I enrolled in a three year Business Admin college program because I didn’t think I had the smarts for university; I also didn’t have the marks but that was mostly due to the number of high school classes that I skipped. I did one semester of my program and hated it. The second semester, I switched to a certificate program, Automated Office techniques or something like that, just so the entire year wouldn’t have been a complete waste of money.
I decided to switch colleges, go far away and enrol in a different three year program, Child and Youth worker. I didn’t know anyone but that was part of the appeal. My dad helped move me, bailed me out when my car broke down and would show up unexpectantly to take me out for breakfast or shopping. One time he even came five weekends in a row.
I found college easy and couldn’t understand why others found it hard. I graduated when I was 23 and worked. But all I could get was contract job after contract job; nothing was ever permanent. Most of the contract jobs were shit work, pay and hours until I finally landed one that I really liked. Yet I still couldn’t get hired full-time permanent because I didn’t have a university degree. This was frustrating because I witnessed people fresh out of university without a clue of how to handle anything get hired full-time and I felt my years of experience should count. So I decided to go to university and get my Bachelor of Social Work.
I started full-time but later switched to part-time for two reasons: 1. I needed money which meant I needed to work and 2. I didn’t fit in. I was working days and going to school at night, with both part-timers and full-timers. But I found the kids much younger, not taking things seriously, mostly chatting on MSN and Facebook on their laptops, and likely only there because their parents paid. Truth be told, I resented them.
At this time, I continue to attend University part-time despite the challenges of managing school and work, and I have found the career I always wanted. I work full time for Social Services, a job I would have never gotten if I wasn’t attending University for a degree. The point of my story is that education is extremely important and that just because you may have made a wrong choice in the beginning, you can make better choices later on that will only help you out when searching for the perfect career for yourself.
I am currently applying to another university which has many online course options. I find living more than an hour away from the school I currently attend and working full-time to be quite tiresome, and I am ready for a slower pace now that I have a stable career. I have the necessary credentials to attend this Online University which I am very excited about.
Attending postsecondary education has not been a quick process and I continue to upgrade my education. If you start to think of education as a life long process, you won’t be in such a rush to get finished and get that job. Sometimes that job won’t come until you continue your education, but that is your choice to make.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
An Underage International Student’s Perspective
Coming to university, I faced two challenges: I was from another country and I was 16, quite a bit younger than most other first year students.
I had never been to this country before coming to university here. My father’s job required him to work in different countries so as a result, my family moved around quite a bit while I was a kid. Even though we moved around a lot, I always attended private international schools which were very similar to the American school system. My life situation taught me to adjust quickly to different environments. I learned how to pick up on things quite easily and fit in as much as anyone, academically and socially.
Being from another country was not a hindrance for the most part but there were times when I would be reminded that I was not from the same place as most of my peers. For example, a TV show would come on which I was not familiar with but all my housemates would be. I would ask them what the show was about and they would reply with weird looks. I would try not to take it personally, but at times their lack of sensitivity was a little unnerving.
Living in so many different places is what got me interested in international development. In the first month of school, I thought I was well prepared mainly because I had a stronger head on my shoulders than others. I knew why I was there and what I would like to accomplish in my time at university. I had originally planned to major solely in English Literature, but in my second year I added International Development Studies and started a joint major.
I was quite excited when I first arrived to university. I valued the presence of my parents who had come to help with the transition to university life. The first time they left, I was sad to see them go, but after they left again in January I was satisfied to see them leave. I had become accustomed to living in a new country without them.
Moving to this new country was also the first time I had encountered cold weather. I was ecstatic with the first snowfall, but by January I was ready for the horrid weather to be done with. I did not have proper winter apparel and had a hideous winter jacket that was previously my mother’s. I disliked it so much I refused to wear it and was confined to the indoors for the rest of the winter. The following year I bought a new coat and boots. A fashion nightmare I would no longer be.
I lived in residence in my first year but that’s a whole other story. I involved myself in extra-curricular activities; I was on the volleyball team, on council and sung in the choir. I also participated in fencing.
I found most of the other first years were solely interested in sitting around, partying and drinking. However that did not interest me. I did enjoy going out and having a good time, but not to the same extent. The library and coffee shops downtown became my best friends. I felt quite different from other people and spent a lot of time by myself. I felt pressured to change my behaviour and conform to their lifestyle, but I knew what I wanted and that was not it. That being said, I still had friends, and eventually I found people who fit into my niche.
University may not end up being what you expect it to be; you may end up feeling alone and different, however there is nothing wrong with that. If you have made up your mind about the person you want to be, stick to it despite what others may say. That being said, feel free to try new things and experiment. You might be surprised that you enjoy something you never expected to.
I had never been to this country before coming to university here. My father’s job required him to work in different countries so as a result, my family moved around quite a bit while I was a kid. Even though we moved around a lot, I always attended private international schools which were very similar to the American school system. My life situation taught me to adjust quickly to different environments. I learned how to pick up on things quite easily and fit in as much as anyone, academically and socially.
Being from another country was not a hindrance for the most part but there were times when I would be reminded that I was not from the same place as most of my peers. For example, a TV show would come on which I was not familiar with but all my housemates would be. I would ask them what the show was about and they would reply with weird looks. I would try not to take it personally, but at times their lack of sensitivity was a little unnerving.
Living in so many different places is what got me interested in international development. In the first month of school, I thought I was well prepared mainly because I had a stronger head on my shoulders than others. I knew why I was there and what I would like to accomplish in my time at university. I had originally planned to major solely in English Literature, but in my second year I added International Development Studies and started a joint major.
I was quite excited when I first arrived to university. I valued the presence of my parents who had come to help with the transition to university life. The first time they left, I was sad to see them go, but after they left again in January I was satisfied to see them leave. I had become accustomed to living in a new country without them.
Moving to this new country was also the first time I had encountered cold weather. I was ecstatic with the first snowfall, but by January I was ready for the horrid weather to be done with. I did not have proper winter apparel and had a hideous winter jacket that was previously my mother’s. I disliked it so much I refused to wear it and was confined to the indoors for the rest of the winter. The following year I bought a new coat and boots. A fashion nightmare I would no longer be.
I lived in residence in my first year but that’s a whole other story. I involved myself in extra-curricular activities; I was on the volleyball team, on council and sung in the choir. I also participated in fencing.
I found most of the other first years were solely interested in sitting around, partying and drinking. However that did not interest me. I did enjoy going out and having a good time, but not to the same extent. The library and coffee shops downtown became my best friends. I felt quite different from other people and spent a lot of time by myself. I felt pressured to change my behaviour and conform to their lifestyle, but I knew what I wanted and that was not it. That being said, I still had friends, and eventually I found people who fit into my niche.
University may not end up being what you expect it to be; you may end up feeling alone and different, however there is nothing wrong with that. If you have made up your mind about the person you want to be, stick to it despite what others may say. That being said, feel free to try new things and experiment. You might be surprised that you enjoy something you never expected to.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
First Days in University ... and Beyond
People always remember their first day at university: so different from anything they've experienced before. But I think I hold the record in this regard. Not just a new place. Not just a new kind of life. Not just a new city. Not just a new country -- a new continent! Luckily my mother was there for the first week and half to help me out, otherwise, I would have gone batty and panicked.
I arrived in residence and was ambushed by a bunch of intro week staff, all with smiley faces and seemingly endless amounts of energy. Music was booming and people were moving; it was bustling. One of them came up to me, greeted me and whisked me away to my room with my luggage. My luggage had my entire life in it; if it wasn't in my luggage, it wasn't there. That's why I had so much more than everyone else. Eventually things quieted down a little bit. My mom came to see me and helped me unpack. We then had our first house meeting.
This is where I met for the first time the people I would be spending the next 8 months of my life with. I met them and was trying to size them up. At the time, I wasn't particularly confident I was getting it right, but on the whole, as I look back on these people as I know them now, I didn't do too badly.
It just dawned on me then really what was going on. I was in university. Despite all the fun events going on that week, after the music had died, the amigos had left and my mother as well, I would be alone. Sure I would be constantly surrounded by my peers, my classmates, older people, professors, and everyone. But in the end, I was alone, the onus was on me to make sure that I went to my classes as well as did my reading and did all the work that was required to do. That was a scary but exhilarating thought. Not only was all the work load my responsibility, lots of other things were going to be changing. I myself was going to be changing. I knew that the person I would be in 8 months would not be the same as I was right then and there. I was determined to explore new things and learn about things that I had not had the opportunity to learn about before.
The promise I made to myself though, was that however much I changed, I would not change into something that I would dislike. I would not become fake, and I would stay true to myself.
After that heavy philosophical thinking, I decided, “Well, I’ve got one more week of freedom, where I can be free and not worry about things, let's not waste it”. I then threw myself fully into the intro week, and enjoyed it to the fullest, going on in the next years to be an amigo myself. But when the first Monday of classes started, I got down to work.
There were glitches along the way. I was late for my very first seminar. Not a good impression ... haha. I mumbled something to the prof about getting lost, which in fact I had. The campus was a labyrinth, quite hard to navigate when you’re still getting used to it. Luckily, the professor was understanding and said not to worry about it.
There were distractions: for me it was TV. Before I came, where I came from, there was none. In residence I had access to it 24/7 and I took full advantage of it. I watched every show that was on and I did my readings in front of the television. Let me tell you, that doesn't work. It was hard to remind myself that there would be a repeat of that soap I was keeping up with, and that in any case I could always watch it online. Online ... more temptations. But all those friends' Facebook pages will still be there tomorrow too, whereas the deadline for that paper will have expired.
Always, something is going on that seems more immediate and interesting than the current work that has to be done. In residence there will inevitably be some sort of drama. Some people are more interested in their sports team or some other extracurricular activity. For other people it's going out to clubs and bars. While distractions are necessary and fun, it's easy to get caught up in them. I’m not saying don’t go out and have fun. I’m saying don’t let these distractions get so much in the way of your studies that it compromises you. I let this happen to me and my grades took the punch.
There were fears that were unfounded. I had been worried before I came to university that the classes would be impossible and I had this image in my head that professors spoke a foreign language that only an elite, esoteric group could understand. I was mistaken. Profs understand that students are new to university and they try to make it an easy transition for us.
I’m lucky to go to a university where seminars never go above 20 people. I get to speak up in class, and the prof gets to know me. I use seminars to the fullest, and found the courage to speak up a lot, even when I wasn't sure of what I was saying. Profs were almost always very understanding of that, and helped straighten my thoughts out. I felt they were noticing that I was trying hard. And more than once I've been completely lost, gone to see the Prof, and got put back on track.
That being said, we have to step up to the plate and work. Although it's easy to forget, we're here for our education.
I arrived in residence and was ambushed by a bunch of intro week staff, all with smiley faces and seemingly endless amounts of energy. Music was booming and people were moving; it was bustling. One of them came up to me, greeted me and whisked me away to my room with my luggage. My luggage had my entire life in it; if it wasn't in my luggage, it wasn't there. That's why I had so much more than everyone else. Eventually things quieted down a little bit. My mom came to see me and helped me unpack. We then had our first house meeting.
This is where I met for the first time the people I would be spending the next 8 months of my life with. I met them and was trying to size them up. At the time, I wasn't particularly confident I was getting it right, but on the whole, as I look back on these people as I know them now, I didn't do too badly.
It just dawned on me then really what was going on. I was in university. Despite all the fun events going on that week, after the music had died, the amigos had left and my mother as well, I would be alone. Sure I would be constantly surrounded by my peers, my classmates, older people, professors, and everyone. But in the end, I was alone, the onus was on me to make sure that I went to my classes as well as did my reading and did all the work that was required to do. That was a scary but exhilarating thought. Not only was all the work load my responsibility, lots of other things were going to be changing. I myself was going to be changing. I knew that the person I would be in 8 months would not be the same as I was right then and there. I was determined to explore new things and learn about things that I had not had the opportunity to learn about before.
The promise I made to myself though, was that however much I changed, I would not change into something that I would dislike. I would not become fake, and I would stay true to myself.
After that heavy philosophical thinking, I decided, “Well, I’ve got one more week of freedom, where I can be free and not worry about things, let's not waste it”. I then threw myself fully into the intro week, and enjoyed it to the fullest, going on in the next years to be an amigo myself. But when the first Monday of classes started, I got down to work.
There were glitches along the way. I was late for my very first seminar. Not a good impression ... haha. I mumbled something to the prof about getting lost, which in fact I had. The campus was a labyrinth, quite hard to navigate when you’re still getting used to it. Luckily, the professor was understanding and said not to worry about it.
There were distractions: for me it was TV. Before I came, where I came from, there was none. In residence I had access to it 24/7 and I took full advantage of it. I watched every show that was on and I did my readings in front of the television. Let me tell you, that doesn't work. It was hard to remind myself that there would be a repeat of that soap I was keeping up with, and that in any case I could always watch it online. Online ... more temptations. But all those friends' Facebook pages will still be there tomorrow too, whereas the deadline for that paper will have expired.
Always, something is going on that seems more immediate and interesting than the current work that has to be done. In residence there will inevitably be some sort of drama. Some people are more interested in their sports team or some other extracurricular activity. For other people it's going out to clubs and bars. While distractions are necessary and fun, it's easy to get caught up in them. I’m not saying don’t go out and have fun. I’m saying don’t let these distractions get so much in the way of your studies that it compromises you. I let this happen to me and my grades took the punch.
There were fears that were unfounded. I had been worried before I came to university that the classes would be impossible and I had this image in my head that professors spoke a foreign language that only an elite, esoteric group could understand. I was mistaken. Profs understand that students are new to university and they try to make it an easy transition for us.
I’m lucky to go to a university where seminars never go above 20 people. I get to speak up in class, and the prof gets to know me. I use seminars to the fullest, and found the courage to speak up a lot, even when I wasn't sure of what I was saying. Profs were almost always very understanding of that, and helped straighten my thoughts out. I felt they were noticing that I was trying hard. And more than once I've been completely lost, gone to see the Prof, and got put back on track.
That being said, we have to step up to the plate and work. Although it's easy to forget, we're here for our education.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Stereotypes
I wish people wouldn't stereotype me. Some people think I am gay because I am on a women's hockey team and some people think that since I am in a sorority, I must be rich, snobby, slutty, drunk, a cokehead, or maybe some combination. But I am none of those. I wasn't before and I am not now.
I am on a women's hockey team because I like playing hockey and I have a hockey scholarship which means that I won't owe as much money when I'm done here. I am in my sorority because where else would you find such a large group of instant friends - well they are instant once you are accepted and initiated.
There are a lot of differences between sororities and there are also great differences within sororities including the extent to which your life revolves around the sorority.
Enough truth can be found in some of these stereotypes that I can see why people think it. I am an exception to the rule on my hockey team; there are more lesbians on my team than I have ever seen in any group of the same number of girls. Yet my friend who plays hockey at another college says there is about an even split between gay and straight people. But the people on the team take you as you are. If you are not gay, that's ok. Nobody is going to try to persuade you. Same as if you are gay. There is no pressure to be gay or straight. You learn to accept it. That's part of going to college and growing up. You meet people that have very different lives from you, but you accept them.
Guys’ team sports are different since not a lot of the team members will talk about guys on their team being gay, or at least I have never heard it mentioned. I think that the homophobia that's still out there would it very difficult for any guy who is involved in it. If a guy on the team is gay, he's probably in the closet because he would be too scared to admit it as he knows he would have a huge problem with his teammates and it would probably end up with him leaving the team.
But now here am I spouting out a stereotype of my own and we shouldn't really do that. I am an individual and anyone who I could call my friend knows me as an individual and not just as a member of some kind of group. Same with other kinds of stereotypes. Maybe there is a reason for the stereotype, maybe not. Not all African-Americans are the same. Or Hispanics. Or Asians. Or tiny people. Or overweight people. We are people and we are individuals. Once you have gotten to know someone and long before they ever become a good friend, if they ever do, all of these kinds of things become unimportant. You just see the person there in front of you. The only exception is the rich kids - there is a distinct shortage in my life of people to take me out and buy me stuff.
I am on a women's hockey team because I like playing hockey and I have a hockey scholarship which means that I won't owe as much money when I'm done here. I am in my sorority because where else would you find such a large group of instant friends - well they are instant once you are accepted and initiated.
There are a lot of differences between sororities and there are also great differences within sororities including the extent to which your life revolves around the sorority.
Enough truth can be found in some of these stereotypes that I can see why people think it. I am an exception to the rule on my hockey team; there are more lesbians on my team than I have ever seen in any group of the same number of girls. Yet my friend who plays hockey at another college says there is about an even split between gay and straight people. But the people on the team take you as you are. If you are not gay, that's ok. Nobody is going to try to persuade you. Same as if you are gay. There is no pressure to be gay or straight. You learn to accept it. That's part of going to college and growing up. You meet people that have very different lives from you, but you accept them.
Guys’ team sports are different since not a lot of the team members will talk about guys on their team being gay, or at least I have never heard it mentioned. I think that the homophobia that's still out there would it very difficult for any guy who is involved in it. If a guy on the team is gay, he's probably in the closet because he would be too scared to admit it as he knows he would have a huge problem with his teammates and it would probably end up with him leaving the team.
But now here am I spouting out a stereotype of my own and we shouldn't really do that. I am an individual and anyone who I could call my friend knows me as an individual and not just as a member of some kind of group. Same with other kinds of stereotypes. Maybe there is a reason for the stereotype, maybe not. Not all African-Americans are the same. Or Hispanics. Or Asians. Or tiny people. Or overweight people. We are people and we are individuals. Once you have gotten to know someone and long before they ever become a good friend, if they ever do, all of these kinds of things become unimportant. You just see the person there in front of you. The only exception is the rich kids - there is a distinct shortage in my life of people to take me out and buy me stuff.
Tips and Tricks of the Student Trade
1. Bragging about how you went out to the bar on Halloween and then failing your accounting midterm is not impressive. Accept that there is work to be done.
2. Don’t feel sorry for yourself – there is always some other student with more work than you. Just suck it up, put in the time, and do it. If you work hard your marks will reflect that.
3. Try to do your assignment on your own before working with friends. When you all work together you generally end up getting the same answer, which could be wrong and no one would bother to check. If you do it alone first, whether you get the right or wrong answer, it allows you to explain how you’ve done it which helps you learn. If you answer was wrong, you can see where you went wrong for future problems. Take it from me, doing the problem with 5 people does not mean you get the right answer.
4. Don’t add up the total percentage of what a week’s worth of assignment and exams are worth. You will end up (in business at least) with a number obscenely large, such as 120%, in any given week. This number will consume your every waking moment and you will dream of it at night. It will scare you more than any horror movie you’ve ever seen. Trust me on this one.
5. Buy a huge dry erase calendar that shows two months at once. This way, you can keep track of what's due and when; even (maybe!) get ahead of the game. Actually viewing when things are due in jumbo bright pink letters never allows you to forget due dates (even at midnight). You can still put something out of your mind when it's written right there in front of you, but it's a lot harder. Also, putting the percentages under what’s due helps you prioritize you assignments and exams accordingly. However, whatever you do, do not allow yourself to give into the temptation of number 4. It causes more stress than it’s worth.
6. Go to your seminars! I cannot stress this one enough. Almost all of my seminars give marks for attendance which normally total 10% of your final grade. If you go to all of your seminars you are guaranteed the full 10%. Many people do not go because they “don’t have any questions” or they think seminars are “a waste of time.” Questions or no questions, come final mark time you will be glad you went when you see a nice 80% instead of a 70% - or even a 50% instead of a 40%. You don’t have to be a genius to see how much of a benefit those extra, and essentially free, marks can be. All you need to do is show up.
7. On the other hand, in lectures, do not waste space for the sake of wasting space. I am talking about people who bring their laptops to class and do not take a single note. Instead they find Facebook and MSN to be more appealing. Don’t get me wrong, I am a laptop user myself and I do have a bit of a wandering mouse in lecture from time to time, but I never miss important information on account of having my headphones in and am watching the latest fad on YouTube. If you are not intending to take even minimal notes, please don’t come to lecture. Often you just annoy and distract everyone behind you who can see everything you are doing.
8. That reminds me of another point – don’t think that what you do on your laptop in class is private (no matter how well you position your body in front of the screen). I can personally guarantee that there are at least 5 people at any given time watching your every click.
9. Get to know your professors. I once had a professor who admitted that if she liked you she would mark you better than people she didn’t like. I have a hunch that many professors do this but just don’t admit it to the students. Moral of the story: get everything in on time and talk to your professors. You will get on their good side and maybe even swing an extra few marks out of them!
10. Don’t let extracurriculars rule your life. If you enjoy doing them by all means continue. I’m talking about the people who let sports and various other voluntary school governments take priority over their schoolwork. I know people who say that they have “too much to do” and therefore don’t have time to do their schoolwork. I think that, for many people, this is an acceptable excuse. “It’s okay for me to fail Anthropology – it was only an elective. Besides I got to go to another university to row for a week!” I’m here to tell you that it’s not. Not even by a long shot. Many students tend to lose sight of why they are at University or College – to learn! Not to row, or to become the treasurer for a non-profit restaurant on campus. They are great things to put on a resume for sure, but they are not the reason you are going to school (or at least I hope not). You are at a higher educational institute to become educated. You are paying to be there to become educated. So my final piece of advice to any new student is to put school first – where it belongs. If you think you have time for a part-time job, or for any extracurriculars then by all means do them. Just don’t sacrifice your goals in life - aka a degree and a future career - just because you like to do a little something on the side.
2. Don’t feel sorry for yourself – there is always some other student with more work than you. Just suck it up, put in the time, and do it. If you work hard your marks will reflect that.
3. Try to do your assignment on your own before working with friends. When you all work together you generally end up getting the same answer, which could be wrong and no one would bother to check. If you do it alone first, whether you get the right or wrong answer, it allows you to explain how you’ve done it which helps you learn. If you answer was wrong, you can see where you went wrong for future problems. Take it from me, doing the problem with 5 people does not mean you get the right answer.
4. Don’t add up the total percentage of what a week’s worth of assignment and exams are worth. You will end up (in business at least) with a number obscenely large, such as 120%, in any given week. This number will consume your every waking moment and you will dream of it at night. It will scare you more than any horror movie you’ve ever seen. Trust me on this one.
5. Buy a huge dry erase calendar that shows two months at once. This way, you can keep track of what's due and when; even (maybe!) get ahead of the game. Actually viewing when things are due in jumbo bright pink letters never allows you to forget due dates (even at midnight). You can still put something out of your mind when it's written right there in front of you, but it's a lot harder. Also, putting the percentages under what’s due helps you prioritize you assignments and exams accordingly. However, whatever you do, do not allow yourself to give into the temptation of number 4. It causes more stress than it’s worth.
6. Go to your seminars! I cannot stress this one enough. Almost all of my seminars give marks for attendance which normally total 10% of your final grade. If you go to all of your seminars you are guaranteed the full 10%. Many people do not go because they “don’t have any questions” or they think seminars are “a waste of time.” Questions or no questions, come final mark time you will be glad you went when you see a nice 80% instead of a 70% - or even a 50% instead of a 40%. You don’t have to be a genius to see how much of a benefit those extra, and essentially free, marks can be. All you need to do is show up.
7. On the other hand, in lectures, do not waste space for the sake of wasting space. I am talking about people who bring their laptops to class and do not take a single note. Instead they find Facebook and MSN to be more appealing. Don’t get me wrong, I am a laptop user myself and I do have a bit of a wandering mouse in lecture from time to time, but I never miss important information on account of having my headphones in and am watching the latest fad on YouTube. If you are not intending to take even minimal notes, please don’t come to lecture. Often you just annoy and distract everyone behind you who can see everything you are doing.
8. That reminds me of another point – don’t think that what you do on your laptop in class is private (no matter how well you position your body in front of the screen). I can personally guarantee that there are at least 5 people at any given time watching your every click.
9. Get to know your professors. I once had a professor who admitted that if she liked you she would mark you better than people she didn’t like. I have a hunch that many professors do this but just don’t admit it to the students. Moral of the story: get everything in on time and talk to your professors. You will get on their good side and maybe even swing an extra few marks out of them!
10. Don’t let extracurriculars rule your life. If you enjoy doing them by all means continue. I’m talking about the people who let sports and various other voluntary school governments take priority over their schoolwork. I know people who say that they have “too much to do” and therefore don’t have time to do their schoolwork. I think that, for many people, this is an acceptable excuse. “It’s okay for me to fail Anthropology – it was only an elective. Besides I got to go to another university to row for a week!” I’m here to tell you that it’s not. Not even by a long shot. Many students tend to lose sight of why they are at University or College – to learn! Not to row, or to become the treasurer for a non-profit restaurant on campus. They are great things to put on a resume for sure, but they are not the reason you are going to school (or at least I hope not). You are at a higher educational institute to become educated. You are paying to be there to become educated. So my final piece of advice to any new student is to put school first – where it belongs. If you think you have time for a part-time job, or for any extracurriculars then by all means do them. Just don’t sacrifice your goals in life - aka a degree and a future career - just because you like to do a little something on the side.
Workload: They don't always tell you the Truth
When you’re in first year university you may hear the rumour that second year is the hardest year of all four years. After that it is all downhill. I thought to myself, “First year is not so bad! I don’t have an insane workload, how hard can second year be? And if it’s all downhill after that, well I’ll be laughing!”
When you’re in second year you see how your workload has increased exponentially since first year. It comes as somewhat of a shock after the leisurely pace year first year brought. You begin to envy people in first year for their “easy” work and workload. I just kept telling myself that this was the worst year – next year will be easier! I survived second year and made it to third.
When you start third year, you’re eager and excited that you’re finally past the 3 am reports and the weekend trips to the library. Anything will be better than second year. Then you actually start classes. You quickly realize that something is not quite right, and then it hits you – you’ve been lied to! That wonderful rumour that second year is the worst is completely untrue. Third year is perhaps twice, or maybe even three times the work that second year was. You can no longer get away with three references on a research paper – they want seven, or even ten (all scholarly mind you). Websites don’t cut it, not even by a long shot. But then you hear a rumour: third year is actually the hardest, not second year. You breathe deep and desperately cling to the hope that this is true - especially if you are half a credit in overload like I was. Any more work and you feel like you would lose your mind. Then you begin to reminisce on “the good ‘ol days” in first year when the most work you had to do was one report every two or three weeks and a weekly one page write up of your readings. Oh the days when you had time to do all your readings! Now you pick one or two classes that are the most important and do those but no more. There simply is no time to do them all. But you’ll live to write all of your exams and then the relief of summer comes. And the 60-hour week part-time job that actually does seem like relief after the last two semesters.
This is where I am now. Fourth year is looming and I am still clinging to the rumour that fourth year will be easier than third. It may or may not be – I don’t know. There is one thing I know for sure though – there is a light at the end of the four year degree tunnel. At the end of that tunnel I will have a University Degree, and, best of all, there’s no more school work at the end.
When you’re in second year you see how your workload has increased exponentially since first year. It comes as somewhat of a shock after the leisurely pace year first year brought. You begin to envy people in first year for their “easy” work and workload. I just kept telling myself that this was the worst year – next year will be easier! I survived second year and made it to third.
When you start third year, you’re eager and excited that you’re finally past the 3 am reports and the weekend trips to the library. Anything will be better than second year. Then you actually start classes. You quickly realize that something is not quite right, and then it hits you – you’ve been lied to! That wonderful rumour that second year is the worst is completely untrue. Third year is perhaps twice, or maybe even three times the work that second year was. You can no longer get away with three references on a research paper – they want seven, or even ten (all scholarly mind you). Websites don’t cut it, not even by a long shot. But then you hear a rumour: third year is actually the hardest, not second year. You breathe deep and desperately cling to the hope that this is true - especially if you are half a credit in overload like I was. Any more work and you feel like you would lose your mind. Then you begin to reminisce on “the good ‘ol days” in first year when the most work you had to do was one report every two or three weeks and a weekly one page write up of your readings. Oh the days when you had time to do all your readings! Now you pick one or two classes that are the most important and do those but no more. There simply is no time to do them all. But you’ll live to write all of your exams and then the relief of summer comes. And the 60-hour week part-time job that actually does seem like relief after the last two semesters.
This is where I am now. Fourth year is looming and I am still clinging to the rumour that fourth year will be easier than third. It may or may not be – I don’t know. There is one thing I know for sure though – there is a light at the end of the four year degree tunnel. At the end of that tunnel I will have a University Degree, and, best of all, there’s no more school work at the end.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Residence: How Different Could It Be?
The year before I came to this university, I was in the Katimavik program living in a house with 11 other people traveling across Canada on a mere $3 a day pay. Residence ... how different could it be? Well a floor of all guys, a human sized hole in the wall, over $1000 in damage, a smelly man from another continent, and a don who couldn’t handle us ... how wrong could I be? The Katimavik people were all people like me, with at least some similar interests and comparable habits in terms of cleanliness, noisiness ... you get the picture?
Now to University. Of course I knew I was going to have tests in all my courses. But Residence life was definitely a test too. A test of how well my peers and I could function together in close quarters. Hockey nights on TV, late night parties, co-ed washrooms, hygienic differences, extreme music preferences -- residence was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. Not always pleasant, hardly ever easy, but interesting.
There's no choice but to become friendly to all different types of characters. Learning to live on my own with an eclectic range of human beings is definitely one of the biggest challenges that I have ever experienced. Selective listening and a simple smile and nod helped me to bite my tongue and make it through situations that I would have rather not been in. There was one good thing: when it came time to go home at Christmas, I appreciated it more than ever I had before.
I say one good thing, but actually there's another one, more important. I was forced to become my own individual being and understand what I believe in as a person. University gives you the opportunity to prove yourself and although temptations are around every corner, you learn how to stand up for yourself and your convictions and standards. I learned better how to deal with different kinds of people, and the limits of my ability to change or even influence what they do. By comparing myself with what sometimes seemed to be almost all the other people in the Residence, I also learned that one of the characteristics most important to me is moderation.
Life can be looked at as a series of doors you pass through, or pass by. Decide when to open them, and when to close them.
Now to University. Of course I knew I was going to have tests in all my courses. But Residence life was definitely a test too. A test of how well my peers and I could function together in close quarters. Hockey nights on TV, late night parties, co-ed washrooms, hygienic differences, extreme music preferences -- residence was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. Not always pleasant, hardly ever easy, but interesting.
There's no choice but to become friendly to all different types of characters. Learning to live on my own with an eclectic range of human beings is definitely one of the biggest challenges that I have ever experienced. Selective listening and a simple smile and nod helped me to bite my tongue and make it through situations that I would have rather not been in. There was one good thing: when it came time to go home at Christmas, I appreciated it more than ever I had before.
I say one good thing, but actually there's another one, more important. I was forced to become my own individual being and understand what I believe in as a person. University gives you the opportunity to prove yourself and although temptations are around every corner, you learn how to stand up for yourself and your convictions and standards. I learned better how to deal with different kinds of people, and the limits of my ability to change or even influence what they do. By comparing myself with what sometimes seemed to be almost all the other people in the Residence, I also learned that one of the characteristics most important to me is moderation.
Life can be looked at as a series of doors you pass through, or pass by. Decide when to open them, and when to close them.
5 Things a University Student Must have
5: Shower shoes -- you never know what other peoples' feet are breeding
4: Speakers -- the bigger the better
3: Earplugs -- for those late night parties
2: Mini fridge -- being able to have your own food in your room, for days when you just can’t handle the caf food
1: Something that reminds you of home -- for those days when you just feel like giving up
4: Speakers -- the bigger the better
3: Earplugs -- for those late night parties
2: Mini fridge -- being able to have your own food in your room, for days when you just can’t handle the caf food
1: Something that reminds you of home -- for those days when you just feel like giving up
Partying
Every university seems to have a night of the week that is the "big night" to go out. This is aside from Friday and Saturday, which are also big nights. You may even find that there are different drink specials at different bars every night of the week that you get invited out for. The key is to choose a few nights to go out to truly enjoy yourself as opposed to partying every night in fear that you might miss out on a great time.
I remember Halloween weekend I had some work to catch up on: readings and essays to write, not to mention a second set of midterms quickly approaching. I had already gone out one night that weekend and had a great time. But my friends insisted that I join them in some festivities again, and I gave in. I woke up late the next day and somewhat regretted going out. I had spent the morning sleeping and didn’t have much energy to get back into homework mode.
There is always fun to be had and there is always work to be done. So I was confronted with similar situations several times throughout the year. My experience taught me that sometimes you have to stay in. You have to start that paper tonight or get uncontrollably far behind. Then, when your friends come around again, you can say yes, go out, enjoy the evening, and end up with a good feeling about what you've done. You've earned a break, taken it, and enjoyed it.
I remember Halloween weekend I had some work to catch up on: readings and essays to write, not to mention a second set of midterms quickly approaching. I had already gone out one night that weekend and had a great time. But my friends insisted that I join them in some festivities again, and I gave in. I woke up late the next day and somewhat regretted going out. I had spent the morning sleeping and didn’t have much energy to get back into homework mode.
There is always fun to be had and there is always work to be done. So I was confronted with similar situations several times throughout the year. My experience taught me that sometimes you have to stay in. You have to start that paper tonight or get uncontrollably far behind. Then, when your friends come around again, you can say yes, go out, enjoy the evening, and end up with a good feeling about what you've done. You've earned a break, taken it, and enjoyed it.
Student Loans
When I headed off to University, all I could think about was all that money sitting in my bank account that had never existed before. I was really lucky because I got almost $7000 in scholarships and bursaries as well as the maximum possible loan. All I could think about was money. I was rich.
Not so fast, though, kid.
The way the loans were handled at my school was that we paid a certain percentage of the school fees in September and the rest in January. So I figured that if I budgeted really well, I’d have tons of money to play with. What I didn’t realize was that no matter how well you think you’ve budgeted your money, you get screwed over in the end.
You see, I didn’t realize that I should be checking my loan account every month or so to make sure they hadn’t changed anything. Because they do. When I returned home in December I was ecstatic to find a letter telling me they had reassessed my mother’s financial situation and that they were giving me $1983 in January. What I took from that letter was that I was getting an extra whooping two grand to spend.
But sadly, no. What they had done was fiddle with some numbers and decided that I didn’t need the $4000 dollars that they said I would get in January. Apparently, I only needed half that. The $1983 was instead of the $4000, not in addition to it. So when I got back to school and dropped a grand to hold my apartment for the summer, I knew nothing of the $1500 that I still owed the school after the remaining loan was handed over to them.
Thank god for VISA. And for Mum.
Not so fast, though, kid.
The way the loans were handled at my school was that we paid a certain percentage of the school fees in September and the rest in January. So I figured that if I budgeted really well, I’d have tons of money to play with. What I didn’t realize was that no matter how well you think you’ve budgeted your money, you get screwed over in the end.
You see, I didn’t realize that I should be checking my loan account every month or so to make sure they hadn’t changed anything. Because they do. When I returned home in December I was ecstatic to find a letter telling me they had reassessed my mother’s financial situation and that they were giving me $1983 in January. What I took from that letter was that I was getting an extra whooping two grand to spend.
But sadly, no. What they had done was fiddle with some numbers and decided that I didn’t need the $4000 dollars that they said I would get in January. Apparently, I only needed half that. The $1983 was instead of the $4000, not in addition to it. So when I got back to school and dropped a grand to hold my apartment for the summer, I knew nothing of the $1500 that I still owed the school after the remaining loan was handed over to them.
Thank god for VISA. And for Mum.
Textbooks: To Buy of Not To Buy
Textbooks are so expensive. However, there are ways to get around their high costs if you’re patient and resourceful. Look first for used texts, of course. There's a better chance of finding one if you begin early. But wait! Read on.
As a general rule, I never buy any books until I have sat through at least one lecture. Only then is it possible to get the true sense of what the profs expect in terms of readings, and if they felt that the textbook was truly a necessity. For example, if all or most of the information is presented in lecture and on the slides, and the textbook is simply for clarification, I would suggest not making the purchase. Often, profs will put at least one copy “on reserve” at the library. Here, you can sign the text out for a couple of hours at a time.
It's also possible to share texts. My first point, waiting until after the first lecture is also a good idea because you can see if you know anyone in your class who you might be able share books with. I've never done it myself, but it would be possible to organize a group of three or four people at the end of the lecture to share a book.
Sometimes, though, you should buy the textbook. Even at the ludicrous price they charge for them. For instance, if you are a biology major like me, a first year bio text will always be relevant and serves as a good tool to refresh the basics. Also, if you do your research, you may get lucky and be able to use a text multiple times. I purchased a biochemistry text which ended up being a required text for four additional courses!
Happy hunting.
As a general rule, I never buy any books until I have sat through at least one lecture. Only then is it possible to get the true sense of what the profs expect in terms of readings, and if they felt that the textbook was truly a necessity. For example, if all or most of the information is presented in lecture and on the slides, and the textbook is simply for clarification, I would suggest not making the purchase. Often, profs will put at least one copy “on reserve” at the library. Here, you can sign the text out for a couple of hours at a time.
It's also possible to share texts. My first point, waiting until after the first lecture is also a good idea because you can see if you know anyone in your class who you might be able share books with. I've never done it myself, but it would be possible to organize a group of three or four people at the end of the lecture to share a book.
Sometimes, though, you should buy the textbook. Even at the ludicrous price they charge for them. For instance, if you are a biology major like me, a first year bio text will always be relevant and serves as a good tool to refresh the basics. Also, if you do your research, you may get lucky and be able to use a text multiple times. I purchased a biochemistry text which ended up being a required text for four additional courses!
Happy hunting.
Revenge is Best Served Cold
I’ve learned that people either stand out in class, mostly because they are supremely irritating, or they simply fade into the masses that first year lectures are made up of. There was a particular male from first year “killer” chem that my friends and I remember very distinctly. He was the biggest suck up/know-it-all of all time. No modesty here! He was one of those who always sat front row centre, had no social skills, and inevitably had his hand up to answer every question posed by the prof.
Around the middle of the semester, we received our midterm marks. The average was rather low, but the prof mentioned that a few people in the class were awarded marks of 100%. My friend turns to me, gestures at "Mr. Chemistry" and says “you know that face that babies make when they crap their pants?” I look over and there he is with the goofiest grin on his face. As if we couldn't have guessed who got the perfect mark?
Well, in second year, I took Analytic Chemistry (fondly referred to as Anal Chem). This class was super intense and the majority of our final marks were determined from the precision of our laboratory work. During one particular lab, we were carrying out titrations. Since accuracy in measuring titrations depends on detection of subtle colour changes, “Mr. Chemistry” let his colour-blindness affliction be known. The TA simply told him to ask for help from some fellow classmates.
Oh we helped all right. Helped the titration go way past the correct volume for the end-point. Experiment ruined. Oh well, begin again.
Around the middle of the semester, we received our midterm marks. The average was rather low, but the prof mentioned that a few people in the class were awarded marks of 100%. My friend turns to me, gestures at "Mr. Chemistry" and says “you know that face that babies make when they crap their pants?” I look over and there he is with the goofiest grin on his face. As if we couldn't have guessed who got the perfect mark?
Well, in second year, I took Analytic Chemistry (fondly referred to as Anal Chem). This class was super intense and the majority of our final marks were determined from the precision of our laboratory work. During one particular lab, we were carrying out titrations. Since accuracy in measuring titrations depends on detection of subtle colour changes, “Mr. Chemistry” let his colour-blindness affliction be known. The TA simply told him to ask for help from some fellow classmates.
Oh we helped all right. Helped the titration go way past the correct volume for the end-point. Experiment ruined. Oh well, begin again.
Choosing Courses
I made this mistake once and never again. Don’t do it. I mean do not choose courses based on their title alone!
I am in science and had to take a number of arts electives. I thought that “Couple and Family Relationships” would be an interesting course. Boy was I wrong. It was deadly boring; going to that class was more painful than having teeth pulled.
I quickly learned to do my research before picking a course which consisted of either bugging profs for syllabi or asking others who had taken the course beforehand. This gave me a much better idea of the content of the course, how hard it would be, and what was expected assignment-wise.
And, most important of all, if it was any good.
I am in science and had to take a number of arts electives. I thought that “Couple and Family Relationships” would be an interesting course. Boy was I wrong. It was deadly boring; going to that class was more painful than having teeth pulled.
I quickly learned to do my research before picking a course which consisted of either bugging profs for syllabi or asking others who had taken the course beforehand. This gave me a much better idea of the content of the course, how hard it would be, and what was expected assignment-wise.
And, most important of all, if it was any good.
Placements
When you attend College or University there are many programs that offer placement opportunities: co-op programs, summer placements, and so on. It all depends on the program and the university.
I had the chance to participate in two placements, and they were amazing learning opportunities for me. The problem with attending a conventional post-secondary program is that you get the education, and then when you go for an interview after you graduate, you don’t have the experience. With a placement you can get both
I had friends who never thought of where they wanted to work when they finished school. When they picked their placements they didn’t give it much thought; they just wanted something easy. I spent a lot of time thinking about where I would like to work when I finished school, and did placements that were within my top two choices. I figured it would give me the edge for when I went to get a job. During my last semester, I did my second placement and was hired by my current employer immediately afterwards for a contract position. I was stunned, amazed, delighted. There's even a good chance of my contract being renewed or the position becoming permanent.
Two friends of mine took courses where there were no co-op placements available but achieved the same result in a different way. They were in Social Service programs and both applied for positions in summer camp programs, one for children, the other for disadvantaged and challenged older kids. Their leg up was the prof, who wrote letters of recommendation for them, which both my friends deserved big time. So now, when they finish and the time comes to apply for a permanent job, they'll have good experience and another recommendation: one from an employer to add to the prof's. Only trouble was that they made minimum wage all summer, so both were even more short of money than they could have been. Well, for the one person, it didn't really matter because her parents are well off. But for the other, she's putting herself through school with work and loans; she gave up the high-paying road-crew job she'd had in previous summers, and then the loan people harassed her for doing that and reduced her loan. She'll survive, though, and will be in a much better position to apply for a job in the field when she graduates.
So if you do have the chance to do a placement, pick something related to where you might want to work afterwards. That way you are getting the experience to add to your education. Also, if there are no opportunities for placement at your school, try working or even volunteering for a related organization that interests you; this will give you experience that may set you apart from others when you start searching for a job.
I had the chance to participate in two placements, and they were amazing learning opportunities for me. The problem with attending a conventional post-secondary program is that you get the education, and then when you go for an interview after you graduate, you don’t have the experience. With a placement you can get both
I had friends who never thought of where they wanted to work when they finished school. When they picked their placements they didn’t give it much thought; they just wanted something easy. I spent a lot of time thinking about where I would like to work when I finished school, and did placements that were within my top two choices. I figured it would give me the edge for when I went to get a job. During my last semester, I did my second placement and was hired by my current employer immediately afterwards for a contract position. I was stunned, amazed, delighted. There's even a good chance of my contract being renewed or the position becoming permanent.
Two friends of mine took courses where there were no co-op placements available but achieved the same result in a different way. They were in Social Service programs and both applied for positions in summer camp programs, one for children, the other for disadvantaged and challenged older kids. Their leg up was the prof, who wrote letters of recommendation for them, which both my friends deserved big time. So now, when they finish and the time comes to apply for a permanent job, they'll have good experience and another recommendation: one from an employer to add to the prof's. Only trouble was that they made minimum wage all summer, so both were even more short of money than they could have been. Well, for the one person, it didn't really matter because her parents are well off. But for the other, she's putting herself through school with work and loans; she gave up the high-paying road-crew job she'd had in previous summers, and then the loan people harassed her for doing that and reduced her loan. She'll survive, though, and will be in a much better position to apply for a job in the field when she graduates.
So if you do have the chance to do a placement, pick something related to where you might want to work afterwards. That way you are getting the experience to add to your education. Also, if there are no opportunities for placement at your school, try working or even volunteering for a related organization that interests you; this will give you experience that may set you apart from others when you start searching for a job.
Prioritizing
I'm currently taking 5 classes which makes up15 credits; all 5 of these classes are for my major - public relations/journalism - and 4 of the 5 classes are writing intensive courses. On top of this I am the President of The Inter-Greek Council, the PR Director of a major club at our school, on Student Senate, a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma and a dj for our school radio station. So for me, there is no alternative to a fairly rigorous and unyielding prioritization regime.
There are days when I have to prepare for three tests, and I also have a paper due. Then two days before, we have a quiz sprung onto us in another class. Of course, part of the answer is to have had the paper already written the previous month, and half the test-prep done over the weekend. But last month was completely spoken for, and so was last weekend. Major overload is bound to occur.
Here's a typical example: I was pressed for time and had to make the decision of which test to study for. I had important tests in mass communication and in math. I chose to study for mass comm because it is a class for my major, and math is not. If I had studied for both tests, it would have been too hard to retain the information and I would have gotten a bad grade for both classes. So I had to choose which to focus on.
This kind of thing happens a lot. As a college student, you must make the choice of what is most important. Accept that something has to give, decide what it is, and be ruthless. Do what you decided to do, ignore what you decided not to do, and move on.
There are days when I have to prepare for three tests, and I also have a paper due. Then two days before, we have a quiz sprung onto us in another class. Of course, part of the answer is to have had the paper already written the previous month, and half the test-prep done over the weekend. But last month was completely spoken for, and so was last weekend. Major overload is bound to occur.
Here's a typical example: I was pressed for time and had to make the decision of which test to study for. I had important tests in mass communication and in math. I chose to study for mass comm because it is a class for my major, and math is not. If I had studied for both tests, it would have been too hard to retain the information and I would have gotten a bad grade for both classes. So I had to choose which to focus on.
This kind of thing happens a lot. As a college student, you must make the choice of what is most important. Accept that something has to give, decide what it is, and be ruthless. Do what you decided to do, ignore what you decided not to do, and move on.
Laundry Woes
Before you go to University, there's never a shortage of people who'll give you advice about a seemingly-infinite variety of topics: residence, drinking, workload, sex, classes, computers, drugs, money, profs: the list goes on and on. But in my experience, nobody ever addresses the most important topic of all. I refer, of course, to laundry.
Or perhaps I’m just a laundry freak. I mean, washers and dryers are a staple in rez, but what about all those hand-washables? Knit sweaters? Come on people! If anyone is actually anxious about delicates (like me), bring a small wash bucket and drying rack.
Let's talk about sorting. I will never forget this. I was in the laundry room doing my thing and I look over and see this guy obviously struggling. He says simply to me: “help”. How could I refuse? He had no idea how to sort clothes or even why it was necessary. I came to his aid, of course. As a moral to this short story, I recommend learning about laundry before making the move to residence and away from Mommy.
I want to address “laundry room jerks”. These are people who either monopolize many machines at once or leave their freshly laundered clothes in the dryer for hours. This is supremely irritating when it’s rather busy in that hot, small room and there are no free dryers. Perhaps I felt a little guilty about it initially, but I see no problem in taking their clothes out and placing them on top of the dryer so that you can deal with yours ... putting them back in of course, if they're not claimed by the time you're done. Don't worry: they won't be; the people who leave them in the dryer are the ones who won't be back for them until they need them – probably the next day. And, with any luck, they will have no idea that their clothes were disturbed in the first place.
There should really be a Laundry Swat team. Or at least a sign on the door about etiquette!
Or perhaps I’m just a laundry freak. I mean, washers and dryers are a staple in rez, but what about all those hand-washables? Knit sweaters? Come on people! If anyone is actually anxious about delicates (like me), bring a small wash bucket and drying rack.
Let's talk about sorting. I will never forget this. I was in the laundry room doing my thing and I look over and see this guy obviously struggling. He says simply to me: “help”. How could I refuse? He had no idea how to sort clothes or even why it was necessary. I came to his aid, of course. As a moral to this short story, I recommend learning about laundry before making the move to residence and away from Mommy.
I want to address “laundry room jerks”. These are people who either monopolize many machines at once or leave their freshly laundered clothes in the dryer for hours. This is supremely irritating when it’s rather busy in that hot, small room and there are no free dryers. Perhaps I felt a little guilty about it initially, but I see no problem in taking their clothes out and placing them on top of the dryer so that you can deal with yours ... putting them back in of course, if they're not claimed by the time you're done. Don't worry: they won't be; the people who leave them in the dryer are the ones who won't be back for them until they need them – probably the next day. And, with any luck, they will have no idea that their clothes were disturbed in the first place.
There should really be a Laundry Swat team. Or at least a sign on the door about etiquette!
Transition from College to University
I decided a couple of years after I finished College that I would attend University. In College I took the Child and Youth Worker Program and in University I planned to take the Bachelor of Social Work Program. I'd loved my college experience and had such a great time. But when I started University, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.
I thought I would be able to attend full time and work part time just like I did in College. Man was I wrong! I was blown away by the difference between the two institutions. I found University to be intense and very different from College. In College I did a lot of hands on, touchy feely assignments and did very well without having to try really hard. In University, there is a lot of reading, a lot of paper writing, and a lot of independent work. People who are not self-controlled and task-oriented have a hard time staying ahead of the game. Maybe because I was a couple of years older, I was able to prioritize my time very well and manage many different things at once. I had to learn to do it, mind you, and I was sorry for the younger kids who got themselves truly screwed up that first semester.
A big help was the seminars the University holds, the study groups, the tutors, the writing help centres. I attended everything. If nothing else, it helped keep the stress level down and made the transition a lot easier.
I thought I would be able to attend full time and work part time just like I did in College. Man was I wrong! I was blown away by the difference between the two institutions. I found University to be intense and very different from College. In College I did a lot of hands on, touchy feely assignments and did very well without having to try really hard. In University, there is a lot of reading, a lot of paper writing, and a lot of independent work. People who are not self-controlled and task-oriented have a hard time staying ahead of the game. Maybe because I was a couple of years older, I was able to prioritize my time very well and manage many different things at once. I had to learn to do it, mind you, and I was sorry for the younger kids who got themselves truly screwed up that first semester.
A big help was the seminars the University holds, the study groups, the tutors, the writing help centres. I attended everything. If nothing else, it helped keep the stress level down and made the transition a lot easier.
Time Management
Much of the first year of university is spent learning how to manage your time. It can be tough to balance schoolwork, friends, family and extracurricular activities. I had a good friend who had been a lot of fun to hang out with but things changed so she wasn't fun at all. And actually, as I look back, neither was I.
Our conversations deteriorated, and we became obsessed with only one topic: how much school work we both had, and how there was not enough time to do it.
She would often tell me how she didn’t know where to start with her essays, how she felt overwhelmed with the amount of material to study, and how badly she wanted better grades. Sometimes we shared these feelings but other times she talked about her work so much that it began to stress me out too, and it was definitely a downer for our friendship.
I got to realize that everyone has a lot of work to do, but if you just get it done, there is much more time to do fun things. Having her around taught me that no one likes to hear your complaints all the time, even good friends. We both probably could have benefited from spending more time actually studying and less time talking about it.
Our conversations deteriorated, and we became obsessed with only one topic: how much school work we both had, and how there was not enough time to do it.
She would often tell me how she didn’t know where to start with her essays, how she felt overwhelmed with the amount of material to study, and how badly she wanted better grades. Sometimes we shared these feelings but other times she talked about her work so much that it began to stress me out too, and it was definitely a downer for our friendship.
I got to realize that everyone has a lot of work to do, but if you just get it done, there is much more time to do fun things. Having her around taught me that no one likes to hear your complaints all the time, even good friends. We both probably could have benefited from spending more time actually studying and less time talking about it.
Course Outlines
At the beginning of every semester of every year in every College or University you will receive many course outlines. At first they may look like a waste of paper, but they are not. Treat yours well because it's your map necessary for navigating through the course. It pays to take the time to read the outline and get to know what your prof expects.
The outline tells you how many projects you will need to finish, when your tests and assignments are due, and how many tests you will be writing throughout the semester. It's a big help in organizing your time. The course outline lets you know what the course it about and what you should be capable of when the course ends.
Course outlines have another use I hadn't known about until I actually needed them a year after the course was over. I'd just kept them as souvenirs really (and because I'm a squirrel kind of person who never throws things away), but I was glad I 'd kept them. I was in the process of transferring from one school to another, and wanted to be exempt from three courses. When I first applied, the answer was no. But I'd kept my course outlines from the first school.
What did I need to be able to prove to the professor that I 'd covered the material? The course outline.
The outline tells you how many projects you will need to finish, when your tests and assignments are due, and how many tests you will be writing throughout the semester. It's a big help in organizing your time. The course outline lets you know what the course it about and what you should be capable of when the course ends.
Course outlines have another use I hadn't known about until I actually needed them a year after the course was over. I'd just kept them as souvenirs really (and because I'm a squirrel kind of person who never throws things away), but I was glad I 'd kept them. I was in the process of transferring from one school to another, and wanted to be exempt from three courses. When I first applied, the answer was no. But I'd kept my course outlines from the first school.
What did I need to be able to prove to the professor that I 'd covered the material? The course outline.
Money
Money
When I first went to school the thought of being given a large lump sum of money from my student loans was a scary thought for me. I didn’t want to make the mistake of overspending and not having enough during the school year.
So I made a plan.
First I calculated how much my tuition would be, and estimated the price of books. After I found a place to live and figured out all my expenses for each month, I calculated my rent and my car insurance; I deliberately overestimated my phone bill, laundry expenses, groceries and fuel expenses to make sure I had extra. Then I added up all these monthly costs to see how much money it would be in total just for my living expenses for the two semesters until I went home for the summer.
Only then did I have an idea of how much money I would have to have to make it through the year without worrying about a roof over my head or food in my belly. When I received my large lump sum of money, I took the amount of money for the living expenses for both semesters and put it in a separate bank account. This enabled me to see what I had for spending money knowing that I would never spend too much and not have enough left.
I then got a part time job to raise the amount of spending money I had so I could go out with my friends and have a good time, because really that’s what College is all about. It was a good plan, but it didn't solve everything.
Some things hurt. They nickel and dime you to death: fees for this, deposits for that, and the biggest heartbreak of all: books. Sometimes it seems that they bring out new editions all the time so that everyone has to pay the maximum amount for the very latest and glossiest. When I first came, I'd worked all summer, and then a good chunk of it went straight to the bookshop. Worse: about half the books were ones I didn't like and which were rather useless; trouble is, you can't tell ahead of time which half that will be.
When you are receiving a loan and working at the same time you must be very clear about the amount of money you will be making before and during the school year. I was told in February that I had made too much money during my first half of the year and they attempted to put my money on hold, which in turn would not allow me to pay for the second half of the year. I fought the decision, and they gave me the money to pay for the rest of the year. But now I'm not allowed to apply again until I pay back the amount they say I owe them. How can I pay the amount, when I am trying to pay everything else?
I decided to drop from full time status to part time when I finished my first semester. The numbers just wouldn't add up unless I stopped doing everything that was fun. It was also hard to admit to myself that I'd screwed up my plan because of the decision to not give me any more loans. Fortunately, I already had some education and I had contacts in my field. So it wasn't hard to get a job.
The hardest thing in the end was to say to myself: it's OK to do this, it'll still all work out. It felt like a defeat -- well, maybe I can be a little stubborn sometimes.
Now I have two lives, each of which I love. I'm fortunate to have excellent classes: lectures, seminars, reading, and writing about the topic I'm most interested in in the whole world. Working gives me a whole new perspective on the same group of topics, and I often find my school work is illuminated by what I see every day on the job.
Mind you, there are dangers working in the same field as you are studying. Some of the profs haven't been outside the walls of the university for many years, and it shows. They can be quite sensitive to someone contradicting them and using something that happened yesterday to back it up. You do have to bite your tongue sometimes.
But that's another story. Maybe I'll write it some day.
When I first went to school the thought of being given a large lump sum of money from my student loans was a scary thought for me. I didn’t want to make the mistake of overspending and not having enough during the school year.
So I made a plan.
First I calculated how much my tuition would be, and estimated the price of books. After I found a place to live and figured out all my expenses for each month, I calculated my rent and my car insurance; I deliberately overestimated my phone bill, laundry expenses, groceries and fuel expenses to make sure I had extra. Then I added up all these monthly costs to see how much money it would be in total just for my living expenses for the two semesters until I went home for the summer.
Only then did I have an idea of how much money I would have to have to make it through the year without worrying about a roof over my head or food in my belly. When I received my large lump sum of money, I took the amount of money for the living expenses for both semesters and put it in a separate bank account. This enabled me to see what I had for spending money knowing that I would never spend too much and not have enough left.
I then got a part time job to raise the amount of spending money I had so I could go out with my friends and have a good time, because really that’s what College is all about. It was a good plan, but it didn't solve everything.
Some things hurt. They nickel and dime you to death: fees for this, deposits for that, and the biggest heartbreak of all: books. Sometimes it seems that they bring out new editions all the time so that everyone has to pay the maximum amount for the very latest and glossiest. When I first came, I'd worked all summer, and then a good chunk of it went straight to the bookshop. Worse: about half the books were ones I didn't like and which were rather useless; trouble is, you can't tell ahead of time which half that will be.
When you are receiving a loan and working at the same time you must be very clear about the amount of money you will be making before and during the school year. I was told in February that I had made too much money during my first half of the year and they attempted to put my money on hold, which in turn would not allow me to pay for the second half of the year. I fought the decision, and they gave me the money to pay for the rest of the year. But now I'm not allowed to apply again until I pay back the amount they say I owe them. How can I pay the amount, when I am trying to pay everything else?
I decided to drop from full time status to part time when I finished my first semester. The numbers just wouldn't add up unless I stopped doing everything that was fun. It was also hard to admit to myself that I'd screwed up my plan because of the decision to not give me any more loans. Fortunately, I already had some education and I had contacts in my field. So it wasn't hard to get a job.
The hardest thing in the end was to say to myself: it's OK to do this, it'll still all work out. It felt like a defeat -- well, maybe I can be a little stubborn sometimes.
Now I have two lives, each of which I love. I'm fortunate to have excellent classes: lectures, seminars, reading, and writing about the topic I'm most interested in in the whole world. Working gives me a whole new perspective on the same group of topics, and I often find my school work is illuminated by what I see every day on the job.
Mind you, there are dangers working in the same field as you are studying. Some of the profs haven't been outside the walls of the university for many years, and it shows. They can be quite sensitive to someone contradicting them and using something that happened yesterday to back it up. You do have to bite your tongue sometimes.
But that's another story. Maybe I'll write it some day.
Living in Residence
Residence. You always hear stories about the loud, wild and crazy environment that college residences create. You hear horror stories about the noise levels, the horrible food, the roommate from hell, the minuscule bedrooms, and sharing a laundry room and bathroom with hundreds of other strangers.
That’s exactly what I was expecting and trying to prepare myself for when I moved into my new home my first year of college. I was living in a suite style apartment, 6 girls living together in a confined space for 8 months? Let the Drama begin!
But I went with an open mind. Regardless of the horror stories I had been told by other people, I was still looking forward to starting this new chapter in life. What I found out was this: People were partying, or in the common room watching movies until you got up for class the next morning, the cafeterias closed way too early, and the food tasted like the cardboard box it came in! There were endless fights with roommates on whose turn it was to do the dishes or to take out the garbage, half the stuff that was brought to decorate and fill up the room didn't even fit, and there never seemed to be an empty washing machine or dryer. Every story of the shortcomings of college that I had heard were coming true.
But the thing was … I loved every minute of it. You didn’t mind that people were up until 5 in the morning because half the time you were out there with them, and the other half the time you were so tired you would sleep right through the noise. It didn’t matter about the food because you had fun experimenting with your roommates with new recipes. You still liked your roommates and even though you may have disagreed on dish/garbage duty, you recognized that they were in the same position you were in, so they became instant friends, quite possibly for life. That tiny bedroom became a haven, as the perfect set-up and places for things was worked out, and it became apparent that either the middle of the day or the middle of the night were perfect times for getting a free laundry machine.
Starting college can be crazy and scary, but it doesn’t have to be. An open mind is all you need. Learning the tricks to living in residence is only a small part of the whole experience; you will never be this age or in this spot again, so relax and just enjoy it. And don’t let the horror stories get you down.
That’s exactly what I was expecting and trying to prepare myself for when I moved into my new home my first year of college. I was living in a suite style apartment, 6 girls living together in a confined space for 8 months? Let the Drama begin!
But I went with an open mind. Regardless of the horror stories I had been told by other people, I was still looking forward to starting this new chapter in life. What I found out was this: People were partying, or in the common room watching movies until you got up for class the next morning, the cafeterias closed way too early, and the food tasted like the cardboard box it came in! There were endless fights with roommates on whose turn it was to do the dishes or to take out the garbage, half the stuff that was brought to decorate and fill up the room didn't even fit, and there never seemed to be an empty washing machine or dryer. Every story of the shortcomings of college that I had heard were coming true.
But the thing was … I loved every minute of it. You didn’t mind that people were up until 5 in the morning because half the time you were out there with them, and the other half the time you were so tired you would sleep right through the noise. It didn’t matter about the food because you had fun experimenting with your roommates with new recipes. You still liked your roommates and even though you may have disagreed on dish/garbage duty, you recognized that they were in the same position you were in, so they became instant friends, quite possibly for life. That tiny bedroom became a haven, as the perfect set-up and places for things was worked out, and it became apparent that either the middle of the day or the middle of the night were perfect times for getting a free laundry machine.
Starting college can be crazy and scary, but it doesn’t have to be. An open mind is all you need. Learning the tricks to living in residence is only a small part of the whole experience; you will never be this age or in this spot again, so relax and just enjoy it. And don’t let the horror stories get you down.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Moving Far Away
Moving Far Away
Well my first time moving away from home was to come here. I decided to attend a College six hours away from my home town; I was excited and had no worries about moving away from home.
Sounds obvious, but I wasn't thinking about it: you must be prepared to take care of yourself. At home, if something breaks, you always know who to go to to get it fixed; if you don't, you ask around. Here, it's different. The second day here, the toilet gets plugged and we don't know what to do. I mean, we're not stupid and we try to use the plunger but nothing is happening, so we leave it for a day thinking if we flushed it, water would start going everywhere. A day later we call someone and they have to come and fix it for us. My laptop battery also acts up which resulted in its turning itself off and shutting down. Then our bathroom light starts flickering, which was another thing that needs fixing!
But more important than all of that, my car breaks down, and I want someone who would do a reasonable job and not rip me off. Easy at home: the place my dad has gone to for the last hundred years has known me since I was in diapers. He's straight up, and even if he wasn't, he wouldn't take me to the cleaners because he doesn't want to lose my dad's business, or my uncle's, or any of their friends. Because they are most of his customers.
Here, I have no idea who to go to. My friends are new to the city too, and it needs a lot of asking around before I get a recommendation I can trust. And I need to buy a map to find my way there.
I mentioned my friends. I hadn't thought of myself as someone who made friends easily; I hadn't needed to do much of it even though I hate being on my own, because I already had enough of them. Different here: I've made a lot of friends right away (helped by the organized activities designed to just that for us), because I had to.
My advice to anyone thinking of moving far away: go for it, it's best experience of my life. New people, new town, new life!
Well my first time moving away from home was to come here. I decided to attend a College six hours away from my home town; I was excited and had no worries about moving away from home.
Sounds obvious, but I wasn't thinking about it: you must be prepared to take care of yourself. At home, if something breaks, you always know who to go to to get it fixed; if you don't, you ask around. Here, it's different. The second day here, the toilet gets plugged and we don't know what to do. I mean, we're not stupid and we try to use the plunger but nothing is happening, so we leave it for a day thinking if we flushed it, water would start going everywhere. A day later we call someone and they have to come and fix it for us. My laptop battery also acts up which resulted in its turning itself off and shutting down. Then our bathroom light starts flickering, which was another thing that needs fixing!
But more important than all of that, my car breaks down, and I want someone who would do a reasonable job and not rip me off. Easy at home: the place my dad has gone to for the last hundred years has known me since I was in diapers. He's straight up, and even if he wasn't, he wouldn't take me to the cleaners because he doesn't want to lose my dad's business, or my uncle's, or any of their friends. Because they are most of his customers.
Here, I have no idea who to go to. My friends are new to the city too, and it needs a lot of asking around before I get a recommendation I can trust. And I need to buy a map to find my way there.
I mentioned my friends. I hadn't thought of myself as someone who made friends easily; I hadn't needed to do much of it even though I hate being on my own, because I already had enough of them. Different here: I've made a lot of friends right away (helped by the organized activities designed to just that for us), because I had to.
My advice to anyone thinking of moving far away: go for it, it's best experience of my life. New people, new town, new life!
Dear Diary!
September
University so far has been interesting. There have been a few problems here and there, but all in all, it has been a really great time. One of the hardest things that I am finding is that it is extremely difficult to have a "life" that is not completely controlled by school. I find it very hard to balance friends, family, and of course my school work! It feels as though I always have homework and I have no time to do it. I have been going out and meeting new people but when I am out I am always concerned with the fact that I have a million and one pages left to read. It just feels as though my entire life is controlled by school with no time left for me. And yes that is the point of University ... but it is very difficult to get used to.
Another issue I have had is with some of my profs. I attend a very diverse University in which the students and the staff come from different backgrounds. A struggle I have been having is understanding some of my profs who are from different areas and have strong accents. It is frustrating because in the class I am focusing so hard just to simply understand the accent that I can't take in the information provided in the lecture. This frustrates me because I get far behind. Having a prof that I can't understand is also in no way a motivation to attend the class -- the first class I skipped was for this very reason.
University is a really fun life. I think the trick is to find a balance between everything in your life. School is very important, but you can't consume all your time on it. You need to resolve to still have a social life. You need to decide to do homework when it's assigned and try to stay on top of everything. The next trick is actually doing all that!!
October
I have been busy busy!
Things have been good both academically and socially. I think anyone would agree that the social aspect of university is far more enjoyable then the academic aspect. Although, I am really lucky in the sense that I truly enjoy what I am learning. That is a big help. I chose a program that I knew I would like, which helps a lot when it comes to the millions of assigned readings. My parents were actually very unsure of my getting a criminology degree. They thought "science" would be the better way to go because "that is where the jobs and money are at." I am really glad I decided for myself which program to take because I love it!
My issue with my prof with the strong accent has not gotten any better. It is by far the most frustrating thing I have come across while at University. We do have TAs assigned to the course, but there are 200 students struggling to understand the prof, and therefore the TAs do not have the time to help each and everyone of us. The TAs also only have one hour during every week that they are available for extra help. So we are really stuck on our own.
The amount of reading that is assigned is very overwhelming. Nobody could finish it all. You have to try and pick and choose the most important readings and make sure that you get them done. I know: I am struggling right now with midterms coming up shortly and I am behind in my readings. Everyone who goes through university says "you can't procrastinate". And even with everyone saying that to prepare you ... it still goes in one ear and out the other! You need to actually have a million pages piled up for you to read in order to learn you can't put off doing them. To find the time to do homework you really need to cut out the nonessential things in life. For instance, almost every student has an addiction to Facebook! So instead of checking your Facebook five times a day, do it twice!
Right now I am really starting to feel the pressure of school. It hit near the end of September. At the beginning it was all fun and games, and you don't realize how much homework you have and then all of a sudden you are so far behind! And my schedule has changed a lot! Since then, there hasn't been a night that I have gone to bed before 1 am. I have been leaving my homework until the last minute so I am usually up past midnight trying to finish it then. It isn't a nice cycle! Ha!
But enough negativity .... University is a blast! It makes you learn how to survive on your own, which I needed to do!! I have also had the time of my life getting to meet all these new people! I am really looking forward to the next ... almost 4 years!!!
December
I've been busy busy busy!
I am loving university. It's great, even though I am beyond busy and feel like I don't even have a chance to sit down. I felt I had to get a part time job because it was really foolish on my part to not save at least some of the money I made in high school. I've dipped into my savings too much already and don't want to drain them. It is hard to balance a job and school: no doubt about that. But it is do-able. You just have less time to put towards the things you really want to do, such as drinking with your friends!
At the beginning of school I found it hard to meet people. That issue has gone away. I've met so many people and have made good friends. Meeting people is something that seems difficult but is a simple problem you have to overcome yourself. You need to go out and do activities that you are interested in and find friends -- they don't come to you. The first two weeks were really hard but after I started putting myself out there more and left my house more (obviously lol), I started meeting lots of great people!
Exams are coming up and they have put the biggest stress on everyone! It is almost everyone's resolution to study early for exams and do well, but it's hard to actually follow through with the plan. You can't study early for exams if you still have assignments flying at you. Exams are so much different than in high school because they mean so much more! None of my exams are worth less than 35% of my mark, whereas in high school if they were worth 15% then I was freaking out! One thing I know that has changed for me is when I started University I didn't like the fact that my profs didn't know me. In high school I knew my teachers well, and they also knew me well. We both knew each other's backgrounds and histories. And now in University I don't know a single thing about my professors; I don't even know some of their names!!!! Coming from a small town high school to a big city university is a huge change in that aspect. I have grown to like this, though. The school and the professors do not care about individuals. It is a business. They do not intend to be actually mean, but profs sometimes have 500 students a semester, so they can't care. This makes it nice in the sense that you don't have people tracking you down and nagging at you, like a lot of high school teachers did. If you miss class, a test, an assignment .... there's no punishment. You fail what you miss and that's that. So I started out not liking this, but now enjoy the feeling of freedom along with responsibility.
I have an exam tomorrow that I better start, yes start, studying for! lol
University so far has been interesting. There have been a few problems here and there, but all in all, it has been a really great time. One of the hardest things that I am finding is that it is extremely difficult to have a "life" that is not completely controlled by school. I find it very hard to balance friends, family, and of course my school work! It feels as though I always have homework and I have no time to do it. I have been going out and meeting new people but when I am out I am always concerned with the fact that I have a million and one pages left to read. It just feels as though my entire life is controlled by school with no time left for me. And yes that is the point of University ... but it is very difficult to get used to.
Another issue I have had is with some of my profs. I attend a very diverse University in which the students and the staff come from different backgrounds. A struggle I have been having is understanding some of my profs who are from different areas and have strong accents. It is frustrating because in the class I am focusing so hard just to simply understand the accent that I can't take in the information provided in the lecture. This frustrates me because I get far behind. Having a prof that I can't understand is also in no way a motivation to attend the class -- the first class I skipped was for this very reason.
University is a really fun life. I think the trick is to find a balance between everything in your life. School is very important, but you can't consume all your time on it. You need to resolve to still have a social life. You need to decide to do homework when it's assigned and try to stay on top of everything. The next trick is actually doing all that!!
October
I have been busy busy!
Things have been good both academically and socially. I think anyone would agree that the social aspect of university is far more enjoyable then the academic aspect. Although, I am really lucky in the sense that I truly enjoy what I am learning. That is a big help. I chose a program that I knew I would like, which helps a lot when it comes to the millions of assigned readings. My parents were actually very unsure of my getting a criminology degree. They thought "science" would be the better way to go because "that is where the jobs and money are at." I am really glad I decided for myself which program to take because I love it!
My issue with my prof with the strong accent has not gotten any better. It is by far the most frustrating thing I have come across while at University. We do have TAs assigned to the course, but there are 200 students struggling to understand the prof, and therefore the TAs do not have the time to help each and everyone of us. The TAs also only have one hour during every week that they are available for extra help. So we are really stuck on our own.
The amount of reading that is assigned is very overwhelming. Nobody could finish it all. You have to try and pick and choose the most important readings and make sure that you get them done. I know: I am struggling right now with midterms coming up shortly and I am behind in my readings. Everyone who goes through university says "you can't procrastinate". And even with everyone saying that to prepare you ... it still goes in one ear and out the other! You need to actually have a million pages piled up for you to read in order to learn you can't put off doing them. To find the time to do homework you really need to cut out the nonessential things in life. For instance, almost every student has an addiction to Facebook! So instead of checking your Facebook five times a day, do it twice!
Right now I am really starting to feel the pressure of school. It hit near the end of September. At the beginning it was all fun and games, and you don't realize how much homework you have and then all of a sudden you are so far behind! And my schedule has changed a lot! Since then, there hasn't been a night that I have gone to bed before 1 am. I have been leaving my homework until the last minute so I am usually up past midnight trying to finish it then. It isn't a nice cycle! Ha!
But enough negativity .... University is a blast! It makes you learn how to survive on your own, which I needed to do!! I have also had the time of my life getting to meet all these new people! I am really looking forward to the next ... almost 4 years!!!
December
I've been busy busy busy!
I am loving university. It's great, even though I am beyond busy and feel like I don't even have a chance to sit down. I felt I had to get a part time job because it was really foolish on my part to not save at least some of the money I made in high school. I've dipped into my savings too much already and don't want to drain them. It is hard to balance a job and school: no doubt about that. But it is do-able. You just have less time to put towards the things you really want to do, such as drinking with your friends!
At the beginning of school I found it hard to meet people. That issue has gone away. I've met so many people and have made good friends. Meeting people is something that seems difficult but is a simple problem you have to overcome yourself. You need to go out and do activities that you are interested in and find friends -- they don't come to you. The first two weeks were really hard but after I started putting myself out there more and left my house more (obviously lol), I started meeting lots of great people!
Exams are coming up and they have put the biggest stress on everyone! It is almost everyone's resolution to study early for exams and do well, but it's hard to actually follow through with the plan. You can't study early for exams if you still have assignments flying at you. Exams are so much different than in high school because they mean so much more! None of my exams are worth less than 35% of my mark, whereas in high school if they were worth 15% then I was freaking out! One thing I know that has changed for me is when I started University I didn't like the fact that my profs didn't know me. In high school I knew my teachers well, and they also knew me well. We both knew each other's backgrounds and histories. And now in University I don't know a single thing about my professors; I don't even know some of their names!!!! Coming from a small town high school to a big city university is a huge change in that aspect. I have grown to like this, though. The school and the professors do not care about individuals. It is a business. They do not intend to be actually mean, but profs sometimes have 500 students a semester, so they can't care. This makes it nice in the sense that you don't have people tracking you down and nagging at you, like a lot of high school teachers did. If you miss class, a test, an assignment .... there's no punishment. You fail what you miss and that's that. So I started out not liking this, but now enjoy the feeling of freedom along with responsibility.
I have an exam tomorrow that I better start, yes start, studying for! lol
Time of Transition
College is a period of profound transition. Many swift changes drastically affect peoples' lives; they know it's going to happen, of course, but the exact changes are quite hard to predict. Nevertheless, some things that happen are so common that they can be confidently predicted. People who anticipate these changes and prepare themselves for what's to come generally have a much better time, and they do better here as well.
Moving away from home to live in a dorm or residence hall or off-campus dwelling is a deep lifestyle change. Many of the subtle things we previously took for granted can be painfully absent in the first weeks of college. Losing the things we are used to, such as an (at least) occasionally made bed, consistent home-cooked meals, a solid family support system right over your shoulder, seldom having to do your own laundry, and having a roommate who you don't know and haven't chosen, can serve as a fierce shock to any incoming student. Indeed, many students have difficulty in first dealing with their roommate or getting used to cafeteria food.
There is a second, perhaps even more serious transition that some students fail to accommodate. In the beginning of your first semester, coursework may appear to be remarkably simple. Students can decline to complete their reading assignments without an obvious, immediate consequence. Some professors do not penalize students who miss class, and offer everything that's in their lectures online. Some classes have little graded coursework at all, with only midterm and final scores counting towards your final mark or GPA. As well, peers may well not be entirely dedicated to academics; they can behave in noisy, smelly and generally objectionable kinds of ways.
Some students feel the temptation to join in. Others are distracted or frustrated or angry, to the point that their concentration is affected. Not only that: all these distractions can also distort the idea of what being a successful college student actually entails. You forget why you came.
As the semester continues throughout the weeks, however, academic coursework intensifies. Students who slacked off early on academically begin to fall behind. Professors regularly require that students apply what was learned or supposed to be learned, in class and in assignments. Hard for the people who never did get around to doing much of anything in September and October.
For these and other reasons, some people have a very disappointing first semester. But for the ones who do succeed in that crucial first semester, much of the most challenging parts of college is past; difficulties and disappointments overcome.
Here at least, the students who do well are the ones who train themselves to say, “Sounds like a good time, but I'm too busy tonight.” And they're the ones who are willing to work harder than they did in High School.
Moving away from home to live in a dorm or residence hall or off-campus dwelling is a deep lifestyle change. Many of the subtle things we previously took for granted can be painfully absent in the first weeks of college. Losing the things we are used to, such as an (at least) occasionally made bed, consistent home-cooked meals, a solid family support system right over your shoulder, seldom having to do your own laundry, and having a roommate who you don't know and haven't chosen, can serve as a fierce shock to any incoming student. Indeed, many students have difficulty in first dealing with their roommate or getting used to cafeteria food.
There is a second, perhaps even more serious transition that some students fail to accommodate. In the beginning of your first semester, coursework may appear to be remarkably simple. Students can decline to complete their reading assignments without an obvious, immediate consequence. Some professors do not penalize students who miss class, and offer everything that's in their lectures online. Some classes have little graded coursework at all, with only midterm and final scores counting towards your final mark or GPA. As well, peers may well not be entirely dedicated to academics; they can behave in noisy, smelly and generally objectionable kinds of ways.
Some students feel the temptation to join in. Others are distracted or frustrated or angry, to the point that their concentration is affected. Not only that: all these distractions can also distort the idea of what being a successful college student actually entails. You forget why you came.
As the semester continues throughout the weeks, however, academic coursework intensifies. Students who slacked off early on academically begin to fall behind. Professors regularly require that students apply what was learned or supposed to be learned, in class and in assignments. Hard for the people who never did get around to doing much of anything in September and October.
For these and other reasons, some people have a very disappointing first semester. But for the ones who do succeed in that crucial first semester, much of the most challenging parts of college is past; difficulties and disappointments overcome.
Here at least, the students who do well are the ones who train themselves to say, “Sounds like a good time, but I'm too busy tonight.” And they're the ones who are willing to work harder than they did in High School.
Intro Week Was Great!
To sum up Intro week in one word: Interesting!
I was really confused about what Intro week was, whether you had to pay for it, what it was about. I went there completely blind. I didn't think it would be interesting. When I looked at the website before I came to University, it looked boring. I was so so wrong. It was probably made to look that way for parents who view the website.
The first night I was there, I found the building very quiet. It wasn't what I expected. I wanted to meet people and get right into university life. Instead, I ended up getting in my pajamas and watching TV. But then my neighbour knocked on the door and invited me to a party. So I got dressed, went out and met a whole bunch of people which was really cool. And that just kept on going on all week.
During the day there were activities organized for us by upper years. I'd heard that a few years ago, Intro Week had gotten out of hand; people got charged by the cops, and others ended up in hospital, mostly as a result of alcohol or drugs. So the University itself decided to get involved in Intro Week in order to control it a bit more. I don’t know if that’s true. But I do know that the activities were just what I needed even though I didn't know I needed them at the time.
The first day, there was a 6 am wake-up call – Dons marching through the halls banging pots and pans together. You could choose to ignore them, or you could get your butt out of bed and be part of the group. Although I really wanted to sleep in after crashing into bed at 4 am after the party, I didn't want to miss out on anything, so I got my butt out of bed and went to the introductory activity.
We were organized into groups and played countless mind-numbing games which dropped our defences, exhausted our minds, and relaxed everyone enough to get over being shy in order to get to know one another. Ice-breaker events and things like scavenger hunts that took us all over campus; we stayed up until we dropped from sheer exhaustion. That was the intent of the university actually: to keep everyone busy and overtired all the time, so people who participated had no time or energy left to get into trouble.
Still, to be honest, it was a drunkfest. You could meet someone and the next day they had no idea they even met you because they were too drunk, and the same went for you sometimes! But on the other hand, you could talk to absolutely anyone without it being awkward or weird. If you went up and struck a conversation with someone on Frosh week it was A-OK! And regardless of the fact that everyone was drunk, I met my best friends from school during that week.
But back to the first morning: everyone was given a shirt and a package with the week's calendar from which you could pick the activities you wanted to do. The activities were fun and were worth doing in order to meet all sorts of people. When you go to university, you meet people from all over. Coast to coast, everywhere in between, and even a few foreign students. So during the first week of school, Intro week activities and memories are an easy conversation thread! It is amazing what booze and big groups of people can do together!
I did read about a few sessions that I wasn't sure I wanted to go to. For example, there was a Venus Sexuality and Sensuality course on the second day. I had heard it was funny so I went with my roommates. It was an hour long course on sex toys, what they were, how to use them. Eye opening. I think the university did it for shock value but it brought us first years closer through participating in the same shocking things. And I now know how to do bondage. But that's another story.
You do need to be careful during Intro week though. Everyone is in such high spirits that it is almost like everyone's supposedly-good decision-making skills go down the drain. You are just so excited about this new life you are about to start that you have no problem spending that extra twenty dollars or drinking another drink. During your first week everyone usually drinks more than they thought they ever could and spends more then they would ever have wanted to. Not to say I would take any of that back...
As I said, Intro week sure was interesting!
I was really confused about what Intro week was, whether you had to pay for it, what it was about. I went there completely blind. I didn't think it would be interesting. When I looked at the website before I came to University, it looked boring. I was so so wrong. It was probably made to look that way for parents who view the website.
The first night I was there, I found the building very quiet. It wasn't what I expected. I wanted to meet people and get right into university life. Instead, I ended up getting in my pajamas and watching TV. But then my neighbour knocked on the door and invited me to a party. So I got dressed, went out and met a whole bunch of people which was really cool. And that just kept on going on all week.
During the day there were activities organized for us by upper years. I'd heard that a few years ago, Intro Week had gotten out of hand; people got charged by the cops, and others ended up in hospital, mostly as a result of alcohol or drugs. So the University itself decided to get involved in Intro Week in order to control it a bit more. I don’t know if that’s true. But I do know that the activities were just what I needed even though I didn't know I needed them at the time.
The first day, there was a 6 am wake-up call – Dons marching through the halls banging pots and pans together. You could choose to ignore them, or you could get your butt out of bed and be part of the group. Although I really wanted to sleep in after crashing into bed at 4 am after the party, I didn't want to miss out on anything, so I got my butt out of bed and went to the introductory activity.
We were organized into groups and played countless mind-numbing games which dropped our defences, exhausted our minds, and relaxed everyone enough to get over being shy in order to get to know one another. Ice-breaker events and things like scavenger hunts that took us all over campus; we stayed up until we dropped from sheer exhaustion. That was the intent of the university actually: to keep everyone busy and overtired all the time, so people who participated had no time or energy left to get into trouble.
Still, to be honest, it was a drunkfest. You could meet someone and the next day they had no idea they even met you because they were too drunk, and the same went for you sometimes! But on the other hand, you could talk to absolutely anyone without it being awkward or weird. If you went up and struck a conversation with someone on Frosh week it was A-OK! And regardless of the fact that everyone was drunk, I met my best friends from school during that week.
But back to the first morning: everyone was given a shirt and a package with the week's calendar from which you could pick the activities you wanted to do. The activities were fun and were worth doing in order to meet all sorts of people. When you go to university, you meet people from all over. Coast to coast, everywhere in between, and even a few foreign students. So during the first week of school, Intro week activities and memories are an easy conversation thread! It is amazing what booze and big groups of people can do together!
I did read about a few sessions that I wasn't sure I wanted to go to. For example, there was a Venus Sexuality and Sensuality course on the second day. I had heard it was funny so I went with my roommates. It was an hour long course on sex toys, what they were, how to use them. Eye opening. I think the university did it for shock value but it brought us first years closer through participating in the same shocking things. And I now know how to do bondage. But that's another story.
You do need to be careful during Intro week though. Everyone is in such high spirits that it is almost like everyone's supposedly-good decision-making skills go down the drain. You are just so excited about this new life you are about to start that you have no problem spending that extra twenty dollars or drinking another drink. During your first week everyone usually drinks more than they thought they ever could and spends more then they would ever have wanted to. Not to say I would take any of that back...
As I said, Intro week sure was interesting!
Amphetamines: the College Wonder Drugs
Amphetamines started as diet drugs in the 1970's. But lots of students since then have turned them into a drug to keep them awake and help them concentrate. Here, the drug of choice is a recent brand-name blend; students look high and low for this brain stimulant and even pay other students for it. Students who have ADD and ADHD are prescribed it and then sell it to other students to make a profit.
The bad part is the fact that many students do not realize what they are getting into. These are the types of drug that should only be used in a controlled way for pharmaceutical purposes and for the person they're prescribed for. Google the commonly-prescribed ones and you see a whole list of side-effects, including headaches, restlessness, sleeplessness, mood changes, and uncontrolled muscle movement. I've seen all these, but there are worse ones as well, all the way to heart attack and death. These, thankfully, I haven't seen. And of course, dependency.
What's worse, some students take them in a very different way from what they were intended for; for example they take an 8 hr extended-release version, do homework until 10pm, then go out and drink. Needless to say, the combination of these drugs and alcohol is even more unpredictable – I've seen that too. The same person who's relatively normal after lots to drink and just a bit restless after the tablets became pretty scary after the tablets first and then the alcohol. Seems to me that after a few more times like this, the only people who'll want to do things with him are other druggies.
I see amphetamines as a quick fix. In the longer term, apart from the health risks, my fear is that these people will wake up some day and realize that they`ve spent so much time maxing their efficiency and productivity that they have forgotten to truly live their lives.
The bad part is the fact that many students do not realize what they are getting into. These are the types of drug that should only be used in a controlled way for pharmaceutical purposes and for the person they're prescribed for. Google the commonly-prescribed ones and you see a whole list of side-effects, including headaches, restlessness, sleeplessness, mood changes, and uncontrolled muscle movement. I've seen all these, but there are worse ones as well, all the way to heart attack and death. These, thankfully, I haven't seen. And of course, dependency.
What's worse, some students take them in a very different way from what they were intended for; for example they take an 8 hr extended-release version, do homework until 10pm, then go out and drink. Needless to say, the combination of these drugs and alcohol is even more unpredictable – I've seen that too. The same person who's relatively normal after lots to drink and just a bit restless after the tablets became pretty scary after the tablets first and then the alcohol. Seems to me that after a few more times like this, the only people who'll want to do things with him are other druggies.
I see amphetamines as a quick fix. In the longer term, apart from the health risks, my fear is that these people will wake up some day and realize that they`ve spent so much time maxing their efficiency and productivity that they have forgotten to truly live their lives.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Something Was Missing
I go to a school with a very big greek-life (sorority) system and I knew nothing about it when I first got here. My first semester here started out great: I had all the freedom in the world and met so many new friends, but by the end of the semester I was bored. Once the snow hit, nobody wanted to go out anymore and the weekends were dull. As well -- and maybe this will be surprising -- I found that it was a lot harder to get down to the work that needed to be done for classes. In previous years, I'd always done Division 1 Track, but now I'd decided that it just wasn't what made me happy. I knew that without track I would have tons of time on my hands.
I needed a way of not wasting my days away sleeping and eating, and a way to meet more people on campus without having to take the bus or tramp long distances through the snow and slush.
Over Christmas break I did some research on transferring schools - I found a few and I had the applications ready to go. I returned for the spring semester, still strongly considering transferring when all the girls in my classes were obsessing over Rush, the sorority recruitment process. I knew nothing about sororities and the thought of joining one never crossed my mind.
So one day, a girl in my Bio class was telling me all about Rush, and convinced me to just do Rush; even if I didn’t join a sorority it would be a great experience alone. So I registered and went through Rush and I ended up getting a bid to my first choice house. I stuck with it and pledged for the six weeks. The whole idea of pledging made me very hesitant to join a sorority, but during Rush, I was sure to ask each house about the process, and if it was anything like what you would see in the movies. They all assured me that it is nothing like that, and I soon learned that they were right. Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t have alcohol shoved down my throat, or frat guys circling me, ready to pounce.
The first day of Rush was completely overwhelming. Going to every house on campus and having to talk to so many girls was the hardest thing I had ever done. But in a way there was something exciting about it, seeing how there was something different about each house and thinking that I could soon possibly be a part of one of these sisterhoods. Every day of Rush was bitter sweet but I always looked forward to the next day and finding out if I was getting closer to where I wanted to be.
Bid day was definitely one of the best days of my college experience. I knew that my life was about to completely change. It was a very fun, and at times draining, process. Pledging was like taking one or two extra classes but it was a very good teacher for time management.
I'm so happy I decided to quit track and to Rush because it really opened my eyes to college. The weekends are no longer dull, I couldn’t ask for better friends, and I know that I have many many shoulders waiting for me to cry on if I’ve had a bad day. I participate in way more community service. I have close bonds with over a hundred girls in my sorority. I'm constantly meeting new people. And I have a place that I can call home while away from home.
I encourage every one to at least try Rush; you learn a lot during the process, and you can see for yourself if it is for you or not for you. Each house is different, so there is a variety of options for you to fit into, and if it’s not something that’s for you, you will know.
I needed a way of not wasting my days away sleeping and eating, and a way to meet more people on campus without having to take the bus or tramp long distances through the snow and slush.
Over Christmas break I did some research on transferring schools - I found a few and I had the applications ready to go. I returned for the spring semester, still strongly considering transferring when all the girls in my classes were obsessing over Rush, the sorority recruitment process. I knew nothing about sororities and the thought of joining one never crossed my mind.
So one day, a girl in my Bio class was telling me all about Rush, and convinced me to just do Rush; even if I didn’t join a sorority it would be a great experience alone. So I registered and went through Rush and I ended up getting a bid to my first choice house. I stuck with it and pledged for the six weeks. The whole idea of pledging made me very hesitant to join a sorority, but during Rush, I was sure to ask each house about the process, and if it was anything like what you would see in the movies. They all assured me that it is nothing like that, and I soon learned that they were right. Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t have alcohol shoved down my throat, or frat guys circling me, ready to pounce.
The first day of Rush was completely overwhelming. Going to every house on campus and having to talk to so many girls was the hardest thing I had ever done. But in a way there was something exciting about it, seeing how there was something different about each house and thinking that I could soon possibly be a part of one of these sisterhoods. Every day of Rush was bitter sweet but I always looked forward to the next day and finding out if I was getting closer to where I wanted to be.
Bid day was definitely one of the best days of my college experience. I knew that my life was about to completely change. It was a very fun, and at times draining, process. Pledging was like taking one or two extra classes but it was a very good teacher for time management.
I'm so happy I decided to quit track and to Rush because it really opened my eyes to college. The weekends are no longer dull, I couldn’t ask for better friends, and I know that I have many many shoulders waiting for me to cry on if I’ve had a bad day. I participate in way more community service. I have close bonds with over a hundred girls in my sorority. I'm constantly meeting new people. And I have a place that I can call home while away from home.
I encourage every one to at least try Rush; you learn a lot during the process, and you can see for yourself if it is for you or not for you. Each house is different, so there is a variety of options for you to fit into, and if it’s not something that’s for you, you will know.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Procrastination
Procrastination … I decided to write about it right now because, well, I realized I’ve been doing it for the past couple of hours! I ate dinner and came back to my room at 7 pm, planning on just checking my email and Facebook quickly and then starting homework. All of a sudden I look at the clock and I have no idea where the time went! I usually realize it’s happening but not how much time I am actually taking out of a potentially productive day. Just a little longer chatting on aim, or just one more check of Facebook or MySpace and my email, or going on the website I wanted to check out while on the phone with my boyfriend; sometimes it’s never ending! Then all of a sudden, oops! I didn’t get anything done before my 10 pm water polo practice, and I will definitely pass out on my bed as soon as I get back from the pool.
Procrastination is a whole new game these days. There's so much more scope for it here than anywhere else. Not only are we distracted by the tons of activities we could be doing that do not involve class and homework, but also the computer can become a prison. There is a never-ending world of discovery, information, and contact with friends and family to partake in every day. I do not even have a TV in my room; nor do I play video games, but I know plenty of kids who do and spend way too much time in that arena as well. I am a college freshman right now and the Facebook craze started when I was in high school, where the bad habits began. In high school I found myself on the computer a lot, and that carried over into college. The addiction has gotten worse.
There is one simple aspect of college that you must follow if you want to do well, and that is planning. Plan out your week day by day. Figure out when you will have time to do work, and how much time you know you as a student need to complete each assignment. Although it seems easy to just find time to do your work and get it done, procrastination is often tempting – no, irresistable.
Although allowing yourself to take breaks is healthy, if done for too long and too often you will fall behind. When you're taking a break and you're getting to the end, it's so easy to reply to just that one more email. That leads to your having to check that person's facebook page, go onto chat ... and the evening is over.
Falling behind in college is not fun. Once you are behind on one reading assignment it is very difficult to catch up. There have been times when I have never completely caught up in a class. It’s all about buckling down and getting work done. If you can't avoid your computer, go to the library without it until you get your work done. Turn off the computer? Disconnect it from the internet? Sounds good, but can anyone actually do it?
It’s sad how we have become so addicted to technology. But cold turkey: impossible. It all just has to be controlled.
Procrastination is a whole new game these days. There's so much more scope for it here than anywhere else. Not only are we distracted by the tons of activities we could be doing that do not involve class and homework, but also the computer can become a prison. There is a never-ending world of discovery, information, and contact with friends and family to partake in every day. I do not even have a TV in my room; nor do I play video games, but I know plenty of kids who do and spend way too much time in that arena as well. I am a college freshman right now and the Facebook craze started when I was in high school, where the bad habits began. In high school I found myself on the computer a lot, and that carried over into college. The addiction has gotten worse.
There is one simple aspect of college that you must follow if you want to do well, and that is planning. Plan out your week day by day. Figure out when you will have time to do work, and how much time you know you as a student need to complete each assignment. Although it seems easy to just find time to do your work and get it done, procrastination is often tempting – no, irresistable.
Although allowing yourself to take breaks is healthy, if done for too long and too often you will fall behind. When you're taking a break and you're getting to the end, it's so easy to reply to just that one more email. That leads to your having to check that person's facebook page, go onto chat ... and the evening is over.
Falling behind in college is not fun. Once you are behind on one reading assignment it is very difficult to catch up. There have been times when I have never completely caught up in a class. It’s all about buckling down and getting work done. If you can't avoid your computer, go to the library without it until you get your work done. Turn off the computer? Disconnect it from the internet? Sounds good, but can anyone actually do it?
It’s sad how we have become so addicted to technology. But cold turkey: impossible. It all just has to be controlled.
Stress
I have always been a person who has stressed about things, but up to this year my stress has always revolved around school. However, since I came to university, stress has somehow embodied itself in almost every aspect of my life. There was the stress of choosing and paying for school, the stress of dealing with a worried and sentimental mom, the stress of moving in, the stress of intro week since some kids were partying all the time and constantly knocking at your door not to mention the pee and puke and beer all over the halls. There was the stress about marks and not knowing where you stood: whether you would get 87% or 43%. There was the stress about living on a campus where you could not walk around alone safely at night. And the stress of being completely on your own.
Intro week was tons of fun but it had stress in it too -- on my body; I stayed up until 5 am every night and awoke at 8 am every day so that was hard to get used to. I did get really sick twice. Other than that, intro week was great. It is what you make of it and if you do everything and meet anyone that you can, university will be everything you hoped it would be.
In high school I was always an 80's and 90's student. So when my first work came back in the 60's I was shell shocked. It freaked me out. But everything is relative and it is something you just learn to deal with: the expectations are higher, good marks are harder to come by and as long as you are doing your best, that is all you can do. You can seek out all the resources you want on campus (and you should) but essentially it comes down to you and how much work you're willing to put in.
Living downtown in a big city was a huge adjustment. Having moved from a city where I could walk alone any time of the night, I had developed a sense of false security. I wasn't used to seeing missions and druggies and sketchy guys hanging around; it was disconcerting because it's all just next door. Here I always have to be reminded that I need a buddy to walk home.
It was hard to leave home because you are kind of on your own. That can be difficult, especially when you are sick. There is so much stuff to do that some students will go crazy with all the distractions and slowly go down the tubes. You can usually recognize which ones it will happen to and I was scared for some of my friends because they were used to getting drunk and having people take care of them. But here you can be really on your own. That's why the people who do best are the ones with a strong support network of friends; mine has become my family. The dynamics of friendship here are so different from those at home.
I was scared about stress and so very overwhelmed but I had to develop strategies to deal with it. Sports was one strategy for me. Networking was another.
Here are the lessons I learned: be smart, don't let people change you unless it is for the better, work hard, be sociable. Then you will be fine.
Intro week was tons of fun but it had stress in it too -- on my body; I stayed up until 5 am every night and awoke at 8 am every day so that was hard to get used to. I did get really sick twice. Other than that, intro week was great. It is what you make of it and if you do everything and meet anyone that you can, university will be everything you hoped it would be.
In high school I was always an 80's and 90's student. So when my first work came back in the 60's I was shell shocked. It freaked me out. But everything is relative and it is something you just learn to deal with: the expectations are higher, good marks are harder to come by and as long as you are doing your best, that is all you can do. You can seek out all the resources you want on campus (and you should) but essentially it comes down to you and how much work you're willing to put in.
Living downtown in a big city was a huge adjustment. Having moved from a city where I could walk alone any time of the night, I had developed a sense of false security. I wasn't used to seeing missions and druggies and sketchy guys hanging around; it was disconcerting because it's all just next door. Here I always have to be reminded that I need a buddy to walk home.
It was hard to leave home because you are kind of on your own. That can be difficult, especially when you are sick. There is so much stuff to do that some students will go crazy with all the distractions and slowly go down the tubes. You can usually recognize which ones it will happen to and I was scared for some of my friends because they were used to getting drunk and having people take care of them. But here you can be really on your own. That's why the people who do best are the ones with a strong support network of friends; mine has become my family. The dynamics of friendship here are so different from those at home.
I was scared about stress and so very overwhelmed but I had to develop strategies to deal with it. Sports was one strategy for me. Networking was another.
Here are the lessons I learned: be smart, don't let people change you unless it is for the better, work hard, be sociable. Then you will be fine.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A Positive View of Sororities
I just got initiated into my sorority yesterday and I am pretty excited.
People put down the sorority and fraternity stuff because they don’t understand. So they judge it and stereotype it, especially the pledging and initiation part.
The whole process of pledging and being initiated is about getting to know the house, what it stands for, what the sisters stand for. It’s about getting to know each other. When you go through Rush, you go to all the houses to talk to people, see how they get along. If you stand for what their house stands for and have the same morals, you will cut your selections down to those you feel that way about. I do have to admit though that the process of Rush is a bit like speed dating.
At my school, like many others, we have what is called dry pledging where alcohol is prohibited during those 6 weeks. This means you can’t go out which can be a bummer, but also, you don’t have girls forcing you to drink (like people so often stereotype). I actually appreciate the whole dry pledging rule. During pledging you are learning so much about the house as well as trying to keep up with schoolwork; if drinking were involved I probably would have flunked out. Not going out during pledging makes you focus on the important things so you don’t fall behind in school. And in order to be in a sorority, you have to have and maintain a certain GPA.
People think that we as sorority girls don't have a lot to say. The thing is, we do. The sorority I am in has the highest GPA on campus; we regard ourselves as intelligent and hard working and want people to know that we do much more than party. Not all sororities are superficial.
Sororities are so much more than just being about parties. College is a huge change from high school. You need to learn to be independent and at the same time you are making all new friends. That's hard! First semester I was happy, but it took a lot of effort to meet new people. The girls in this sorority are the girls I have been waiting to meet since I got here. All at once, I have 150 new friends that I feel confident with. I know people might say "how could you like all 150 girls?" and the thing is, I really don't know. Whether you truly like the girl or not, just knowing that they believe in the sorority already gives you something in common. There's always someone to eat dinner with, workout with, hang out with, or go out with. Before I got involved with this sorority, there were so many days when I felt there was just nothing to do and I would stay in or watch a movie or go to the mall. I was bored. But now I feel there is always something to do. It's kind of hard to explain just how great it is, and this is coming from a girl who never ever thought she would be in a sorority; my family still can't believe it.
It’s a safety net; because you are all in the same sorority, you have some assurance that you are compatible with your sisters. I would feel comfortable calling upon any girl in my pledge class to do anything for me, even though I have known them for only six weeks. Mutual trust has built up because we’ve gone through a lot together in the past few weeks that makes us a lot closer. My sisters are supportive. On bid day, the day we got accepted, all of us pledges were so excited. But one of the sisters had a pretty intense family emergency the same day. She was happy about all of the new pledges but it was bittersweet because of what was going on with her family. The sisters were very supportive of her and it made me feel a real sense of belonging, of being amongst others who cared and who would care about me too when I needed it..
Being in the sorority makes me feel like I need to do better so that I can stay in it. It makes me manage my time better, kind of like a supportive parent would do. If I don’t do my work, everything that I have worked for can be taken away. I want it too badly to risk losing it.
Some people say they wouldn’t want to do it because of the stereotype that you are ‘buying your friends’. That’s what my mom thought at the beginning, until I got really into it. Now she sees the benefits to me and she doesn’t feel that way anymore. But I guess some people don’t understand and I guess it’s just not for some people
Some people have found that their relationships with the friends they had before they joined the sorority changed. They found it hard to stay close together and that they drifted apart due to being in different sororities. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You are closer to your sisters in a different way, but that doesn't mean for all girls that their relationships with their other friends change. My two best friends here are in different houses; I still plan on living with them next year and although I didn't get to see them as often as I would have liked during pledging, our relationships have stayed the same. You put effort into your sorority and getting to know it, but friends are friends.
It might be different for older girls who have been in the sorority longer, but it's really just a different type of relationship. You go through things as a pledge class that make you close. You are with them every night of the week for three hours a night intensely getting to know everything about each other, complaining about things together and having great times together. It really brings you together as a group. These are things I have not gone through with my friends outside of the sorority.
It’s easy to judge and to have your misconceptions about something if you are not involved with it and don’t know about it. But if you really go through the process and find out what sororities are all about, if you look at it objectively rather than judge it and assume that it’s like sororities are in movies, you can be involved in a truly amazing experience. It feels so different when you are involved!
Here on campus, there are so many groups to get involved in for people who don’t want to get into sororities. Many of these groups are similar to what you would get out of a sorority. There are sport teams and clubs and in a way, it’s kind of the same thing. You still make friends through the group to hang out with. Last year, I was on the track team and I would usually hang out with my team mates. They were my close friends. And I still hang out with them on the weekend even though none of them are in my sorority.
So don’t believe in stereotypes and what you think being a sorority girl means. Be open-minded. And if you want to do it, don’t make up your mind about which one until you learn about the houses. Even though you think you might know ahead of time what you want, you don’t really know until you make the effort to learn. And once you make up your mind, don’t get scared off by the pledging process. Just try it out and see what happens. Above all, it’s gotta be your call. You are the one who is going to be in it so don’t just do it because your sister liked it or your friend.
I believe there is a sorority and fraternity for everyone if they want it. I would have never thought I would ever be in a sorority. But for me, it’s the best thing I have ever done.
People put down the sorority and fraternity stuff because they don’t understand. So they judge it and stereotype it, especially the pledging and initiation part.
The whole process of pledging and being initiated is about getting to know the house, what it stands for, what the sisters stand for. It’s about getting to know each other. When you go through Rush, you go to all the houses to talk to people, see how they get along. If you stand for what their house stands for and have the same morals, you will cut your selections down to those you feel that way about. I do have to admit though that the process of Rush is a bit like speed dating.
At my school, like many others, we have what is called dry pledging where alcohol is prohibited during those 6 weeks. This means you can’t go out which can be a bummer, but also, you don’t have girls forcing you to drink (like people so often stereotype). I actually appreciate the whole dry pledging rule. During pledging you are learning so much about the house as well as trying to keep up with schoolwork; if drinking were involved I probably would have flunked out. Not going out during pledging makes you focus on the important things so you don’t fall behind in school. And in order to be in a sorority, you have to have and maintain a certain GPA.
People think that we as sorority girls don't have a lot to say. The thing is, we do. The sorority I am in has the highest GPA on campus; we regard ourselves as intelligent and hard working and want people to know that we do much more than party. Not all sororities are superficial.
Sororities are so much more than just being about parties. College is a huge change from high school. You need to learn to be independent and at the same time you are making all new friends. That's hard! First semester I was happy, but it took a lot of effort to meet new people. The girls in this sorority are the girls I have been waiting to meet since I got here. All at once, I have 150 new friends that I feel confident with. I know people might say "how could you like all 150 girls?" and the thing is, I really don't know. Whether you truly like the girl or not, just knowing that they believe in the sorority already gives you something in common. There's always someone to eat dinner with, workout with, hang out with, or go out with. Before I got involved with this sorority, there were so many days when I felt there was just nothing to do and I would stay in or watch a movie or go to the mall. I was bored. But now I feel there is always something to do. It's kind of hard to explain just how great it is, and this is coming from a girl who never ever thought she would be in a sorority; my family still can't believe it.
It’s a safety net; because you are all in the same sorority, you have some assurance that you are compatible with your sisters. I would feel comfortable calling upon any girl in my pledge class to do anything for me, even though I have known them for only six weeks. Mutual trust has built up because we’ve gone through a lot together in the past few weeks that makes us a lot closer. My sisters are supportive. On bid day, the day we got accepted, all of us pledges were so excited. But one of the sisters had a pretty intense family emergency the same day. She was happy about all of the new pledges but it was bittersweet because of what was going on with her family. The sisters were very supportive of her and it made me feel a real sense of belonging, of being amongst others who cared and who would care about me too when I needed it..
Being in the sorority makes me feel like I need to do better so that I can stay in it. It makes me manage my time better, kind of like a supportive parent would do. If I don’t do my work, everything that I have worked for can be taken away. I want it too badly to risk losing it.
Some people say they wouldn’t want to do it because of the stereotype that you are ‘buying your friends’. That’s what my mom thought at the beginning, until I got really into it. Now she sees the benefits to me and she doesn’t feel that way anymore. But I guess some people don’t understand and I guess it’s just not for some people
Some people have found that their relationships with the friends they had before they joined the sorority changed. They found it hard to stay close together and that they drifted apart due to being in different sororities. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You are closer to your sisters in a different way, but that doesn't mean for all girls that their relationships with their other friends change. My two best friends here are in different houses; I still plan on living with them next year and although I didn't get to see them as often as I would have liked during pledging, our relationships have stayed the same. You put effort into your sorority and getting to know it, but friends are friends.
It might be different for older girls who have been in the sorority longer, but it's really just a different type of relationship. You go through things as a pledge class that make you close. You are with them every night of the week for three hours a night intensely getting to know everything about each other, complaining about things together and having great times together. It really brings you together as a group. These are things I have not gone through with my friends outside of the sorority.
It’s easy to judge and to have your misconceptions about something if you are not involved with it and don’t know about it. But if you really go through the process and find out what sororities are all about, if you look at it objectively rather than judge it and assume that it’s like sororities are in movies, you can be involved in a truly amazing experience. It feels so different when you are involved!
Here on campus, there are so many groups to get involved in for people who don’t want to get into sororities. Many of these groups are similar to what you would get out of a sorority. There are sport teams and clubs and in a way, it’s kind of the same thing. You still make friends through the group to hang out with. Last year, I was on the track team and I would usually hang out with my team mates. They were my close friends. And I still hang out with them on the weekend even though none of them are in my sorority.
So don’t believe in stereotypes and what you think being a sorority girl means. Be open-minded. And if you want to do it, don’t make up your mind about which one until you learn about the houses. Even though you think you might know ahead of time what you want, you don’t really know until you make the effort to learn. And once you make up your mind, don’t get scared off by the pledging process. Just try it out and see what happens. Above all, it’s gotta be your call. You are the one who is going to be in it so don’t just do it because your sister liked it or your friend.
I believe there is a sorority and fraternity for everyone if they want it. I would have never thought I would ever be in a sorority. But for me, it’s the best thing I have ever done.
More roommates
One of your biggest concerns before heading off to college is probably your roommate. During the summer, the university sends your roommate's name, contact information and email address which is good because you can then look each other up on Facebook. You can learn about your roommate by reading the Facebook page and communicate with each other by email. Your roommate may seem to be the best person in the world -- until you spend a week or two together. This happened to me.
Over the summer, my roommate and I talked a lot through email and we both became extremely excited to have been matched as roommates. We coordinated what we were both going to bring and we planned things that we could do together. I could not have been happier that I was rooming with her.
However after two weeks, my impression of her completely changed. Don't get me wrong, she is probably a great person. But our personalities clashed way too much to be able to room together. My roommate is a passive individual. When she is with her friends and having a good time she seems like a lot of fun. Not so when you live with her.
My roommate cried numerous times because she was not happy living with me. I'm not one to talk to someone when they're crying, at least not when I don't really know them well and perhaps, don't even like them. So I let her cry for the first few times. Then it got really annoying.
Why was she crying? Well, I'm a fairly independent person. I like to be busy all the time and get a lot of work done. When I was in my room, I usually had lots of homework to do. She didn't like being ignored and after a couple of months, she said she felt like she couldn't ever be in the room when I was. So she spent the majority of her time in the floor lounge rather than our room when I was in there.
Sometimes I would accidentally fell asleep with my television on a bit too loud and that would upset her. Yet she didn't like it when I asked her to be quieter. I had early classes, and she would either come in after I fell asleep or even more often, as I was falling asleep, and then she would open and close her obnoxiously loud and heavy closet doors. I'm an extremely light sleeper so this would wake me up; she would do this in the morning as well.
The worst part was that, too many times, she didn't tell me that I was upsetting her until afterwards. We tried talking about it. But I was always busy with homework when she wanted to talk to me, so I wouldn't be what she called 'engaged enough' in the conversation. This would get her even more upset and lead to more crying.
All in all, what I'm trying to say is that you may think that you and your roommate will be the best match and that you're going to have a great time, but until you really know your roommate's habits, his or her personality and everything else, don't get too excited.
Know that you both need to work on pleasing the other. If your roommate is a neat freak, please tidy up your side of the room a bit when it gets disastrous. Don't go too far out of your way to please your roommate, but be sure to keep it in mind.
Oh, and one more thing. I've known people who've come to university along with friends from home, and then the two of them had each other as roommates. Maybe it can sometimes work, but it can be dangerous to the friendship too. If it doesn't work out, it can cost you the friendship. And that's what I've seen.
Back to my own experience: I may not have thought about her feelings as much as I should have. I now know that I could have been wrong in that aspect. But sometimes roommates are just not meant to be. And although an experience like that might seem to be the worst match of roommates, you can grow from it, and you should grow from it. Luckily, I moved out after one semester. And lucky her - she got that huge room to myself while I got stuck with someone else who didn't turn out to be too much better. But I know I've grown from it, and that is what is most important.
Over the summer, my roommate and I talked a lot through email and we both became extremely excited to have been matched as roommates. We coordinated what we were both going to bring and we planned things that we could do together. I could not have been happier that I was rooming with her.
However after two weeks, my impression of her completely changed. Don't get me wrong, she is probably a great person. But our personalities clashed way too much to be able to room together. My roommate is a passive individual. When she is with her friends and having a good time she seems like a lot of fun. Not so when you live with her.
My roommate cried numerous times because she was not happy living with me. I'm not one to talk to someone when they're crying, at least not when I don't really know them well and perhaps, don't even like them. So I let her cry for the first few times. Then it got really annoying.
Why was she crying? Well, I'm a fairly independent person. I like to be busy all the time and get a lot of work done. When I was in my room, I usually had lots of homework to do. She didn't like being ignored and after a couple of months, she said she felt like she couldn't ever be in the room when I was. So she spent the majority of her time in the floor lounge rather than our room when I was in there.
Sometimes I would accidentally fell asleep with my television on a bit too loud and that would upset her. Yet she didn't like it when I asked her to be quieter. I had early classes, and she would either come in after I fell asleep or even more often, as I was falling asleep, and then she would open and close her obnoxiously loud and heavy closet doors. I'm an extremely light sleeper so this would wake me up; she would do this in the morning as well.
The worst part was that, too many times, she didn't tell me that I was upsetting her until afterwards. We tried talking about it. But I was always busy with homework when she wanted to talk to me, so I wouldn't be what she called 'engaged enough' in the conversation. This would get her even more upset and lead to more crying.
All in all, what I'm trying to say is that you may think that you and your roommate will be the best match and that you're going to have a great time, but until you really know your roommate's habits, his or her personality and everything else, don't get too excited.
Know that you both need to work on pleasing the other. If your roommate is a neat freak, please tidy up your side of the room a bit when it gets disastrous. Don't go too far out of your way to please your roommate, but be sure to keep it in mind.
Oh, and one more thing. I've known people who've come to university along with friends from home, and then the two of them had each other as roommates. Maybe it can sometimes work, but it can be dangerous to the friendship too. If it doesn't work out, it can cost you the friendship. And that's what I've seen.
Back to my own experience: I may not have thought about her feelings as much as I should have. I now know that I could have been wrong in that aspect. But sometimes roommates are just not meant to be. And although an experience like that might seem to be the worst match of roommates, you can grow from it, and you should grow from it. Luckily, I moved out after one semester. And lucky her - she got that huge room to myself while I got stuck with someone else who didn't turn out to be too much better. But I know I've grown from it, and that is what is most important.
Gained: New Friends. Lost: One Sister
When I came to college, I only had to move an hour away. My home was just a short drive to my dorm room. However, even that small distance gave me the room I needed to grow. I've changed a lot since my first day on campus.
Before coming here, I was a little more reserved and definitely less outgoing. After getting into the swing of things at the university, I met a lot of people and was able to put myself out there a little more. I've definitely become, as many would say, a "social whore". I text and facebook my friends like it's a full time job. The social aspect of my life has began to strongly outweigh the academic aspect, something that I would have never let happen in high school.
Partying is another part of college that I've began to embrace. I love going out with my friends and just having a good time. It's my way to unwind after a stressful week of frantically trying to get everything done. This is one of the biggest changes that I have experienced. Before entering college, I was against drinking altogether. I never went to parties, and I refused to drink at all. Now, things are a little different. I enjoy the partying, as well as the drinking, that college makes so easily accessible.
As a result of many of these changes, I lost touch with my younger sister. She's only two years younger than me, and we had been peas in a pod for the last three years. We did most of the same activities in high school, including bowling, marching band, and tutoring French. Everyone knew us as "Big Sister" and "Little Sister". It was so hard leaving her when I packed my things for college. We cried a lot, and talked to each other very frequently for the first few weeks.
However, after a couple months passed, our chats grew further and further apart. Now, we only talk when I go home to visit. Why? She claims that I'm not the same person who left for the university nine months ago, and she had trouble accepting that. I feel abandoned by her, like she doesn't care about me anymore. Because I am more outgoing, and more social than I was before, I'm not worthy of her attention. She has not been the supportive sister that I thought she would be for me.
It's funny how I finally have the social life that I had always wanted in high school, and in the process of getting it, have lost the person I was closest to. My parents always told me to hold close to my sister, because she and I will be friends longer than anyone else we have ever met.
I feel like things will eventually work out between us. Right now, it feels like the kind of interaction two business partners would engage in; there is no depth to our conversations. When I go back to visit home, there is definitely a difference in the way we interact with each other. My bet is that when she ventures off to college, she will encounter very similar situations and begin to understand the other side of the story a little better.
Now, there's nothing I can do to salvage our relationship until she can learn to accept me for who I am. But I want my real sister back!
Before coming here, I was a little more reserved and definitely less outgoing. After getting into the swing of things at the university, I met a lot of people and was able to put myself out there a little more. I've definitely become, as many would say, a "social whore". I text and facebook my friends like it's a full time job. The social aspect of my life has began to strongly outweigh the academic aspect, something that I would have never let happen in high school.
Partying is another part of college that I've began to embrace. I love going out with my friends and just having a good time. It's my way to unwind after a stressful week of frantically trying to get everything done. This is one of the biggest changes that I have experienced. Before entering college, I was against drinking altogether. I never went to parties, and I refused to drink at all. Now, things are a little different. I enjoy the partying, as well as the drinking, that college makes so easily accessible.
As a result of many of these changes, I lost touch with my younger sister. She's only two years younger than me, and we had been peas in a pod for the last three years. We did most of the same activities in high school, including bowling, marching band, and tutoring French. Everyone knew us as "Big Sister" and "Little Sister". It was so hard leaving her when I packed my things for college. We cried a lot, and talked to each other very frequently for the first few weeks.
However, after a couple months passed, our chats grew further and further apart. Now, we only talk when I go home to visit. Why? She claims that I'm not the same person who left for the university nine months ago, and she had trouble accepting that. I feel abandoned by her, like she doesn't care about me anymore. Because I am more outgoing, and more social than I was before, I'm not worthy of her attention. She has not been the supportive sister that I thought she would be for me.
It's funny how I finally have the social life that I had always wanted in high school, and in the process of getting it, have lost the person I was closest to. My parents always told me to hold close to my sister, because she and I will be friends longer than anyone else we have ever met.
I feel like things will eventually work out between us. Right now, it feels like the kind of interaction two business partners would engage in; there is no depth to our conversations. When I go back to visit home, there is definitely a difference in the way we interact with each other. My bet is that when she ventures off to college, she will encounter very similar situations and begin to understand the other side of the story a little better.
Now, there's nothing I can do to salvage our relationship until she can learn to accept me for who I am. But I want my real sister back!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
How am I doing and how do I know how I'm doing?
One of the problems I have is not knowing how I'm doing in the various courses. Some courses have tests, so we can bring them home and compare how we did with others who are taking the same course. But what about the other hundreds of people who are there? There's no real way to know.
Worse, though, are the courses that don't have tests; the first thing we do that they'll see is a paper that has to be handed in sometime in October. First of all, of course, with all the other things we have to do, and all the other things that are going on like people coming by and saying, "Come on, let's go and ...", it's hard to find time to even begin it. For me, I neglect it for a while and I wake up in the night and go into a panic attack about it, because I haven't done it. Well, actually, haven't begun it. Then the next morning I get up and put it all out on my desk and open windows on the computer before I go to breakfast or the first class of the day. Then when I get back home, it's there and it's hard not to notice it or to do anything else at my desk or even on the computer -- I'm too afraid that if I do start something else it'll crash the computer and everything I've opened up will be lost. Then I might not be able to remember everything that's was there.
So I have a strong incentive to begin it, then I get into it, and with any luck I get interested in it and actually want to continue doing it. Actually, I've done this twice up to now, and one of the papers I've actually finished! In September. And the deadline was October 29th! Feels really good.
But then there's still the original problem: I don't know whether it's the kind of thing that will get good marks. How do I know what the prof wants? I've read all the instructions and guidelines over and over again; they look quite clear and my paper fits into them quite well. But rumours keep going around, seemingly originating with people who were in the same course last year, that he's a really harsh marker and that he trashes people to the point that they're in tears. The paper looks good to me, and to a couple of people I've shown it to. (But then they would say that, wouldn't they? And there are some I wouldn't show it to because I don't want my ideas stolen.)
So I still have the uncertain feeling. People I've talked to in second and third years say it's normal, and that I should get used to it or get over it. Yeah right. Maybe I should try to get one of the TAs to help me; they're not really supposed to do your work for you, or even to help you with the papers, but I might get some insights about what the Prof really wants. Or maybe I could find some second-year students who I could talk to about this Prof. Then again, they've all got their own stuff to deal with, so why should they worry about someone like me? Still, I'll be on the lookout for the opportunity.
Worse, though, are the courses that don't have tests; the first thing we do that they'll see is a paper that has to be handed in sometime in October. First of all, of course, with all the other things we have to do, and all the other things that are going on like people coming by and saying, "Come on, let's go and ...", it's hard to find time to even begin it. For me, I neglect it for a while and I wake up in the night and go into a panic attack about it, because I haven't done it. Well, actually, haven't begun it. Then the next morning I get up and put it all out on my desk and open windows on the computer before I go to breakfast or the first class of the day. Then when I get back home, it's there and it's hard not to notice it or to do anything else at my desk or even on the computer -- I'm too afraid that if I do start something else it'll crash the computer and everything I've opened up will be lost. Then I might not be able to remember everything that's was there.
So I have a strong incentive to begin it, then I get into it, and with any luck I get interested in it and actually want to continue doing it. Actually, I've done this twice up to now, and one of the papers I've actually finished! In September. And the deadline was October 29th! Feels really good.
But then there's still the original problem: I don't know whether it's the kind of thing that will get good marks. How do I know what the prof wants? I've read all the instructions and guidelines over and over again; they look quite clear and my paper fits into them quite well. But rumours keep going around, seemingly originating with people who were in the same course last year, that he's a really harsh marker and that he trashes people to the point that they're in tears. The paper looks good to me, and to a couple of people I've shown it to. (But then they would say that, wouldn't they? And there are some I wouldn't show it to because I don't want my ideas stolen.)
So I still have the uncertain feeling. People I've talked to in second and third years say it's normal, and that I should get used to it or get over it. Yeah right. Maybe I should try to get one of the TAs to help me; they're not really supposed to do your work for you, or even to help you with the papers, but I might get some insights about what the Prof really wants. Or maybe I could find some second-year students who I could talk to about this Prof. Then again, they've all got their own stuff to deal with, so why should they worry about someone like me? Still, I'll be on the lookout for the opportunity.
Taking Advantage of what's available
One difference between High School and University is that here, no-one really seems to care about how you do. It's hard, actually, to see how the Profs really could. With hundreds of students, there's no way that they could keep track of everyone like High School teachers do. But it's easy to get depressed, and to feel you're left there all on your own, not knowing what to do. Well, if you take that view, you're lost. Or you can take control again. So if you're not sure of something in a course, or if you have problems with something in it, it's really important that you take some action before it's too late.
First, there are the TAs -- Teacher Assistants, who are mostly Grad students who are there to make a bit of extra money. There are times and places posted where they'll be available, and most of them seem to know the Prof quite well: what he wants and and how he likes things done. Not all are any use. Some aren't interested in you, and just seem to brush you off. If that happens, you just have to find another one, maybe at a different time. On the other hand, if you're sneaky and make nice with some of the TAs, they'll maybe end up giving you more help than they really should.
When I was a freshman coming here, I realized my second semester that it is all about learning what your Profs want. It’s not about how you write but it’s how they want you to write. They each have their own personalized favourite way of how students write. You just have to learn what they want. So it helps to talk to TAs who know the prof and to people who have taken the course before with that prof. They can tell you the real rules which are often different from what the prof says at the start of the year.
Next, there is something called the Writing Center. You can take a paper there that you've written, or the part of it you've done, and someone there will look at it and tell you if it's any good and make suggestions about how to improve it and how you could go on from what you've done.
These are the ones I've used. Looking back, I'm not sure they've actually improved my work all that much. But what they have done, though, is made me feel better and given me confidence. I'll probably continue to use the TAs, but I don't really need the Writing Center that much any more.
I've looked around a bit more while I was preparing to tell you about all this, and I've discovered that the University has quite a few offices to help people who need it. In fact, there's a special office for students who are transferring here from somewhere else, or maybe just doing a course or two here that their own University doesn't have. Another special office deals with people with disabilities of various kinds, including learning disabilities. It helps them work around some of the things they can't do easily, and it also contacts the Profs and asks, for example, for extra time on tests and maybe a quieter place to do them. For people whose problems go a bit deeper than mine, there's a Study and Tutoring Center. I talked to someone who went there, and he said that they helped him organize his time so that he could get down to work and not just waste time worrying about not being able to even begin to do his work. As well, there's an Office of Student Support which amongst other things helps people who are ill, depressed, or whatever.
Those are just the places I've found out about so far; there are probably more. This University makes a real effort to keep you in school and not have you drop out. I'm sure other Universities have the same kinds of services as well. But nothing is any use to you if you don't take the initiative to go wherever it is, and use whatever is there. I'm glad I found out about all these other places. I don't expect to need them myself (hope not anyway), but maybe there'll be friends who are having trouble that I can send to the right place for some help. And, knowing that these things are there makes me feel a lot better about myself and my time here than I was feeling in September, when everything seemed so big and impersonal.
First, there are the TAs -- Teacher Assistants, who are mostly Grad students who are there to make a bit of extra money. There are times and places posted where they'll be available, and most of them seem to know the Prof quite well: what he wants and and how he likes things done. Not all are any use. Some aren't interested in you, and just seem to brush you off. If that happens, you just have to find another one, maybe at a different time. On the other hand, if you're sneaky and make nice with some of the TAs, they'll maybe end up giving you more help than they really should.
When I was a freshman coming here, I realized my second semester that it is all about learning what your Profs want. It’s not about how you write but it’s how they want you to write. They each have their own personalized favourite way of how students write. You just have to learn what they want. So it helps to talk to TAs who know the prof and to people who have taken the course before with that prof. They can tell you the real rules which are often different from what the prof says at the start of the year.
Next, there is something called the Writing Center. You can take a paper there that you've written, or the part of it you've done, and someone there will look at it and tell you if it's any good and make suggestions about how to improve it and how you could go on from what you've done.
These are the ones I've used. Looking back, I'm not sure they've actually improved my work all that much. But what they have done, though, is made me feel better and given me confidence. I'll probably continue to use the TAs, but I don't really need the Writing Center that much any more.
I've looked around a bit more while I was preparing to tell you about all this, and I've discovered that the University has quite a few offices to help people who need it. In fact, there's a special office for students who are transferring here from somewhere else, or maybe just doing a course or two here that their own University doesn't have. Another special office deals with people with disabilities of various kinds, including learning disabilities. It helps them work around some of the things they can't do easily, and it also contacts the Profs and asks, for example, for extra time on tests and maybe a quieter place to do them. For people whose problems go a bit deeper than mine, there's a Study and Tutoring Center. I talked to someone who went there, and he said that they helped him organize his time so that he could get down to work and not just waste time worrying about not being able to even begin to do his work. As well, there's an Office of Student Support which amongst other things helps people who are ill, depressed, or whatever.
Those are just the places I've found out about so far; there are probably more. This University makes a real effort to keep you in school and not have you drop out. I'm sure other Universities have the same kinds of services as well. But nothing is any use to you if you don't take the initiative to go wherever it is, and use whatever is there. I'm glad I found out about all these other places. I don't expect to need them myself (hope not anyway), but maybe there'll be friends who are having trouble that I can send to the right place for some help. And, knowing that these things are there makes me feel a lot better about myself and my time here than I was feeling in September, when everything seemed so big and impersonal.
Prof's Non-native English
EDITORS' NOTE: The first part of this piece was written in September, the second part in November.
I have this Prof who doesn't speak English. Well it's supposed to be English, but it's so disjointed and garbled that it's really hard to hear anything at all he says. Even when his slides are there on the screen and he seems to be saying the same thing that's written there, it's still hard to get more than about a quarter of it. People ask him in a nice way to repeat stuff, he does it a bit slower, and then it's possible to kind of get the gist. But then before too long it's back to the old speed again, and his old way of talking.
Then someone told him (in a nice way which I thought at the time he didn't deserve) that she was having trouble hearing what he was saying, and asked what to do. He told her to look at the slides because everything was there. Well, the slides are online, so if everything's on them, why go to the class? And actually, maybe everything is on them, but you can't understand what it's all about just by looking at them, no matter how hard you look at them and try to make sense of them. Once, a group of us from the class got together with them and tried to figure them out, but we didn't get far. It all really has to be explained. Even when we ask the TA's, they haven't learned it from the same Prof, and it takes them a bit of time to be able to figure out the slides and explain to us what's going on. About a quarter of one lecture gets done, and we have three lectures each week.
It's extremely frustrating, especially because it's a course I need. And from the few parts that I can understand, it's obvious that he's very knowledgeable about it, and really cares: it's stuff that matters and we need to know it. In that way, he's good. But in the other way, it makes it all even worse. I want this material, I need it, but I can't find a way to get it. We did ask one of the TA's what we could do, but he said that if we complained to the administration, there wouldn't be anything they could do either. Not hire him next year, maybe, but that doesn't do any good for us this year. Besides, he's actually very nice, and if we could only understand what he says he'd be a really good teacher.
Most people in the course don't seem to be any better off than I am, which I suppose makes it better. At least, if I was the only one, it would be worse. But it's very hard to see what to do.
In September I wrote a piece about one of my Profs, and how hard it was to understand his English. Well, now it's November and the situation has improved a lot. It's still a struggle, but most of us can get most of the stuff most of the time.
I think he's slowed down quite a lot, and he certainly puts a lot more on his slides. Maybe his English is better too, or perhaps we've got used to it somewhat. Could be, too, that the TA's and other Profs have spoken to him and he realized that he had to do things differently. Whatever the reason, it's a lot better than it was. As I'd suspected, he's a really good Prof, and I'm enjoying his classes a lot. I didn't admit it to you at the time, but I had toyed with the idea of dropping the course and getting the credit at another time, or maybe in another way. I'm glad I didn't do that.
I have this Prof who doesn't speak English. Well it's supposed to be English, but it's so disjointed and garbled that it's really hard to hear anything at all he says. Even when his slides are there on the screen and he seems to be saying the same thing that's written there, it's still hard to get more than about a quarter of it. People ask him in a nice way to repeat stuff, he does it a bit slower, and then it's possible to kind of get the gist. But then before too long it's back to the old speed again, and his old way of talking.
Then someone told him (in a nice way which I thought at the time he didn't deserve) that she was having trouble hearing what he was saying, and asked what to do. He told her to look at the slides because everything was there. Well, the slides are online, so if everything's on them, why go to the class? And actually, maybe everything is on them, but you can't understand what it's all about just by looking at them, no matter how hard you look at them and try to make sense of them. Once, a group of us from the class got together with them and tried to figure them out, but we didn't get far. It all really has to be explained. Even when we ask the TA's, they haven't learned it from the same Prof, and it takes them a bit of time to be able to figure out the slides and explain to us what's going on. About a quarter of one lecture gets done, and we have three lectures each week.
It's extremely frustrating, especially because it's a course I need. And from the few parts that I can understand, it's obvious that he's very knowledgeable about it, and really cares: it's stuff that matters and we need to know it. In that way, he's good. But in the other way, it makes it all even worse. I want this material, I need it, but I can't find a way to get it. We did ask one of the TA's what we could do, but he said that if we complained to the administration, there wouldn't be anything they could do either. Not hire him next year, maybe, but that doesn't do any good for us this year. Besides, he's actually very nice, and if we could only understand what he says he'd be a really good teacher.
Most people in the course don't seem to be any better off than I am, which I suppose makes it better. At least, if I was the only one, it would be worse. But it's very hard to see what to do.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In September I wrote a piece about one of my Profs, and how hard it was to understand his English. Well, now it's November and the situation has improved a lot. It's still a struggle, but most of us can get most of the stuff most of the time.
I think he's slowed down quite a lot, and he certainly puts a lot more on his slides. Maybe his English is better too, or perhaps we've got used to it somewhat. Could be, too, that the TA's and other Profs have spoken to him and he realized that he had to do things differently. Whatever the reason, it's a lot better than it was. As I'd suspected, he's a really good Prof, and I'm enjoying his classes a lot. I didn't admit it to you at the time, but I had toyed with the idea of dropping the course and getting the credit at another time, or maybe in another way. I'm glad I didn't do that.
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