MICHELLE SUE, 17
Studying life sciences at U of T
HOMETOWN: Vancouver
WHERE SHE IS NOW: In residence at U of T
Igrew up in Vancouver, and I’ve always wanted to come to Toronto and have a bigcity experience. When the pandemic hit, I wasn’t sure if I should come because Ontario had a lot of Covid cases. In the end, my family and I decided it would be okay for me to go. The virus is unpredictable everywhere.
In September, I took a red-eye flight from Vancouver and moved into residence that morning. I’m living in Hutton House at University College and doing my first-semester classes online. I get a lot of strangers DMing me to ask if I want to sign petitions to lower the tuition fees. I definitely wish they would do that, but I understand the university has to keep up with its fixed costs.
Lots of the usual frosh week events were cancelled, and most of the clubs have gone online, which is a shame. I grew up riding horses, and I played basketball in high school—I was hoping to play for the women’s basketball team and join the equestrian club. I did run for office, though: I’m the co-president of my house. My favourite frosh week activity was a walking tour of Toronto. Coming from Vancouver, where it’s very hilly, I was shocked to learn I could see the CN Tower from almost anywhere. Toronto is just so big—there’s so much architecture and lots to explore. I haven’t been out to bars or restaurants yet, but I’m looking forward to that when it’s safe.
Honestly, I’m surprised they’re letting us live on campus. All the rooms at Hutton House are single-occupancy this year, so I don’t have a roommate. Usually there are 28 students in my residence, but this year there are only 12, and I know lots of them from Facebook and Instagram introduction pages, which were set up before we arrived. I’d connected with some other students online before school started, and most of them live next door in Morrison House. I spend afternoons in the study rooms there.
I’ve had a few social interactions. One day, I’d just finished a lecture and heard a knock at my door. It was a guy I’d met online, who turned out to live next door to me. We’d barely talked in person, but he asked if I wanted to go thrifting. We walked to Kensington Market, and I bought a blazer. It was such a nice surprise.
My friends joke that we’re all going to get Covid. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of us did, even though we’re playing it safe. My friends and I walk around campus or chill in each other’s rooms almost every night, but we all know parties aren’t a good idea. There are definitely some gatherings, though. I see pictures on Instagram. It’s not crazy parties like at Western, but people are getting together in their social circles.
One thing I didn’t expect is how hard it would be to keep track of my courses. Every class is on a different platform: one of my profs communicates by email, another just posts on the website. Some release assignments one by one, others all at once. It’s hard to know whether you’re ahead or behind.
My long-term plan is to do a double major in physiology and global health, then a medical degree. But in the short term, I’m just hoping that my second-semester classes will be in person.