How to procrastinate at U of T Mississauga

Salutations Reader,

My name is Jason and I am currently a third year student studying both psychology and biology. I’m here to discuss my student life, but before I go on I find it impossible to not bring up how nice your hair looks today. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way it’s time to get back to what’s really important: myself. So how has my student life been? What a great question to ask, as I’m sure it has been on the mind of many of you.  Truly it has been a busy time of year. There are tests to take, assignments to write, and soufflés to bake. So with all these academic-based things that I must complete by the end of the year, I naturally have spent most of my time this week procrastinating. Because of this, I have decided to dedicate this blog to show a prospective student how to procrastinate at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

The first step to procrastinating at UTM is finding the internet, which should be really easy since wireless internet is available all over campus. Once you have located yourself online you can now spend your hours watching hilarious videos of cats. Don’t enjoy cats? What about dogs? Really any animal doing cute things should keep you busy for a while. They even have a website dedicated to baby zoo animals called “zoo borns”, who could resist such a website?

Once you have grown tired of searching cute animals it is time to find a new activity to procrastinate with. I would suggest the campus student center. Here you can pick from a variety of activities - maybe going to the pub for a bite to eat, performing some break dancing (I’m really good at break dancing), or indulging in a sweet jam session (the UTM music club holds weekly electric/ acoustic jam sessions in the student center). These are all really cool ways to spend your time distracting your mind from that upcoming test that is happening this coming Friday.

Ok let’s recap our day of procrastination so far; first we surfed the campus wireless internet, then went for a bite to eat and finally we displayed our amazing guitar skills to the UTM music club. Now unfortunately it is that time of day where I realize that I really need to get work done. Procrastination is great, but it can only get you so far. So it is time to head to your favourite study spot on campus and get some work done. For me that place is the picnic tables located beside the Credit River - I know, very fancy and romantic. So now that you’re situated in the nice spring air with your laptop it’s time to get work done!

Jason Summers is a third year student working toward an Honours Bachelor of Science with a Double Major in Biology and Psychology. He lives and works on residence as a Don and happens to be pretty good with a guitar.

Happy March Break!

Happy March Break Everyone!

I hope you are all taking some time to relax, catch up on sleep (or homework), or travel somewhere warm with your family (if that’s the case, I’m jealous!)

We just finished our Reading Week, which means we are officially half way done our second semester!  That also typically marks the end of major midterms, which means the beginning of PAPERS! I have realized that students usually fall into two categories – they either enjoy taking tests or they enjoy writing papers. I do not really enjoy taking tests, but for the most part I find writing papers much more enjoyable! At first, writing papers may seem a little bit intimidating, because they are quite different from papers in high school. In reality however, you will get used to writing them in no time and you may even start to enjoy it! If you do struggle however, not to worry, there are many services available through the library that can help you through the process.

Besides papers and outstanding assignments, March is usually the busiest month of the year with everything wrapping up before the final exam period. Besides school, there's also clubs, teams and student organizations coming to a close which means lots of events are happening all around. It is probably my most and least favourite month of the school year!

But enough about us here, back to you guys! I know my March Break in Grade 12 was spent touring the Universities that I had applied to with my Mom. I loved getting to see the different campuses and discovering what it was that I was looking for in a University environment. I found what I was looking for when I came to visit UTM. I got a chance to meet and talk to one of the first year Psychology professors, who was really easy to talk to (despite the fact that I was really nervous) and he gave me some great advice about where my degree in Psychology could lead me in the future. I loved how green the campus was and was happy to find that it was easy to navigate. I remember being so amazed when I saw the deer roaming around on the paths, and now I am so used to it! The student life fair allowed me to see all of the unique ways that I could get involved outside of the classroom. I also got the opportunity to take a tour of Residence and was really impressed with the single bedrooms, the friendly student staff of Dons and PALs (who reminded me a bit of my past camp days, which I loved) and the easily accessible food options. Looking back now, I am definitely pleased that I chose to come to UTM!

Have a great March break and hope to see you here at some point!

Madison Peters is a fourth year student working toward an Honours Bachelor of Science with a Double Major in Psychology and Criminology and a Minor in Sociology. She lives and works on residence as a Programming Assistant for one of the Community Development Coordinators. 

A jumble of thoughts

We’re nearing the end of the school year and all I can smell are days of summer!  Unfortunately April examinations stand between the students and freedom.  The examination period is one that is reoccurring, for ‘we have to fight [this] battle more than once to win it’.¹ You’re probably wondering why I cited a quote… well that’s because at the University of Toronto Mississauga you have to cite all work that you reference!  Haha! Seriously.  Plus I thought I’d brush up on my referencing skills, for essay due dates are approaching.

As deadlines become pressing and the end of the term and semester nears, I have hunkered down and am slowly progressing into hermit mode.  By Hermit mode I mean sit in the library and study!  Library hours during the exam period are 24/5, so it’ll be good knowing I can stay as late as I want to finish up my work.  With the added stress I have also tried to increase my visits to the RAWC gym here at UTM from 2 times a week to 3 times a week!  It can be stressful balancing your academic life and personal life but remember that university is a learning process. 

In my first year I found it extremely tough to see my friends and family, work, and do well in school –  all while balancing full course load.  However, after 3 years of practice I am happy to say I have an idea of how to do that now.  Joke!  It is important to set a schedule for yourself and try and abide by it, but most important is to know that your schedule can be turned upside down at any time.  Personal schedules should be flexible and realistic. Prioritize what is important to you and you’ll see that the hard work everyone is always talking about pays off when you put it toward your own interests.

I am currently focused most on school, family, friends, and health and juggling them can get tough.  Many students at university don’t take much care of themselves health wise – mentally or physically – but it is very important to do so because we put our bodies through so much stress. The reason I choose to stay physically active is because I love to eat junk and when I’m studying all I do is eat!  However, that balance must be maintained and so I play hockey and go to the gym and try and keep it routine. 

To end my jumble of thoughts, just remember to stay organized, prioritize, keep focused, and stay safe!  And remember to have your pets spayed or neutered.

Arvind Singh is a fourth year student working toward an Honours Bachelor of Science with a Major in Biology and a Double Minor in Chemistry and Mathematics. He plays rugby and boxes. These days, you are most likely to find Arvind in the library.







Margaret Thatcher. BrainyQuote.com, Xplore Inc, 2012. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/margaretth127095.html, accessed March 2, 2012.