Discover Engineering

International Student Experience

Angelina Tan // Apr 15, 2010

When I came to Canada, I feared the cold weather. Growing up in a tropical country, I’m use to getting at least 12 hours of sunlight a day. So I had a mental picture in my mind that everyone in Toronto dresses in heavy winter coats and snow boots. However, Toronto’s weather is not as extreme as I imagined. Sure there is the cold winter, but the rest of the year is rather pleasant. I lived on campus for my first and second year. Hence, I didn’t have to spend much time in the cold when getting to classes. Plus, New College residence has a very good indoor heating system that I could wear T-shirts and even shorts in my room while the snow out side is a foot tall.

When it comes to attending the largest university in Canada, I was really afraid that I would be lost in the sea of students. I thought that, like the other 900 classmates, I would just be a student number to the professors. Luckily, being in Engineering, the size of the classes is relatively small and professors do actually know us by name. Being in a large university has given me the opportunity to meet people from every part of the world and learn about their diverse culture. Living in residence has allowed me to forge unique friendships with other international students who are just like me, in a foreign land far away from home. On the other hand, my interaction with my classmates who were born and raised in Toronto has helped to assimilate to Canadian culture.

However, the assimilation did not just happen over a day; it took me awhile to adjust to Western food and the lifestyle of an engineering student.
“One cannot think well, love well or sleep well if one has not dined well”- Virginia Wolfe. Very true, especially when you need your brain for multivariable integration. After a few months of potatoes, pizzas, pastas and pops (I assure you I have absolutely no bias against the P’s food), every day meals became very bland. I missed the exotic dishes with the variety of spices that I was so used to at home (and took for granted). Luckily being Toronto, you can find restaurants serving cuisine from every corner of the world. For us who are in U of T, we have the great fortune to be in walking distance of these sumptuous meals. Before you know it, you will know the phone number of the restaurants that will deliver to you at two a.m., which is when you are finally done with your assignment. I remember the first time that I had to study past midnight, before I know it, it was already two in the morning and my stomach was growling like an angry dog. Luckily, New Ho King (a godsend for us) from Chinatown came to the rescue; my best friend and I ended up having a feast in my room.

Yes, I meant two in the morning. Sometimes, life can get pretty hectic for engineering students. Time management is a great skill to have! However, to be able to attend classes, complete assignments, study (read cram) for midterms and still have time for extra curricular activities and do fun stuff, something has to be sacrificed. That is sleep. Some engineering students consider that more than six hours of sleep per day is actually inefficient use of time. For me it was quite challenging to get use to the reduced sleep and the erratic work load. However, it is very comforting to see others like me getting coffee from the kitchen in the middle of the night to recharge for the next sets of assignments. Most of the time, I studied with a group of floor mates (other students living on the same floor) in the common room who have provided me a good company and motivation to stay awake.

What makes studying more fun is the enjoyable scenery surrounding me. U of T has a very beautiful campus (a handful of Hollywood movies were filmed here too) with old and new buildings, surrounded by a lot of green spaces. Studying in a historic building with its quaint beauty definitely makes cramming for exams a more pleasant experience. U of T also has an expansive library system; you can find the most obscure book in our libraries. One of the things that I really enjoy doing is studying at the countless libraries at U of T because if I ever get bored, I could just wander along the labyrinth of books until one of them catches my eye.

Despite the common belief that we don’t have fun, an undergraduate’s life in Engineering is not just about hard work and no fun. You will soon discover that this vibrant city has endless attractions for you to explore. In the winter, there is ice skating at the Harbourfront Centre rink, tobogganing at Christie Pits and skiing or snowboarding at Blue Mountain, which is just two hours away from U of T. When summer finally arrives, there will be a dozen of festivals for every ethnic group in the city that is crammed into every weekend. So far, my favourite summer event is the Tirgan festival, an ancient Iranian celebration that took place at the Harbourfront Centre in July. Through this festival, I got a flavour of Iranian cultural and artistic diversity and of course, great Persian food. It was certainly an eye opening experience.

Toronto is also conveniently located within driving distance to cities like Montreal, Ottawa, New York (and the list goes on). Therefore, many students take advantage of winter break and summer holidays to expand their horizon by visiting other interesting cosmopolitan cities in North America. On one occasion, I had the opportunity to visit Ottawa, the capital of Canada while attending a conference partially funded by the Department of Chemical Engineering. My classmates and I got to roam around a city which is home to a wealth of national museums, government buildings and memorials and heritage structure. If you are ever in Ottawa, you have to pay a visit to Byward Market which recently became more famous after a surprise visit by U.S. President Obama.

The University of Toronto was my first choice for studying abroad, and I don’t regret that decision. I hope by sharing a bit of my experience can help you make up your mind to come to this wonderful city and this great university.