After enduring long, grey Toronto winters, summer feels like the break we’ve all been waiting for. For those enrolled in summer courses, The Varsity broke down how to make the most out of your semester. Whether you’re focused on your academic goals or interested in campus events, U of T offers a wide range of opportunities for summer semester students to get involved. 

Upcoming events

Apply your craftsmanship skills by joining Indigenous artist MJ Singleton for an Art Mural Project at First Nations House, from June 18–20. Students of all skill levels are welcome, with the event prioritizing Indigenous student participants from Turtle Island.

Summer is also a great time to meet new people and make friends. Join Meet Through Games at the Centre for International Experience, a series of workshops where students participate in bi-weekly board game nights to connect and learn about each other’s history and culture through games. 

Do you think you know the downtown campus? St. George students should join Snap the 6ix, an exciting photo scavenger hunt, to test their knowledge on July 4. Solve clues, snap photos across campus, and win prizes. 

Job opportunities

If you’re interested in gaining experiential learning, while being paid, U of T offers several opportunities on campus, highlighted on the Career and Co-Curricular Learning Network. 

It’s always a great idea to get in touch with your favourite professors or cold email researchers for an upcoming opportunity. Use the U of T directory to find staff, faculty, and department contacts across campuses.

Navigating study spots

Well-known crowd-favourite libraries are often Robarts Library and Gerstein Science Information Centre. This summer, Robarts is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 11:00 pm, while Gerstein is open from 8:30 am to 10:00 pm, with reduced hours over the weekend. 

For a more scenic and dark academia vibe, head over to Emmanuel College Library or Caven Library at Knox College. Emmanuel College Library is open Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, while Caven Library is open Monday to Thursday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and closed on Fridays starting June 28.

When you don’t feel like commuting to campus, but still want to be productive, you can join a Virtual Study Hub organized by U of T Student Life. These sessions run online through Zoom every day on different schedules. You can sign up through Folio — a U of T portal which includes upcoming events, activities, and access to students’ Co-Curricular Record (CCR) — and earn a CCR validation after attending six sessions. If you become comfortable enough to lead the study hub, you can earn a peer mentor CCR credit after running 11 sessions.