Ten Things I Learned in Ten Semesters: A Post-Graduation Retrospect

WE MADE IT, FOLKS. WE'RE OUT OF THE WOODS. I sent in my completed 30-page comic book Honours Thesis on April 19th, one day after my 23rd birthday. My academic year and my solar year came to a close at exactly the same time. And then I ran off to Massachusetts to be with my …

On Finishing What You Started: Thoughts From a Soon-Enough Graduate

It's March now, meaning there's about one month left of classes. Then there are exams, and then--that's it. Graduation comes along, and I exit Glendon with my degree and in making that exit, I remove myself from the educational system for the first time since I was three years old. It's pretty hefty stuff. It's …

The Student Apartment Hunting Guide (Part 3: Finding and Keeping Good Roommates)

Hello critters! Welcome to the third and final installment of the Student Apartment Hunting Guide. In the first installment, we looked at ways to search for your new home, and reviewed the process of securing housing start-to-finish; in the second installment we discussed advice for viewing your potential apartment in order to ensure minimal annoyances/problems …

The Student Apartment Hunting Guide (Part 2: What to Look For When Viewing Apartments)

Welcome back to Part 2 of the Student Apartment Hunting Guide! After a holiday hiatus, I'm here to give you all the advice I can muster on a) things to check in each of the apartments you visit, and b) questions to ask a landlord to ensure you'll be a good fit for the space. …

The Student Apartment Hunting Guide (Part 1: Searching for Your New Home)

Last March, after four years in residence, I finally made the decision to spend my fifth and final year in an apartment with some roommates. It was something of a harrowing decision. For as long as I've had friends who have lived in apartments or houses as opposed to campus residences, I've heard horror stories. …

#WhyAreYUHere: A Meditation on Having Nothing Figured Out

As an end-of-term blog post challenge, Team Awesome decided to all delve deep into Self-Reflection Land and retrieve a glittering nugget of meaning from the chaotic swirl of exam season. What is worth the frankly alarming amount of stress that we students put on ourselves to succeed during this time of year--or in school in …

Peace in Troubled Times: 5 Alternative Meditations (for Those Who Don’t Want to OM Under a Waterfall)

Hello my dear ones. Look outside. The sun is shining, or the stars are twinkling, or the rain is falling; the leaves are blowing in the wind and the rivers keep on running toward the sea. The world is still spinning, still here, still able to be fixed. Still able to be healed. So are …

Three Years, Two Humans, One Love: 16 Ways to Strengthen Relationships

EDIT 08/05/2018: Hey, want to hear an even happier epilogue? After 14 months of hard work and bureaucracy, Avi finally immigrated to Canada in February! HOORAH. And speaking of Rule Number 7 on the list? I finally finished my novel, and Avi built a kickass website to house it, alongside all of our other future …

The Renaissance Student: Keeping Your Multiple Passions Alive at Glendon

Here's a question I'm sure you've been asked: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Seems like a fairly innocent question, doesn't it? All parents/teachers/adult figures tend to ask it of small children. Some children answer with things like "firefighter" or "police woman"; some answer with things like "cupcake" and "lamp post"; …

How to Hug Your Human: A Practical Guide (Bringing Back Platonic Intimacy 101)

EDIT 08/05/2018: Don't you wish we saw more platonic intimacy in media? For years I was annoyed with the lack of friendly affection portrayed in our society's stories--so I wrote my own story, The Heretic's Guide to Homecoming, and I packed it full of all kinds of things I wish I'd see more of, up …