University will Change You

University will change you! No matter what. Some days you struggle so much that you just want to drop out; you have so much homework that you are working at it for hours straight, often right through the night, and then have to run to class to have your paper in on time. Other days, mostly Fridays, will be exhilarating. In the morning you get a much laboured over essay returned with a good grade, and in the evening, an awesome party. It can be a very demanding life, but a good one as well.

Class doesn’t end when you leave the lecture hall; it continues when you get home and have to do homework. Some would say that what's really important only begins when you get down to work at home.

There's the cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping; it was a pain in the beginning but after a few months, it has become natural -- in fact it feels like a holiday from the severe demands of the previous few hours. I still get the urge to eat out during exams or when I am feeling lazy, but I have now discovered online recipes for easy dining which has really motivated me to cook at home instead of pig out on fast food.

Since I moved to school, I have turned into a clean freak. I cannot sleep or study in my room without it being clean, and I hate a dirty kitchen with dishes everywhere. Yet when I lived at home, it didn’t bother me at all. Ask my mom.

I get along really well with my roommate. We both have flaws; her main one is that she is a little messy. It never gets out of hand, so I do a little extra on that side of things. What I do that irritates her -- no, you'd need to ask her about that! I have gotten used to the fact that trying to please each other will always take work on both our parts.

One thing that was really shocking to me is the amount of damage that can be done to your residence floor. I found it crazy how a bunch of drunks could ruin such a nice looking floor in one night. I didn't like that one bit.

Nothing has really frightened me yet. Despite occasional run-ins with my roommate and the stresses of exam time, I have had a great experience thus far for the most part. Even though I wouldn’t have said it in September, I love being here, far from home, where I can be independent and do everything for myself.

My piece of advice. If you really want to go somewhere, do it. Sure, you'll miss your old friends at first, and it will be hard to arrive knowing no one at all. But with all the new friends you make so quickly, all the new classes given by people with absolutely awesome knowledge, and all the challenges to overcome, you will grow to love it.