#utsg

current state of affairs / background

i know it’s early and that most schools have not responded to reg decisions yet. and yet, i’ve had the “reviewed - decision pending” label from McGill for weeks now. duke, emory, brown, uc berkeley, and a bunch of my other (reach) schools said they’d respond in a few days, at the end of march, but (as I’ve told my parents - my father agrees) the tens of thousands of $’s per year difference b/w my US and canadian schools makes canada so much more appealing. I want to go to med school, as does my younger brother. if i keep my undergrad costs low, i won’t need student loans and my family won’t need to stretch too much, which to me, is a privilege i am well aware of. 

mcgill vs. u of toronto (st. george)

i can see myself happy at mcgill, but with each passing day, it feels more and more like i’ve been rejected. my mom, who has done zero research, says uoft is horrible (”nobody in canada talks about it; they talk about mcgill” and “what if nobody’s heard of it, so credit doesn’t transfer to american medical schools?” to which i say “1. it’s known for research. med schools have heard about them, more so than most US undergrads, i’m sure. 2. mom, you haven’t been there in at least 20 years; things change. 3. dad knows the dean of admissions at Emory’s med school and that guy says the top canadian schools are just as good as the top american ones. med schools accept both. everything online says the same thing.). 

it’s not that i’ve resigned myself to going there, but they did accept me - and i refuse to think of it as my second choice or not what i wanted because i know that will become a self-fulfilling prophecy and then i definitely won’t be happy.

besides, it really seems like mcgill demands a tradeoff - nasty living conditions but a good social life (except, do i really want to be drinking and partying?) or luxury that makes it hard to have a social life. at u of t, there’s no question - new college. maybe i eventually transfer, but again, life sci llc.

life sci (challenge?), New College

i’ve heard mixed reviews (life sci is apparently v difficult to get a good GPA in...but i’ve taken most of the first year courses as AP’s already, so surely i’ll have a soft start. plus, being accepted early means they think i’m good, right? furthermore, i want a challenge)(new college isn’t as coveted as trin or vic but it really sounds like the best fit for me, especially with the life science living learning community and it being home to Human Bio classes).

new college: stereotypes...that i didn’t know about when i ranked my colleges, but probably fit me

i get that being across the street from the athletic centre stereotypes it as being for athletes (jocks), but like, that sounds fantastic for me - cold weather will be a struggle, so barely going outside but easily accessing incredible exercise facilities sounds ideal. i’m not much of an athlete, but i do want to exercise and as it is, i run a lot. i get that it’s stereotyped as being extra international and therefore Asian, but guess what? i was born and raised in Hawai’i, i’m half chinese, and i’ve grown up with East and Southeast Asians forming the most dominant ethnic/racial group. maybe the familiarity will be good for making friends.

hello, rose-tinted glasses ~ oops (i really am trying to be aware of flaws, though)

when i first started seriously looking at universities, I figured that I didn’t want a huge city (NYU) or a huge public school (UC Berkeley...applied anyway). and yet,

omg there are three muji’s in tnt...and a uniqlo. i don’t expect to shop too much, but still

concerts! bands and artists actually tour in tnt! and as far as i can tell, there’s a sweet local scene 

i’m not much of a beach person (and i can easily access what are objectively some of the world’s best beaches rn) but i find it comforting that i can access the water on occasion. probably won’t, but it’s comforting anyway. 

i love how the st. george campus is broken down into small-medium colleges, to handle the otherwise overwhelming student body.

it looks like i’ll be able to take small classes. i’ve learned by now that while i prefer small groups, i’m also comfortable with larger lectures - i speak up and make them personal. i make use of office hours.

breadth requirement! not only is there an excuse to take some quirky, niche classes (as i’ve done in high school), but it’s structured into the school and expected. 

much as i love the hogwarts-castle vibe in a lot of the buildings, the modern, colorful, and bright aesthetic of New seems better for me.

i’ve been looking up study spots in tnt and on campus. as expected, there are plenty of gorgeous places (44 libraries in their system!). def excited to have a library in the same building cluster (New is made of three buildings). huge campus, but much of what i want on a daily basis will be in New or across the street. ofc, i won’t have all of my classes there, but then, that’s not a bad thing.

drop-in fitness classes ! - i hope i can take advantage of hart house and the athletic centre

something else about money: i could afford to travel! i could even do classes abroad (over the summer, ofc). unless i get a massive scholarship in the US, i can’t afford that at a US school

idk how to feel about the varying elitest vibes (@trin, + opinions about york and ryerson...ppl. chill.), considering it’s something i’ve learned to criticize, having grown up with an elitest k-12 school. probably just another familiar element tbh.