Toronto

[bucketsofrain]

Anyone going to Toronto? I am 95% sure I am going there (for Classics).

[Hank Scorpio]

Yup. I mean, I'm not going to U of T...But I'm going to Ryerson U. (for Philosophy) in Toronto. Can't wait!

[MaxiJaz]

I'll be at UofT in the fall. I actually moved here a year ago to look for work in a related field, and the time has helped me adjust to the city (I lived in Montreal and London, ON previously). The libraries are pretty sweet compared to what I've been used to, but there are so many students!

Edited April 8, 2012 by MaxiJaz

[Hank Scorpio]

I've heard the libraries there are amazing! A few months ago, while living in Chicago, I went to the Northwestern library a few times. It's pretty sweet. Just loads and loads of books.

[surefire]

I'll be at U of T in the Fall, in the Sociology Department. I'll have been in the city for about three years come September (did my MA at York and then worked NGO/academic gigs). Toronto grows on you, it was a bit of a slow take for me, but I'm good to commit for the PhD time-frame!

I've heard the libraries there are amazing!

Goodness yes, the library! I visited their rare book rooms the last time I was on campus and totally geeked out! One of my contracts post-MA involved rare book appraisals, so I was completely enamoured with the opportunity to peruse! Having access to U of T resources is one of the biggest draws for me! Stoked!

[Hank Scorpio]

Yup yup, I'm stoked too! When I was trying decided which school's offer to accept, I was told by a current Ryerson grad student was we had access to the U of T library, and learning that was definitely a game-changer!

[MaxiJaz]

I've been very impressed so far as well. Can't wait till we're given the go-ahead to pick up our student IDs. My brother currently attends UofT so I've been lucky to take books out under his name. As for 'library'....I think there are about 20 or more libraries, considering that each of the separate undergrad colleges also have their own (http://onesearch.lib...to.ca/libraries)...the big one is Robarts...which holds most of the social science, environment, urban studies collections and the rare books library is at the bottom. There's a Starbucks and Subway restaurant on the first floor. I've sampled Gerstein, the science, health science Library, very pretty, and also huge. Stoked.

I'll be at U of T in the Fall, in the Sociology Department. I'll have been in the city for about three years come September (did my MA at York and then worked NGO/academic gigs). Toronto grows on you, it was a bit of a slow take for me, but I'm good to commit for the PhD time-frame!

Goodness yes, the library! I visited their rare book rooms the last time I was on campus and totally geeked out! One of my contracts post-MA involved rare book appraisals, so I was completely enamoured with the opportunity to peruse! Having access to U of T resources is one of the biggest draws for me! Stoked!

I have to agree with Surefire. Toronto does grow on you. In Montreal, Toronto never had the best of reputations...mostly related to cooties and the leafs . I have to admit, I did find the city very confusing, too fast paced and soulless at first. After a while, you start to enjoy the city for what it is....one that's multicultural, and full of life. You have to find your niche like in any new place, but after that, it's a very accessible city with plenty to do. Though I keep hearing from current UofT grads that they want out, but I think that's just a result of having lived in the city for most of their lives and wanting to try somewhere new. Having done that prior to moving here, I'm content.

Edited April 9, 2012 by MaxiJaz

[Nerd_For_Life]

I'm headed to UofT for my MA in Anthropology. Anyone here living near UofT? Or commuting a bit? I'm moving from BC and will be finding housing with the help of some friends and family who live there so I'm wondering if you can think of any suggestions or tips or warnings, etc.

[ktel]

I'm at U of T currently. I'm doing Aerospace Engineering, so my department is nowhere near the downtown campus, but I have to go downtown for rugby practice and stuff. I live in between the two and commute (40 minutes to my department, 20 minutes downtown). If you live somewhere on the subway line it's great. I live near St Clair West station, and this leg of the subway is the best. Not as busy and fewer service problems than the Yonge side.

[milam1186]

I'll be going to U of T for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. I'll be commuting... going up in June to look for apartments. I'll have to keep in mind that subway info.

[surefire]

I'm headed to UofT for my MA in Anthropology. Anyone here living near UofT? Or commuting a bit? I'm moving from BC and will be finding housing with the help of some friends and family who live there so I'm wondering if you can think of any suggestions or tips or warnings, etc.

Hey nicolemc! Welcome!

I'll be living a 10 minute commute (20 minute bike ride) from U of T! I'm sure that you're already aware, but just in case, I wanted to emphasize that U of T has Housing Services to help out under/grad students, post-docs and faculty: http://www.housing.utoronto.ca/

It's probably a good place to start!

General advice:

- Try viewit.ca - I find it to be FAR superior to Craigslist or Kijiji! You can check out neighbourhoods and customize your search to find out what you can get for your budget! As I'm sure people will tell you, Toronto can be expensive in terms of cost of living, it's said to be the most expensive city in Canada, second sometimes to Vancouver (so, depending on where in BC you are from, you might be familiar...)

- Some trendy neighbourhoods that are pretty downtown-ish and student friendly are: The Annex, The Junction, High Park, Little Italy, Cabbagetown and Kensington, so keep an ear out for these if they're mentioned. I live in Roncesvalles Village (near High Park, 2 minutes from Dundas West Station); it's awesome - little bookshops and coffee joints and organic everything, and a speedy commute to whatever I need downtown, including U of T!

- As ktel suggests, something on the subway line will make your life WAY easier!

- Here's a link to The City of Toronto housing: http://www.toronto.c...ing/housing.htm

Not a lot of practical advice, but some good context stuff!

- Here's a link to the Parkdale Tenant's Association Golden Cockroach Awards, a tool for denouncing city slumlords: http://www.goldencockroach.org/

Other organizations to consider for tenant advocacy/rights are ACORN, Parkdale Community Legal Services and Toronto Slum Tourism. I don't want to freak you out (I've had a handful of landlords/apartments in Toronto and no duds/slumlords yet, *knock wood*), but it's always best to know your resources! The Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations is also a good one: http://www.torontote...resources/links, check out their Tenant Survival Guide and Guide to Tenant Rights under their "Resources" tab to get familiar with your rights in Ontario!

Doing the apt hunt cross-city is awful! The vacancy rate is very low in Toronto and landlords often won't advertise (IF they advertise) more than a month or two in advance and places can often be snatched up within a few hours AND it's never an ideal option to gamble and agree to a place without seeing it! I would recommend, then, something like milam1186's approach: come visit the city and try to snag something in person. If you've got family/friends around here, they can put you up. If it doesn't go well and you trust them/can give them a good idea of what you want, you can get one of them to secure something for you while you're still in BC. Again, this is not ideal, but it can work... the place I am currently in, with three room-mates, I checked out/paid for/signed for without any of them even seeing it, because I was the only one available to go look at it and it was apparent that if I didn't throw down right then and instead waited to gather the roomies, it was going to get snatched up! It is stressful, but it can work!

That's all I can think of for now, but feel free to post/PM me if there's something that I can elaborate on!

Oh, and don't forget, you cheer for the Leafs now

Welcome!

Edited April 19, 2012 by surefire

[ktel]

Yes I will note we had a tough time with the apartment hunt. Finding something the right size, in the right neighborhood and for the right price and then actually getting it was very difficult. I believe the high cost of real estate is driving a lot of people to rent, and therefore the vacancy rate is fairly low. My boyfriend did the apartment search, as he was already living in Toronto for work the summer before I started (living with his parents). We had issues with picky landlords who wouldn't rent to us because they couldn't meet me, only him. The pickiness only really happens for smaller operations where someone is renting out a basement apartment or something. We had success with larger commercial landlords who only care about if you can pay your rent on time. I love our building and apartment. I have seen some of my undergraduate teammates' apartments, closer to campus, and some of them are REALLY crappy.