Name: Shauna Jean Doherty
School: University of Toronto
Program, Year: Semiotic Theory, Fourth Year
What was the deciding factor that made you choose this school?I was trying to find a program that combined my interest in art and my interest in one day finding employment. Basically, I wanted to pursue a creative career, under the guise of a university program. Semiotics at U of T combines philosophy and the visual arts. We deconstruct the elements of human perception in order to identify the process of interpretation. The program explores the mechanics of all constructed systems, that produce meaning. I chose U of T because its the only school in North America that has a program devoted to Semiotic Theory and I also enjoyed the idea of going to school in a really progressive castle.
What do you love most about your school? I like going to U of T because it’s in a city devoted to being a city, not a host to university students. In Toronto you’re an actual person, not someone who is stuck in a weird pre-adult purgatory. There’s tons to do – all the time, without wearing a backpack. I’ve gone my entire university career without needing/wanting to learn how to play beer pong and I think that’s really saying something. The architecture here is also incredible. It’s nice going to school with other people who appreciate things like architecture. It’s also pretty neat learning about the proliferation of drag kings in Toronto, inside what used to be a church.
Are you involved in any extracurricular activities? I played intramural soccer in my first year, which was a good way to meet people and to demonstrate my complete lack of athleticism. I also played on the university’s improv team. They sent us to Montreal for a tournament. U of T flipped the bill for our accommodation and sustenance. U of T greatly supports the drinking of wine. Now that I’m in my final year of my undergrad I’m going to a lot of events rather than participating in weekly activities. Just recently I went to a production of Twelfth Night in the Philosopher’s Walk (an outdoor courtyard beside the law school). U of T students apparently are good at more than just being pretentious. Hart House offers a lot of student programming for whatever you’re into. There are a bunch of drop in fitness classes. Sometimes I do yoga and cycling. My favourite so far has been the black and white photography developing course. U of T has a dark room set up in the basement of Hart House, it must be one of the only ones left in existence.
What’s your best advice on how to meet new friends? Meeting people is a lot easier in your tutorials than it is in your classes. Friends in class are also a huge asset for your academic career. To be honest, a lot of the students at U of T are super competitive so sometimes if you ask someone you don’t know for notes, they won’t give them to you. That’s real. There are events going on all year round, so keep an eye out for the posters on campus and visit the Arbor Room in Hart House if you want to catch some goings on. If you want to talk to someone randomly you can always visit Robarts. Everyone there is always in the same boat, slightly depressed and eating a hot dog for dinner, especially around exam time. There is always someone who wants to chat about stress or they’ll want to chat about anything other than stress.
Where’s your favourite place for:
A cheap dinner: Nirvana (College and Bathurst) or The Rhino (surprisingly cheap and delicious food)(Queen West)
Brunch: Aunties and Uncles (at College and Lipincott) is a really rad place for breakfast but not super cheap
Lunch: China Town (Spadina, between College and Queen, especially around Dundas), if you are into dumplings, you and a friend can have lunch for less than $6. If you take them to go you can go to a park in Kensington Market and enjoy. Also, in Kensington you should try “a double” at Patty King (on Baldwin). Its a pastry with chick peas and potatoes in it. With a drink it’s $5.
Coffee: My favourite coffee shop on campus is called Caffiends. It’s a student run co-operative that sells loose leaf tea and organic/fair trade coffee, for a dollar. Hidden in Victoria College, the shop avails itself to quiet studying (naps) on the mismatched couches and long oak table. You can even drink your coffee from one of their mismatched china mugs, bring it to class and return it when your lecture is over. The shop also features a take a penny leave a penny-esque clothing rack. Where you hang clothes you don’t want and take something you do! Amazing.
As far as my favourite coffee shop in Toronto goes, I would say The Common is best. I am impressed both by their coffee, their recent acquisition of a liquor license, and their commitment to climbing spider plants.
What bars do you frequent the most? The Red Room is a good bar if you are looking for a place close to campus (Spadina just south of College). Their pitchers of sangria are delicious (FYI their secret ingredient is Mountain Dew, perfect for the bar hopping, bushy tailed university bound boy (too much?))One of my favourite bars in town is The Cadillac Lounge, because it’s so uncool. It’s beside a soup kitchen and is frequented mostly by the forty-plus type demographic. The only competition that exists there is based on pool skill. The Red Light is a trendy bar that is trying to keep itself a secret. It doesn’t even have a sign outside; there’s just a black panel on top of a doorway. The bar itself subscribes to the Sweaty Betty’s philosophy that a cool bar is one that looks most like a poorly decorated 1960’s livingroom. This place has so many garish lamps, it’s unreal.
Where do you go if you wanna dance? The Dance Cave is a rite of passage for all first years (and will likely persist throughout your university career). Shake-a-Tail is a fun night at Clinton’s (moving to Sneaky Dee’s this year). It’s a really friendly dance night where they only play oldies. Who doesn’t feel great about themselves when you can shimmy unapologetically to the Beach Boys, surrounded by other people who feel the same way?
Any party nights we should know about? The Gladstone Hotel holds karaoke nights which is a great excuse to drink a lot and do things that you wouldn’t normally do sober. The Gladstone Gallery space holds comedy shows and exhibits, if you are looking for a cultural experience. Sneaky Dee’s holds daily specials, which come highly recommended. Wednesday night features the King Crown + a Pitcher. Such a good day of the week. Also, their kitchen is open past last call, so if you’re looking to reverse the effects of the last beer you shouldn’t have had, this is the place.
Do you have a favourite clothing store? One of my favourite shops is on Queen West, called The Public Butter. It’s a used clothing store that still caters to the fashionably poor individual rather than to the wealthy douchebag who enjoys wearing clothes previously owned by strangers. (Can I say douchebag?)
Where’s your favourite place to study? There’s also a handful of courtyards and covered walkways on campus that make studying feel a lot more historically significant. The walkway connecting Knox College is beautiful. There are tables and ferns and that’s pretty much all you need. Emmanuel College is my favourite library. You can get away with printing there for free. Shhh. The place is always empty, which gives you plenty of time to walk up and down the spiral staircase without looking weird. Pratt Library is one of the newest and classiest. There are lots of walls made out of glass so you don’t feel cagey. Robarts is 24HRS. You go there if you want to study until your brain feels raw. It’s a weird feeling watching the sun rise on a Red Bull high. Exhilarating but slightly uncomfortable (I could make a cocaine reference here but I will not). The Monk Centre is also a beautiful library. They have Christmas trees during the winter, working fireplaces, leather chairs and wall to wall oak bookcases. This is what you’ve been waiting for.
Do you have a hairdresser / salon you’d recommend? On Dundas, just West of Spadina (right before Kensington) there is a Chinese hairdresser who will cut your hair for $7. I brought a picture of Patricia, from the movie Breathless, one time and that’s what I walked out with. Don’t expect a lot of conversation, but I’m cool with that.
What has been your favourite class thus far? UNI255H1, History of Sexuality was my favourite class. We watched Paris is Burning and a documentary about the commercialization of AIDS. I was introduced to Judith Butler and read the primary source material from Freud and Kinsey. It changed my whole concept of gender as performative and constructive. We also read some lesbian smut and watched some porn. It was…informative.
What’s your best piece of first-year advice? You should actually use the office hours that your TA and your professor provide. Sometimes you can do poorly on an assignment just because you misunderstood the instructions. Also, introducing yourself to your professor or asking a question can help humanize you. That might just be a personal theory but if I explain to my professor what I’m doing for the assignment I often do better, just because they are familiar with the concept I’ve already presented.
What did you learn the hard way? I learned that your professors are looking for what they ask for. If you try to reinvent the wheel everytime you write an essay, your creativity isn’t really appreciated. In my experience at U of T there’s no such thing as a new idea when you’re writing a paper. Someone has already written what you are writing, probably better than you are.
Any misconceptions you want to clear up about your school? U of T isn’t as conservative as it seems. Programming is progressive and Hart House will fund any club that has a legitimate proposal. People are competitive though. Everyone acts like you are their personal obstacles to getting into grad school. We have a 24HR library for a reason – use it if you’re serious about doing well, sorry to say.
Before you graduate, you are going to make sure you: Get a 4.0 GPA. Maybe. If I don’t sleep this year.
Best memory so far? Living in China Town. Working at the Starbucks on campus and having someone try to pay me in raw chicken. Secretly smoking cigarettes in the library at three in the morning. Who knew that 19th Century Europe could be so scandalous.
Got any weird /specific tip that would only apply to your school? Check out the Media Commons on the third floor of Robarts. It houses almost every movie ever made and you can rent them for free with your student card. You can also renew your flicks three times. Just don’t forget to return them because there’s a $5 late fee/day. Also, ask your registrar about the two courses you can take for no credit. Basically you can take two classes, get the credit, but prevent the final grade from going towards your GPA. So if you have a class that you have a feeling that you’re going to do poorly at, or if you’re taking 5 classes, you can choose one to slack off on one– a bit. At U of T you have to take distribution courses meaning you have to take a full credit in Science, Social Science and Humanities. If you aren’t much of a science student like me but you have to take 2 courses in science then you can claim them as credit/no credit classes. The ROM is free for university students on Tuesdays.
Sometimes its nice to walk south on St. George to Baldwin Village (it’s only a ten minute walk). There’s an amazing Chinese Pastry Shop there that sells spring rolls for like 75 cents. I also really like swimming at Hart House (the student centre on campus). The pool looks like a Grecian bathhouse, columns included, nudity excluded.
Anything else you want to share with first year students? Explore University College, there are secret passageways.