Biology & Psychology at University of Toronto (Scarborough)

Maral (Year 3)

maralderohan@yahoo.ca

What made you choose this institution over all others? Did the university exceed your expectations?

UTSC has a wide variety of programs to choose from, allowing you to explore many different disciplines in your first year of study, eventually guiding you to know what you like and dislike and thus, enrolling in a program which best suits you. The quality and level of education at UTSC has exceeded my expectations.

Briefly describe the academic rigour of your program (in terms of competitiveness, courses, professors, etc.)

Most of my courses up until this point have had a fair grading system, with many quizzes/assignments allowing you to get extra marks here and there. However, there are always going to be those courses which are solely based on a midterm and a final exam, which can be very stressful at times, but the professors do an amazing job explaining the material, so you feel confident going into the exam.

Describe the social life at your campus based on your own experiences (making friends, clubs + extracurriculars, party culture etc.)

The social life at UTSC is a great balance between not too crazy and crazy. Making friends is not really hard to do, since everyone is going to be in the same boat as you in first year, transitioning from high school to university, therefore bonding over certain topics won’t be too difficult. There are many student clubs on campus you can join, allowing you to get involved on campus and work alongside people outside your circle of friends.

What are some of the best and worst parts of your university experience so far?

Some of the best parts of my experience so far is meeting lifelong friends and making memories along the way. There are not many bad parts of my experience thus far, however one thing is to always try keeping your head up high and never give up, even when you feel like you’ve done everything you could, because one little road bump is one little step closer to achieving your goals.

List three effective study techniques and/or habits:

1) Taking very detailed notes in class

2) Re-writing all lecture notes by hand for exams

3) Studying well ahead of time and preparing a to-do-list

List three pieces of advice for first-year students:

1) Never give up

2) Take advantage of the available opportunities to get involved on campus

3) Work hard

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