FIRST-YEAR TRUTHS: DEBUNKING SOME “FAKE NEWS” ABOUT UNIVERSITY
By Hailey Leggett
“It’s real now,” I thought as I watched my parents drive away. It was the moment I had been anticipating for months. I had worked so tirelessly to get here. My dream come true. I had made it, and yet, despite everything I’d been told, I knew nothing.
In one of the most amazing ways possible, university is a never-ending process of trial and error. You try, you succeed, you fail, you get back up again. You’re not in high school anymore. It’s no longer a competition of opposing forces and stereotypical cliches. You are there to learn and thrive. Everything you thought you knew about school has changed forever.
Social ideals have long cultivated the notion that these are some of the best years of our lives, but what they don’t tell you, is that there is no one way to ensure they actually are. What you make of this period is entirely dependent on your ability to manage a balanced schedule. As a first-year student, it is important and sometimes imperative to branch out of your shell and immerse yourself in the school’s culture. Join a club, sign up for an extra-curricular activity, connect with a study group – after all, it is in these environments that you will find your people.
Throughout the next four years, you will also be subjected to a tremendous amount of academic pressure. As ironic as it sounds, you are going to encounter a lot of students and administrative staff who will try to encourage the idea that to succeed, you must forfeit your personal life. Not only is this untrue but it is also harmful and problematic. Maintaining equilibrium in a society built on the construct of ‘hustle-culture’ is necessary for the regulation of anxiety and stress. You must have a ‘life’ in order to maintain a stable emotional and physical wellbeing.
Just because you were a straight A student in high school, does not mean you’ll be one at university. This chapter is going to teach you [more often than you think] just how acceptable it is to make mistakes and the importance of being uncomfortable. For some reason, we are told that if we don’t work extra hard now, we will end up jeopardizing our future. What you come to learn on your own is how crucial it is to never let an average or test score define your worth as a student or individual. Every single person in university has received a ‘bad grade’ at some point along the road. The next year is discovering that B and C grades are ok and totally normal, and that they will in fact, not ruin your life.
In comparison with high school, your university professors may appear unequivocally scary, unapproachable, and strict. Here’s a little secret from a second-year student: they actually love talking and getting to know students. In fact, some – if not most – professors get excited when a student has a question or comment. It is important to remember that these people have spent their careers studying the subject in depth; henceforth, they want to talk about it, especially when you show a genuine interest in the material.
Some of the introductory classes you will take are likely going to be ‘weed out’ courses, but that doesn’t necessarily mean what you think it does. There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the term, most often towards the professor’s attitude and inclination to fail students. Students often believe that they are being targeted and made to fail when it is about teaching you resilience in a moment of chaos. Juggling a heavy reading schedule allows you to individually determine whether you are willing to put in the work and still enjoy the subject matter. Whether you believe it or not, professors want you to succeed. There is strength in asking for help. Professors and teaching assistants are looking for the students who are willing to put in the effort to succeed.
University is going to teach you [almost instantaneously] just how little you know about yourself and the world; if you ask me, that is one of the greatest lessons you will learn in life. A retired McGill professor once told me “If you try a class and you don’t like it, drop it. There is no point in taking something you don’t enjoy. You oversee your own future.”
You may have grown up under the assumption you have to do decide on a career path before university, but nothing could be further from the truth. Some students have a clear idea of their future, and that is okay, but for those like me and many others, it is completely normal to feel lost in a world of endless possibilities. Now is the time to explore your interests and determine what most appeals to you. There are plenty of students who begin in one department and graduate in another.
I know it’s daunting entering your first year. It can be terrifying, whether you are willing to admit it or not. But what you need to remember is that everyone is in the same position. For some, the transition will be easier to deal with than for others. Everyone conquers the adjustment in their own unique way, even if you can’t tell from the outside. The truth is that you are never alone.