When I was growing up, university always seemed like a far-off, distant future. I had this vague assumption that I would maybe go to UofT because of people I knew that went there and the fact that it was close to home, but I hadn’t really thought further than that. So when grade 12 started and suddenly all anyone could talk about was which colleges/universities they were applying to, I was left feeling a little (read: VERY) overwhelmed. Who knew there were so many post-secondary options in Ontario?!?!?
okay so it wasn’t THAT bad…
If I thought about which university I wanted to go to, my only requirements were really that it offered the program I was interested in and that it was close enough to home that I could commute. The first one seemed like a given considering the programs I was looking at (at the time, psychology, and then later environmental studies) because there aren’t many schools that DON’T offer those programs. The second, as we all know now, didn’t even end up working out anyway, but there are still several schools in the GTA that would have accomplished the goal.
It was only the day before the university fair that I first heard of Glendon (that I can remember). When I was younger, I used to have Sunday classes at the Keele campus and so had never really considered York for beyond that — it didn’t feel like a “real” university to me, I guess. At that point though, I was trying to keep an open mind and asked one of my friends if she would ever go to York. Her response: I don’t think so… but maybe Glendon for the French. I was in the Extended French program in middle/high school and LOVED the language. I’ve always wanted to continue with it, back then just as a minor, but I had no idea what my friend meant when she mentioned the French at Glendon (what was Glendon anyway?).
Long story short; I went home, I Googled ‘Glendon York’ and up came the Glendon website. My first image was of the Glendon manor and isn’t that a beautiful sight? Did I want to go to class in there? Um, YES. (IT WILL HAPPEN SOMEDAY.) The more I learned about Glendon, the better it sounded. Bilingual campus? Liberal arts programs? Small class sizes? Beautiful location? Right in Toronto? It was hitting every item on my checklist, even ones that I hadn’t gotten around to adding because I didn’t realize they were possible/available. For example, I had always benefited from and thrived in more personal and intimate learning settings but my picture of university was an enormous lecture hall filled to the brim with students scribbling notes for hours on end. This seems to work really well for lots of my friends but I don’t think it would have been the best fit for me.
Fast-forward to the next day and my mom and I were catching the GO bus to go downtown for the university fair. I had a list of booths I wanted to check out in particular with some questions for each of them and while some schools were more forthcoming than others in their answers, the school that really stood out to me (and my mom, woo!) was Glendon. The student reps were so friendly and welcoming, something that was really important to me as my first glimpse of the school atmosphere. I had all of my questions answered without any problems and I was left to feel pumped about what Glendon had to offer…
Being 100% honest though, I’m SO lucky in that I had a pretty easy adjustment to university life. It’s HUGELY thanks to being at a school that offers me choices and opportunities that work for me and even just being able to realize what I need has been valuable. Glendon isn’t the right school for everyone but it’s almost a perfect fit for me and I’m so happy with my decision to go here. My take-away lessons from the experience:
1. York is a pretty cool place to go to school after all. Don’t let your childhood Sunday classes convince you otherwise!!
2. Explore ALLLLL your options. Also, you should probably pay attention to your high school French teachers in grade 9/10/11 because I’m SURE they must have mentioned Glendon
3. Find what works for you. Customization is key, especially for something like university where you’re A) spending valuable time and B) spending valuable ca-ching $$$$
Hoping that everyone’s post-secondary journey is as happy and stress-free as mine has so far been! 🙂
Patel You All About Glendon 