024 University of Toronto Students Union’s (UTSU) president. As the leader of an organization representing UTSG’s full-time undergraduate students, the president works with the executive team to plan events such as orientation and the Unity Ball, run

programs such as the UTSU food bank, and advocate for policy changes within the university and the city. During her campaign for president, Shechtman focused on expanding the student aid and mental health resources provided by the UTSU. She also aims to increase use of Student Commons by implementing projects such as a mutual aid textbook library and a café.

UTSC

If you are joining the UTSC community, an important name to know is UTSC Principal and Political Science and Development Studies Professor Wisdom Tettey. Tettey, who also serves as one of U of T’s vice presidents, oversees administrative matters on the Scarborough campus including appointments, promotions, and the budget. Under his leadership, UTSC has seen an increase in external grants, an extensive curriculum review, a new student residence, the launch of a new student hub, and the development of the Environmental and Related Technologies Hub (EaRTH) District, an environmental research partnership with four other postsecondary institutions. Reappointed in 2022, Tettey will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the institution’s direction.

Another important person on campus is Professor William A. Gough. Since 2016, Gough has served as Vice-Principal Academic & Dean of the UTSC. In his role, Gough oversees a wide range of academic and administrative decisions such as faculty appointments, promotions, and the development and review of academic departments and centres. Gough consults on academic direction and policy and coordinates and aligns UTSC’s academics within U of T as a whole. His leadership extends to areas such as academic programming, ensuring the pro-

Writer: Minah Cap, Kamilla Bekbossynova, Alina Khan Illustrator: Arthur Hamdani

vision of high-quality educational services, managing the academic budget, and resolving issues of academic integrity.

When it comes to the student body, acquaint yourself with Amrith David, president of the Scarborough Campus Students’ Union (SCSU), which provides services and advocates for UTSC undergraduate students. Prior to this position, David served as Vice-President Academics and University Affairs on the SCSU, where he successfully lobbied for a course retake policy, Ramadan accommodations during exam periods, and other policies. During his campaign for President, David prioritized accessible and affordable transportation options, establishing a student-operated wellness center, and spearheading the expansion of the student center to cater to the diverse needs of the student community and focus on mental health, physical health, harm reduction, and combating sexual violence.

UTM

A prominent UTM figure is Nicholas Rule, the newly-appointed vice-principal, academic, and dean. Rule

as a Canada research chair, and has since won many awards for his research in social perception, cognition, and behavior. Rule started his four-year term on July 1, and aims to build on UTM’s new strategic framework and academic plan. As vice-princi pal, academic, and dean, he will oversee faculty hiring, training, and promotion, ensuring the uni versity attracts and retains topnotch educators. Additionally, Rule will provide leadership in monitoring and evaluat ing the academic experi ence, promoting academ ic integrity, and offering comprehensive teaching and learning support.

Alexandra Gillespie, an important figure in ac ademia, has made history as the first woman to hold the positions of vice-president at and principal at UTM. With a strong belief in the transforma tive power of collaboration, Gillespie has devoted her career to promoting inclusivity.

As an accomplished academic leader, Gillespie has held several instrumental roles within the U of T community. She served as chair of UTM’s Department of English & Drama and as an early member of Toronto’s Initiative for Diversity & Excellence. Gillespie’s contributions also extend to her role as the first Director of U of T’s Digital Humanities Network, where she pioneered the integration of digital technologies into humanities research at the university.

Gulfy Bekbolatova, President of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU), is another important name on the UTM

campus. Prior to this role, Bekbolatova served as an associate to the vice-president external, a junior analyst at UTM Capital Management, and participated in the Undergraduate Economics Council as well as the Innovative Business Association.

As president, Bekbolatova plans to uphold the UTMSU’s Education for All campaign, which addresses barriers to post-secondary education and calls on UTM administration to prioritize accessible education. She seeks to increase financial aid for students by lobbying for more nonacademic scholarships as well as broadening the availability of bursaries. She hopes to expand co-op opportunities and paid experiences for students, enabling them to acquire practical skills in addition to their studies.

Important News Stories Important News Stories

university community and discourse. Here’s a roundup of news stories from this past year that every incoming student should know.

Sexual violence and harassment

The university’s Policy on Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment outlines how U of T addresses instances of sexual and gender-based violence involving members of the university community. First passed in 2016, the policy underwent a provincially mandated review during the 2021–2022 school year.

Student groups such as the Prevention, Empowerment, Advocacy, Response for Survivors (PEARS) Project — a trauma-informed organization supporting survivors of gender-based violence — repeatedly protested the revisions proposed by the committee tasked with reviewing the sexual violence policy. PEARS argued that the recommendations did not include adequate steps to support survivors and called on the university to hire an expert in gender-based violence to independently assess the policy.

Pressure on the university heightened after The Varsity published an article in November 2022 revealing that, according to a U of T-commissioned investigation that ended in January,

UTM Professor Robert Reisz had violated the sexual violence policy and repeatedly made racially motivated remarks. U of T only spoke to Reisz’ students about the investigation after two former students published a public post on the subject, and the university has allowed Reisz to continue supervising graduate students and teaching undergraduate courses. The same day The Varsity published the article, the PEARS Project published an open letter calling for Reisz’s removal, which received 1,400 signatures in the first week after its release.

On December 15, the Governing Council — the highest senior governing body at U of T — approved revisions to the policy despite calls from the PEARS Project, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU), and the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU) to reject the revisions and conduct a new review. Reisz is still employed by U of T.

Student union controversies

U of T has three main undergraduate student unions, one for each campus: the UTSU, which represents students at the St. George campus; the UTMSU; and the Scarborough Campus Students Union (SCSU). The University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union (UTGSU) represents graduate students from all three campuses.

During the UTSU’s 2022–2023 Annual General Meeting, students approved a motion that

decreased the number of seats on the union’s Board of Directors (BOD) from 44 to 12 and created a senate where students can voice their concerns. The new structure has received criticism from some students, who argue that reducing the number of BOD seats limits representation.

The union also received criticism from Climate Justice UofT, a student-run activist group, for hosting a Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) branch in the UTSU’s Student Commons. The group held a protest at the Student Commons in March 2023, highlighting that RBC is the largest funder of fossil fuel projects nationwide. In response, the UTSU BOD passed a motion later that month to begin severing its ties with the bank and work towards closing the branch by December 2026.

The UTMSU’s elections for the 2023–2024 executive positions proved contentious. In March, a student recorded vice-president candidate Niguel Walker — who ran as part of the It’s Time UTM slate — discussing Thrive UTM, another slate of candidates, in a tone they described as “passive-aggressive.” The student airdropped the recording to Thrive UTM, which submitted it to the Chief Returning Officer (CRO), the official overseeing the election. It’s Time UTM released a public statement — which it subsequently took down — in which it accused the student who made the recording of collaborating with Thrive UTM and manipu-

lating Walker into saying things that would result in him receiving demerit points. According to the UTMSU’s Elections Procedure Code, if an executive candidate receives 40 demerit points, they are automatically disqualified from the election. In response to the recording and the statement, the CRO gave both slates demerit points.

After Thrive UTM swept the elections, both It’s Time UTM and the independent Instagram account Transparent UTMSU criticized the demerit point system. At one point during the election, Kiki Ayoola — Thrive UTM’s candidate for vice-president external and winner of the election — received 40 demerit points, although the UTMSU’s Elections and Referenda Committee (EARC) subsequently lowered their points. However, the CRO did not update the Demerit Points Tracker, the public display of candidates’ demerit points. In addition, It’s Time UTM and Transparent UTMSU noted that the EARC included UTMSU executives. They alleged that these executives’ relationship to UTMSU President Maëlis Barre, who served as Thrive UTM’s campaign manager, indicated a conflict of interest — an allegation that Barre and the executive members denied.

The UTMSU BOD decided to ratify the election results, approving Thrive UTM members as the union’s 2023–2024 executives.

Over the past year, both the SCSU and the UTGSU have struggled to engage enough students to fulfill their official functions. In November 2022, the SCSU failed to entice the 500 members, including proxies, necessary to reach quorum at their Annual General Meeting, which prevented the union from passing any motions. The UTGSU also struggled to reach quorum for its BOD meetings.

In addition, the UTGSU persisted with two vacant executive

positions for the majority of the 2023–2024 school year. UTGSU BOD vacancies left the union with insufficient personnel for the CRO search committee, as required by the union’s bylaws. Members debated the issue for much of the year before they decided that they would allow general members to sit on the CRO hiring committee, allowing the union to hire a CRO in March.

Tuition and financing

In March 2023, the Ontario government announced that it would extend its freeze on in-province domestic tuition through the 2023–2024 school year. The tuition freeze first came into effect in 2020, after the provincial government implemented a 10 per cent cut to domestic tuition. For the 2021–2022 school year, Ontario introduced a policy allowing universities to increase tuition for out-of-province domestic students by three per cent. Between the 2022–2023 and the 2023–2024 school year, domestic outof-province tuition increased by five per cent. The university has repeatedly called on the provincial government to lift the tuition freeze, in light of financial instability within the university and college sector.

International student tuition remains unregulated. For the 2023–2024 school year, tuition for undergraduate first-year international students enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Science amounts to $60,510, almost ten times the amount paid by domestic Ontario students in the same faculty and year. Many student groups, including the UTMSU, have called on U of T to stop relying on international student tuition to finance the university and to lower the fees it charges to international students.

In March 2020, the federal government temporarily eliminated interest on the federal portion of student and apprentice loan

payments. Effective April 1, 2023, the government of Canada permanently eliminated interest on all Canada Student Loans. However, this bill does not impact the provincial portion of Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) loans, which begin to accrue interest after a student graduates. In the 2021–2022 school year, U of T students collectively received $303 million in OSAP grants and loans.

TTC violence — or not?

In January 2023, a U of T student was stabbed on the 510 Spadina Avenue streetcar, near St. George campus. Two days after the attack — which was perceived as part of a series of violent incidents on the TTC in late 2022 and early 2023 — the Toronto Police Chief, former Mayor John Tory, and the TTC CEO announced that the Toronto Police Service (TPS) would deploy more officers on the TTC. The move came 15 days after the TPS board passed the service’s 2023 budget, which increased the TPS’s funding by $48.3 million, despite the objections of some community members.

In interviews with The Varsity, U of T researchers emphasized that increasing police presence does not address the underlying causes of TTC violence, and they instead advocated for increasing social services funding. Some also highlighted a disconnect between increased media reports on TTC-related violence and the actual increase in incidents. Reports of violent incidents on the TTC increased by 46 per cent between 2021 and 2022, while the number of revenue rides — which quantifies all paid rides, along with any transfers — increased by 60 per cent. Simultaneously, the number of articles written on the subject increased by more than 300 per cent. As with many panics, fears about the TTC over the past year may be largely manufactured.

How to actually study in university

Writers: Simran Kaur, Maggie Wang, Manya Lamba Illustrator: Jishna Sunkara

No matter how good a student’s grades are in high school, no one is ever fully prepared for the academic challenges that university has in store. We’ve all heard the generic advice: get a planner, don’t procrastinate, study way before the exam.

But in reality, effective studying looks different depending on what field you’re part of. Below are three writers’ study tips, specific to three distinct academic fields at U of T. Good luck in the upcoming academic year!

Studying for humanities

As a humanities student, I believe that the most important key to success is to understand the course expectations by familiarizing yourself with the course syllabus and the grading criteria. This will not only help you understand what’s needed to excel in the course but also give you an idea of what your professor may expect from you throughout the semester. In many of my courses, I found that, since the syllabi were written in great detail, professors didn’t take much lecture time to explain an assignment. Instead, they expected us to get the work done based on the syllabus descriptions.

Another tip — important in all courses but especially in the humanities — is to read actively. With many courses providing extensive readings, it can be time-consuming to read and memorize everything. Thus, it is essential to develop active reading tech-

niques, such as focusing on chapter summaries and using review questions and keywords, to develop a stronger understanding of the content.

On the same note, using effective note-taking strategies are equally important when doing readings and listening to lectures. Some students prefer to take notes on their readings and add to them during the lecture, while others prefer to take separate notes. Regardless of how you study, ultimately, you need to ensure that your notes include key concepts, real-life examples of those concepts, and how that content can be assessed on tests or exams. This way, you’ll always be able to rely on your notes to revise efficiently when the time comes.

My final tip would be to actively participate in class discussions. When you’re not participating, you’re more likely to be distracted and not pay attention. But when you do participate, you’re aware of

the discussions taking place and can pay attention to the small but crucial details.

Although I cannot guarantee that all these tips will work for you, they’ve helped me succeed over the last three years. I am sure when adapted to your preferences, they will also be able to help you excel!

Studying for social science

For many students, the transition from high school to university can be daunting. But the adjustment doesn’t always have to be hard! Here are some tips to give you a running start straight into your first semester of social science.

Studying for STEM

While many study techniques exist, you will need to invest time and energy to find what works for you. Ideal study techniques will vary with the requirements of the course, so you have to be adaptable.

Anki is a software that allows you to create flashcards and review them to recall material. This program is used religiously in life sciences and other courses that are memorization-heavy. Anki allows users to embed audio, images, and scientific markups into their flashcards, allowing for more customizable and informative cards.

For open-book assessments, it is easier to get down to the basics and create your own notes. Use different colors and tabs so you are able to find the topic you are looking for with ease. More importantly, writing down concepts helps make your knowledge of them

1. Read for themes, not for details

The sheer number of readings you have to get through on a weekly basis can seem overwhelming. The good news is that professors don’t expect you to read the whole thing! Most courses will only test you on the main concepts, so don’t get bogged down trying to understand minute details in the text. Read the material to get a general understanding of its concepts and broader themes, and skim the text when necessary.

2. Engage in active studying

When approaching readings, students often fall into the habit of reading for facts instead of actually engaging with the material. But there is a reason why your professor has assigned a reading to you; the reading either connects to the lecture or deepens your understanding of the topic.

concrete to the point you rarely need your notes during those tests.

If you have ever taken an exam that allows you to bring a cheat sheet, take notice of how often you have actually used it. Condensing information to a single page allows you to focus more on concepts you need to solidify, and when the time comes for the exam, you will rarely need to refer to it. Even if you cannot bring a cheat sheet to the exam, make one anyway to see how much of what you can remember from the course can fit onto a single sheet. The missing concepts are the areas you need to work on.

Probably the biggest challenge you will encounter is distraction and procrastination. By changing your study location often, you can maximize your productivity and also discover new places on campus! I also find it easier to stay focused while listening to music. Play-

While reading, try to connect what you’re learning in the text to what you already know. In the long term, this will be especially helpful for writing an exam or essay, which rely on understanding the significance of the material.

3. Extend your knowledge outside the lecture

Lectures are important in creating a base for your knowledge, but chances are you’ll stumble upon something that isn’t covered in class. In that case, don’t hesitate to bring your questions to tutorials and your professor’s office hours! Receiving outside input on a text will help you gain a better understanding of the topic, and asking questions is a great way to get those tutorial participation marks. Debating content with friends is also useful to deepen your understanding and hear different perspectives on the material.

ing the same track on repeat helps me lose focus on the song and its lyrics and focus on my work, with the sound remaining as a constant, background variable. You can also listen to instrumental music, if lyrics distract you.

How to make friends at U of T, since we’re all socially awkward

Entering university can feel isolating and overwhelming, especially during your first year. Contrary to popular belief based on teen movies, there is no step-by-step guide to tell you how to make friends with a snap of your fingers or which groups are best to hang out with. The academic workload at U of T can make the isolation worse because you might feel alone in your struggle.

Fortunately, there are multiple ways to make friends during your first year of university so that you can feel less alone in your journey as a young adult and student. Here are 10 ways you can make friends:

Instagram and social media

If you’re more of an

you want to meet new people and make friends without the pressure of socializing in real life, look for a page for your graduating class — in the case of incoming students, the class of 2027 — on Instagram, and start talking to people there. Most incoming classes have an Instagram account for incoming students. For the class of 2027, there are multiple Instagram accounts dedicated to first-year student features and submissions, such as @ uoftx2027 and @uoft_27, which have huge followings of 12,000 to 13,000 users at the time of writing.

You can also look for course-specific group chats. The majority of courses have social media group chats, whether it be on Discord, Facebook, or Instagram. In these group chats, you can interact with people online about course con tent and upcoming assignments and

tests. Each program will also most likely have program-specific group chats and servers. These communities will provide updates for students about upcoming program events, clubs, and guides to other course group chats and/or information about a specific course.

Talking to peers in student spaces

Since you’ll be attending regular lectures on a weekly basis, meeting and talking with students in your lecture will not only help with course content, but will help you develop new friendships. Many students are scared to approach others in lectures, but students will be glad to make a friend to talk to about course content. From there, you can develop a meaningful friendship with them and discuss hanging out outside of class.

Writer: Kyla Cassandra Cortez Illustrator: Jessica Lam

You can also make friends by being in the same college or residence. There is nothing better than ranting to your roommates or those living in the same dorm as you about subpar dining hall food in your residence hall, judging other U of T residence halls based on their student services and conditions, or bonding over the shared experiences of living in the same building — whether pleasant or not.

Student organizations and social events

U of T has over 1,000 different clubs and student organizations spread across the three campuses: St. George, Missis sauga, and Scarborough. There are clubs for almost everything, like dancing, singing, acting, creative writing, culture, and more. For example, if you are passionate about journalism and telling stories, apply for various positions at The Varsity or in your respective college newspapers, such as The Strand, The Mike, The Gargoyle etc. Through pursuing new hob bies or passions, you can con nect with like-minded people and connect through common interests aside from school.

At UTSG, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) holds events for all undergrad uate students. The UTSU hosts career fairs, networking events, under the most unexpected circumstances.

Letter from the editors

What you’re reading in this handbook has everything we wish we knew when we started our first years at U of T.

We began our university career tossed into the deep end. Moving to a new city like Toronto and the start of a new academic life felt like a maze we would never find our ways through. Our first years consisted of mishaps that we still laugh about to this day.

There will be times in university when you question why you even thought going to U of T was a good idea and hope the pain that you’re experiencing ends quickly. But there will also be times when you try to hold onto a moment as tightly as possible and take in everything you see, in the hopes that the stories you tell about your experiences do them justice.

If we do our job right, this guide will help you create those memorable experiences you’d want to hold on to for years to come. Getting a degree is hard so do whatever you can to make your university life enjoyable as well.

— Alice Boyle, Handbook Editor & Caroline Bellamy, Creative Director

Check out more content online!

Reporting a sexual assault

Read this article to understand the multiple avenues and resources survivors of sexual assault can access at U of T.

How to access mental health support

At U of T, life can potentially get incredibly stressful and difficult. This article covers the on-campus mental health resources that U of T has to offer.

Accessibility Services

Read this article to navigate the accessibility resources that U of T has to offer.

Places to explore in Toronto

Toronto is home to an incredibly diverse array of neighbourhoods! This article details some neighbourhoods and places to explore in Toronto off-campus.

Handling winter in Toronto

Winter in Toronto is long and tough. This article goes over things to do in Toronto to make the cold weather more bearable.

Tenant rights

Renting is an incredibly stressful and confusing process. Read this article to know your rights as a tenant in Toronto, and avoid potential exploitation from landlords.

Handbook Editor-in-Chief: Alice Boyle

Creative Director: Caroline Bellamy

Varsity Editor-in-Chief: Sarah Artemia Kronenfeld

Managing Online Editor: Mekhi Quarshie

Managing Editor, External: Andrea Zhao

Managing Editor, Internal: Shernise Mohammed-Ali

Senior Copy Editor: Ajeetha Vithiyananthan

Deputy Senior Copy Editor: Kyla Cassandra Cortez

Photo Editor: Zeynep Poyanli

Illustration Editor: Jessica Lam

Video Editor: Olya Fedossenko

Front End Web Developer: Aaron Hong

Back End Web Developer: Andrew Hong

News Editor: Jessie Schwalb

Comment Editor: Eleanor Yuneun Park

Arts & Culture Editor: Milena Pappalardo

Science Editor: Salma Ragheb

Business & Labour Editor: Georgia Kelly

Design Editors: Olivia Belovich, Arthur Hamdani

Business Manager: Ishir Wadhwa

Business Associate: Rania Sadik

Copy Editors: Kamilla Bekbossynova, Ikjot Grewal, Taban Isfahaninejad, Ola Kim, Sofia Moniz, Elizabeth Nesan, Nikita Nunes, Kiri Stockwood, Junella Zhang

Cover Art: Arthur Hamdani, Jessica Lam, Zeynep Poylani

The Varsity Handbook has a circulation of 8,500 published by Varsity Publications Inc. It is printed by Master Web Inc. on recycled newsprint stock. Content © 2023 by The Varsity. All rights reserved. Any editorial inquiries and/or letters should be directed to the handbook editor-in-chief.

The Varsity Handbook reserves the right to edit all submissions.

Cheryl Nong

How an article gets published at The Varsity

Writer: Milena Pappalardo

Ever wonder how an article at goes from an idea to a finished piece in the paper? We all have something to say and new insights to contribute, and the following process is how we bring the stories of the U of T community to light.

An article starts as a pitch idea. Varsity section’s pitch mailing list, you will receive emails containing pitches: these are concepts for a relevant article, whether it be reporting about an event on cam pus or writing a commentary piece. Then the section editor will as sign the piece to whoever responds to the pitch email. Alternatively, you may email each section’s respective email and pitch an idea directly and unprompted.

2. Writing

When pitches are assigned to a writer, they are given a deadline and a word

like Arts and Culture or Science, pieces can have longer turn around times, like two weeks. For News, turnaround can be just a few days for timely stories! With every piece, a writer must submit a source sheet; this is where the writer references all facts, sources, and interview transcripts cited in their article.

3. Editing

There are several rounds of ed iting before an article is ready to be published — each article goes through at least five. Major general edits are first made by the section editor who receives the first draft. Then the Senior Copy Editor (SCE) or the Deputy Senior Copy Editor (DSCE) edits for general structure and logical soundness. After the SCE or DSCE reads the piece

During this stage, the article is fact checked twice against its source sheet, checked for grammar, and ensured it adheres to The Varsity’s style guide, which is its standardized grammar code. During the academic year, copy editing happens on the weekend, whereas the earlier editing stages happen over the course of the week.

The Editor-in-Chief then reads the piece to catch final errors and check for any risks of libel. Editors at all stages must also keep in mind equity concerns and le gal concerns for

ings across all three campuses. The Varsity’s design editors format all the finished articles into a proper layout and then send the layout to an external printing company. Shortly after, stacks of The Varsity newspaper can be found all over campus, hot off the printing press!

Illustrator: Zainab Afaq

“Invest in some good noise canceling headphones. They’ll make your long commute, loud roommates, and late night study sessions much more bearable.”

—

Mekhi

“Don’t feel pressured to say yes to everything! You don’t have to go to every event, hangout or be a part of every club. You have four (or more) years and that’s a lot of time. Think of your university experience as a marathon and not a sprint. It’s very easy to stretch ourselves very thin and burn out, so take care of yourself!”

— Arthur

“Go to the library and study as if you’re clocking into a job: while you work, put your phone away as if you have a boss watching you, then once your “shift” is over, relax or go out with friends!”

—

Milena

“Book a meeting with an academic advisor or career counselor. The advisors will help you clarify your program choices and explain the complicated coordination of the Program of Studies (POSt) system.”

—

Olya

“Do not underestimate the importance of mental health. If you do not take care of your mental health it will be a detriment to your grades and other aspects of your life 100% of the time. Mental health always comes first. Do whatever you need to do to keep that aspect of your health in check.”

— Alice

“Your GPA is not a reflection of your worth! Try your best, be open to new experiences, and meet as many people as you can — the skills and friends you develop are much more valuable in the long run.”

— Jessica

“Explore other libraries! There are other prettier libraries and study spaces than Robarts.”

— Kyla

If studying really isn’t working for you — even during crunch time — don’t just try to force it. Be patient with yourself, and try switching things up! Maybe that means finding a friend who’s willing to listen to you explain what you’re studying, or listening to an old lecture while you cook, or maybe it just means going to bed early and trying again in the morning.

— Artie

Scan here to check out the rest of the handbook! handbook.thevarsity.ca