Congratulations on your acceptance to a post-secondary institution in Ontario! As you might recall from gathering your documents and submitting your application package months ago, your school holds high expectations for admission into their academic programs. This means you are ready to meet the opportunities and expectations of pursuing a post-secondary degree or diploma.

In addition to being ready to meet your institution’s expectations, you are also ready to begin making unique contributions to your academic community here. When you and international students from across the globe choose to study in Ontario, you bring not only discipline-specific skills with you, but countless languages, cultural knowledges, and life experiences that will enrich the diversity of the classrooms and learning spaces that you engage in.

In the year 2020, it is estimated by the Canadian Bureau for International Education that 530, 540 international students^[1] were enrolled in educational institutions across Canada. And many of these students express that they intend to stay in the country after graduating from their programs to build work experience and perhaps even establish a home.

When asked about why they chose Canada as their destination for postsecondary studies, international students often highlight its highly regarded educational system; multicultural and non-discriminatory society; and reputation as a safe country^[2].

Whatever your reasons are, feel reassured that you are joined on this journey by many of your peers who will share similar goals and questions. In fact, the province of Ontario is home to the greatest number of international students in Canada. As such, you will likely find many communities to connect with, whether related to your nationality or to the many other identities you have as a unique person and student.

Cities across Ontario often have specific neighbourhoods that reflect diasporas of communities that have emigrated to Canada over many years. For example, you might learn that your city or town has a Chinatown, Greektown, Little India, Little Portugal, or similar area.

You will also likely find that your educational institution hosts student clubs and associations based on shared cultural identities where you can meet peers with similar national, spiritual, and/or linguistic backgrounds.

This is a big step for you, full of challenges and opportunities ahead. Through the generous support of the Government of Ontario’s e-Campus initiative, we have created this book for you as a small resource along the way and we hope you find it helpful.

Sincerely,

The team behind International Students: Stories and Strategies for Academic Success in Postsecondary Education,
Academic Success, Division of Student Life,
University of Toronto