Carolime Time

University of Toronto girls

I remember when I visited Toronto a few years ago, after having lived in Montreal for a couple of years. I decided to catch up with some old friends. Several of them had been attending University of Toronto at this time, and so the girls took me out to a U of T party.

A very strange thing took place.

One friend, a very smart, hardworking girl set on her goals, was to meet up with me. As long as I’d known her, she’d always been very studious, choosing to stay home and focus on the grades for law school over going out and talking about boys or partying. When I called her up to plan the evening, I realized I had not heard her voice since I had moved away for university. We’d been corresponding over email. So…..She sounded like a ditz~!! Every other word was “oh my god” and “like” and she had this really icky sweet sugar dripping off every sentence. I truly cringed. She was talking really fast like her mind was going a mile a minute, and sounded like she was straight out of a movie…”Clueless?”

Don’t get me wrong, I love this girl. And she still made complete sense. She was talking about the war in Iraq, how much she can’t stand Bush, and how she is obsessed with her poli. sci. classes.

Later that week, I met up with another friend. She was studying Life Sciences, pre-med, at U of T. It was the same thing. Serious, important topics laced with squeaky, high pitched, quick speech. Who were these people, and what did they do with my friends?

If you’re not familiar with the University of Toronto, it’s one of the postsecondary institutions in Canada that is held in fairly high regard, alongside the likes of Queens, McGill, and Western.  If Canada had Ivy League, this might be it. I’ve always considered them very annoying schools for the ’stature’ and ‘name’ attached to their reputation, and more than that, I dislike a lot of the people that are attracted to these schools for the ‘name’. That’s just me, though:)

My friends who studied at U of T have all taken me aside at some point since they’ve graduated (or since they’ve ceased their education halfway) and confided in me as to how U of T had stolen their soul. I am not exaggerating  when I say that at least three people have used this sentiment and possibly these words when describing their time at the school.

Now that I’ve moved to Toronto, I’ve met a lot more U of T girls. They’re all very dedicated, intelligent women. But they all talk this way. Of course, a lot of them are into the stereotypical ditzy interests of shopping and boys, too. But they are also focused, and I find them very disciplined about going out and grabbing what they want. A part of me wishes I had learned this. Instead, I learned everything about delivery, interaction, and selling at the right time and place. Blah…I don’t know what influences U of T girls to talk so, but there’s definitely something there.