I opted for the University of Toronto because of the flexibility of the degree options that they have. I am currently doing a double major, which is allowing me to pursue two of my interests rather than having to have picked between them. As well, the flexibility of degree options allows students to diversify their degrees more than in many other counterpart schools. Rather than completing a degree that is specialized in one major area of focus, the University of Toronto allows you to incorporate other subfields into your degree. This makes for a more well-rounded and adaptable graduate, which makes one more flexible to a wider range of career options later down the road. The degree options, like double majoring, double minoring and a major, specializing and a minor, etc. allow students to combine programs to come up with a unique degree that amalgamates their passions and covers a wider range of the field of interest, or allows one to take an interdisciplinary approach towards one's career. Another factor that made me choose the University of Toronto is the uniqueness of the degrees themselves. For example, I was initially interested in the program Environmental Physics, wherein the University of Toronto was the only school that I had seen that program offered. The field of Environmental Science is very diversified at this school, which gives so many options in my field of interest.
Course Curriculum :
I think that the course curriculum is in dire need of updating. Within the faculties of math and physics at the University of Toronto, there is a lot of disconnects. I think any closely interconnected faculties that have many overlapping prerequisites, such as math and physics, should come together when composing or updating the curriculum. In the case of the University of Toronto's math and physics course curriculums, there were many times in first-year physics courses where students were expected to already have background knowledge on various math concepts and know how to apply them, only to officially learn them in a second-year math course that is taken after said physics courses. That being said, there should be consistency between faculties in what is expected of students, what will be taught, and when. As well, I think it is important that secondary schools regularly update their curriculum in accordance with what is being taught in high schools. There have also been some discrepancies here, as a course will require knowledge of a concept under the presumption that students already know it (in addition to it not being taught in any other course), entirely under the assumption that it was taught in high school. As well, there have been some courses that have required various concepts to be used from a high school course that was not even listed as a prerequisite to the program.
Fees :
Fees are amalgamated between the Summer and Winter semesters, however, it is possible to pay them separately. All fees, including tuition, residence if applicable, incidentals, and any ancillary fees, are combined onto one charge. Some of the fees included access to a gym, health services, and co-op fees.
Examination Structure :
The exam structure at the University of Toronto is pretty standard across secondary schools across Ontario as far as I am concerned. Exams are typically three hours in length. Students are not allowed to leave within the first 20 mins of entering the exam room and are not allowed to leave when there are only 10 mins remaining. Students are required to remain seated until all papers have been collected and the invigilators give the go-ahead. Academic integrity is taken very seriously at the University of Toronto; cheating in any sense is not tolerated. That being said, seats are spaced apart enough so that students typically are not too close to each other. In some instances, you are randomly assigned a seat number as you enter so that you have no choice but you sit beside. To further combat cheating by looking at another student sheet, there are often multiple versions of exams. This can entail a different ordering of multiple choice questions, to asking slightly different questions for each version. Upon entering an exam room, students drop off all belongings to the front and only take what is needed. Some items are considered contraband for exams and can result in a grade of zero. Such items include a phone on your person or going off in the room regardless if it's on you or not. Other items include non-see-through pencil cases, bottles or drinks with a label, calculators for certain exams, and hats that are turned to the front. This is all in an effort to minimize the ability to cheat.
Faculty :
Besides the disconnect between related faculties as mentioned above, I think there are some other issues within my faculties. While I admire certain things about them, such as the diversity of program options under Environmental Science, as well as Astrophysics, since many schools don't offer Astrophysics as a major or specialist. I admire the faculty in that there are many highly qualified and dignified individuals, however, I think the University of Toronto emphasizes too heavily the prestige of the faculty. While many of the faculty members are greatly esteemed in their field and may have made great contributions to research and whatnot, not all of them are very effective educators. The ability to teach should be at the forefront of importance for a professor. While research is obviously of high importance as well, educating students is one of the major roles of a university, and if its professors are not proficient at the task, it is in a sense failing its objective. For instance, within the math faculty at the University of Toronto, there were certain professors whose courses had an extremely low success rate, and it was difficult for any student to do well. There were many protests made by students, however, nothing was done about this. In my opinion, if a professor is unable to effectively teach a course, there should be some sort of course that they can take to become a more proficient educator
