Toronto, ON

[ktel]

Thanks! Somehow I doubt the expansion will be done in the two years it will take me to finish my Masters, but oh well. I have accepted the 45 minute commute. I live about a 20-30 minutes (more with traffic) from my undergrad institution, so I'm definitely used to taking a bit of time to get to school. I can't wait to move to Toronto though!

[psycholinguist]

Thanks! Somehow I doubt the expansion will be done in the two years it will take me to finish my Masters, but oh well. I have accepted the 45 minute commute. I live about a 20-30 minutes (more with traffic) from my undergrad institution, so I'm definitely used to taking a bit of time to get to school. I can't wait to move to Toronto though!

Take a book, or a little pile of papers you have to read, or a portable arts-and-crafts project, or something. The time can be used productively and/or enjoyably!

[Nerd_For_Life]

Alright: Anyone living in or moving to Toronto for fall 2012? I'll be driving out there from Victoria, BC at the end of July to attend the MA Anthropology program at UofT. Suggestions for areas to live? Finding indoor cat friendly housing from afar? Other tips?

[ktel]

I currently live in a building owned by: http://www.flagshipcorp.ca/

They have a lot of locations, are pet friendly, aren't picky about tenants, and overall I am happy with them. I would suggest going for a larger commercial landlord if possible if moving from far away. It will probably be an easier process for you.

[Hank Scorpio]

Yup! I'm actually looking for a roommate in TO come this fall. I'm going to be going down to Toronto for a week at the end of July to look for a place, so I'm hoping to find someone to live with by then.

[eum-ag]

I may as well chime in too. I'm heading to UofT and I'm also looking for housemates as well. I'm not quite sure of my funding distribution nor will I be able to get to Canada until August. But hey, I'm open as of the moment.

Edited May 15, 2012 by eum-ag

[emeleyes]

Alright: Anyone living in or moving to Toronto for fall 2012? I'll be driving out there from Victoria, BC at the end of July to attend the MA Anthropology program at UofT. Suggestions for areas to live? Finding indoor cat friendly housing from afar? Other tips?

little italy, roncesvalles, leslieville, riverdale, bathurst&st. clair, or high park areas are awesome! i lived in little italy for a year and it was great -- amazing food, bike lanes, and something going on all of the time. it IS a little pricey though...

generally, the west end of the city is seen as less "sketchy" but there are some awesome areas in the east, so don't discount them right away. the only TRULY sketchy (read: unsafe) area is jane/finch area, which i suspect would be too far away from uoft anyway..

[Hank Scorpio]

Totally off-topic, but I'm just noticing now that Canadians who put the applied/rejected/accepted stuff in their signature have applied to two or three schools, but Americans seems to have applied to like 10 schools. Wonder why....

[Sparrowing]

Totally off-topic, but I'm just noticing now that Canadians who put the applied/rejected/accepted stuff in their signature have applied to two or three schools, but Americans seems to have applied to like 10 schools. Wonder why....

I've noticed this, too. I think there's a very different academic culture in Canada, and students here have different expectations. I've found that, since there is less difference in quality between Canadian schools relative to the American post-secondary system, Canadians choose schools based on a number of softer factors rather than always shooting for the schools with the most prestige. Obviously this is a generalization, but anecdotally I've found it to be true. Also, maybe the fact that Canadians get MAs before applying to PhD programs makes us more certain about what schools would be good fits?

[MaxiJaz]

I've noticed this, too. I think there's a very different academic culture in Canada, and students here have different expectations. I've found that, since there is less difference in quality between Canadian schools relative to the American post-secondary system, Canadians choose schools based on a number of softer factors rather than always shooting for the schools with the most prestige. Obviously this is a generalization, but anecdotally I've found it to be true. Also, maybe the fact that Canadians get MAs before applying to PhD programs makes us more certain about what schools would be good fits?

Huh...I never thought of it in that way, but you might be onto something. There are also far less post-secondary schools and specialist programs in this country, so you can only apply to a limited number of choices I guess.

[Hank Scorpio]

Yes, I think that sounds about right: a combination of the fact that there are far fewer schools that would be suitable to each discipline, and the different academic culture in general between the two countries. Evidence of this can also, I think, be found in the presence of standardized testing in the US/lack of in Canada.

Also, if I may insert a quick personal opinion, I think the lack of them in Canada is a better way to go about it. I mean, I know it can come back to bite you in the ass if you have to apply to a school in the US, because there they are conditioned to write standardized tests from a young-ish age. But as far as applying to grad school goes, having to do an honours degree/write a thesis in your undergrad and show competence in critical thinking makes more sense than being able to get a high score on a test that virtually anyone can do with enough studying.

[ktel]

^ Alberta has standardized diploma exams for their grade 12 students. The exam is worth 50% of your final grade. I personally loved it and thought it prepared students well for university where there are exams that are also worth so much of your grade.

[raise cain]

^ Alberta has standardized diploma exams for their grade 12 students. The exam is worth 50% of your final grade. I personally loved it and thought it prepared students well for university where there are exams that are also worth so much of your grade.

That sounds awful. Standardized testing is v problematic in my opinion, especially for those students who have varying learning abilities and shouldn't be discounted because they can't do a standardized exam.

[ktel]

That sounds awful. Standardized testing is v problematic in my opinion, especially for those students who have varying learning abilities and shouldn't be discounted because they can't do a standardized exam.

What I think is truly awful is that students in Ontario can buy their grades at privately run schools. There is no accountability.

[dalmond]

Finding indoor cat friendly housing from afar?

Ontario's residential tenancies act stops landlords from restricting pets (http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_06r17_e.htm#BK15) and in my 3 rental apartments in Toronto I have not had trouble having cats. My current building explicitly had a "no pets" clause in the agreement, but at least 1/3 of the tenants have dogs or cats.

[wafflechunk29]

Hey, has anyone lived in U of T's family housing? I'm moving with my partner from the US, so it would definitely be the easiest option, but I get the feeling it's overrun with kids (which would make sense, since it is called family housing). Any opinions?

[mhindawy]

I'm attending U of T fall 2013 as an international student and I have some questions:

 

1. I saw lots of OK places on www.viewit.ca, would you recommend I rent a place online or wait until I am there and look at the place first?

 

2. What's the best season for apartment hunting?

 

3. Approximately how long should it take to relocate: find a place to live, start a bank account, etc... Will a month before school starts be enough?

 

4. Here's a stupid international student question. Should I buy a two way ticket? Or I should buy a one way now and then two way every time I go home and come back?

 

Thanks!

[phalanges]

I'm attending U of T fall 2013 as an international student and I have some questions:

 

1. I saw lots of OK places on www.viewit.ca, would you recommend I rent a place online or wait until I am there and look at the place first?

 

2. What's the best season for apartment hunting?

 

3. Approximately how long should it take to relocate: find a place to live, start a bank account, etc... Will a month before school starts be enough?

 

4. Here's a stupid international student question. Should I buy a two way ticket? Or I should buy a one way now and then two way every time I go home and come back?

 

Thanks!

Hey,

 

I did my undergrad at U of T.

 

1. The best way to find an apartment is probably on craigslist: http://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/, the trouble with apartment hunting in Toronto is that places go very quickly (I've gone to see a place on multiple occassions, on the same day as the posting, to already find them rented out), and there is a good chance that no one will rent to you without meeting you first. Also, in Toronto people are supposed to give 60 days notice, so places go up for rent long before you move in.
2. There isn't really a good season for apartment hunting, but close to the university people tend to move in / out on May or June 1st or September 1st.
3. It's hard to say how long it'll take you to find a place to live, but setting up everything else shouldn't take too long. 
4. As for a ticket, that depends on if you have a planned return trip in mind, or if it is significantly cheaper than a one way ticket. I recommend flights.google.com

The best place to live imo is Kensington market / the Annex - North of Dundas, West of McCaul, South of Dupont, and East of Bathurst. 

[mhindawy]

I have been accepted at U of T as an international student and I have some questions:

 

1. I looked up some good apratments to on viewit.ca. Can I just go ahead and rent them online or I should wait until I'm in town and I arrange to see them?

2. How long before the semester starts should I move to Toronto? I will need to find a place to live, start a bank account, etc...

 

Thanks, Maha

[phalanges]

Hey, has anyone lived in U of T's family housing? I'm moving with my partner from the US, so it would definitely be the easiest option, but I get the feeling it's overrun with kids (which would make sense, since it is called family housing). Any opinions?

Hey,

 

I don't know anything about U of T's family housing, but I can tell you that it's not hard to find a place to live via the usual route (e.g. craigslist). My experience with U of T's residences overall (I lived in residence for my first year of undergrad) is that it is way more expensive than finding a place on your own, and unlikely to be nicer than a place you could find on your own. Some people I know who have moved from far away did things like subletting a place for a month and then looked at places when they were already in town. Others rented places without seeing it, and then just moved when their lease was up after one year. 

[selecttext]

I have been accepted at U of T as an international student and I have some questions:

 

1. I looked up some good apratments to on viewit.ca. Can I just go ahead and rent them online or I should wait until I'm in town and I arrange to see them?

2. How long before the semester starts should I move to Toronto? I will need to find a place to live, start a bank account, etc...

 

Thanks, Maha

 

be careful of renting an apartment online in toronto or anywhere else for that matter.  do not send anyone money over the internet - there are tons of scammers.

[wafflechunk29]

Some people I know who have moved from far away did things like subletting a place for a month and then looked at places when they were already in town. 

 

Interesting...I wonder if that could be a good option for me. Thanks!

[bona_fide]

If any of you are still looking in Toronto for an apartment, I went there last weekend from CA and had an extremely stressful weekend of running around and trying to find a place, and honestly, still have not found a place. But I DID find a terrific rental realtor who is helping us find somewhere from long distance. PM me if you want details on the process I experienced as someone moving from far away!

[yhk331]

It seems like quite a few people are trying to get to know Toronto. I am going to be finishing off my Masters and I started a blog to record down some of my experiences. I wrote two post related to this topic. The first one is related to University of Toronto itself shown in the following link:

http://controlgradstudy.blogspot.ca/2013/07/quick-orientation-tour-guide-to.html

 

The other one relates to the area near University of Toronto:

http://controlgradstudy.blogspot.ca/2013/08/quick-introduction-to-toronto.html

 

I hope that it will be useful to you guys.

[Smitten Pears]

In case newcomers to Toronto are starting to lurk on this thread, I'd add to the apartment-hunting comments that www.kijiji.com is also a really important resource. www.viewit.ca also used to be very good, but I didn't find it as helpful in my most recent apartment search; but it's good to look everywhere!