Meet people at the AGO’s discounted/free days-it’s mostly students and it’s easy to strike up a conversation about any of the weird and wonderful exhibits.

Where You Can Find Me at 2 am: Depending on what mood I’m in, either Dance Cave because it’s so much less pretentious than everything in Clubland [the whole Richmond/John area] but it’s still a lot of fun, the music is great and drinks are cheap. If I want something more laidback, I love just walking around downtown at night with my boyfriend and seeing how different and calm everything looks.
Favourite Shopping Spot: Upsidedive – it’s this great little vintage shop run by four siblings that just moved to 269 Queen St. E. and every so often they’ll have these giant sales with crazy low prices and cute finds. And they have everything from clothes, to accessories, to housewares and furnishings!
What’s on your iPod: I’m kind of old-school and obsessed with Madonna and Michael Jackson, but lately I’ve been getting into White Lies – they sound like such a throwback to 80s Brit-rock which I also love.
Off-Campus Study Spot: Tequila Bookworm – the service is a little slow but they have a huge drink selection and let you stay for hours without feeling rushed. And there’s always an empty table, sofa, or room for that matter. The bookshelves and board games are a plus!
Course You’re Most Looking Forward to This Year: News and Current Affairs Theory, or Diseases from Antiquity to the 1500s. The first because lately I’ve been really interested in the way the TV news media picks and chooses what it reports as headline news, and the latter because I’ve always been obsessed with learning about the Plague…
Survival Kit: My metropass! For exploring the city – and books and my iPod to fight off boredom in between classes. Lately I’ve been nerding it up with graphic novels and podcasts.
Favourite Cheap Eats: I love Hosu, it’s on the corner of Queen and John. The sushi is amazing and I love the free appetizers they give you with every meal. There’s also Prague (Queen and Bathurst) which I love going to for Sunday brunch… everything on the menu is delicious and they offer up a little more variety than your usual scrambled eggs and bacon with toast.
Best place to meet people: The AGO! Especially if you go on one of their discounted / free days and it’s mostly students instead of the overly-pretentious art snob types you may find at any other time… easy to strike up a conversation about any of the weird and wonderful exhibits.
What to avoid: Procrastination. Maybe I’m just OCD but I hate leaving huge assignments waiting in the wings, so I always try to work on them asap… yes, it’s nerdy, but at least it means I have a lot of time on my hands during finals months when everyone else is buried in their dorms rushing to get everything done on time.
Tip you wish you’d known in first year: Don’t get stuck in cliques. Everyone is on equal ground in first year so talk to as many different people as you can and as cliche as it is, get involved in campus life. Find clubs or things you’re passionate about, and people in your classes you connect with – it’ll make your four years a lot more enjoyable.
Worst stereotype and why it is/isn’t true: Worst stereotype is that if a place is crowded and gets a lot of talk, then it must be good. Most of the best bars / pubs / cafes I’ve ever been to I’ve found by chance, and it’s always nice not having to fight for a table or scream over too-loud music and giant crowds of people. It makes it more fun to hang out with a group of friends or just your special somebody, and it’s more fun exploring new places anyway – not the same old haunts that everyone and their sister are going to.