EngSci Myth: EngScis have no Social Life

U of T’s Engineering’s Plunge a Professor event from 2018 [Left] and annual Cannonball dance open to all engineering students [Right]

You might have heard “EngScis have no social life!” We’re glad to say this is not true at all. Like any other program, your social life is your own choice, regardless of your discipline.

First, consider academics. EngSci is probably the only program where you share 23 courses with all your peers in your first and second years. In fact, you’ll be in the same lecture halls with at least half the class, and you will even share the same tutorials with 30 or so of your classmates. This makes it very easy to make friends in EngSci. You can form your own teams and study groups, or simply talk to someone new after class or when heading from one class to the other. Remember, it’s up to you to reach out to people and start a conversation!

Outside of academics, you can always find a vibrant EngSci community. Want to build an actual satellite, star in a comedy review, play in a jazz band, or race a solar car across Australia? We’ve got a club for that and much more! EngScis are very involved in extracurriculars, which means you can easily find fellow EngScis or engineers from other disciplines in all sorts of design teams and Skule™ affiliated clubs. And who said you can only join engineering clubs? There are many clubs open to all in U of T where you can meet people who share the same interests as you. There are also times, including weekends or breaks, where you can keep up with your friendships from high school or outside the U of T community.

There is also the EngSci Common Room, only open to EngSci students! Here you can find EngScis across all years eating lunch, playing games (foosball anyone?), chatting, or studying. This is a comfortable space for you to reach out, talk to your peers, and be a part of the EngSci community. Worry not, upper years don’t bite. If you’re nervous, you can ask them about their experiences in first-year courses as a conversation starter.

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Tips for Getting to Know New People

• Talk to people in tutorials! You can ask them where they’re from, share about your first week in EngSci, or just invite them for lunch.
• In first and second year, EngScis share a lot of the same classes. As a result, you will be walking from class to class together. This is another great way to speak to those you’re walking with and get to know more about your peers.
• Join clubs and design teams. You can meet engineers and other U of T students here. It is also easy to start a conversation because everyone has a shared interest.
• Check out the common room. Play foosball or Smash with someone new and ask them about their thoughts on EngSci. This is also a great way to get connected with upper years.

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What Your Upper Years have to Say

Darya, 2T6

EngSci requires you to sacrifice a lot of time and energy if you want to do well, but you can still maintain a social life if you’re smart with how you manage your time. I had a small friend group during first semester, and I managed to gain more friends and acquaintances during my second semester. Although I primarily hung out with these people in class, I was still able to spend time with them outside of EngSci in activities such as, shopping, eating out, and going to the movies. If I didn’t invest in a social life during my first year, my mental health and wellbeing would suffer a lot. While you definitely won’t be partying every weekend, the connections you make will become an essential part of your support system.

Ben Chapman, 2T5

How did you make friends/meet new people as an EngSci student?

There are several ways to go about meeting people. I was fortunate enough that there was an extracurricular I did in high school (quiz bowl) that I could continue doing in university, so I just joined that. While I haven’t actually joined any design teams, lots of my friends have met people through them.

I think the most important thing, however, is realizing that when you start first year, there is a period of about 2-3 weeks when everyone is trying to meet each other. I am a pretty introverted person and hated doing it, but I just forced myself to talk to people. I met one of my friends just by randomly starting to talk to someone in the line for dinner at Chestnut. Basically, everyone is in the same boat as you and you just have to trust that other people are also sitting/standing around and hoping someone will talk to them.