Your First-Year TMU Survival Guide
When you start at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) in September, there will be a lot that is new and unfamiliar to you, as well as every other new TMU student! To help you make sure you know what’s up for those first few weeks of university, here is a survival guide filled with terms and resources to help you out.
Academic Accommodation Support: Academic Accommodation Support (AAS) is part of Student Wellbeing at our university, and their job is to provide programming and support as well as work with students who need individualized academic accommodation plans so that they can succeed in their classes. If you have accommodations during your time at TMU, you’ll be working with AAS to help book and arrange what you need. They have deadlines to register, so make sure you make a note of them!
Bachelor’s: When you complete your undergraduate program, you’ll graduate with a bachelor’s degree! Depending on your program, you might get a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Science or something else! While completing your undergraduate years, you can tell people you’re working towards your bachelor’s degree.
These students are waiting to get their bachelor’s degrees. This will be you before you know it!
Brightspace by D2L: Brightspace by D2L (usually just called D2L) is the online learning platform used by TMU. If you’re not already familiar with D2L, trust me, you will be soon! Professors will post your course outlines here before classes start. Once the semester is rolling, it is also where they’ll post their slideshows and class notes (if they decide to), as well as assignment instructions and grades.
Course unions: Course unions (external link, opens in new window) are a form of student government at university. They have a team of executives, as well as other members, and their job is to hold events and host opportunities (like giveaways or selling merch) for your program. Getting involved with your course union is a great way to gain volunteer experience and meet new people. If that’s not your thing, you should still keep in touch with them because they’ll help make your university experience fun!
Faculties: Here at TMU, we have six undergraduate faculties. Faculties are divisions of programs by discipline and subject. Our six faculties are the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Community Services, the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science, the Faculty of Science, the Ted Rogers School of Management (which is our business school) and The Creative School. Find out which faculty you belong to!
Faculty: “But Jenna,” you’re probably thinking, “didn’t we just go over this?” Well, that’s a yes, but “faculty” has two definitions in the university world. Don’t worry, it’s actually not too confusing! Faculty is also used to describe university teaching staff, including your professors.
Faculty members are the teachers for your classes and are often there to help you with your studies outside of the classroom.
Graduate: Once you’ve completed your undergraduate degree, you might want to do some more education at a higher level. If you do this, you’ll be a graduate student! Graduate studies include master’s and doctoral degrees, like a Ph.D.
Office of the Registrar (RO): The Office of the Registrar is a department that oversees A LOT of stuff at the university. They manage the curriculum for your classes and programs, manage scholarships and make the final exam schedule. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! You can see all that the RO does for you on the Office of the Registrar’s page.
Office of the Vice-Provost, Students: The Office of the Vice-Provost, Students (OVPS) works to make sure that you have a great university experience and have access to all the resources you need to make your years at TMU successful. Their units include the previously mentioned RO, as well as Athletics & Recreation (external link, opens in new window) , Student Affairs, Student Wellbeing and International Enrolment.
ServiceHub: The ServiceHub is where you can go to get help with anything related to the Office of the Registrar. This could be questions about admissions, financial assistance, transfer credits, exam schedules and more. They’re available to answer questions about those topics in-person on campus, but you can also contact the ServiceHub online and over the phone.
Once you locate the ServiceHub in Podium (POD), it’s hard to miss!
Student groups: TMU is home to too many student groups (external link, opens in new window) to count. There are two types of student groups you can join: cultural and identity-based groups, as well as activism, interest and hobby groups. If you’re looking to get involved and make friends at university, joining one of these is a great way to do so.
Student Life and Learning Support: Student Life and Learning Support (SLLS) is involved in your university experience right from the beginning. They are involved in your orientation and ensure that you have a great start to university. Once orientation is over, they offer a range of services and programs to help you thrive. There’s the Tri-Mentoring Program, Learning Support and more to help you get off to a great start.
SLLS can be found on the fourth floor of our Student Learning Centre (SLC).
Undergraduate: When you start at TMU in the fall, you’ll officially be an undergraduate student! Undergraduate students are currently working on earning their bachelor’s degrees. It’s the first part of your university journey that you’ll complete before heading off to what’s next.
Hopefully this list gives you a good idea of what you’ll get to know during your first few months at TMU. You’re going to do great with this knowledge by your side!
Until next time,
Jenna