Or: Things to Look Forward to As We Go Back to School, and Other Advice

Whether you’re a first-year just starting your U of T journey this fall or a returning student already familiar with our university’s ins and outs, September can be a daunting month to think about. School supplies sales are set up in stores around the city, every August sunset brings us closer to the end of summer, and soon enough, campus will fill up again with the sound of rolling suitcases, and then, later, of wails, grievances, and other GPA-related anxieties. 

As an incoming third-year, I have come to appreciate and even adore this time of year. Despite its popular nickname of “U of Tears,” getting an education at our university is synonymous with an array of unique perks, services, and infrastructure, among a sizable, diverse student body, in one of the most bustling metropoles in North America. So, without further ado, here’s a non-exhaustive list of things I am (and you should be!) looking forward to this coming season.

TIFF

Each year, the first week of classes nearly coincides with the start of the Toronto International Film Festival, the largest public film festival in the world. This year, it takes place from the 10th to the 20th of September. Many students are involved with the festival, often as volunteers (as I am), while some cover it as press. 

Regardless of your level of involvement or knowledge of the festival, I highly encourage everyone to at least take a peek at Festival Street in its first few days. Who knows? If you’re lucky, you might witness a Hollywood star exiting their car to walk a red carpet to their premiere! If not, there are always many food trucks, free sample booths, and other activations offered along the stretch of King Street roughly between University and Spadina. 

If you wish to see a film, I’d recommend looking into screenings taking place during the second week, and focus your selection on lower budget/indie productions, since they’ll be harder to see post-festival and tend to attract less buzz—which usually makes it easier to find a ticket. TIFF Lightbox also screens part of the festival selection year-round, so it’s a great place to watch films not typically offered at your local Cineplex. 

Another tip I like to share with friends is to check r/TIFF for announcements of late ticket drops, and to turn on notifications from r/TIFFTickets, where festival-goers often resell tickets at the last minute, when they can’t make a screening. I’m personally super excited about this year’s lineup and I hope to see you there!

The AGO

One of my other favourite spots in the city is the Art Gallery of Ontario. Within walking distance of campus, the gallery holds a rich permanent collection of Canadian, Indigenous, and European art, as well as a panoply of temporary exhibitions. 

Students a) new to the city, b) who’ve never been, or c) who were away over the summer should immediately flock there to see the Impressionist exhibit on display on the 4th floor. Originally from the Dallas Museum of Art, these works will be gone by mid-October. The new exhibit Sunday Best, which spotlights Black fashion, will open around that time—I’m vibrating just thinking about it! 

Specific dates and other exhibition details are available on the AGO website (https://ago.ca/exhibitions). Who said the city’s only alive during the summer? 

Libraries Reopening

Anyone who knows me knows that U of T libraries are one of my go-to conversation topics. This absolutely has to do with the fact that I’ve worked at two of them, but I think we can all agree that libraries are one of the best kinds of spaces ever invented. Of the U of T ones, most remain open over the summer—though some switch to reduced hours—while others close entirely.

As soon as the Fall session begins, though, all library services will be fully back in business. Looking for a free table at any of the more popular study spaces (notably, Robarts and Gerstein) during midterm and finals season is a top-five most common U of T experiences, and a much-bemoaned one. (It also teaches you that talking to a librarian can bring you more than you might expect. They always know the hidden gems!)

Despite the struggles and bad memories one may associate with our libraries, I sincerely believe that little beats the strange satisfaction of staying until 9 p.m. at EJ Pratt to finish a paper and commuting back home on a biting November evening, or the singular ecstasy of settling down with friends in Robarts Commons at 10 a.m. only to go on four separate snack runs and ultimately get kicked out of a study room you didn’t book. 

If it all feels like hell while it’s happening and you’re just praying for the semester to end, these moments will make for cherished memories that part of you will miss and reminisce about post-graduation. The study spots you come to adopt as a second home form an integral component of the whole journey.

I will here admit that my favourite library, University College Library, is among the few that completely closed over the summer term. Though the place doesn’t draw consensus among students—due to factors such as not-so-reliable wifi and relative lack of seating in the aforementioned periods—it is run by some of the best library staff on campus (I am proudly biased). It also houses U of T’s largest and most up-to-date bestsellers selection, which includes both fiction and non-fiction works, from romance books and contemporary novels to biographies and political analyses. 

Another library I’d like to shout out is Innis College Library, as it might be of interest to our core readership. Closed since April, it is set to re-open in January in a new, improved location—see the Innis expansion project piece published in V61E4 of the Herald for more information. #shamelessplug.

Perhaps one day I will write a ranking of my favourite U of T libraries, with some metrics to help students find the one(s) most suited to their needs and preferences. Until then, I suggest watching the wonderful “Visiting every U of T library” series produced by one of the @lifeatuoft storytellers, which you can find on their Instagram!

Student Life Starting Up Again

This is the section where I overshare about my life (though one could argue I’ve been doing that the whole article). My first year at U of T was, looking back, really rather terrible. I was extremely sad most of the time and I felt very lonely. I skipped the majority of frosh week because I didn’t enjoy the first day; then, I filled much of my free time over the year by taking advantage of a few profs’ office hours, while forcing myself to attend a couple of events. But it didn’t feel like I was doing anything, like I was part of the school, like I belonged here. 

Then, on a random afternoon in early January of 2025, I decided to pitch to the Herald. I said I wanted to write a love letter to the paper—which I’d been reading while sitting at the Innis Library desk—and described the potential piece as being about “how much i enjoy the letter from the editor and the mosaic and personal essays and fraudulent film reviews” and “what it all means for The Soul to see such delicate blossoms (persistence and creativity) sprout from such hostile soil (UofTears).” 

Julian and Kiran, the creative directors at the time, kindly accepted my pitch, and later on, I wrote a film review/personal essay for the last issue of V60. A few months later, I nervously texted the Instagram account asking if they were still looking for another layout editor; I was hired that summer, now over a year ago.

The Herald has taught me many skills and confirmed my love of teamwork. It has brought me community. Since then, I’ve ventured into contributing to the UC Gargoyle whenever I can, and recently become part of the masthead. 

Student life looks different to everyone, though, and that brings me to the advice I’d like to end on, especially for the first years reading this. Maybe you’ll find your person/people at orientation, or maybe you’re even coming in with friends from your pre-U of T times! Which is all wonderful. But if not, don’t be afraid of joining organizations: to apply to a band or choir or drama society, to run for a first-year rep position for your future department’s student union, to scour the Student Organization Portal for a group related to whatever niche hobby you have because I promise you, it probably already exists. That’s one advantage of going to such a large school.

In many ways, September is the real Spring, when campus resurrects from the half-slumber it falls into during the summer and chirpy voices resonate around the corridors. And so, may more blossoms—of persistence and creativity and whatever else you need—sprout beneath each of your steps as you walk (back) on our shared soil for the next eight months. I wish you, dear reader, with all my heart, the most beautiful, bountiful back-to-school!