Ahh, that time of the year again when everyone wonders where the summer months flew by… For some, this means no more lying around on the beach while for others, it’s going straight from a work routine to a school routine. Either way, the beginning of the school year is upon us, and whether you’re a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed first year or a fourth year ready to see the light at the end of the tunnel, welcome back!
While it’s true that many of us have not gotten back to the flow of school work, volunteering, and studying as of yet, the second week is already upon us, and as we know, it won’t be long before the midterms and the papers start flowing in. But before that happens, here is some advice for y’all for the beginning of the semester.
1. The Add/Drop Period is still going strong, so let this be a friendly reminder to go explore as many different courses that McGill has to offer as possible. Sure, taking a birdi course may seem like a good idea, but if you find yourself skipping more than half the classes because that 6pm World of Chem class is not your idea of fun, then it’s not worth it. Seriously, McGill has a world of fascinating classes for you to discover, and you should definitely take advantage of it! Whether you’ve always wanted to learn more about the stars and the planets or you’re a history geek at heart, explore the possibilities outside of your department. You may never know what you may stumble upon – for all you know, that one geology class may be the inspiration that you needed while you attempt to figure out what career path you’d like to take…
In other words, be adventurous, take classes that you’re interested in rather than any old class that others say is easy. Your definition of easy and interesting may vastly be different from someone else’s!
2. Being part of university is not just about taking classes and staying cooped-up in the library. The university life plays a big role in how much you gain during your stay at McGill – so our next advice is to BE INVOLVED! Not only will this allow you to make new friends with people that share similar interests with you, but this will allow you to explore the beauty that is the McGill and the Montreal community. Take a look at Activities Night held in SSMU on September 10th and 11th – McGill has hundreds of clubs and groups so you can be sure to find something that will interest you! You may be interested in writing articles for a magazine or doing some investigative journalism. Perhaps you’d like to save the world by fighting for a cause and joining environmental and social justice groups… you can essentially be as involved as you want! So in essence, be active – you’d be surprised how much you can discover about yourself and the world… and more often than not, it will be this that you will remember in your post-uni life, rather than the derivation of Heisenberg’ equation (although, kudos to you if you do!).
3. Eat healthy. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a lot easier said than done, I know. With the stress of midterms, extracurriculars, volunteering and work shifts you have to do, being a student may basically seem like one stressful thing after another. Although grabbing a quick cup of coffee and a croissant from good old Tim’s may seem like the only option for lunch, try to not turn it into a habit. Coffee and a sugar-filled pastry for lunch every day is not the healthy way to go. It’s true – students definitely don’t have time to cook every day, but prepare your meals on weekends or buy healthy snack. If you’re in a rush, it’s so easy to grab a piece of bread (whole-wheat!) with some cheese, a yogurt, a fruit and some almonds. And voila! – you’ve got most of the food groups covered! (The best part is that there’s no cooking involved and no buying from pricey restaurants or depanneurs so your wallet will definitely thank you!)
4. Make time for friends. Yes, you’ve got that history paper to research for, that stats assignment to complete, that anatomy midterm to study for (because let’s face it, work has started to accumulate QUICKLY despite the fact that it’s only the second week of the semester), but take half an hour to meet with a friend for lunch, and you’ll feel happier and less stressed knowing that you’re not alone in this crazy school life.
All in all, they say that university life is one of the best parts of being young – and it’s definitely true! It doesn’t have to be all about late nights at the library, stress and coffee.
Enjoy the upcoming year and remember, stay positive! What you do today is a step closer to where you will be tomorrow.
Images from:
http://blog.redrover.co/2013/08/19/5-back-to-school-checklists-that-will-save-your-sanity/
http://ourlittlefamblog.blogspot.ca/2013/08/back-to-school-inspiration.html