“U of T places No. 1 in Canada, No. 20 globally in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of best universities,” “U of T moves to top spot in Maclean’s ranking of medical-doctoral universities,” “U of T rises one spot to place 21st in Times Higher Education rankings of world’s best universities.”

Yes, I was also one of you once; spending my entire summer looking forward to my first year here at our very own University of Toronto — the intimidating academic giant. I was confused, and nervous,  but yet furiously excited to be a standard workaholic who only sleeps and studies every day. But is this it? I often question myself, is my occupation as a full-time student? What does it really mean to be boundless?

Here at the University of Toronto, many students are often studying hard to achieve their desired GPAs, since your GPA is one of the most important factors for admissions into many programs of study (POSt), and almost all post-undergraduate programs. For most students, it is arguably very crucial to perform well in academics. But as time goes by, I realized that it is not enough to just maintain a decent GPA.

Lots of students often start to think about their future when they enter their upper years of studies, as they’ll have to decide whether they want to do graduate studies or to start working immediately after their undergrad. Regardless of your choice, sooner or later you’ll find out that you need lots of supplemental documents, relative experiences, and even recommendations letters to apply.

Academic Opportunities

Outside of lectures, assignments, and examinations, there are lots of other ways you can practice your academic knowledge, and get some hands-on experiences. You are especially in luck here at the Boundless U of T. At U of T, there are tons of entry-level academic opportunities available just for you.

According to Winston Chan, currently a second year student studying Pharmacology and Toxicology, who has worked as a research assistant for a pharmaceutical laboratory at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy over the summer, he was “fortunate enough to be introduced to the lab environment somewhat early.” He also mentioned that “the hard work, endless frustration, yet boundless persistence and positivity I observed on a day to day basis was truly humbling and is something I believe we should all take away into our daily lives.”

Other than research opportunities, there is also the Professional Experience Year (PEY) where you can go on a 12-16 months internship with a recognized employer. Wendy Hua, a fourth year student, and former Innis Resident, who is currently in her PEY year doing an internship at IBM as a software developer, said that from her PEY experiences so far, she has already developed extensive technical skills which are not taught in lectures. She also mentioned that she has significantly increased her time efficiency to match the fast-paced work environment which would also help with her future career. In the end of my interview with her, she encouraged students to prepare for job interviews by practicing interview questions, and booking appointments at the PEY or CLN office.

Community Involvement

Of course, you do not have to be academically inclined or involved at all to achieve your dream. Here at the Boundless U of T, there are tons of other non-academic opportunities for you to participate in! According to Ulife, we have over a thousand recognized student organizations/groups and intramurals that you could participate in!

From drama clubs to acappella groups, you can be anything from a movie star to a talented performer; from archery clubs to yoga clubs, you can train yourself like an Olympic athlete; from student governments to environment committees, you can be anything, from a politician to an equity activist. There are countless opportunities exclusively just for you to be a part of.

According to our very own Nancy Zhao, the Vice President Internal at the Innis College Student Society (ICSS), “Having been involved in the ICSS and other co-curricular activities, I’ve been able to develop skills such as leadership, facilitation, time management, budgeting, event planning, and more.” She also mentioned that she’d recommend students to get involved in their community in ways such as participating in student organizations, because “there is so much more to learn outside of the classroom — and you get to meet and work with some amazing people along the way.”

Networking

If you don’t already know, U of T is vast, enormous, gigantic: not only do we have 3 campuses across Toronto, but we also have tons of people here you can connect with. What most people don’t know is the importance of networking. According to a survey done by LinkedIn, around 85% of jobs are filled with networking. Hence, you can see the importance of networking in the “real world” that you are about to enter.

I’ve always heard people complaining about networking events being too crowded, too formal, or too competitive to even sign up. However, Chiao Sun, the Digital Project Coordinator at the Innis Registrar’s Office, suggested otherwise. He said that “You can meet new people almost anywhere, it does not have to be a networking event, it could be in the gym, in the food court, or in the classroom.” When I asked him about how has networking helped him, he responded, “Not only networking has provided me with work opportunity and social skills, it also makes me a very happy human being in general.”

In my interview with James Chapman, the Editor-in-Chief of the Innis Herald, he provided some insights from his perspective. He said “A benefit of Innis’ small community is the opportunity it provides for students to establish relationships with members of the administration.” He also said that through his interactions with various staff members, he has been able to observe the ways in which faculty members interact with each other, guests, and students in a variety of setting. He has also developed a number of interpersonal skills which he will continue to use in his professional life.

U of T is big, it’s diverse, it’s Boundless. What U of T provides is not only what is mentioned in this article, but so much more: there’s study abroad program where you could study in another country, a health and wellness centre where you can practice mindfulness, various great gyms with indoor pools where you can exercise… Reading up to this point, have you truly understand what “Boundless” means by now?

Opportunities are everywhere, don’t let academics bound your potential or your dreams. The world is yours: be adventurous, be risky, and enjoy your journey!