You are not the only person who is going to university for the first time. It is so important to remember this, because it allows you to make friends more easily. Don’t be afraid to strike up the first conversation or approach someone to get to know them. They will appreciate that you did it, and that is the best way to make new friends. 

Everyone struggles in their first year, even the really smart students. Employers and grad schools know this – they are often willing to look past your first-year performance if you do well in your upper years. The academic transition between high school and university is a giant leap for many people, and virtually everybody struggles for a little while. Don’t beat yourself up over your grades. There are so many other qualities that define who you are that are just as important, if not more important, than your grades. 

While grades aren’t everything, you should still devote a lot of your time and effort into studying. After all, that is why you are here. My advice when it comes to studying is to do it regularly, and not all of it at once. Just take a little bit of your time every day into reviewing and looking into the next class’s materials. If you try to cram all of this information at once, not only will you forget most of it, but it will also be very stressful for you. It’s far better and smarter to study a little bit at a time, frequently. 

When you are outside of the classroom, there are so many things you can do on campus for fun. Don’t be afraid to sign up for various clubs and societies at Mount Allison, or even start your own! This will look great on your resume, and you can meet so many great people in extracurricular clubs/societies. It’s just as important to take the time to cool off from studying as studying itself. Hang out with your friends, go for drives, or watch a movie or two. Many people, myself included, realize too late that overworking is not worth the toll it has on your mental and physical health. Additionally, your productivity will actually decrease if you are too burnt out. 

Whatever problems and issues you might face, these next few years are going to be one of the most fun times in your life. You will meet so many new people, make lifelong friends, and create memories you’ll cherish for the rest of your life. Trust me when I say this – four years goes by in a blink of an eye. Four years is too short to not do that one thing you want to do. Four years is too short to not apply for that job, internship, position, role, whatever. My final advice is to spend your time at Mount Allison, or any other university, like you will be graduating tomorrow. Because, at some point, you will be.

Written by Sungmin Chun, fourth-year Mount Allison student