Five Qs About You and TMU: Erica

Here at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), we have six different undergraduate faculties that each house their own programs. Our Faculty of Arts is home to 14 undergraduate programs, including the Language and Intercultural Relations (LIR) program, which is unique to TMU. I spoke to Erica, who is a fourth-year LIR student in the organizational behaviour concentration and Spanish stream, to find out more about the program and her TMU experience.

Jenna: Can you explain your program to me in one sentence?

Erica: The main message of the program is that you can’t learn the language without learning the culture — you learn about how culture is embedded in language. 

J: Why did you choose to study at TMU?

E: I chose to study at TMU because it's the only university that offered the Language and Intercultural Relations program. I knew from the get-go that that was the field that I wanted to work in. I’m from Barrie — which is about an hour and a half from Toronto — and I knew that I didn't really want to go too far, so Toronto was a great area to go to school in as well. 

J: Can you tell me about any experiential learning that you’ve participated in?

E: I went on a tour of the TIFF Lightbox (external link, opens in new window)  with my Spanish Language and Culture Through Films class where we visited the film libraries and archives. We also wrote our midterm exam there, which was cool!

J: What is your favourite thing you’ve experienced on campus?

E: The thing that I've enjoyed the most is exploring campus and the city of Toronto. I like going to Kensington Market (external link) , St. Lawrence Market (external link)  and exploring the Waterfront. I also didn't think that campus was that close to Sugar Beach (external link) . It’s really nice to explore all the different areas of Toronto, and it's cool how different everything is. Somewhere two blocks away can be completely different from where you started. My favourite area is around the St. Lawrence Market, closer to the water — I find it such a different ambiance too. There’s less students and more young professionals. When you're walking around campus you're only seeing students scrambling around, then you explore further and you see there’s more to the city than just school. 

J: What advice would you give to someone who is starting their research about which university or program they want to pursue? 

E: I would say focus on a university that specializes in the field that you want to work or study in. As well, look into programs that you’ll know that you like. If you're not certain, then maybe take a year off or check out a general program like Undeclared Arts. Go into a program that you truly like because if not, it's going to be a long, hard four years. 

Thank you to Erica for chatting with me! If you think that you might like something similar to Erica’s TMU experience, check out our How to Apply page. 

Keep an eye on our blog for more interviews with current students across our six faculties. 

Until next time, 

Jenna