After winging it with enthusiasm for eight months, I am happy to say that I’ve made it out of my first year university alive. I’ve learned a lot this year– useful things, not just from lecture or tutorial but from life experience in general. And now for a little retrospect: here are the some of the best lessons I’ve taken from my freshman year.
Relationships are a whole new ball park
I am not comfortable nor qualified enough to provide any agony aunt insight on the subject of relationships, but I couldn’t write an article about my first year experience without mentioning it once. All I’m going to say is that there was a steep learning curve and I am convinced that no single piece of advice exists to make that whole dilemma any easier. At all. I came into university not knowing what I was doing and I still don’t.
Time management is your friend
This might sound ridiculously obvious, but unfortunately this is one of the lessons that you have to learn the hard way—especially if you’re a professional procrastinator such as myself. When I was in grade 12 my economics teacher said “you can’t research and write an essay the night before it’s due”. Fast forward a few months to the night before my first English paper is due and there I was, staring at a blank page with no thesis and cursing myself. In high school you can get away with leaving assignments to the last minute because they are easy enough that you can power through and write them under pressure. University essays are not the same. University essays require enough planning and thinking that you really can’t do it in a short amount of time—or at least, I can’t, as it turns out, because after pulling an all-nighter I still didn’t end up handing that essay in on time. On the bright side, after that wonderful experience I never cut anything that close to the deadline again.
Pasta might actually be the reason I am still alive
There’s no good insight from this lesson. I just ate a lot of pasta this year and I’m not actually sure what I would have eaten if pasta wasn’t an option.
You aren’t going to miss high school friends as much as you think…
For me, this was a given because I stopped missing high school while I was still in high school. Nonetheless, I find that university actually strengthens bonds with the people you grew up with because your friendship is no longer heavily supported by the fact that you have to see these people five days a week. You start putting effort in to catch up when you have time, and every one is so busy with school that there are no hard feelings for not keeping in constant contact over text or social media. It actually makes it more rewarding when you do get to reunite and laugh about all the interesting experiences that you’ve had.
…but you will miss home
Moving out has its perks, but it also makes you realize how good life is when you live at home. There were simply so many things that I took for granted and I didn’t recognize them until I could feel their absence. For instance, I didn’t realize how much I appreciated my mum’s cooking until I was responsible for feeding myself—I can’t even tell you how spectacular a home-cooked meal tastes after you’ve become accustomed to eating bagels for two out of three meals. Aside from food (although I really, really miss the food), I miss the company. I spent years coming home from school and chatting to my mum about how our respective days went, and it took me awhile to get used to not doing that (shout out to my roommate for taking her place even when she didn’t particularly want to). I do call home here and there so I can still catch up, but the fact that I have to be updated on my family’s lives because I’m not around is still a bit strange.
Expectations hit an all-time low
I came into university with the same overachieving mindset I had in high school. I guess I was actively not listening when I was told that everyone’s average drops in university. Suffice it to say a little part of me died when I got my first 70 and consequently realized that a B was now considered sufficient (the horror!). It definitely took me a while to lower my standards and I admittedly still aim for higher marks, however I’ve accepted the fact that passing is really the end goal. I think it became clear when I went into my politics exam aiming for at least 20% because that’s what I needed to pass the course. Grade 12 me would have wept.
It’s not going to be easy, but it doesn’t have to be
I’m not going to deny that I had my fair share of earth-shattering meltdowns this year and I’m pretty certain that I’m not the only one. People don’t say university is difficult to scare you into working hard—they say it because it’s true. And this can be disheartening when you’re the kind of person who’s used to being good at things and being generally put together. If I had a dollar for every time I said “I’m a mess” this year I could probably pay for my textbooks (and goodness knows that’s a lot). Not only was I stressed about my workload, I was stressed about the fact that I was stressed about my workload. After a particularly difficult week I ended up breaking down and ugly crying Jennifer Lawrence style in my journalism instructor’s office, berating myself for not being able to get it together, and she gave me some of the best advice I’ve received this year. She told me that I can’t be a go-getter all the time. She said “some weeks, the only thing you will accomplish is getting through the week, and that’s okay”. There’s no right way to deal with university, and no one is expecting that you’ll have it figured out immediately. Things only got easier once I stopped pushing myself.
In the end, it’s worth it
My first year of university has been quite the experience. Even the moments that can only be described as “yikes”—I would rather forget them, yes, but I wouldn’t undo them. Because I’ve learned a lot of academic things (I mean that is what I’m paying for) but I’ve also learned a lot about myself and how to live independently. That’s valuable experience that I wouldn’t take back. Overall, I think I spent most of the year winging it with enthusiasm and figuring things out as I went, and perhaps that’s the only real way that any one gets through life. I am officially a quarter of the way through unvirsity and I’m excited to see what the next three years brings me (hopefully more pasta).