Now that my first year of university is coming to an end, I’ve become sentimental. Lately, I’ve been reminiscing on all of the memories and hardships throughout these last two semesters that I thought I’d share with you guys in case you’re preparing for your first year at Laurier!
The first day I moved into my residence and was sang the happy birthday song from I don’t even know how many upper-year students, I was mortified but also excited. This was a stressful day as my family members and I were forced to stay together in a small room and try to build and set my furniture up. All of us being confined in the same tiny space for multiple hours resulted in a couple of family fights (as to be expected). After my family left and I took a second to let it all sink in, I knocked on my bathroom-mates door as that was really the only person I knew prior to moving in, and asked if she wanted to visit the lounge to try and meet new people. This was the best decision I could’ve made! I met people that first day that became my best friends, some of which I’m even living with next year. So, I highly recommend checking out the common area of your residence or even taking a walk around campus and attempting to introduce yourself. Everyone is just as nervous the first day so you really have nothing to lose! Just try and muster up the courage to put yourself out there because typically, cliques form within the first couple of weeks. This is easier said than done but trust me, it will pay off.
I then attended O-Week which was fun and made me feel like I was really a part of the school. On a walk around the campus fair day during that week, I stumbled across a booth named HerCampus. It was a pretty booth set up by multiple women who looked excited to promote their club. I was intrigued. Everyone was wearing pink and had a welcoming smile on their face. I decided to check out the booth for fun… little did I know I’d now be writing for said club. My original plan when coming to university was not to join a club, but how could I resist with such an intriguing offer!! I applied to the marketing committee not thinking I’d stand a chance at getting in as I was a first-year and then I received an email saying I might be a better fit for the writing team. So, I handed in a sample of my writing and got in! I was so excited to meet new people and write for Laurier. Now here we are; seven months later and I’m so happy with the decision I made to join HerCampus. Writing articles can truly be the highlight of my week.
After meeting so many new people through HerCampus, residence, classes, etc, I really felt like I fit in here. But then came the hard part… the schoolwork. It started off slow with syllabi and introductions into course subjects but then it went right in and sooner or later I was handing in at least three assignments a week. Another little treat I came to discover was that midterms don’t just happen in the middle of the term. They can happen as soon as two weeks in all the way until a week before exams. This stressed me out, to say the least.
Ugh, the dining hall food. Not a treat. It took me a while to adjust to not being able to cook my own meals at home, although the convenience of just running in and grabbing something to eat was nice. I loved the soda machine in the dining hall the most. Oh, and the ice-cream. But if you like Dr. Pepper, I would recommend trying the cherry Pibb (tastes very similar). As a Dr. Pepper lover, I was sad to have only found this out two months before school ended.
Overall, the work definitely can take a toll on you if you don’t keep up with it. Try to plan ahead. I learned to start doing assignments a week or so before so that way nothing gets handed in late. Also remember, everything in moderation, go out and have fun with friends, but also set aside time to go to the library for a couple hours. Balance is key!