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3 Things a Keener Wish She Knew In First-Year

Before I begin my post, I would like to clarify two things:

First, I was identified by others as a keener. Prior to coming to Canada, I thought there were only nerds. Apparently there were also over-achievers who were “fondly” nicknamed “keeners” by the general populace. Thus I am one of those. Second, please do not judge the keener community. To me personally, I enjoy slaving and overstudying. So before you think about how “life-less” or “weird” I am, I’d like to say for myself that going to Gernstein and reading my textbook on a Tuesday afternoon is pleasant. So it’s like vacationing in the Maldives, only in Toronto (saving money and time).

Most comments on online forums and websites are about how hard U of T is. So to keeners, I’d just like to say, if you worked your butt off in high school, then UT is not that bad. In fact, for me, it was easier. I actually get 8 hours of sleep per night, as opposed to the six in high school.

#1 It’s not that hard

Trust me. Having to not take courses I disliked such as the sciences, everything in university is much easier. With a wide array of classes and a lot of time to study for it (which, as keeners, I’m sure you will), then getting a 3.7+ should not be a problem.

#2 Don’t trust the ASSU

That was my biggest regret. I wanted to have a relaxing course in my first semester, so I took a super duper easy seminar course. It was super duper easy, except there was one problem: the teacher curved all our grades down since it was THAT easy. Being a naive first-year, I did not know this could happen, so I was super sad when my grade was lower by two grades. It turned out to be my lowest grade and a source of some mourning.

For all the courses that people warned me about, I did swimmingly because I put a lot of effort into them. ASSU is good to gauge the difficulty of the course, but somehow, I managed liking the courses that people gave the lowest rankings to just because I was willing to put in the extra effort.

#3 Take more courses in your first year

There are so many second-year classes you could take that don’t have any prerequisites, so do it when you have time and when university hasn’t fatigued you. I only wish I explored more elective options, such as religion courses with really fun names (Death and the Afterlife? You got me!).

To the keeners out there reading this, you’ll enjoy UT. Even though Urban Dictionary and eons of people bash it, you will be able to manage both your grades and a social life. There are so many opportunities that are just waiting for you to explore, so be excited. If you worked hard in high school, continue. If you didn’t, start now. If you still don’t find the motivation…party hard.

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Pride 2012: Show Your Rainbow Contest

It’s Pride Weekend, people, and we want you to show us your rainbow!

We’ve teamed up with Paramount to give away the ultimate Summer Prize Pack, which includes tickets to Part of Me, Katy Perry’s concert movie, special edition 3D glasses made specially for the film, Katy Perry t-shirts, and an inflatable beach ball.

So what do you have to do to win all this awesome swag?

Email your most colourful (and most fabulous) original Pride-themed picture to both and . The photographer who best embodies the colourful spirit of both Pride Toronto and Katy Perry wins!

The contest ends at 11:59pm on Thursday, July 5th, 2012. Please note: You must email us using your utoronto email address, or your entry will not be considered.

So get out there and show the world your Pride!

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So, You’re Going to U of T?

One of the first things I did when I accepted my admission to U of T was go on-line and search for as much relevant information as humanly possible. University publications, I realized, were prone to bias, at least until tuition was paid in full; the only credible sources of info on student life were publications written by students themselves. In this scramble I came upon the online editions of several campus newspapers: The Mike, Salterrae, The Gargoyle, The Howl, The Strand, and The Varsity, as well as UpbeaT and, of course, the magnificent blogUT. I scoured each and every one, trying to get a head start on university-related existential angst by means of learning exactly what it meant to be a U of Ter (is there not a better term for this? At least “Yorkie” is catchy…) and what student life would be like. I learnt a lot from that research and felt more prepared than many of my peers as I headed off to class in September; it was also the last time I did all my reading.

In the interest of altruism and the moral obligation that comes with great wisdom and knowledge,* I have compiled a brief list of things you might start considering as you begin your last summer as a non-college student. That is, unless you flunk your exams and lose your acceptance.

1) You are entitled to a little bit of pride.

Let’s face it: there are worse schools. Much worse schools. Many worse schools. The University of Toronto is a reputable, well-respected institution of which you are now part. You can hold your head a little higher and answer proudly, “I’m going to start studying at U of T” when uninterested-but-polite people ask what you’ll be doing next year. Good for you.

2) You are entitled to only a little bit of pride.

Let’s face it: there are way, way better schools. And you can’t go to them. It’s not like you had to prepare your whole academic life to get here; you didn’t even have to get decent grades for more than two years. “U of T” may hold some weight in Canada, but so do words like “rapeseed” and “twoonie”. If you lifted your head higher after the previous point, tilt it just a few degrees lower now.

3) There isn’t one universal student experience.

…and if there is, I haven’t had it. You’re likely to hear stories, usually secondhand, about how U of T will suck away your social life and replace it with studying and work and books and booking studies and studying books. You might also have heard the more generic story about how university is one continuous American Pie-themed party. Neither of these accounts is quite true, I can assure you, though how much you’d like your time here to resemble either one is up to you. Students take on different course loads, sign up for different amounts of clubs, and are socially active to sometimes vastly varying degrees. How you experience campus life is going to be unique to you and alike no one else.

Unless you’re in engineering.

4) You won’t be the smartest/best or the stupidest/worst.

Last summer, a fellow future student and I toured campus at night to get a sense of where we’d be spending our next four years. As we stopped outside building after building, each seeming to get progressively larger, my anxieties got worse until I finally said “I’m worried I’ll be the stupidest kid in the class”, to which my substantially wiser friend assured me that no, that’s statistically impossible, and anyway you’re very bright. Then I said “I’m worried I won’t be the smartest kid in the class” to which she said nothing, because it went without vocalization that no, I would not be the smartest student in any class. Have you seen my writing? Though it’s rarely helpful to consider one’s self average, always remember that you’re not likely to be the dumbest or brightest person in any given situation.

Unless you’re trying out for quizbowl, in which case, if you’re me, you’re noticeably the stupidest and most ignorant.

5) Go with the flow.

If you truly are like me, at least a small part of your obsession with school-related trivia is that is makes a nice distraction from the anxiety that comes with a whole new situation. Though you can learn a lot and prepare yourself, the best advice is to go with the flow, pay attention, learn from what goes on around you, and take it all in strides. You have a few months and the possibility to grow and change enormously from the time you read this until the time classes start, so I won’t go into specifics of with which flows you should go along. I’ll just leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein:

“I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.”**

Until then, keep reading and learning. To follow (eventually), a more specific list of how to prepare yourself for your freshman year.

*If you’re generous, you’ll read this as at least half sarcastic.

**Then again, he deeply regretted persuading FDR to pursue nuclear weaponry and the lives it cost. Hmm…

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A “Stellar” Example of Our Generation

Waltzing into one’s final year of undergrad or walking through one’s graduation ceremony, it is normal to stop and look back on one’s accomplishments and successes throughout the (sometimes) arduous but incredibly thrilling experience that our university career can provide. So with this in mind, I have decided to write a few articles about people in our generation who have come to make something of themselves even before “stepping out into the real (scary) world.”

In Tomas Murmis’ case, looking back on his life so far at the young (but sage) age of 24 he shows a mélange of talent, hard work, and passion all revolving around his chosen path: music.
Growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tomas began his musical journey when he started to learn guitar at the age of 10 and he has not stopped since. “From the moment I put my hands on the guitar, I didn’t let it go,” he told me as we were discussing how he got into music in the first place. While he also plays the piano and derivations of the classic guitar, like the ukulele, the guitar has remained his favourite.

As he continued in his musical endeavor, he found himself attracted to jazz. A huge fan of Keith Jarrett, he followed his love for jazz, taking lessons with various instructors in Buenos Aires who each helped shape his taste and performance.

In October of 2007, Tomas took a quick trip to Brazil to audition for the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Every year the college does a world tour providing the opportunity of auditions for international students. After a few months of waiting, Tomas received not only his acceptance, but also a scholarship to the prestigious institution. During his last year in Argentina, before heading off to Boston, Tomas immersed himself in a new focus. He started working on composition and arrangement both in jazz for himself, but also for some larger bands. As he started out at Berklee, he pursued this interest and this led him to major in film-scoring.

Berklee not only helped him set out his potential career path, but it also opened his eyes to a variety of other music that he had previously left at the sidelines. As he expanded his musical and compositional capacities, he also expanded his taste. “Boston opened my eyes,” he said as he explained that being in the city introduced him to classical and orchestral music in a level he had not previously experienced. Living within walking distance of the Boston Symphony Hall, he attended concerts every weekend, sometimes on more than one occasion! Not only did he encounter new music, but he also found himself appreciating Argentine folk and tango music in a way he never had back at home. I guess distance really does make the heart grow fonder.

In early 2011, Tomas was awarded the Georges Delerue award which, as he was a renowned film composer, is endowed to young professionals that are specifically interested in musical composition for films. Not only that, but from September 2010 until March 2011, he also worked as an intern at Paramount in which he experienced how to cater one’s own creations to the vision of others. On this he said that “whatever you produce is you.” At the end of the day, what one has to do is compromise, and communication is vital as the artist has to “translate from English into music.” The work at Paramount was challenging but also unbelievable, primarily because he was able to get realistic (sometimes blunt) feedback on what he produced. After all this experience, he is also currently composing for a short film called “The 3 Suicides of Paul Hamilton.”

When I asked him what it felt like to expose his music on the screen or with another band, or in performance, he answered me with a ready smile. “As artists, we try to expose the truth in our music, and because of this, having other people listen to it is a very exposing experience.” When he composes for a movie, for example, his music tends to reflect his reaction to the scene he’s watching. He told me that his experiences and memories are reflected in his music, even though the listener may never know this. However, he did mention that he does not like to listen to his work with others once it is complete. At that point, he just wants to move on to the next piece and create something new.

Composing is not all that keeps this young man busy. He is also a performer and he enjoys playing around the city when he can. When I asked him what performing felt like to him, he gave me his most revealing answer, I think, of the interview. Performing “is one of the closest feelings to really being alive.”

And there you have it folks. This is a guy who at our age, in our generation, is striving down his chosen path and is already successful at it, leaving us to either shake our heads in quiet desperation as we wonder what to do with our lives, or inspired to take the steps that we should already have taken but haven’t out of uncertainty.

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Here’s To All Of Us Non-Travellers

Are all of your friends going somewhere cool this summer? Are you stuck in this place we call the greatest city of Ontario? Well, so am I! And I’ve started brainstorming some ridiculously awesome reasons to be happy about it!

First, there’s none of that annoying jet lag. That’s a big win… even if exam period totally did screw up your sleeping schedule to match that of London, England anyways…

Also, none of that having to go to new places! You get to stay comfortably settled in this place that you already know way too well. No surprises at all. Tourism? Please, have you seen all the tourist shops in Chinatown? You can get all the knick-knacks you want right here!

And, really, think of all the money you’re saving by not having to pay for plane tickets. And not having to buy fancy dinners at fancy restaurants in foreign lands. Also no need to pay for hotels! You get to cook, clean, and live right at home where you’ve always been, saving a lot of money in the process.

Also, don’t forget that there’s less of a chance for your plane to be the cause of another bird death! You wouldn’t want to be responsible for that now, would you?

…

Gosh, I need to get out of here.