York University Toronto, Canada

Choice. I am so grateful for the fact the I have choice in my education in a variety of ways.

Many people fear that going to a big school will be the pits. And being Canada’s third largest university with the largest enclosed campus, York is pretty darn big.

However this is not the case. The fact that we are so big provides students with so much choice in programs, classes, clubs, and places to be - Not to mention that we at York are just, in general, awesome.

In academics, I am so thankful that every year I have thousands of courses to choose from, and my particular program allows me to take many courses from all different departments and faculties as long as spots are available. I don’t just have a set schedule - I get to learn what I want, and enjoy doing it!

In my free time, I get to choose from well over 400 clubs to join, and virtually all of them have events running throughout the year that I can attend even if I’m not a member. Clubs, councils, organizations, and student unions – the seemingly never-ending choices allow me to find a past time I truly enjoy, to connect with people that have the same interests as me, and to make the most out of my university experience.

Furthermore, whenever I’m on campus, I have the choice to be where I want to be. Having a large campus also means having many different spots to hang out, study, enjoy the outdoors, or to do virtually whatever I feel like doing. Not too many people can say that their university has 5 libraries (or even one that has 5 floors), a gym that costs 15 bucks to join, dozens of lounges, study rooms, and computer labs, or even simply a pub, restaurant, or coffee shop (which we have numerous).

There are literally choices everywhere I turn at York University, and I am super thankful for each of them.