Howdy, first years.

Channeling my inner psychiatrist, how do you feel? Are you nervous? Or were you like me, anxious to start studying what I loved and none of what I didn’t (math) surrounded by like-minded people you were determined to make your friends?

This is a time of change, self-exploration, and finding your purpose in life. In the end we are all here to be educated to enter the workforce in some capacity upon graduation. This may follow a Master’s or Doctorate degree, an internship, a post-graduate certificate, or simply your newly-minted bachelor’s degree. But this reality is still years away. For now, I digress.

Addressing Common First Year Fear #1: I WON’T MAKE ANY FRIENDS

You know what the great thing about residence is? You’re crammed in tight quarters with people just as afraid as you are! Find someone who seems friendly, introduce yourself, then BE yourself. Everyone is looking for a friend.

For me, Frosh Week was where I meet the people I kept in touch with throughout my degree. No luck at Freshers? You can still make friends in class – just pick someone out, introduce yourself, then strike up a conversation.  No, you will not come across as desperate. Yes, you will make friends this way – I know I have.

Are you a commuter student? I was, and from the faraway land of Oakville at that. If you have not signed up already, attend the Commuter Orientation many colleges host before classes begin. This is a great way to meet people to share your TTC horror stories with. Embrace being a commuter, especially if you live with family – most of us get to come home to a ready-made meal and people who care about us every day. This makes the transition to university life so much easier.

Addressing Common First Year Fear #2: I’M GOING TO FAIL ALL OF MY CLASSES

Some attitude you’re going into U of T with! If you’ve been accepted to this world-class institution, you are doing something right. You will get the first year marks to be accepted into your desired program if you work hard.

What do I mean by this? I mean do the readings and go to class. Period. You (or worse, your parents) are paying for a service, so take advantage of it. Engaging in your courses will help you better understand and remember the information you’ll be tested on. As for tutorials, go to them too. See them as a great way to delve deeper into course material, meet TAs who have your success as their top priority, and get tips on how to ace assignments. If your soul is crusty and jaded, see them as a guaranteed “A” on 10 percent of your course mark just for sitting on your behind and contributing a half-intelligent remark every so often. Whatever your reason for going, just go will ya?

Secondly, figure out what kind of learner you are if you haven’t already. I know I can’t remember things I’ve only read or, heaven forbid, only heard in a lecture. Find what way works best to sear information into your memory, set aside time to do that thing, then DO IT.

Addressing Common First Year Fear #3: WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE

Good for you for having this existential crisis now rather than after graduating! U of T has a plethora of resources available to help you figure your life out. The Career Centre offers an Informational Interview Database where you can meet with up to four professionals in a field you’re interested in pursuing to pick their brains and build your professional network. There is the Externship Program where you can job shadow an alumnus at their place of work to see the day-to-day activities of the job you may be interested in. There are seminars on writing resumes, nailing interviews, and more. The one hurdle I personally experienced was a lack of internship opportunities available to me through my program – unless your degree specifically requires a co-op to complete your studies, U of T has limited resources to help set you up with one. If you want to intern during your undergrad, you’ll have to arrange it on your own.

Outside of the Career Centre, there are many clubs at U of T you can participate in to test-drive future career paths and build skills outside the classroom. Think you want to be a writer? Try blogUT!

I will end this post with a personal anecdote. I had so much fun at Frosh Week that being unscheduled and alone my first day of classes meant I spent most of the day feeling lonely. I rode the GO train home to Oakville, opened my front door to my parents asking how my first day went, then promptly burst into tears. In the following days I reconnected with friends I’d met at Vic, used the identify-introduce-charm them formula mentioned above on people who quickly became my friends, and fell in love with what I was studying. It has been a wonderful, challenging, crazy ride ever since.

This article can be found at BlogUT here.