It seems like I can only do the same thing for three consecutive years before I get bored with it. High school was completely bearable – enjoyable, even– until grade 12, when suddenly waking up for another day of academic drudgery seemed a fate worse than summer school. I even went through an unfortunate (and exceedingly awkward) nu metal phase for about three years in elementary school before that gave way to the next musical trend. Yet, surprisingly enough, it took me exactly 3.5 years to truly feel the urge to get the bleep out of U of T.
As someone who has been in school for virtually my entire life, and who has enjoyed most of what that experience has offered, the impulse to enter into the real world has never been high on my list of priorities. Career? It can wait, seeing as it’s off in that distant future realm, which doesn’t seem like it’ll be arriving anytime soon (whoops)! Saving for a rainy day? I dunno, looks perfectly sunny today! With that kind of rationale, U of T has been the perfect environment for me. Getting to sit around reading and writing everyday with little to no regard for the impending world of jobs and rent has been an enriching experience to say the least. It has also been completely, relentlessly, and mind-numbingly exhausting. So after three and a half years of novel after novel, tutorial after tutorial, and essay after essay, I can safely say that the “real world” is looking pretty amazing.
Looking back on the past few years here at St. George, one thing stands out: U of T is hard. Damn hard. Not everyone can hack it, and the fact that I’ve been able to thrive, let alone persevere, is pretty shocking to me sometimes. Don’t let all those Life Science students fool you, Humanities kids: Philosophy would give any student a run for their money. Yet, despite the sheer terror I initially felt walking into philosophy class, it turns out it has been one of the most rewarding disciplines I’ve ever studied. Thanks to U of T, I can logic my way out of anything, and while that’s not the most immediately applicable life skill, it’s a lot of fun annoying your friends by telling them that they’ve erroneously “appealed to improper authority” (I’m a terrible person).
The next, and probably most, important thing that stands out to me about my U of T experience is that it has allowed me to grow in ways I didn’t even think were possible. Setting aside all the academic stuff, university has broken me out of my shell in a big way. Heading to the very first day of frosh, I felt like turning and sprinting in the other direction at the first sight of that rowdy, sweaty bunch chanting what sounded to be satanic incantations. The best decision I ever made as a post-secondary student was taking that first step onto the quad. That first step led to the next step, and the next, until I suddenly looked back on that moment a year later and realized that I was on a journey – and that I wasn’t afraid anymore. Learning how to navigate life downtown on your own terms changes you. After a few months, I was no longer that sheltered suburbs kid lost in a swarm of people. I talked to strangers, I made friends, I used the subway without having to stare intently at the map: I finally had freedom and, while it felt somewhat dizzying, it was also exhilarating. The months went by, the marks came in, and it turned out I didn’t have to worry so much. U of T is daunting, sure, but I quickly found out that, while difficult, it’s not impossible to do well and enjoy yourself here.
All that being said, it’s easy to reminisce on any period of time in your life and become overly sentimental, wax a little too poetic, and so on, so I should temper my previous paragraph by saying that the U of T experience, while hard to summarize, had been more of a mixed bag than completely positive or negative. I’ve spent a lot of stressful weeks in classes that I’ve hated, shed many tears over piles and piles of readings, and been disillusioned with the university system in general. I’ve also had many wonderful, interesting, and unforgettable courses (The Beatles!), spent many a night laughing and drinking with friends, and have enjoyed the pure thrill of meeting new people, making new connections, even falling in love. At the end of the day, I’d like to think that the good has outweighed the bad but, even if that’s not true, I don’t regret anything about my time here (I especially don’t regret how little I’ve used the gym).
So, as I head into my final semester, I think that my feelings about the last 7 semesters can be summarized with the following:
Thank you for everything U of T. Now RELEASE ME!
