Name: Rebecca Vona
Year: 3rd Year
Program: Majoring in Experimental Linguistics (but trying to get into a Psychology Major), and minoring in Biology
What is the best part of attending university?
I just like the process of learning new things. I, especially, enjoy a lot of the things I’ve learned in my psychology courses. I also like the fact that University allows me to meet like-minded people who share the same study interests as me.
What’s your favourite thing about attending the UTM campus?
I love the atmosphere, the campus is really pretty and theres a lot of greenery. Also sometimes theres cute deer and squirrels around so that’s always a plus! I also get to meet a lot of new people because I come from out of the area!
What interested you to your program?
I like linguistics; I had no idea what linguistics was when I started university, but after taking my first linguistics course I became interested in it. I really enjoy psychology and biology as well, especially the anatomy portion of biology, which is why I’m minoring in it and thinking about switching to a Psychology program.
What has been your favourite course so far?
I’m really enjoying the courses I’m taking now; PSY310 Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood is a course I find really interesting, and ANT210- Fantasies, Hoaxes, and Misrepresentations of the Ancient World is a really fun course and the material is really cool.
Can you name one thing about university that you aren’t a fan of?
The commute! It takes me a long time to get to school, so morning classes are never fun, neither are the days with bad weather. I also wish we had a little more food options on campus.
What is one thing you do to de-stress?
To de-stress, I always turn to Netflix. I try to give myself a one episode per couple of hours break, when studying for midterms or writing papers. I also turn to music when I’m feeling really overwhelmed.
What were you most scared about when starting university?
I was most scared about walking into large lecture halls or walking in large crowds, which has always kind of made me a bit nervous. In my first year, I’d sometimes skip a class entirely if I was 15 minutes or more late just because I wanted to avoid the agony of walking into the crowded lecture hall in front of people. I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable, however, as the years have passed, and I don’t feel as awkward being amongst a lot of people anymore.
What were you most excited about when starting university?
I was most excited about meeting new people, because I only knew a couple people when I started here. Honestly, I was just excited about the whole university experience in general – sitting in lectures with a lot of people – it was fascinating and a little scary. I felt like it meant I was becoming a real adult. I’m still excited about meeting new people, but I’d like to think my social skills have improved since then.
What advice would you give to your first-year self?
I would tell myself to relax more and reassure myself that everything will be fine. I was really nervous coming into University in first year because I didn’t really have a lot of my high school friends with me. Also, I was really overwhelmed with the workload and midterms in first year, so I got stressed out really easily.
Fun Facts about Rebecca:
Favourite Colour: Green
Favourite Food: Blueberry Pie
Favourite Sport: Yoga
Favourite Book: The Perks of Being A Wallflower
Favourite Movie: Pretty in Pink
Favourite Animal: Dogs- I own a Boston Terrier and he’s basically my best friend.