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annie hall

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annie hall last won the day on August 4 2010

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  • Gender
    Female
  • Location
    Canada
  • Application Season
    Already Attending
  • Program
    Neuroscience

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  1. psycholinguist: I also had a tiny but cute apartment while living in Toronto, only it was in the gay village off Yonge/Wellesley. The Annex is such a great place to live! You have to try the perogies at Future's cafe (out on the patio, while you people watch) and then go book-shopping at BMV (so much better and cheaper than Chapters/Indigo). You also have to try Sushi on Bloor for all-around good sushi and Big Sushi for their amazing, slightly spicy Volcano Rolls. For dessert you should try lemon chiffon icecream from Greg's, although all their icecream is yummy (everything that I've mentioned thus far is east of Spadina but west of Bathurst right on Bloor). That's just quick stuff that's probably at your doorstep, I'm going to start compiling a list and then PM you! And yes! Please feel inclined to do the same for me! I will be living near 12th and Discovery (so much different than my life right at Yonge/Bloor), I know the neighbourhoods of Vancouver but nothing too detailed about what to try/eat/do/see etc. Everything I've been advised to do involves the outdoors which is fine, but you can't do that on a Friday night when you just want to relax and hang out somewhere fun and exciting. I did try Pepitas (Burrard and 4th) hoping for some good Ceviche and Mexican food (not TexMex) and it wasn't bad! PastHistory: Why not try a cute blouse with an interesting pattern or a dress shirt that's not traditionally structured instead of a plain t-shirt? Something like these maybe? That way you can do away with the sweater/blazer (it's still warm in September in Canada/US so you won't have to worry about carrying it when walking outside around campus) and yet still look refined. The pants and flats sound great though!
  2. I was in the Neuroscience Program at UofT, so most of my grad courses were in that area. I took both seminar courses and "Methods/Techniques" courses. If the courses that you've listed are seminar-type (read the description, email the course coordinator if necessary), then they're similar to any other graduate level course in the sciences. For mine, we had about 20 students (it was through the physiology department): a mix of upper/lower level PhD students and MSc students like myself. The faculty involved (usually there's 5-6) will assign papers in their own area of expertise for students to choose from and then present to the class along with a written critique. This requires good background knowledge of the material that needs to be presented (both conceptual and technical) because they want you to quickly summarize the findings and focus on interpretation of data (i.e. highlight problems/weaknesses of techniques used etc.) along with analysis. You just have to be critical as if you're the reviewer of the paper. After the 20 min presentation there was about 40 min to an hour of question period where the faculty present would question your knowledge of the material presented in front of the class. I was also working on funding applications at the time, writing up a manuscript, preparing for a conference and I managed to do well in the courses. The workload isn't too bad (and especially not bad if you did undergrad at UofT in the sciences) if you manage your time well and prepare ahead of time (i.e. not read the assigned paper for the first time a couple of days before your presentation).
  3. poco_puffs: I agree, I take all experiences in life (good and bad) as positives, how are we to learn if we don't mess up and make mistakes along the way? Robin N: You are welcome! You'll feel out of place initially, but soon people will come to expect that from you and it will be no big deal! They'll realize that frumpy and scientifically-inclined don't always go together. Just be true to who you are and cater to your own likes/wants. psycholinguist: Haha, yess! I'm going to try and not sound like I have that arrogant/crackberry-addicted/center-of-the-universe attitude the rest of Canada thinks Torontonians have, but you are going to LOVE it here! I spent 6 years at UofT (BSc+MSc) and grew up around Toronto and am very very sad to leave. I have been to Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver and I have to say if you're looking for a safe, involved, cultured, city life, Toronto is the place to be! Will you be going to UofT? Where are you going to live? I want to write a list of things you must do/try before the summer is over but I'm going to practice some self-restraint. I'm very excited for how amazing your life is going be.
  4. annie hall

    UBC!

    Hey guys! I was just cleaning my inbox and found an old email explaining orientation for new grads takes place on September 2nd! Is anyone from here going? On the website for newly admitted students, there's a bunch of events taking place that entire week...I only JUST noticed! Also, because I am broke and cannot afford to pay rent in Toronto AND Vancouver during August, I won't be moving until September 1st. It's happening so fast, I haven't even finished my MSc thesis revisions yet. Anyway, has anyone received emails from their respective departments about a departmental orientation? I am in Neuroscience and haven't heard anything! I feel that will be the important one to attend as opposed to the one intended for all grads.
  5. Ohhh, I LOVE Sephora, my heartbeat quickens when I'm in that store. Someone was asking about mineral make-up before, I've used Bare Essentuals for the longest time (I have olive skin tone) but recently they haven't been shipping it to Canada b/c of the offical SPF label on the packaging. I was advised to switch to the Sephora Brand Mineral Make-up and although I was apprehensive at first, I find it to be better than Bare Essentuals. It's not as glowy, and more matte, so I can get away with using a bit more in certain areas where I need it without looking too made up. It's also cheaper and you get more for a lower price. It also has all the perks of BE (i.e. the SPF, etc.). On topic: I can't believe I didn't find this thread sooner! I have been struggling with this 'issue' for awhile. I'm a feminine typical "city" girl who likes to wear boots in the Fall (I'm from Toronto) along with blazers and blouses layerd with cardigans. I also experiment quite a bit with jewellery (I recently splurged on a Michael Kors goldtone watch). Being in the sciences though, I feel I have had to tone down my feminity in order to fit in. During my MSc, I was the only girl in the lab with guys who wore nothing but tshirts and jeans and I always felt too dressed up (even though by regular standards of professional attire, I was just well-dressed). So, I ended up not wearing A LOT of my clothes just so I didn't appear too girly, or someone who was too interested in her appearance to actually be able to 'do' science. Suffice it to say, I regret a lot of who I became during the last 2 years. I'm moving to the west coast for a PhD (UBC), and refuse to let other people dictate how I'm going to look or what I'm going to wear. What is the point of having all those nice clothes when I seldom get to wear them. For fellow science female graduate students, wear ALL your nice clothes, and embrace your femininity. People who are going to take you seriously, will do so regardless of the way you dress, and those who are going to judge, aren't worth your time anyway. Having said that, some of my favourite stores are Club Monaco, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Banana Republic, along with any good thrift store. I don't believe in bargain shopping but rather paying the price for clothes that are staples (and not trendy) and will last me a couple of seasons. For shoes, I generally wear pointy flats in the summer (comfy but dressy enough for work), leather boots in the Fall, and waterproof boots for the snowy/rainy winters (Burberry has some very nice patterned rubber boots for $200 that will last you a long long time!).
  6. annie hall

    UBC!

    YAY! That's fantastic...I was seriously contemplating living downtown even though it would be a bit of commute b/c I'm used to the hectic having-people-around-all-the-time lifestyle. You'll have a roommate? Did you guys know each other previously? I checked out two places with roommates but I thought I'd rather live by myself for $200 more. Where in downtown will you be living? Yes, I think a collective coffee date BEFORE school starts is a great idea! I move for good on August 24th, when do you move?
  7. annie hall

    UBC!

    Did you end up finding anything? I got back from Vancouver last week, I also only went for a week but I felt that was sufficient time to find a place. I'll be living near 12th and Discovery...anyone living close by or in the Kits/West Point Grey area? It is very sleepy compared to the downtown Toronto life I'm used to but I hope I adjust!
  8. annie hall

    UBC!

    I've only ever lived in my parents' house or on my own so I'm not sure how I feel about living with other people let alone strangers. It seems that rent in Vancouver is way worse than downtown Toronto so I'm going to be paying a lot more to live on my own there than I am here, which is unfortunate. I guess you could live on your own for the first year and take that time to meet people, make friends, etc. and then move in with them? My PhD will be at least 3 years so that is an option for me. Are you looking at specific parts of Vancouver? Also, would you agree to rent a place without first checking it out physically yourself? I am defending my MSc thesis first week of July, so I'll be visiting the week after. Keep all of us posted on how all that pans out for you!
  9. annie hall

    UBC!

    Hey guys! I am moving to Vancouver this fall as well! I grew up in a suburb of Toronto, went to Uoft for undergrad and MSc so up and moving across the country to UBC is a little daunting, not to mention I have zero friends or family in BC. I have one acquaintance that I met at a conference last summer who has been very helpful. I have been looking at the UBC AMS rentline for apartment listings and Craigslist. It seems that listings go up a month before availability...so I'm thinking of visiting Vancouver for a week or two in July to (hopefully) secure a place for August/September. I'm thinking about Dunbar/Point Grey/Kitsilano area...that way I'm an in the middle of campus and downtown. Gotta say; I will miss the fact that UofT is in the heart of downtown, unlike UBC. I hope I'm able to get used to that. Have you guys made any progress apartment hunting?
  10. I'll be 23 when I start my PhD. I finished undergrad at 21, defending MS thesis in two months, leaving Toronto for Vancouver in August. The whole thing makes me a little sad.
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