茄子直播

'Bring the best out of you': Students from India on why they chose to study at 茄子直播

photo of Sukhmani Khaira
Sukhmani Khaira, from Amritsar, says that, while the academics are rigorous, 茄子直播 provides students with the opportunity to chart their own course (all photos by Nick Iwanyshyn)

The University of Toronto is forging an ever deeper relationship with India as evidenced by plans to launch an urban research centre and entrepreneurship hub in the country of 1.3 billion in partnership with Tata Trusts.

At the same time, a growing number of Indian students are opting to study at 茄子直播, with undergraduate enrolment soaring 280 per cent between 2014 and last year.

Why 茄子直播?

The university鈥檚 global reputation coupled with Toronto鈥檚 welcoming atmosphere and diverse communities are oft-cited reasons.

To get a fuller picture of 茄子直播鈥檚 Indian student experience, 茄子直播 News reporter Cansu Aydemir 鈥 an international student herself 鈥 asked students from India about their life on and off campus.

Here's what they said:


When Taanvi Malhotra was trying to decide where to attend university, she knew she wanted to study abroad to get an international experience.

The Bangalore student considered the United States, but in the end she chose Canada. 

鈥淐anada had a better reputation than the U.S.,鈥 Malhotra says. 鈥淚 knew it would be better for my employment and my quality of life.鈥

Now in her third year, Malhotra studies digital enterprise management at 茄子直播 Mississauga. She says she considered all three campuses but chose Mississauga for three reasons: She wanted to be in the management program and she loved the campus鈥檚 modern architecture. Plus, she felt 茄子直播 Mississauga offered a smaller, more intimate university experience.

鈥淵ou know everyone on campus, you are connected to everyone in some ways and it just makes you more comfortable,鈥 she says. 鈥淚 love the campus; I think it is very pretty. I love the nature, and I love the deer.鈥

While Malhotra didn鈥檛 anticipate being actively involved in campus life when she first arrived, she says the variety of options and opportunities made her want to step forward.

Last year, she was the public relations director for the Student Management Association and this year she has a work-study placement at the department of management as the engagement and digital media assistant.

Malhotra says her role mostly focuses on social media.

鈥淚鈥檓 basically in charge of organizing the online reputation of the department of management, insuring that all social media accounts and all communications are successfully done,鈥 she says.

Asked what she likes best about the school, she responds 鈥渢he opportunities, the endless opportunities 鈥 you can do whatever you want if you just want it hard enough at 茄子直播.鈥

础尘谤颈迟蝉补谤鈥檚 Sukhmani Khaira didn鈥檛 just want to find the right university 鈥 she also wanted to find the best country to help build her career.

鈥淲hen it came to deciding between England, the United States or Canada the fact that Canada is an open and warmer community than other places was what attracted me here,鈥 Khaira says.  鈥淚 did look at the fact that if I am going to stay in a country after my graduation for a year or two to gain some experience, that is much easier in Canada than in England.

鈥淎nd Toronto is the New York of Canada; it is the best place if you want to work in the financial sector or business-related jobs.鈥

Now in her first year at 茄子直播鈥檚 Victoria University on the downtown Toronto campus, Khaira is pursuing a double major in mathematics and economics.

What made her choose Victoria?

鈥淚t looks a lot like Hogwarts,鈥 she says, referring to the fictional British school of magic from J.K. Rowling鈥檚 Harry Potter series.

Khaira says she chose 茄子直播 because of its high ranking. She was aware that she was going to join a competitive environment.

鈥淎 lot of people did tell me that 茄子直播 is a hard school and that people are going to be as good as me if not better,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t takes a lot of time to get used to the fact that if you are an above-average student back in high school you are an average student here, and you can鈥檛 just get straight As.鈥

While she feels the academic rigour, Khaira says 茄子直播 provides a variety of opportunities to its students.

鈥淵ou can use 茄子直播 to bring the best out of you. I really like the degree flexibility at 茄子直播 鈥 you can just mix and match your courses. That鈥檚 something they didn鈥檛 have back home.  You couldn鈥檛 double major in, let鈥檚 say, psychology and mathematics. But here you can.鈥

Khaira says she is getting used to living in a new country, and that the Indian community in the GTA is a big help.

鈥淚 really like the fact that Toronto is very close to Brampton and Mississauga, and that has a lot of Indian community; if I am really homesick I can go to the restaurants there or visit the places in Brampton 鈥 it kind of feels like home,鈥 she says.

An interest in artificial intelligence and cyber security caused Shubhra Bedi to fix her gaze on North American universities.

She applied to both U.S. and Canadian schools but had her heart set on 茄子直播.

鈥淚 went through a lot of research and I found that 茄子直播 is number one in Canada and among top 10 in the world for AI research,鈥 she says.

Bedi is from Delhi 鈥 one of the most populated cities in the world 鈥 and she grew up in Doha, capital of Qatar.  She says a tour with her parents that included stops in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto, also helped her to finalize her decision.

鈥淚 saw most parts of Canada. It was a very beautiful experience with mountains and snow and I loved Canada,鈥 she says. 

Now in her first year of computer science, Bedi says she chose New College on the downtown Toronto campus because of its location, size, social scene and amenities.

鈥淣ew College is the closest to all the classes, it is in the middle [of the downtown Toronto campus] so you can reach everywhere with a 10-minute walk 鈥 plus it has a very big community, so lot鈥檚 of events are happening continuously,鈥 she says.

Bedi has joined a dance club, works as a house representative at New College, and plans to join 茄子直播鈥檚 Model United Nations.

She says she made the right choice by coming to 茄子直播.

鈥淚t has a very safe environment, lots of people from different backgrounds and various clubs,鈥 she says.

But life isn鈥檛 always easy. Sometimes, Bedi says, the competitiveness of the computer science program can be overwhelming.  

鈥淐omputer science is one of the hardest programs to get into,鈥 she says referring to the grade point average she required.  鈥淭hat is the hard part.鈥

Living far away from home and family also makes her miss 鈥渢he comfort of not worrying about anything,鈥 she says. However, she says she enjoys being independent and 鈥渟tanding on her own feet.鈥

For future students, she recommends, 鈥渒eep working right from the beginning, getting rid of distractions.

鈥淵ou just have to stay in your path and make sure you achieve what you came here for.鈥

Avani Singh had always wanted to leave her home in Jaipur to attend university. Destination: North America.

But how to decide between the U.S. and Canada?

鈥淚n my year, which was 2016, the whole election thing was going on, so it was a tipping point towards Canada,鈥 Singh says.

Rankings matter a lot to international students, she adds, and 茄子直播鈥檚 high ranking among the world鈥檚 top universities was a big draw for her.

After a rigorous search, she settled on Victoria College at 茄子直播鈥檚 Victoria University.

鈥淰ictoria suited me best because it has this artsy and inclusive vibe going on around it that I love. Everyone knows everyone and they all are very open-minded and generous and kind.鈥

Singh is now in her third year at Rotman Commerce specializing in management, with minors in economics and computer science.

She chose Rotman Commerce because it is 鈥渙ne of the most valued business programs in almost the entire North America,鈥 she says.

鈥淢y classes are fabulous 鈥 very integrated, and hands-on. It is not just like learning the material and writing the exam. We have guest speakers, we get to interact with them, we actually go to sites and do studies 鈥 it is way better than I imagined and I am learning more than I imagined,鈥 she says.

Looking back, Singh says certain opportunities helped smooth her transition to 茄子直播 life.

鈥淚 thought 茄子直播 would be this huge place where I would never find a community. But literally the moment I stepped in I became a part of Step Up, the international transition program that happens a week before university starts, which introduced me to my first group of friends and gave me the confidence that I needed.鈥

Now, Toronto feels more like home than her actual home, she says.

鈥溓炎又辈 made Toronto into my house.鈥

Singh is doing a work-study placement at the Centre for Community Partnerships, with a focus on the Alternative Reading Week program, which aims to help communities in need.

鈥淒uring Reading Week we take approximately 150 to 200 students and we send them out into communities out where they can help the community with whatever they need,鈥 she says. 鈥淪o it gives them a lot of experience and exposure to what Toronto is actually like and allows them to do something useful over the reading week.鈥

Singh, who comes from a desert area of India, says the weather has been challenging at times. But she says the warmth of the people she meets helps offset the cold.

鈥淚 remember the day I came: I had two suitcases with me and two strangers helped me on the street. That doesn鈥檛 happen in most parts of the world,鈥 she says.

鈥淜nowing how much war and everything is going on, Canada is like this beacon of friendship and peace and I really like it.鈥

She encourages other Indian students who are thinking about studying abroad to choose 茄子直播.

鈥淐anada is a beautiful country and it will definitely make you a better human being. I want them to know, it may feel scary, it may feel big, but it will feel like home after a while.鈥

A Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship brought Akshit Goyal to 茄子直播 from his home in the northern border city of Amritsar.

Now in his first year of studying computer science, Goyal says that, along with the prestigious scholarship, 茄子直播鈥檚 global reputation for computer science and research opportunities were key factors in his decision to come to Toronto.

鈥淭he teaching I get here, the professors that I have here 鈥 I wouldn鈥檛 get that in any other college in the world,鈥 he says.

Goyal chose Innis College on the downtown Toronto campus, primarily for its size.

鈥淚nnis is one of the smallest colleges at 茄子直播,鈥 he says. 鈥淲hen you are in a small community you see each and every person every day, you talk to them everyday 鈥 it becomes like a family.鈥

Goyal says he appreciates the great range of opportunities that the school provides and tries to get involved as much as possible.

鈥淭he professors give you opportunities 鈥 you get to do some research with them,鈥 he says. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 get that kind of opportunity at every school, you only get it at top schools like 茄子直播.

鈥淚 really like the [Entrepreneurship] Hatchery in the engineering department. If you have a startup idea you can go to them and they will find you resources for that 鈥 they will help you.鈥

Goyal recently participated in an 鈥淎ccelerator Weekend鈥 competition organized by the Hatchery. His team, called Sparrow, won first prize.

鈥淚t was a two-day event held at Fields Institute Building where we had to come up with a startup idea and a pitch for that startup idea in the span of 28 hours,鈥 he says.

Goyal is also a student ambassador at 茄子直播, and a TEDxUofT volunteer.

鈥淚鈥檝e actually always watched TEDx videos online and I really liked the concept of it, but when I came here I never imagined that I would be a part of it,鈥 he says.

Of course, he had his own questions before coming to a big school in a different country.

鈥淎t first when I saw the size of the university it was a bit scary,鈥 he says. 鈥淲ill I get lost here? Will I make friends?

Today, he says, he feels at home.

鈥淚 have friends who I believe will be life-long friends. Everyone is so supportive here.鈥

Goyal says he doesn鈥檛 miss home much 鈥 except for his mom鈥檚 food 鈥 and that there鈥檚 one 鈥渟trange, but nice鈥 thing he really likes about Canada.

鈥淗ere the pedestrians have the rights. If you want to cross the road the cars will stop; in India it is not possible. I was really confused at first, but this is something I really like about Canada,鈥 he says.

He has a message for future students.

鈥淒on鈥檛 be afraid. Trust me, there is this assumption that 茄子直播 is really hard 鈥 but nothing is hard if you want to do it.

鈥淵ou can do it.鈥

International student Cansu Aydemir is an intern at 茄子直播 News. Originally from Turkey, she has lived in Toronto since 2012 and is now in her fourth year of studies at 茄子直播 where she is specializing in history and minoring in diaspora and transnational studies

UTC