First Year, Life Sciences + Psychology
“Something I’m proud of is being able to get into university because I come from an international background. UTM is really hard with choosing international students. My probability of actually getting here was very low and I had to do a lot of different tests just to show the university that I’m good enough. And I was able to so I’m really proud of that.”
First Year, Economics
“Anything that stood out to you in UTM?”
“The deer. [laughs] I just saw a deer out my window.”
Second Year, Major in Anthropology, Minor in Linguistics and Sociology
“I moved out from my father’s place when I was seventeen and moved to Canada on my own from Germany. And [I’ve] kind of been rocking it on my own ever since. I rented a place here for a year and worked and then just went to university.”
“Any regrets?”
“It’s hard to say. There’s not too much that I regret just because everything that I’ve done in the past, regardless of mistake or good idea, it’s brought me to where I am now and I’m happy to be where I am right now so it’s hard to say.”
It happens to all of us. Missed alarms, hectic schedules, chasing buses, slow people in the hallway, and that coveted cup of coffee are just a few things that have led us to this epidemic. When you walk into class late, there is a good chance the room is pretty much filled, so there are a few people who will stare at you as you make your way to an empty seat. Well, I’m here to let you know, this doesn’t have to be the case.
You don’t have to be a dishevelled, tired, zombie student. Own the room. Become memorable in the best way possible. In order to do that, let’s identify the type of late comer you are.
Are you the:
I’m sure we’d all like to aim for the adjusted student, but that isn’t always possible.
Recently, I was five minutes late as a white van in front of my express bus decided to have a leisurely ride at 8:55 am. Three cars behind the van switched to the left lane to keep their sanity and the express bus was stuck behind the van. When the bus turned in to UTM, it was 8:59 and my class happened to be in IB and of course, the room was full. Luckily, I saw an empty seat and dashed to it as soon as I walked into the room.
This brings up the first tip when walking late into a classroom: Scan the room for seats. Look around to see if there are any empty spaces.
Second: Fast walk—don’t run or jog—but fast walk. It’s like you’re slowly rushing to your seat. It’s quick and graceful.
Third: For the students who have one class after another in another building, pack up five minutes before the class ends. You aren’t going to be late and you probably haven’t missed anything important from the previous lecture.
Tips:
For the jugglers: Carry something small and no less than three things. Make sure it’s not a laptop, unless that’s the only thing you’re going to carry. Rushing to class when you’re late is already a tough task. Make it easier on yourself by carrying less items.
Now, for the late-comers in general, here’s what you do: Take five minutes to get yourself together. Fix your hair, take deep breath, have a drink of water, and relax before walking into class. When you walk in, all eyes may or may not be on you, but walk in with confidence. Instead of scurrying to the nearest seat, scan the room and look for a place to sit. And if you catch a glimpse of the professor, quickly apologize for coming late. You can mouth the words or apologize after class and briefly explain your situation. An email is good enough too.
We can’t always help if we’re late, but we can make the best of the situation and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
What are some tips you have? Share them below!
Second Year, Computer Science Mathematics + Second Year, Computer Science Mathematics
“What is the funniest thing you’ve seen each other do?”
“She’s not funny.” [laughs]
“See what I have to put through? … He was looking for his pencil case or some other random thing, I guess. I can’t remember. There’s too many things that are inappropriate.”
First Year, Criminology + Sociolegal Studies
“Sometimes I feel like I should have went to York for their Fine Arts program or even tried to apply at OCAD… ‘Just tried’— with an emphasis on that… And I regret it because I really wanted to go there and I tried to switch my majors around, trying to do things… I wish I put in what I liked first before anything else which would have been nice but I’m here (and I’m) not going through the hassle of changing universities now.”
“Are you still planning to take art courses here?”
“Yeah. I’m planning to do it in summer because I finally figured my life out. I have to get on that before I fall behind. So that’s gonna be nice.”
First Year, Geography
“I have my own fantasy of getting a nice paying job in Prince Edward Island and living out the rest of my days in paradise…It’s a pretty idyllic place set off in the countryside somewhere. There’s a real sense of community there. Small little island…plus sort of a romantic nostalgia sense. What I associate with Prince Edward Island is Anne of the Green Gables.”
There’s certainly been a lot of talk about bucket lists in the past. Everyone’s always raving about skydiving and donating hair and cross-country road trips. Don’t get me wrong, the idea of a bucket list is truly inspiring, but today I’d like to make a list that documents the flipside. The following are some of the things I’d rather die than do before I die. Hopefully you can relate to some of them.
First Year, CCIT
“What’s been the most rewarding aspect of going to UTM?”
“It’s just nice to finally be able to take classes in what you like to do and have freedom and be treated more like an adult than a child.”
Fourth Year, Commerce
How do you feel about UTM?
*Answers promptly*
“I love UTM.”