I remember frosh week at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) so vividly. I remember my outfit on the first day, how I styled my hair (I was blonde then, which is kinda crazy), and how the weather was nice enough for me to walk to campus.
I remember my first class in a Holiday Inn, which was so funny, and my first big lecture, which became the craziest series of lectures I’ve ever attended (shoutout media theory).
I often reflect on who I started with, who I’m still with, and how I got to where I am now.
One thing I reflect on is my first impressions of university; of my program, my professors, and the people I’m close to now — everything seems to have changed so much.
Now it’s six months later, and I’m finishing my first year, but weirdly, I don’t feel all that different from how I did before university. I know for a fact that things have changed a lot in my life, even though I can’t exactly pin them down.
A high school teacher once told me that it’s hard to see how much I’ve changed or grown because I have no perspective to show me how different I was before.
I wanted to sit down and figure out how much I’ve grown, and I thought that since I didn’t know what I was looking for over the past year, I took to my Instagram story to ask my peers. I got many great questions and responses, and I plan to answer as many as possible.
What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned/realized this year about your major?
Going into media production, I thought the biggest challenge would be to figure out who could generate and develop the best idea. I went into this year assuming that whoever had the best piece of writing would be the best as an aspiring writer.
Production is a much more difficult part of the process than I thought it would be, and it shifted my perspective and approach to the year.
It’s so incredibly easy to mess something up in production. Whether it’s lighting, framing, frame rate, or *deep breath* audio, there are many technical aspects to a production that immediately diminish your skill level, the quality of your product, and the perception of your story.
I’d say this is the biggest thing that surprised me about studying media production, which is so silly because it’s literally in the name of my major.
I also learned the basics of media production equipment, which is way more than I knew a year ago.
Did you experience any specific challenges this school year?
So many.
My biggest problem was committing to too many things and getting burned out. My mom has told me several times over the past few months that I’ve been “burning the candle at both ends,” and now I’m starting to feel it.
Despite that, I can’t say that I regret any of my choices.
Even when I’ve been working crazy hours or bouncing from place to place, I’m proud because I’m doing something I feel I was made to do. Since I’m working towards my dream career, I’m trying hard to get as much experience as possible to improve myself.
I’m starting to realize that doing a bunch of things at once diminishes my efforts, the quality of my work, and the information I retain, since I’m super tired whenever I’m on the job. That’s definitely something I will plan better for next year, even though it makes me super sad to turn down work.
Besides that, learning to navigate Toronto was kind of tricky, and learning to watch my spending was another huge lesson.
How was it to balance school life with your own hobbies and interests in the first year of uni?
Since I’m studying something I’m super passionate about, I’m usually happy to continuously work on my media projects. At one point, I was so engrossed in my work that I considered listening to music a hobby, which is actually pretty bad.
In the first semester, I was way better about finding time for my actual hobbies, like playing guitar and singing. In the second semester, the only breaks I was giving myself were walking to the station, walking to campus, or driving. It even became hard for me to find time to do my simple chores, like my laundry, vacuuming, or the dishes.
As you can imagine, those types of tasks build up and need continuous maintenance for things to function well.
Were you able to explore everything you wanted to in your first year?
Absolutely yes. The upside of doing so much is that I got to do things that I love and am proud of. I gained experience as a writer and journalist through Her Campus, as a freelance videographer for several companies, and as a writer, dancer, and performer. I quickly found my strengths and worked towards improving those.
Before university, I was torn about wanting to pursue music, performance, or film production. I learned very quickly that music production is not for me and that I don’t love acting on camera. But, I also learned that I want to stay performing in theatre and that I want to pursue a career as a film writer and director.
Have you narrowed down a creative goal or message that you want to convey?
This is such a sick question.
While I always write or create things with a specific story in mind, my messaging definitely changes for each project.
But my messaging always ties into my personal beliefs, which are closely related to my faith, my relationships, and my upbringing. I really embrace open and opinionated conversations, so I love it when a piece has a very strong allegory.
Looking back at some old projects of mine, one theme that often pops up is the negative effects of judgment. Judgment can be sinister, not only because it hurts people, but it can block so many relationships from forming before they’ve even begun.
I think it’s really important not to judge people based on a few interactions or based on appearances. You never know what a person is going through when you aren’t around, and I think that film, music, and stories in general are a great way of capturing that.
What has been your favourite part of being at TMU? What is the commuter experience like?
The commuter experience was really fun at first, then really brutal in the winter, and then I stopped noticing it altogether. I’ve grown used to the Go Train, and I’ve even gotten sort of used to the TTC. If I’m doing work or listening to music, the time tends to pass quickly.
I like commuting because I get to come home to my family every night, but it’s still tricky living so far away from a lot of my friends.
I really love TMU because it feels like I’m going to work every day downtown. Toronto is such a large city, and I’ve barely scratched the surface of what to do while I’m there. Since TMU is so central, it’s not hard for me to get to other places with my friends or classes I want to take outside of school.
If you could describe your first year in one word, what would it be?
Fulfilling.
I went into this year guns blazing and came out the other end feeling pretty exhausted, but I learned everything I wanted to. While I know I won’t slow down next year, I will be more mindful about my time. I want to achieve a better work/life balance without compromising my goals and standards.
I think a big part of my peace comes from knowing what I want, my standards, and what I can control. Saying these three things in principle is easy enough, but practicing what I preach through every moment is harder. In typical Tia fashion, I rarely applied all three of those things to my life at once. What I’ve wanted to study has changed, my standards have fluctuated, and I’ve had some golden control freak moments.
I think the real key to my contentment year after year is instant forgiveness. A sentiment that was instilled in me during high school drama has stayed with me as I’ve transferred into university, and it’s kept me going for months on end. My grandfather has a saying for bothersome things; whenever I’m frustrated, he and my mom have always said to “put it in a bubble and let it go.”
This year, I held onto a lot of little things as I got more stressed and tired. But, part of my frustration comes from a very strong desire to push myself and succeed to the best of my ability. I know that if I didn’t put my best foot forward, I would regret it for a very long time.
With that, I’m happy with how this year went. Looking back, I was eager to work in media production, and I’m really glad that I was proactive in searching for jobs and things to do in my chosen field. I’m really glad that I was able to narrow down my prospective interests, and I hope to keep my head a bit more above water next year.