Jessica Hung Contributor

Despite what recent temperatures may suggest, autumn is upon us. As the colors of the trees begin to change, it is important to get ahead of the winter blues and start making changes to our lifestyles. As the excitement of returning to campus dies down it is time to settle into routines in preparation of the new semester. While building our daily routines it is important to remember that there’s so much more to life than lectures, tutorials, and exams. If you are looking for a step by step guide to achieving the perfect GPA, this article may not be for you. However, there are numerous resources for that around campus! A great place to start would be the registrar’s office, or signing up for an academic counseling session. What I would like to achieve in this article is to offer some hard-earned advice on how to survive LIFE as a university student. Now, obviously as a student myself, my advice won’t be perfect, but I hope some of what I have learnt over the past few years would provide a new perspective or inspire some new ideas.

With winter around the corner and school picking up, you might start feeling like you are trapped in a cage of textbooks and lecture notes. I have been there. It is easy to feel like a train going from station to station: home, class, Robarts (or whatever your go to library happens to be), work, then home again. There’s nothing wrong with having a set routine, but a couple months in, the inevitable existential dread starts creeping in. Suddenly waking up in the morning might start to feel like a chore, making it to class becomes more difficult, and actually focusing on getting work done might seem like the hardest thing ever. I find that adding a little bit of spice to daily routines really helps with fending off burn out. Something I found helpful to add excitement to life while also getting my work done is having more than one study spot. Compile a list of study spots both on and around campus to try out. There are so many cafes, study spaces, and libraries near and on campus that are worth a visit. The best way I have found to do this is to make a list of places on Google Maps. When you feel the academic burn out creeping in, pull out the list and find a spot that works for your day. This also has the added benefit of exploring not just the campus, but the city as well. I would take advantage of this before the snow starts falling though, because Toronto is an incredibly walkable city so take advantage of the sun before it gets too slippery to walk!

In the same vein as finding study spots, find a group of friends you can study with. These people will be your lifeline for the rest of the school year. I personally love studying with friends in different majors and programs. Not only do you get to learn a little about different disciplines, but it is also great for revision before exams. Something I find to be really helpful is explaining whatever I need to know to my friends who have no context about what I’m studying. Now, you might be wondering where one might acquire these friends. Personally I adopted mine from my first year on residence, but if you’re not in residence, don’t worry! There are lots of spots to find new friends around campus. In St. Michael’s College, my favorite spots to meet new people are the Coop and Canada Room. The basketball court outside of Elmsley is also a great spot to meet new people if you are into sports! Furthermore, St. Mikes also has a ton of on campus activities where you can get to know people. SMCSU is always hosting events for both commuters and residents. Finding time in your schedule to drop in on one of these events could help you find a whole group of people who are there to uplift and support you throughout the year. Of course, finding friends is easier said than done.

While I cannot provide a step by step guide to the ultimate friend group, I’ve accumulated a few tips on how to create and maintain friendships amidst the chaos that is UofT. The first and most important thing is to get comfortable with discomfort. It’s never easy to approach strangers (for most of us anyways), but sometimes a simple compliment or asking to sit at someone’s table could lead to life long friendships. Of course there’s always the fear of rejection.

Something I learnt the hard way is to never take rejection personally. Everyone has thousands of things going on in their lives at any given moment. Someone declining your invitation to study together or grab coffee could be because they feel sick, or maybe they’re just really busy that day. Don’t let the fear of being rejected stop you from reaching out again. At this point I feel obligated to remind you that this policy applies to FRIENDSHIPS. Please refer to the consent module on Quercus to ensure you are not harassing your campus crush. My third tip might be a bit controversial, but it is to never, ever, be nonchalant. Be honest to people about who you are and how you feel. If someone hurts your feelings, let them know. If something is making you uncomfortable, address it! By being honest with people, you avoid pent up emotions. This way your friendships will actually last past the semester. Lastly, find non-school related activities to do together. Toronto is such a vibrant and lively city. On any given day there is probably an event happening. Most recently we’ve had the Daniel Caesar pop-up concert at Trinity Bellwoods. On campus, Hart House and the Athletic Centre always have programming throughout the week, including sports and the arts.

I hope my unsolicited advice has inspired at least a couple of you to change up your routines for the coming school year. Most importantly, remember that just like how the environment around us is starting to change, you should too.

Change is not a bad thing. Sure it may be uncomfortable at first, but at the end of the day you get to learn more about yourself and fall a little bit more in love with your life each day.