Deciding on programs/PoST: Personally, I think there are two pretty good ways (among others) to determine what program you might want to aim for. First, take a look at the calendar page for that program: look at the required courses, read the course descriptions, see which ones spark your interest or make you want to take them. Second, try to talk to people who are either in these programs or have taken/are taking specific courses and ask them about what they found interesting or what they found less interesting.

 

Motivation: Whenever possible (and when you're given the choice), try to attend synchronous lectures. Unless you're a very motivated individual, it's much harder to motivate yourself to watch asynchronous/recorded lectures than to attend live sessions, whether they be online or in-person. And even if you have recorded lectures, do try to schedule when you watch them every week so you don't end up cramming it all before exams. Easier said than done, but it really does help.

 

Online learning and mental health: If you're still learning online: I really advise you to try to connect with other students, not just for the sake of getting clarification on assignments or discussing course-related things, but also for the sake of mental health. The online learning environment can sometimes be extremely isolating and even knowing other people are in a course with you is beneficial. :)

 

UTSC Co-op requirements (I'm not familiar with other campuses' programs): If you're going into co-op at UTSC, make sure that you check the specific calendar page for the co-op version of the program (as opposed to only looking at the non co-op page). They often specify courses you must complete before your first work term; these are not guaranteed to be courses that you would take early on if you didn't have co-op (ex. some might be C-level, even if your first work term is right after your second year). Make sure you have the prerequisites for these courses and can complete these courses before your first scheduled work term, or you might have to end up delaying your work term.