Molly – University of Toronto
Semester 2, 2023
Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) / Bachelor of Business
I’m Molly McDonald and I did a single-semester exchange at the University of Toronto at the Mississauga Campus in Ontario, Canada. I had such an incredible experience that I would recommend to everyone. Here are a few tips that I wish someone could have told me before I embarked on my exchange:
Finding Accommodation:
I found finding accommodation in Toronto quite difficult. Many of the options that the University of Toronto suggested were difficult to access for a student who would only be attending for a single semester as they were primarily aimed at students who were there for a full year. The University of Toronto did not really provide accommodation options for students that I could access. In saying that, I did know a few people who pushed the University to allow them to stay in the student accommodation on campus for the semester. However, I personally found it a lot better to stay in the city of Toronto as it allowed me to live close to where all the action is (Bars, clubs, concerts, shops, the St George campus, and all the other great places that bring people into Toronto). The Mississauga and Scarborough campuses are quite out of the city, so if you lived there, it would be a 40-1:30-hour trek. Lucky for me I attended the Mississauga campus which had a free shuttle bus for the students to transport to and from the St George Campus. My friend who attended the Scarborough campus was not as lucky and had to catch over an hour of public transport to get to and from the city.
In addition to not providing many options, the options that were provided were incredibly expensive. While this may not necessarily be the fault of the University (Toronto is a city that already has an incredibly high cost of living), even factoring that in the options were expensive. In saying that, the accommodation that I eventually went with was good, it was in a central location, had great amenities and was fully furnished. If I were to do this again, I would recommend that students either look for apartments through Facebook marketplace or sites such as Airbnb. I had friends who had met online through the Exchange Facebook group and went in together (7 people in total) on an Airbnb and were able to find accommodation that they could stay in for the 4-month duration of the exchange
Things to do:
In Toronto, there is no shortage of things to do. One of my favourite activities was to go to see a sports game at the Rogers Centre or Scotiabank Arena. The basketball, baseball and ice hockey games were incredibly energetic, and I even got to see Drake while watching the Raptors play. While games could be quite expensive, a cheaper alternative was to support the University of Toronto’s varsity teams. Tickets were free for students, so it was a fun thing to do with friends before going out on the weekends. Toronto’s music scene was also incredible. Being such a big city, Toronto brought in a diverse range of artists guaranteeing that your weekends were never going to dull. I recommend using the app Resident Advisor if you are into electronic music. Compared to Brisbane, the sheer number of events every week will blow your mind. As for coffee, however, Canada will disappoint. Barista-made coffee is very expensive, and you need to tip which is a bit frustrating. However, if I am to recommend you anywhere the coffee shop Found, on College Street, is run by an Australian and is the closest you will get to a good Australian coffee. Some other things to do are:
- Go up the CN tower. There is a 360-rotating restaurant at the top and is worth doing once.
- Catch a ferry over to the islands and have a walk around.
- Go on a Saturday morning to the markets at Evergreen Brickworks
- Go vintage shopping in Kensington Markets
- Go ice-skating at the square in Downtown.
- Study at the St George campuses Robarts library (it’s HUGE)
- Go to the Madison pub with friends (it is a big bar/club that students go to)
- Catch a film at the TIFF festival.
- Have a picnic with a great view of the city at Riverdale Park
- Catch a trip down to Niagara Falls
- Go travelling on your mid-semester break (highly recommend Banff National Park or New York)
- Go to the Christmas Markets at the distillery district.
Things to know before you go:
A big culture shock that I was unaware of before coming to Toronto, is that the country is currently experiencing quite a large drug crisis. It is very common to see people shooting up or on fentanyl which is a very sad thing to see affect so many people. Another thing people should be aware of is the fact that tax and tips are never included in the prices of things. For this reason, Toronto can be very expensive when you go out for a meal or drink. I would recommend you meal prep most of your meals to save. Usually, a tip of 12-15%, is the lowest you should tip for a service.
Find out how you can apply for exchange via the QUT Student Exchange website
