York University: Student life on campus

Jeanette Williams, 28 Cinema studies and English

Why did you choose York?I wanted to study film and English. I chose York University because it offers courses in both theory and practice, providing a well-rounded education that’s also applicable in the field.

Describe some of your best experiences so far.Currently, I’m the health and science editor at York’s student newspaper, Excalibur. Some of my best experiences have been related to working there. I’m happy to have gained writing experience and have especially enjoyed interviewing university staff about the groundbreaking research they are doing. Another highlight has been taking elective courses at the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design, including one called Making Media, which has led me to interesting assignments such as creating soundmaps and single-photo stories.

Are you involved in extracurricular activities?I would love to be involved in more extracurricular activities, but the pandemic has moved all operations online, and I find the experience of participating virtually in clubs less desirable than being on campus and in person.

What do you think of your professors?The professors are generally approachable, but they can take a long time to respond when you have questions. Sometimes they redirect you to their teaching assistants.

What do you think of the school’s administration?While I have found the school’s administrative staff to be friendly and helpful, students must take the time and initiative to ensure that documents get processed properly and on time. It is best to apply for things such as program or course changes as soon as possible because there are often specific processes to complete. The waitlist and permissions processes are long and tedious and require too much correspondence.

What is off-campus life like in Toronto?The subway takes you directly from the campus to downtown Toronto, which is very busy and lots of fun. There are all kinds of things to do in the city: shopping, eating in just about every kind of restaurant you can think of, going to the theatre and nightclubs and, of course, visiting campy tourist attractions (here’s lookin’ at you, CN Tower). Because Toronto is a major connecting city, it’s also easy to get out of the city. You can take a three-hour bus ride for a weekend in Niagara Falls or hop on a plane to go home for winter holidays.

PROFILE: York University | Toronto, Ont. | Founded 1959

Best place to live: On campus, Calumet and Bethune are most students’ favourite residences; however, I think it’s better to live closer to downtown to get the full experience of the cityBest place to study: Upper floors of the Scott LibraryBest campus events: YorkFestBest campus food: Pretty much anything in York LanesBest cheap lunch: Living Well ExpressBest pizza: Pizza StudioBest place for a fancy dinner: Yu Seafood at YorkdaleBest giveaway: Free tuition contest, open only to first-year studentsBest bar for hanging out: The Absinthe Pub and Coffee Shop or Timbers Lodge Social GrillBest live music venue: nuvo Toronto or the UndergroundBest hangover breakfast: Good Morning Friends or Berries & BloomsBest weekend activity: Exploring downtown on the weekendsThe thing that surprised me most about the school: Courses such as Sex, Drugs and Theatre, and Extraterrestrial LifeIf I could change one thing about the school: Update the course enrolment system