My Experience at the University of Toronto
I frequently get asked questions about my experience at the University of Toronto (UofT), so I wanted to create a one-stop-shop where I could tackle some of the most frequently asked questions. This blog post is lengthy, but it covers my residence experience in first-year, my academic performance throughout my undergrad, my thoughts on UofT and Rotman Commerce, and more! If there’s anything I haven’t covered here, I’ll keep updating this post to make it easy for you guys to find the info you’re looking for!
Everyone has such a different university/college experience— what may be hard/stressful for me could be simple/chill for you, and vice versa! It’s great to look for insight from other people’s experiences but I encourage you to go into this chapter open to seeing where it takes you. That being said, I hope this post gives you some helpful insights or advice!
The Application Process to Rotman Commerce
My process of applying to the UofT was a bit more complicated than applying for a typical Arts and Science admission because applications to Rotman Commerce require a written and video submission. I get questions all the time about the video component but it’s changed a lot since I had to do my video back in 2014. My video application went like this: on the day I was ready to do my video, I accessed the application and was given a question to answer in my video. Once I was given the question, I had only one hour to record a response and upload the file to the admission portal. Nowadays I believe Rotman Commerce uses a website where you are given a question and forced to record your response in one-take (I’d definitely be more nervous about that if I was applying today, but I imagine their goal is to get a genuine look at who you are, so just focus on being yourself! Try not to overthink it)!
Some tips for video applications:
Before starting your video application, think about answers to made-up questions you think could come up. For example, prepping for a “why do you want to go to UofT/Rotman Commerce?” is a pretty good one to think about beforehand
Jot down a quick outline to your response if you’re given a question in advance— this will be helpful if your nerves are high
Don’t be afraid to show personality! Your personality is one of the things that makes you unique and thus an easy way to make your application naturally stand out. Also, think about where you’ll record before starting your session— when I filmed my video response, I placed myself in front of my bookshelves to indirectly showcase my love for reading. It also was a quiet spot where I wouldn’t be interrupted by my family.
My Residence Experience at Woodsworth College
Every student who attends the University of Toronto is assigned to a college. The college-system divides students so that if you have any questions/issues, your main point of contact will be your college’s registrar.
When you apply to UofT, you have to list UofT’s colleges in order of preference (if you are planning on living on residence in first-year, you’re going to want to make sure you pay attention to this step because the college you get into will most likely be where you are assigned to live…some residences even REQUIRE you to rank them first to be eligible for acceptance to them). For my college selection, I chose Woodsworth. I had toured UofT residences in the fall of 2014, and quickly realized that I loved the apartment structure of Woodsworth’s residence — I preferred it to Innis (the other apartment-style residence) because the rooms felt less stuffy with grey furniture and a plethora of windows. Many Rotman students end up choosing Woodsworth because lots of Rotman Commerce classes are located in Woodsworth’s basement, but you do not have to choose Woodsworth if you’re in Rotman.
Woodsworth Apartment—Common Areas:
The suite you get is completely random, but I ended up getting a corner unit that I shared with 5 other girls. One of my roommates ended up being one of my best friends growing up, Andreia, but I never met the other four ladies until move-in day. A few weeks before move-in we received an email with details about our rooms and roommates’ contact info; it was at that point that all of us joined a Facebook messenger group to discuss who was bringing a toaster/kettle/etc. The kitchen comes with a fridge, stove, microwave, garbage bin and recycling bin. There’s also cabinets, two island stools and a kitchen island with two pretty deep shelves for storing pots, pans, and kitchenware. There’s usually enough room for each roommate to have their own hallway closet. When I was living at Woodsworth, most of my roommates (me included) stored our pantry food in our own hallway closets— if you plan to do this, I’d recommend getting some shelving like *this and using airtight bins to store your food. Attached to the kitchen is a seating area with a couch, coffee table, and floor lamp. Each roommate brought their own pans and kitchenware, but we were open to sharing items as long as everyone asked beforehand.
Depending on how many people are in your unit, you may end up with one or two bathrooms. The bathrooms each have a sink, toilet, and stand-up shower. Storage within the bathroom is limited to a vanity with a cupboard underneath the sink and 3-4 small drawers. The shower had enough room for all of us to each store our shampoo/conditioner/body wash, but I ended up having to store some skincare in my room; if you have a lot of products to use, a *bathroom caddy might come in handy.
Woodsworth Apartment — The Bedroom
At Woodsworth, every resident gets their own bedroom; one of my favourite parts about this dorm is that you get privacy in your bedroom when you want it, but can socialize with your roommates when you’re in the kitchen or living room. Each bedroom comes equipped with a twin bed (mattress included), desk, desk chair, bookshelf, floor lamp, closet, phone, floor-length mirror behind the door, and a small 2-drawer metal cabinet for office supplies. Underneath the bed are two big drawers for extra storage as well. Each bedroom door locks when it’s closed so your room can only be opened using your key card.
For my bedroom (full tour in the video below), I ended up bringing in a mini-fridge so that I could store some drinks and extra food. I also built an *Alex drawer to put underneath my desk because I needed a lot more storage for camera gear, paper, school supplies, skincare, calculators, etc. To add more organization to the closet, I brought a *Sterlite drawer set to store my bras/PJs/underwear/etc, and I wrapped the mattress with a *bed bug protector for extra caution.
Each room has a port for an Ethernet cable (highly recommend bring an Ethernet cable if you want reliable internet). It’s also a smart idea for you or one of your roommates to bring a router to strengthen everyone’s connection to UofT’s Wi-Fi.
Location & Security
The Woodsworth residence is located on a busy intersection (St. George and Bloor Street) and is a two-minute walk from the subway (TTC), with access to both lines 1 and 2. Bloor Street is filled with lots of shopping and food options so there’s always something cool to check out within walking distance.
I always felt really safe at Woodsworth. Nobody can access the residence area without showing their key card to the front desk, and all guests must be signed in. If you have mail sent over to your residence, it will be picked up by the front desk and sorted into your mailbox. Any packages will be held at the front desk and a porter will call your room to tell you a package has arrived.
In Summary— My Residence Experience
I’ll have to dedicate an entire blog post to talking about living away from home for the first time, but in general, my residence experience was great! I was lucky to be in a situation where I got along with all my roommates and to this day am still friends with many of them. It’s an experience I will always treasure because I don’t think there will ever be a time in my life again where I get to live in an apartment with 5 other gals! Obviously, there’s a bit of luck involved with whether or not you and your roommates will be compatible, but I will say that making expectations clear early on will help avoid a lot of unnecessary drama. For example, make a point of having an apartment meeting within the first few days to go over cleaning schedules (who takes out the garbage, who cleans the bathrooms, WHEN these tasks happen, etc.) ….when my brother went to Woodsworth in 2019, he got the option to opt-in to a cleaning service so that’s something to consider if you’re worried about having roommates who won’t keep the dorm clean.
UofT only guarantees residence to first-year students, so to get into a residence in year two and beyond you have to be involved with the school to make your application competitive. Most students end up finding apartments in the city or decide to commute (if you want to hear about my apartment hunting experience, I’ll write a blog post about it another time).
Academics
First Year
First-year was definitely a tough academic transition. I suddenly was in a situation where instead of getting A’s on every test/assignment, I was receiving grades across a WIDE spectrum between 60-95%— it was a big shock to my system. In hindsight, I want to tell you that THIS IS NORMAL! Your first year is a big adjustment in learning how to handle the pace and quantity of work that comes along with university— even as a very dedicated and academically focused high school student, I struggled.
I remember calling my mom on my way home from my first calculus class and crying on the phone in panic because I wasn’t able to follow along with anything the professor had taught. I told her things like “I don’t think I belong here” and “I am not smart enough for this”…basically, I was having a breakdown (the first of many throughout my time as an undergrad). Again, I want to assure you that these thoughts are normal but shouldn’t be taken a sign that you aren’t capable of getting a university degree. I try to look at breakdowns as “brain alerts” telling me something isn’t working— and the solution is usually a lot simpler than you think. For instance, back to my post-calculus breakdown, after shedding some tears I talked to my mom about my schedule and realized that one of the reasons I may had struggled with my calculus lecture was because I was taking a 7-10pm class after a full day of classes before it….no wonder I was lost! Not only does my brain shut off at night, but it also shuts off when it’s overloaded, so having a calculus class so late wasn’t a smart scheduling choice. I switched into a 12-3pm class with the same professor and IMMEDIATELY was having a much easier time following along. That class (MAT133) ended up being one of my best performances in first-year despite it being my worst start. I’m not saying every problem in university has an easy solution like this—sometimes you’re going to have to make some big decisions and be honest about your working habits and academic interests— but I will say that not every problem is the end of the world either, even when it feels like it is in the moment.
In first-year, I also had to achieve certain grades in my Rotman Commerce courses in order to be officially accepted into the program (these requirements have changed since I was in first-year). I ended up meeting the requirements but if I hadn’t, I would have been able to continue at UofT as an Arts and Science student.
Second-Year
Second-year was my hardest academically—it’s not unusual for second-year to be the toughest year in your undergrad because often times programs are trying to weed out students (I hate that this is a thing, but it can be a reality in some undergrad programs). In the Rotman Commerce business program, second-year is when you choose your specialization: management, economics, or accounting. I decided to go down the management route, but since economics was still a mandatory component to my schooling, I really struggled with economics courses like ECO100 and ECO204. I ended up having my first failing grade in second-year (I got a 20% on one of my economics tests….it wasn’t good haha), and I was the most stressed out during that time. Whenever you’re taking a math-based course, the workload tends to be extreme because the best way to learn how to solve math problems is by doing a lot of math problems; it was for that reason that I often felt a lot of guilt if I was doing things other than school because I knew I needed to keep brushing up on problem-sets and economic models.
Although I’m making second year sound like hell on earth, there was still a lot of good that happened that year too! I moved into a two-bedroom apartment with the friend I mentioned earlier, Andreia, started getting serious about growing my YouTube channel and made some incredible memories with friends. Second-year was also the year where I really started to become comfortable navigating Toronto because I made a point of exploring more places in my area.
Third-year
Third-year was a much better academic year than first and second. By this point, I had gone through four midterm seasons and four exam seasons, so I had finally adjusted to the workload. One of the great parts about third-year was the fact that I had fewer mandatory classes to take so I was able to take more “fun” courses that gave me a break from the business content (courses like PHL295: Business Ethics and AST201: Stars and Galaxies). I had a couple of courses (namely RSM132 and RSM133) that were a bit rough, but as a whole, I saw my grades finally going up that year.
Another plus about third-year was I started to make more connections/friendships with my classmates. Even though UofT is a big school, as I went further into my program I started coming across familiar faces in my classes and slowly began investing more time into those relationships. I was originally was a bit frustrated with the large number of group projects at Rotman (in the management stream, almost every class has a group component), but I did end up appreciating what a great opportunity those group projects were for friendship building. I met some great people in school and still stay in touch with a handful of them!
Fourth-Year
Fourth-year was the best year across the board— part of the reason was because I no longer had any economics courses, wahoo! My timetable was filled with unique courses like “MUS321: The Beatles” and “CIN213: Cinema and Sensation II” (if you’re ever wondering what was the strangest course I took at UofT, CIN213 is EASILY the answer to that one). I also had the opportunity to TA (Teaching Assistant) a course and my grades definitely hit the highest point, on average, for the year.
Oddly enough, fourth-year was also the year I spent less time on schoolwork than any of the previous years. Throughout my undergrad, I increasingly dedicated more time to my YouTube channel and it hit a peak in my final year. One piece of advice I always like to give to students is to make time for passions/hobbies/interests….yes, working hard is admirable but working hard doesn’t mean you have to ignore yourself! Schedule in “me time” like you would a class based on 100% attendance— in other words, you can’t skip it! The times where I was putting myself first on my to-do list were also the times where I was able to perform my best as a student. Not only does “me time” help distract from the anxieties and stresses that come along with student life, it also gives your life meaning beyond grades and resume-worthy accomplishments (and let me tell you, there IS more to life beyond those things)!
Some Overall Thoughts….
By the time graduation started approaching, I was mentally more-than-ready to finally be done with university, but I was also mourning the end of the schooling chapter of my life. Even though my time at the University of Toronto was filled with my fair share of tears and stresses (it is nicknamed UofTears for a reason), I ultimately look back on it very fondly. It was throughout those four years of my undergrad that I learned how to work productively on my own, how to collaborate with others, and how to be responsible for my own home and adult-ing tasks.
I want to make sure though that I’m not romanticizing school because when you’re in the thick of your schooling— no matter which university you’re attending— there are inevitably going to be times where the work just doesn’t seem like it’ll ever end. And honestly, it feels that way because it’s true. The workload for many programs is incredibly high so you have to remind yourself during times of stress that it’s normal to need time to adjust to that. It’s also impossible to get to EVERY reading so you’ll learn as you go through university how to pick and choose where you need to spend your time….unfortunately, it’s not something I can teach you because it’s a different approach for everyone, depending on your learning style and study habits. Your first year plays a huge role in helping you learn what study system works for you.
Pros and Cons of the University of Toronto:
Pros:
Amazing location in downtown Toronto (specifically St. George campus— I have no experience with the other campus es so I can’t speak on them). The campus was one of the things that sold me on UofT …. it’s stunning, with a mix of old and new buildings, and areas with a Hogwarts/European feel to them
Recognized as one of the top schools in Canada, and ranked 18th in the world by Times Higher Education in 2020
Lots of diversity in student population — your classmates will be from around the world, which is a great way to learn about different cultures
Many scholarship opportunities and financial aids (UTaps)
Cons:
Programs can be pretty demanding and some have tough entry requirements
Larger student population makes it harder to feel a sense of community (this does get better as you specialize in your program and have smaller class sizes)
Strong academic-focused culture — can add pressure on students to perform well
Pros and Cons about Rotman Commerce:
Pros:
Management students get a really diverse education— you need to get a mandatory economics minor, and are required to take a significant amount of non-Rotman courses
Access to some of the same teaching staff as the Rotman MBA program
Lots of group work in RSM courses helps get students familiar with collaborating
Cons:
More expensive (in years 2-3) than getting a business major and no internship component to the degree
Management students have to take a lot of economics courses that are designed for students moving forward in the economics stream (these courses can be tough if conceptual courses aren’t your strong suit but, as someone who isn’t strong in economics, I did manage to survive to tell the tale haha)
No real advantage to being a Rotman Commerce grad when applying to the MBA program
Should I attend the University of Toronto? Rotman Commerce?
I get asked this in my DMs a lot and I wish I could make your lives easier and give a definitive yes or no, but I can’t. I don’t have regrets about my choice because it was at UofT that I met some of my closest friends today. The Rotman Commerce program also challenged me in ways that I think ended up strengthening my understanding of the traditional business environment and how to work efficiently within time constraints. Ultimately though, I think the decision to go to university and the decision on WHICH one to go to should be a decision you make based on what feels right for you; when I visited UofT, I could immediately picture myself walking to class and studying around campus. You’re going to be spending four (or more) years at the university you choose so, although it’s not the end of the world if you don’t end up loving your choice, if there’s a school that’s speaking your name that may be the answer you’re looking for.
Even though UofT is very academically-focused, I feel like I was able to really achieve some more balance in my last two years. “Balance” (I use air quotes because 100% balance is never possible— each day/season/year in life comes along with things that require more attention than others) is something you have to be intentional about. Join that club, start that hobby, plan that get-together with friends….it’s cheesy to say, but those are the things that you’ll remember years after your time at school is complete. Coming from someone who’s only been out of school for a year, I can confirm that you quickly forget the day-to-day stresses that seem to take over your life when you’re in student mode.
I hope this blog post was helpful to any of you considering UofT— I’m always happy to answer questions people have about my university experience, so if there’s anything I didn’t touch on leave a comment below or hit me up on any of my socials. I’m sending good luck vibes to all of you! Until the next one, Xo —C.
