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katarinachui · 6 years ago

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a guide to surviving your first year at university: things i learnt during my first year

I remember my first day of university. I was sitting in the car as my mum drove me to the place where I would spend the majority of the next four years of my life in. I might have looked calm, but inside, I was panicking. Big time.

Change can be a scary thing; but that’s what’s needed in order for you to grow, mature, and progress through life. We are wired to adapt, and despite my fears and uncertainties, I soon settled into the normal routine of university.

Life is all about growth and change, and arguably, most of that change happens right around now. Though this whole new world of freedom may seem enticing and shiny, but it also means that we are responsible for our own health and wellbeing, which brings me to my first point: Your mental health is far more important than your grades.

University is great, but it may also be stressful as you are in an entirely new environment. Talk to your TA (teacher’s assistant) or professor if you’ve got any concerns about your grades or the course. If you feel like you’re not at your best or that your mental health is not doing so well, take a breather. Read your favourite book. Go take a nap. Do something that will clear your mind, even just for a little while. Your studies will be waiting for you when you get back.

In my first year, I was very worried about my grades, up to the point where I would choose to sacrifice sleep just to squeeze in a few more hours of studying in. But here’s the secret: your third and fourth-year grades are far more important than your first-year grades. Just because you ought to do your best doesn’t mean you also ought to sacrifice your health. Though your GPA is important, don’t stretch yourself too thin. You know your own limits and at what stress level you perform best at.

Meeting new friends might be scary, but it’s also what makes the university experience better. Go to welcome day/orientation or any event geared toward first-years. That is the perfect opportunity for you to meet new people and make friends. If your university does tutorials/labs, which are smaller classes from your lecture with a TA, it might be easier for you to befriend your classmates because it will be the same fifteen people for a whole semester.

Keep track of all your due dates – have a sticky note, journal, whatever. Though it may sound like a bore, end-of-term-you will be grateful. It’s going to be hectic, and there will be a million things that will be due. Having something to keep track of all your due dates will prevent you from panicking after realising you have a big project due tomorrow and you haven’t started.

Make/join chat groups of your classes. The buddy system is REAL in university. I took an introductory physics course in my first semester, and without my friends and the people in my group chat, I probably wouldn’t have walked away with the grade I got.

If the prof uploads lecture slides, don’t write down the notes they show on the screen. Either just listen or write down the stuff they say that isn’t on the slide. The only exception to this is if they upload incomplete lecture slides, which will be announced in the first week of classes.

You’ve probably heard this before, but don’t skip the first week of classes. It’s usually just going over the syllabus but sometimes they already assign homework or readings. I remember I had a professor in one of my classes just skip the introduction of himself, the TA, and the syllabus and head straight into lecture. It’s rare, but it does happen.

Usually, in a larger university/class, TAs will be the ones marking your work. They are your secret weapons. You can ask them for help/feedback on your outline and generally they will be happy to do so. I’ve also had some TAs who would look over my draft and give me pointers—not every TA does this, but it never hurts to ask.

I first developed this list when a friend from high school asked me to give him tips on doing well in university; after I told him everything, he told me that that was a lot of things to remember. It probably is, but like I said earlier, humans are wired to change and adapt. It’s in our blood. You’ll get the hang of it, I promise. And if not, just remember that it never hurts to ask for help. Professors and TAs, contrary to film portrayal, are usually decent human beings who want to see you succeed, and they’re always happy to talk to you during their office hours. (I’ve actually had one prof who told me how usually no one shows up during office hours so she’s always happy to see students show up at her door. She also told me that she likes to use those hours to get to know her students more. Hint hint!)

And last of all, please remember that education, especially post-secondary education, is a privilege and not a right. For many youths around the world, they are denied the opportunity to continue their education, be it a family, personal, economic, or outlying factor. Keep this in mind next time you skip your classes because “you didn’t feel like it” – not only will you be disregarding this privilege, you are also wasting an opportunity many only dream of.

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katarinachui · 6 years ago

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the girl in the red cape

the demons aren’t in my head

they are the voice of my mother telling me to be at grandmother’s before dark before the wolves come out of hiding looking for some fresh, innocent prey someone new and young unaware of the forest at night

they are shadows in the woods shadows that slink around, silent but deadly their mouths salivating at the sight of the girl in the red cape walking alone their stomach growls, hoping for one tasty morsel they haven’t eaten in so long

i can feel their breath as i pass them holding mine, hoping they will not notice that i can creep by and be left alone and once i reach grandmother’s house i will be safe because the wolves cannot reach me there

or can they?

they were once men, so i am told an old wives’ tale, i’m sure what kind of man is that foul?

the forest paves the way to the streetlight it is still a long way to grandmother’s house but the wolves do not like light they prefer the dark, where no one can hear them and you, as you scream while they devour you

they are hunters, patient and deadly never satisfied, they always hunt for their next meal this is their favourite game and i have unwittingly become a part of it

my red cape serves me little protection but i shiver from the cold and fear and wrap it around me all the same tighter, as if i can disappear under it grandmother made it for my sixteenth birthday “red is the colour of pride,” she said “a reminder that you are in your own control” then why do i feel so powerless as their stares follow me?

they slowly creep out of their hiding places, ready to pounce saliva glistening from their sharp teeth their mouths frothing at the prospect of fresh meat i turn and run, down the familiar road i have crossed so many times usually, it signifies my arrival at my destination tonight, safety

at last, the door shuts behind me the wolves unable to reach me behind the wooden door they are unable to open i breathe a sigh of relief as i watch them slink back into the night

the demons aren’t in my head but everyone says they are

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