Coming to Toronto in the Fall [Upper Year Perspective]

In March, I decided to go back home to Brazil as soon as the university closed. It was almost finals and I remember being in a personal state that I just needed to be close to my family.  We all expected that things would be back to normal at some point during summer. Once school ended in April, I started to plan to come back to Toronto. It was never a real option for me to stay back home because I moved out 4 years ago, I don’t have many ties to Brazil anymore. Besides that, I live in the countryside, where electricity keeps falling and the internet cannot hold me and my parents working remotely. I also developed a specific schedule that differs a lot from my family. It was not the ideal study environment.

Although coming to Toronto was the best choice for my grades and schoolwork, it is mentally draining to be isolated without your family and friends. Toronto is not what you expected or remember since Covid-19 hit. Not many students are back, you are so busy with work and everything is closed. It takes a lot of you to be back in Toronto during a pandemic, not going to lie. But it is the closest to university you can have right now.

I keep myself grounded by getting involved with Skule™ and working on the labs and urban crew, trying to replicate my best experience before the pandemic. I think that is the best you can do, to surround yourself with things you love and people that understand what you are going through. 

Should you come to Toronto? I would say if you think your mental health can handle it and it is financially viable, yes. But at the same time, recognize your limits. If you don’t come, just remember there is more to University than grades. In the end, we all are in this together.