What It's Like to Return to Campus

Everyone’s return to campus is going to look different this year. But, as someone who has had in-person classes since the fall semester, I figured I would share all of the great things about campus that I have experienced since coming back. My program has brought back one of my classes onto campus this month, so I am lucky enough to get to go every Friday for the rest of the semester!

I live in Toronto, but not close enough to the school that I can walk there. My personal commute involves taking the 509 streetcar, which goes down the waterfront to Union Station. From there, I hop on the subway to go North to Dundas Station and voilà, I’m there! I personally do not take the TTC enough to get a monthly student pass (external link, opens in new window) , but I fill my Presto card with about $50 a month and it is more than enough to get me around the city for school, grocery shopping and leisure activities. On my way to campus, I like to listen to music or a podcast, and I use the time to fill out the RyersonSafe Health Screening, which needs to be completed before arriving on campus.

I, like most university students, am a lover of coffee, so I like to arrive on campus early and go to one of my favourite coffee shops. If I’m in more of a rush, I like to stop by Starbucks in the Student Learning Centre (SLC) or Balzac’s, right on Gould Street. Gould Street is the main street that runs through campus, and is a pedestrian-only walkway filled with lots of activities. Orientation events usually take place there, and on an average day you can find student groups promoting events or businesses giving away free products! So far this year on Gould Street, I’ve gotten free sodas, healthy snacks like dried cranberries and coupons to Kernels.

I am a Professional Communication (ProCom) student, so most of my core classes take place in the Rogers Communication Centre (RCC), home of The Creative School. This building is filled with all types of rooms such as auditoriums, traditional classrooms, computer labs and even a recording studio. My course takes place in one of the dedicated ProCom flexlabs, and is taught in a hybrid format with some students joining virtually. It’s a pretty seamless experience!

After my class is finished, I usually like to take advantage of what the campus has to offer. If I have a heavy workload that particular week, I walk over to the SLC and find a desk on the seventh floor so that I can work in a designated quiet space. Working around other students that also need to get work done really motivates me to focus. If I have any extra time, I like to book time at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (external link, opens in new window)  (MAC), one of two gyms our university has to offer. This space actually used to be home to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and is fitted with the best equipment you can find. I love that any recreation fees are included in my tuition fees, so I don’t need to join another gym. 

Altogether, going back to campus has been a fairly seamless experience so far, and I can’t wait until more students come back at the beginning of next month.