Linguistics Made Me A Better Person: A Fond Farewell to My Major

The first post I ever wrote for this blog (named Tuesdays with Sisi back in the day) was about Linguistics. Back then--has this really happened so quickly?--I still had most people looking at me blankly when I told them what I studied. I had to explain it over and over again, and eventually I got …

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 …

New Creations Festival 2017: Celebrating The Alive and Weird (Part 1)

For the past week, I have been taking myself on dates to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Sounds bougie as heck, doesn't it--I don't know many people my age who are a) interested in concert hall music (one reason why I'm taking myself) and b) able to afford that sort of leisure. Usually anything that you're …

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 …

Redefining ‘Work’: Thoughts from Glendon’s Leadership & Career Summit 2017

Last week was the 2017 Glendon Leadership and Career Summit. Every year around January/February, the Glendon staff and students work together to plan and organize a massive conference centered around leadership in life and in career. There are sessions about everything from resume-building to effective body language to building your personal brand to the philosophy …

Sunshine for The SAD Girl: In Which I Combat Seasonal Depression With A Gratitude List

Today marks another full week without sun. It's been like this since January, which was apparently the darkest January on record for over a decade. We had about half a day's worth (12 hours) of sunlight in the entire MONTH of January. February looked promising, what with the dazzling first four days and their gleaming …

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 …