'Twas the Night Before Move-In Day...

Author: Lucy Poole
Posted on August 26, 2020

Welcome to move-in day! As someone who likes to plan everything to the last tiny detail and always be in control, move-in day was both the most exciting and most terrifying day of my life. After months of preparation and time spent making sure I was ready for everything, I arrived at the front doors of Campbell Hall and realized that I had no idea what type of crazy roller coaster of a first year I was truly in for. 

My biggest piece of advice to guide you through this exciting time of transition is to throw all of your expectations out of the window. Not everyone “clicks” at university right away and it’s so much more stressful if you go into first year with the mindset that you have to get perfect grades, make lifelong friends, and join 20 clubs right off the bat. Try to remember that your time here is shaped by months and years, not just days. I remember feeling so overwhelmed during the first month or so of school, and thinking that I had to be constantly putting myself out there or else I wouldn’t meet anyone. This couldn’t have been further from the truth. While I did meet some people who are now my close friends during those first few weeks, a lot of the strongest friendships I have here took time to develop, and some of my best friends are people I didn’t even meet until second year! 

With everything else that was going on during my first week on campus, I barely considered academics and how I would manage the jump from high school to a university-level course load. Again, the most important thing to remember is that routines aren’t created overnight and you can’t realistically expect yourself to be 100% on top of schoolwork all the time, especially in the very beginning. It takes some trial and error to figure out your study habits, how you organize your readings and assignment due dates, and how long before a midterm you need to start studying. Upper year students can try to answer these questions for you, but the reality is that you’ll need a bit of time to figure out what works for you! I know some people who prepare for midterms weeks ahead and others who do well after just a couple days of hard core studying. 

Keep an open mind during your first month or two and don’t try to force yourself to fit into whatever expectations you set for your first year of university. MtA is full of surprises and all you need to know at the beginning is that you will be supported no matter where you end up!

Photo: Passing the windmills in Amherst means that you're finally almost in Sackville. I started getting pretty nervous when I saw them this time two years ago!