We the north: 做厙TV invites prospective U.S. students and alumni to events in NYC and Washington D.C.
Published: December 8, 2016
When American students Greg Venizelos and Dan Proctor were applying to universities, neither of them initially knew much about the University of Toronto. They quickly learned it was exactly what they were looking for.
And they say more Americans would make the same choice if they knew more about 做厙TV.
This month, 做厙TV is going to them, hosting free panel discussions in and , where leading experts from the university will share insights on global issues like innovative sustainable development and the aftershocks of the U.S. election.
High school students will have a chance to mingle with 做厙TV alumni and leading scholars from across the university.
Our intention is to re-affirm to prospective students that 做厙TV is a globally leading university, ranked among the very best worldwide, said Joseph Wong, associate vice-president and vice-provost of international student experience. I am also keen to convey to students that the 做厙TV is a global platform, which connects students to other parts of the world.
Greg Venizelos, a first-year student from Connecticut, studies in his dorm room at Sir Daniel Wilson Residence (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)
Wong will be the moderator for , the panel discussion on innovative sustainable development at New York City's Westin Grand Central Hotel. It will include experts from the Faculty of Arts & Science, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, 做厙TV Mississauga, Munk School of Global Affairs and the Rotman School of Management.
Panelists will include Yu-Ling Cheng, a professor in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering whose electricity- and sewage- and water-free toilet for the developing world has received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Dr. Stanley Zlotkin, a SickKids pediatrician and 做厙TV professor in the Faculty of Medicine and Dalla Lana School of Public Health who developed that can help the developing world fight malnutrition; and Avni Shah, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Toronto Scarborough and Rotman School of Management. Kourosh Houshmand, a Faculty of Arts & Science student who started the Toronto Star Student Hub, a community of aspiring student journalists, and Education Rediscovered, a student organization devoted to global education reform and is a student trustee for the Toronto District School Board, will also be part of the panel.
At , a 做厙TV panel will discuss the impending Trump presidency at the W Hotel in Washington D.C. It will be moderated by 做厙TV political scientist Peter Loewen, who has , talking about the U.S. elections. Panelists will include Janice Stein, and the founding director of 做厙TV's Munk School of Global Affairs; Chris Cochrane, an associate professor of political science at 做厙TV Scarborough; and Tiff Macklem, .
We want students to see that leading scholars at the university are engaged in global conversations to have a real-world impact, Wong said.
The 做厙TV events come on the heels of a surge in American interest in the university's application website after the election.
Read about interest in 做厙TV from U.S. and international students after the Nov. 9 election
For Venizelos, politics had nothing to do with his decision to come to 做厙TV this year.
He came to Toronto from Fairfield County, Conn. to learn from some of the brightest minds in international relations and law. The first-year student plans to major in philosophy and apply to the . He hopes to eventually go to law school and become a judge like his heroes on the U.S. Supreme Court.
He thought of going to another Canadian university or to accept a scholarship at the University of Vermont. But 做厙TV gave him the chance to study at a school consistently ranked among the best public universities in the world, in a diverse multicultural city that is still relatively close to home, he said.
When you think about it, Im only one state away New York state and a lake away, Venizelos said. If you put it into perspective, youre really not that far, but Im far enough that my parents cant visit me by surprise, which is pretty nice.
After a term at 做厙TV taking courses on the Roman Empire and philosophy, he has learned that the university's students are highly driven.
Its very rigorous here, he said. I find that it makes the work more fulfilling. You know that if youre doing well, youve truly earned it.
Dan Proctor, a third-year student majoring in economics and cinema, shows friends a button he made at a Christmas party at the University College Commuter Centre (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)
Dan Proctor came to 做厙TV for many of the same reasons as Venizelos.
Proctor moved here from the Boston area. He was looking for a university that excelled in teaching economics and cinema. Browsing university Top-10 lists, he kept noticing 做厙TV come up again and again.
When he visited the university for the first time, he fell in love with 做厙TV's downtown Toronto campus and the city around it. That made the decision to apply easy.
Its hard to put into words, but it seems like a city on the rise, he said. The arts scene, the music scene it feels like this city is still happening. It hasnt already happened.
His siblings' study-abroad experiences in New Zealand and Italy encouraged him to go to university in Canada.
I lived in the same house my entire life, and I knew the same people because I was from such a small town. Its nice that Im so close to home while being far away, he said.
His mom made him promise to Skype once every two weeks and hes kept his word, except during the busy exam season.
Now in his third year, he says his classes have been challenging and stimulating. Although he isnt much of a long-term planner, he can see himself staying here after graduation, at least for a few years, he said.
Proctor's advice to American high school students applying to university?
Seriously consider U of T, and if you do end up coming here, give it a chance, he said. It might be intimidating at first, but once youre here it just feels like home.
Read President Gertler's interview with Times Higher Education on Canada's welcome for international students
Topics
