Is U of T really that bad?
PalmLeaf
4 replies2 threads New Member
I've been reading a lot of reviews of U of T (University of Toronto) and about 90 percent of them were negative. People say it's stressful, depressing, the university doesn't care about undergraduates, there's horrible grade deflation, etc. I'm crushed because I've wanted to go there for so long and I thought it was a really good university. Is it really as bad as people say it is?
9 replies
Replies to: Is U of T really that bad?
Just like a film or a restaurant, it doesn't matter how much anybody else likes something: it matters how well it suits *you*. When you read online reviews, look for patterns, for the kinds of things the posters like and don't like- and consider how important those things are to *you*. Spend some time thinking about the environments in which you do your best: how do they compare to what you know of UofT. Carefully review what it is about UofT that you are excited about (it is fair to ask yourself if your original reasons are still relevant.
100% there are happy students at (insert the name of any university, including UofT). 100% there are unhappy students at (insert the same name). 100%, no matter what college you go to, you will have things you like about it and things you really don't like.
In the liberal arts and humanities, the non-Asian kids generally lament why they chose UofT in the first place. The open secret in Canada for kids that are smart, well-rounded, and actually want an enjoyable undergraduate experience is to apply to Western, Ivey (Western), Queen's, or, perhaps, McGill (McGill starting to become like UofT and UBC in STEM). These three schools also garner the lion's share of applications from all of Canada's top private schools (St. George's, Shawnigan, St. Michael's, Brentwood, Webber, Rundle, Strathcona-Tweedsmuir, Lower Canada College, Selwyn House, St. George's (Montreal), West Island College, Upper Canada College, Crescent, UTS, Havergal, Bishop Strachan, Branksome Hall, Ridley, Appleby, Lakefield) .
When one says they go/went to University of Toronto, the consensus in Canada is people genuinely feel sorry for that individual. It's THAT poor of a student experience.
U of T is very large. I think that a major reason why you hear some complaints is what @TomSrOfBoston said above: U of T (and McGill and UBC) are a lot easier to get accepted to than the Ivy League and equivalent schools in the US, but are not any easier to graduate from. Another issue is that people with negative reactions are more likely to post on social media.
If you attend U of T you should know what you are getting yourself into. You should expect it to be huge and academically demanding. You should expect classes to go fast and exams to be very difficult. I would say exactly the same thing about MIT, except for the "huge" part.
There are a lot of very good universities in Canada. If you want something that is academically excellent but smaller and less stressful, there are other very good choices to choose from. Most of them are not quite as famous. Some are less expensive for international students. My daughter who went to university in Canada chose a smaller school, and I think that she made the right choice for her.
For example, at most universities engineering students & pre-med students seem to experience higher levels of stress than do humanities majors.