The next four years are going to go by fast. Trust me. As The Varsity’s staff worked on the handbook you now hold in your hands, we all found it surprisingly easy to jump back into the mindsets we had as timid freshmen just a few years ago. Even as the equally bleary-eyed essays and parties from 2nd year and 3rd year blur together, faces and friends from frosh week will stay clearly defined.
The moments you’ll experience over the next few weeks and months are going to stick with you. Be as cynical as you want, but recognize that starting university is the beginning of a great adventure. It’s a milestone in your life, and only you will determine your path through the University of Toronto and beyond.
With that in mind, our goal for this handbook was to equip you with the information we wish we’d had on our first days. The intention is not to tell you the cool or correct way to be part of our school, but to present you with options for being part of our huge community. Want to be a Varsity athlete or just stay fit? Find out about the sports scene. Confused about the best way to get to class? Scan our map, and then check out the results of our cross-campus race. Maybe you missed frosh altogether, and are scratching your head about how to bust into your classmates’ newly minted cliques. Check out our guide to making friends without frosh (written from personal experience of course).
You’ll eventually find your way in this big scary university. Good luck. You’ll be looking back on these days through rose-tinted glasses faster than you can imagine.
Simon Frank, Handbook Editor 2012-2013
