university advice

• Please see the Skule Mental Wellness' page on failure stories. All of your professors and other Faculty staff have failed before. It's so normal--don't let it discourage you.
• UofT engineering is difficult, not impossible. Mind your mindset—the difference between struggling and drowning is how you talk to yourself about the struggle.
• Take APS162 (Calculus I) over the summer. You'll enter fall with one less course and be better prepared for the fast pace. More details in my APS162 blog post.
• Imposter syndrome is a rite of passage. You'll feel like you don't deserve to be here while everyone around you seems effortlessly brilliant. News flash: they're all thinking the same thing.
• You are not alone. The Skule community is incredibly supportive. I've never been turned down when asking for help from peers, upper-years in Discord servers, or alumni.
• Reach out for support when you're struggling—don't wait until you're drowning. The First Year Office offers academic advisors, review sessions, and counselling referrals.
• Redefine success for yourself. Most of us came in with 90s from high school. That's unrealistic here.
  • Maybe success is passing all your courses, maintaining hobbies, or just not having a breakdown. Whatever it is, be honest about whether it's achievable. The Dean's List isn't worth your sanity.
• Believe that you can do hard things. As cliché as it sounds, this is the best thing you can do for yourself.
  • Professor Shai Cohen told us that every student has an inner critic saying "you can't do it", "you're stupid", "you don't belong". This mindset causes most academic struggles. Walk into an exam thinking you'll fail, and you probably will.
  • Building self-confidence is a long battle. It gets easier every day, but you have to get up and push through every single day.
  • If you can't talk yourself into "I can"—fake it. Lie to yourself until it becomes true.
• Grades aren't everything. Getting your first sub-60 midterm is a reality check, but it's normal and expected.
  • "Truss" the curve. A 55 might be above average in some courses. Check class statistics before spiraling.
  • One bad grade—or even one bad semester—doesn't define your career. You have time to recover.
  • Your mental and physical health are worth more than a few percentage points. Burning out for a marginally better GPA is a losing strategy.
  • Many successful engineers barely scraped by in first year. Academic performance and real-world competence aren't perfectly correlated.
• Go outside and touch grass. Join clubs, attend EngSoc events, try hackathons, go to career fairs. These have been the best parts of my UofT experience.
• Stay healthy. Eat veggies, drink water, take meds, practice hygiene, try sports, and get enough sleep.
  • Do not use caffeine as a substitute for sleep. You'll screw yourself long-term by depending on energy drinks.

Note: These are first year courses I took as a mech student.

Fall Semester (Find further details here)

• APS100 - Orientation to Engineering: Difficulty 2/10 | Workload 3/10
• APS110/APS164 - Engineering Chemistry and Materials Science
• APS111 - Engineering Strategies and Practice I
• CIV100/APS160 - Mechanics
• MAT186/APS162 - Calculus I
• MAT188 - Linear Algebra

Winter Semester

• APS106 - Fundamentals of Computer Programming
• ECE110 - Electrical Fundamentals
• MAT187/APS163 - Calculus II
• APS112 - Engineering Strategies and Practice II
• MIE100 - Dynamics

Clubs & Activities

Work in progress

Residence

Note: I can only speak for Chestnut Residence.

• Whether or not I'd recommend staying in residence heavily depends on your financial, social, and communting situation. If your family can afford the cost of residence and/or you live quite a distance away from campus--I'd recommend it, especially for first year.
• The main benefits of residence include being closer to campus and its amenities, being surrounded by peers, and gaining independence if this is your first time living alone. I found that all of these helped me transition into first year.
• Despite its pros, not living in residence will not make or break your first year experience. I know many commuters who managed to stay on top of their academics, social life, and extracurriculars with proper time management skills.
• Chestnut houses most engineering students, but you can also choose another residence or one of the nine colleges. See all housing options here.
• Keep in mind that Chestnut is about a 15-20 min walk from campus. This can be a bit inconvenient in the winter.
• Good friends do not necessarily make good roommates. Prioritise similar sleeping habits, cleanliness standards, academic program, etc. over shared interests/history--you'll be living with this person for at least 8 months.
• Other than the necessities, here's what else I'd recommend adding to your dorm:
• Air purifier - dorm rooms can get quite stuffy and dusty. I got one from IKEA for relatively cheap.
• Shoe rack and mat
• Cleaning supplies - sponges, towels, dish soap, brooms, dustpans, toilet brush, etc.
• Shower slippers - especially if you have shared bathrooms.
• Drying rack - a cheap one can save you money compared to using a residence drying machine.
• Outlet power strips
• Kettle - if your residence allows it.
• Small toolkit - screwdrivers, wrenches, allen keys, etc. can come in handy.

Check out the Skule Commuter Students Directorship for more resources!

• Be productive on your commute if possible (if you don't get motion sick). For 40+ minute commutes, do light work, read, or catch up on sleep.
• Practice your route before school starts to learn timing, transfers, and shortcuts.
• Avoid rush hours (7:30-9:30 AM, 4:30-6:30 PM) when possible.
• Arrive 5-10 minutes before class starts. Plan with Transit app, Google Maps, or Apple Maps.
• Walking through Medical Science Building from Queen's Park saves 2-3 minutes.
• After your initial PRESTO payment, you can travel free for the next two hours.
• If you live near UofT Mississauga, shuttle buses run between there and St. George ($7 per ride, $650 semester pass).

GO Trains

• Schedules are very accurate. Doors close 1-2 minutes before departure.
• Best for Oakville, Brampton, or Milton commuters.
• Get off at Union Station, take Line 1 to Queen's Park.
• Set a default trip. If your trip has a default set, you only tap on. Different trips require tapping on and off.
• Forgot to tap off? You'll be charged to the last stop. Appeal for refund at gotransit.com.

TTC

• Best for Kipling, Vaughan, or North York commuters.
• Schedules are inconsistent and often delayed by traffic/weather.
• Trains run every 2-3 minutes during rush hour, 4-5 minutes off-peak.
• Download TTC Watch app and check TTC website for real-time tracking.
• Four stations near campus: Queen's Park (closest to Engineering), Museum, St. George, Spadina.
• From Finch side (Line 1), walk from College station (12 minutes)—may save time versus riding to Queen's Park.

Internships, Research & Co-op

Work in progress

Resume & Cover Letter

Work in progress

Networking

Work in progress

Interview Preparation

Work in progress

Calculator

Only these models are permitted during exams:

• Casio FX-991 (any suffix)
• Sharp EL-W516 (any suffix)
• Sharp EL-520 (any suffix)

Laptop

Invest wisely—your device needs to last 4+ years. Extras like an external mouse and webcam are helpful.

Minimum specs based on application requirements:

• Windows: Intel or AMD 64-bit processor, at least 4 cores
• MacOS: M2+ chips; older Intel Macs need 4+ cores
• RAM: 8GB minimum, 16GB+ highly recommended
• Storage: 256GB SSD minimum, 512GB SSD recommended

Why Windows > MacOS for engineering:

• Compatible with all engineering software (SOLIDWORKS, Altium, etc.)
• Easy to set up dual-boots
• Better port selection
• Easy to sync with Apple devices despite using Windows
• MacOS causes constant issues for engineering students—just go Windows

Tablet (Optional but Helpful)

iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, or Microsoft Surface Pro for note-taking and assignments.

• No need to carry notebooks and stationery
• Easy to insert slides, PDFs, images into notes
• Sync notes across devices for access on phone and laptop

Admissions & Applications

Work in progress

Program-Specific Questions

Work in progress

General University Questions

Work in progress