How to live large while spending little as a student
Ah, the return to (or beginning of) university; nothing can beat meeting up with classmates, finding study spaces, and… gulp, seeing your bank balance surprisingly lower than it was when the summer began. Finding new ways to save money is supposed to be a college student’s bread and butter, but with assignments, quizzes, and midterms to study for, it can become a real crunch to find deals for places to go. Fear not! Here are some of the best deals to be found in Toronto’s art scene in and around UofT.
Cheap Shows on Campus:
1. Campus Theatre (@utdramacoalition on Instagram)
Student-run plays are the cornerstone of any great school and UofT’s thriving campus theatre scene is no different. Tickets are usually $10-$20 per person and the shows range from well-known musicals and plays to lesser-known stories you would only pick up in an English or Drama class. BONUS: for a truly immersive (and free!) theatre experience, consider joining one of the 15+ productions happening this year!
2. UofT Music Ensembles (web search ‘UofT Music Faculty Concert Calendar’ for a rough list of shows)
UofT’s talented music ensembles range from seasoned classical and jazz orchestras put on by students at the Faculty of Music to less professional-style bands from the Faculty of Engineering and Hart House. Their free concerts are a little difficult to find but looking around campus for posters and checking Facebook tends to be your best bet.
3. Innis College Free Friday Movies (@cinssu on Instagram for movies and showtimes)
Every Friday at the Innis Town Hall, the Cinema Studies Student Union screens a variety of films ranging from the avant-garde to famous blockbuster hits.
Free Creative Services you get with your UTORid:
1. nkoda Music Library (log in with ‘institution’ button on nkoda app on iOS and Android)
Free classical and jazz sheet music for a range of instruments.
2. Criterion on Demand (web search for ‘Criterion on Demand UofT’)
A massive catalog of free movies and TV shows licensed to stream by UofT Libraries.
3. Coursera Courses (web search ‘Free Coursera UofT’)
Want to learn something that isn’t offered at UofT or isn’t part of your program? Coursera offers real university courses from other prestigious institutions ranging from Berklee to Stanford. Using your UTORid, you can get a free certificate to print out or display on your LinkedIn when you complete the course.
Student Deals Around Toronto:
1. Royal Ontario Museum (web search for ‘Free ROM tickets university’)
Huge collection of antiquities and artifacts. Free tickets on Tuesdays for University students.
2. Gardiner Museum (buy at the door)
Collection of ceramics and special exhibits. Free tickets every day with your TCard.
3. AGO (buy at the door)
Massive art gallery displaying famous Canadian art, along with special international exhibits. Free tickets every day of the week for those under 25.
4. TSO Soundcheck Tickets (web search for ‘tsoundcheck TSO program’)
You can score a 50 to 60 percent discount on tickets to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra just by using the TSOUNDCHECK program available to everyone ages 15 to 35.
5. TIFF Bell Lightbox ($10.50, buy at the door)
As a student, you are entitled to $10.50 tickets to all movies offered at the Lightbox, which is the home theatre of the Toronto International Film Festival. They often show blockbusters, along with some movies you wouldn’t normally see at a regular cinema.
These are just some of the numerous deals available to students in Toronto. If, somehow, none of these deals appeal to you, the best way to find other deals is by talking to others with similar interests and following student organisations on Instagram and other social media platforms.
Happy saving!
