Adjustments to College

The decision to go to college or university is a big one. It's big in that you will be taking harder classes, may be living away from home, being more independent, and finding your passion. Every student has a unique college experience, despite that there are adjustments that every student will go through. If you are interested in going to university, will be attending in the following semester, or are a fellow student like me, please read on! I hope my experiences and advice helps you in some way and, of course, thank you for visiting my blog!

Before attending university, the biggest adjustment that I thought would be the hardest was taking university-level courses. I did not know what to expect, and you honestly never know until you take them. I've seen similarities in the types of courses offered at post-secondary institutions in my province, but have noticed how different the topics and learning outcomes are. Having said that, the only way you can truly understand the difficulty of a class beforehand is talking to someone who has taken the exact class or take the class yourself! Regarding my program, I find that there is a heavier workload than high school and a difference between workloads for a first-year course and third-year course. However, when I invest time to do work... it is not too difficult.

Another aspect of university that I knew would be an adjustment, but not the hardest was moving away from home. When I got accepted to my school I made up my mind right away that I wanted to enrol. I had a vague idea of what to expect from college videos on Youtube, videos from my school's website and social media, and touring the residence building itself. I focused too much on the physical aspect of moving to university, and disregarded the mental aspect. I realized that it was a big step in my life, but did not spend time thinking about home sickness and looking after myself mentally. If you are moving away for school, make time to reflect on your thoughts and emotions when you settle in and throughout the year. Being a freshman is hectic, especially in the first few weeks of school, but making time to look after yourself mentally, and physically and academically for that matter, is very important.

Diving deeper on the topic of homesickness... it is a real thing. I did not think I would experience it, because of how excited I was to live on my own, but I did. It hits students at different times throughout first year, but there are ways to get through it! I had text conversations and phone calls when I was missing my family, but what helped me the most was video chatting. If your phone does not allow you to video chat, I suggest trying Skype or Facebook, because it makes all the difference when being homesick.

This next topic may sound crazy, but I am all about being real about my experiences! An adjustment I had for university was making friends. In high school, I had the same group of friends from grade 9 to grade 12, so making new friends was not something I did for a long time! It was weird for me at first, but it became second-nature once I was comfortable putting myself out there and socializing. Be prepared to start off conversations with the same questions like: Where are you from? What program are you in? What year are you in? It is funny how often I answered and asked these questions, but in reality that is how we start to learn about someone we potentially want to be friends with!

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