Jenna Asks Her Roommate About Living in Toronto
I recently wrote a blog where I interviewed my roommate Melissa about her experience as an Accounting & Finance student at our university. In addition to asking about her program, I also asked her about how she likes living in Toronto—which is what this blog is all about! She talks about her experience living in residence, apartment hunting and if she likes living with a roommate. I really hope she likes living with a roommate!
Question: What was your experience like living in residence in your first year? What building did you live in, and how did you like it?
Answer: In first year, I lived in the International Living & Learning Centre, which is also known as ILC. I had a single room to myself with a bathroom that was also in my room; that was really nice. There was also a cafeteria in my building, which was really convenient, especially during classes or if I was just studying in my room, I could go downstairs and eat. The overall experience in the dorm was great. I became friends with a few people on my floor who I still talk to today, so residence is definitely a good place to meet people from different programs rather than just meeting people in your classes.
When there’s a mirror in an elevator, you have to take a selfie.
Q: How was your apartment hunting experience in downtown Toronto? Do you have any advice?
A: My experience apartment hunting was pretty good for the most part. It definitely can feel a little overwhelming in the beginning when you don't know exactly what you're looking for or how to go about it. I would say check the basic websites like Kijiji (external link, opens in new window) or condos.ca (external link, opens in new window) . If you find an agent you really like while you're messaging people back and forth about apartments, just stick to that person. Chances are they can also help set up other viewings for you, and you don't have to pay for that. It's the landlord that pays for the agent, so that's definitely a good thing.
For advice, I would say definitely have a list of things you're looking for when you're apartment hunting. If you're three people, do you think you guys can live with one bathroom? Or do you want multiple bathrooms? Are you okay with having a communal laundry, or do you want something within your unit? Do you want to be close to university, or do you mind taking the subway to campus? You should definitely keep things like that in mind. Make sure that if you're living with other people that you are all on the same page about things like budget and cleanliness.
Q: How do you like living with a roommate? Do you have any tips?
A: I love living with a roommate. I don't think I could ever live by myself, just because I think I would get really bored. Especially when you have little things you want to tell people throughout the day, you have that person right there. After living with that person for so long, they become your go-to person, like your best friend.
For tips about living with a roommate, when you're signing a lease with someone make sure you know what you're getting into in terms of similar schedules, similar patterns for cleaning and stuff like that. You don't want to find out that you're moving with someone who has totally opposite standards than you, because that can become a problem very quickly. Honestly, if you have to get to the point where you make a schedule saying I’ll clean on this day, or we will pay rent this way, that happens. Those are definitely things you should talk about when you're trying to find someone you're compatible to live with. Hopefully, you want to pick the person that you stay with for all of your university years rather than switching every year, because that can be difficult.
We were ecstatic when we finally got a couch for our apartment.
Q: What is your favourite part about living in downtown Toronto?
A: I would say just the convenience of everything. The grocery store is right across the street from where I live. The Eaton Centre (external link, opens in new window) is also down the street. I live right next to campus, so it's pretty quick to get to classes. There's so many restaurants and so many things to do, and it doesn't take too long on public transportation to get anywhere. It's all doable. It's nice to do things quickly if you want to.
Q: My last question for you is do you think Toronto is somewhere you'd like to stay long term? If not, where would you like to head next?
A: I think Toronto is a place where I would live for maybe a few years after I graduate, just because I like the city life and being able to go out. All my friends are still here, at least for the time being. I'd live here for a couple of years, but then I think I'd venture out somewhere into the suburbs. Mostly because of cost, I would say, but I also want a little more space. Right now it's fine just having one bedroom and shared common space, but in the future I'd like to not have my desk right next to my bed every day. I don't know exactly where in the suburbs I'd go. I guess it depends on my job and where other people like my family and friends are located as well.
I want to thank Melissa for sitting down with me to answer all of my questions. I figured with all the talking we do every day, we could do this interview and maybe help some future students learn about our university. You can only talk to your roommate about so much gossip before it gets old. Just kidding—it never does!
