Liquor on Campus

For those that live and have lived on the York campus, obtaining liquor can be a real chore. The nearest LCBOs are at Steeles & Keele and Jane & Finch, while the Beer Store in further down Keele by Toro Rd. All of these are hefty walks unfortunately.

On campus, liquor is available at the Grad Lounge on the 7th floor of the North Ross building, the various undergraduate pubs during the school year, and at some restaurants in York Lanes (e.g., the Underground, Blueberry Hill, Sakura, Mangia Mangia, etc.)

For those coming from outside the province, note that a provincial monopoly on liquor sales prevails in Ontario (unlike Québec where beer and wine are available at every grocery store and depanneur).

Toronto Parks and Cycling Maps

You can download digital maps (PDF format) of the entire parks, trails, and cycling network from the City of Toronto web site.

Taking Non-FES Courses

The process for enrolling and registering in non-York graduate courses (e.g., OISE, UofT, Ryerson, etc.) requires the following:

• An OGVS (Ontario Graduate Visiting Student) form available at the OSAS office. You need the signatures of your advisor and the course instructor.
• A one to two page statement of rationale (the course title, course code, instructor, dept., university, why you need the course, how it is essential to your plan of study and a statement ensuring that there is no equivalent course at York).
• A copy of the course syllabus.

Staple the signed OGVS form to the statement of rationale and the course syllabus and submit these documents together with your course enrollment form to OSAS as paper work can get lost. I believe you do not have to register for non-York grad courses through YES -- submission of the paper work is sufficient.

Also double check the credit level of such courses as they might not translate perfectly with York's system. It is understood that you may only take one such external course per semester.

To enroll in grad courses at other departments at York, fill out your course enrollment form with the necessary course information and the York grad course request form (again available at OSAS) with the necessary signatures and submit these documents to OSAS. You have to register for the course through YES so find out the course code.

Double check ALL of these instructions with OSAS and your advisor. And be sure to keep checking your grad student dossier once you've submitted the forms to ensure that the course has been added to your student record as it can take a while for the paper work to be processed and paper work can get lost between departments and universities. Make sure all of the info, course codes and other details you have submitted to OSAS are accurate otherwise mistakes might cause delays.

University of Toronto Libraries

Did you know that your York library card gets you access to University of Toronto’s extensive library system? Go to Robarts Library (130 St-George St.) to get a card; access their catalogue at www.library.utoronto.ca. Don't forget to renew it at the beginning of each semester.

Getting Official Transcripts

Official transcripts can only be obtained from the central registrar's office in the West Office Building. Transcripts take 7-10 business days to process, and no matter how urgently you need them, there are no exceptions to this lengthy timetable.

Please send more helpful tips to gessa@yorku.ca.