Advice for the discouraged first-year

CREDIT: PEXELS

ELENI KOPSAFTIS

Is your first year not going how you planned?

Look, I know university can be challenging, especially when you’re just starting out. I came out of Grade 12 in high school with stellar grades only to barely pass one of my first electives with a 53 per cent. And yet a few years later, I graduated! So despite what you’re feeling now, I promise you that it’s possible to succeed and that you’re not the only one struggling. Yes, even the top student in your hardest class and your roomie with a ton of new friends are having a hard time. If there’s one thing I picked up on at uni, it’s that they’re almost definitely sacrificing another aspect of their life to maintain their success, such as sacrificing their mental health to maintain grades or their social life.

So don’t worry, there are ways to excel at university no matter what you’re struggling with!

Working and studying fulltime has become very commonplace, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do. According to a 2020 study by WhatToBecome, an education and career advice blog, approximately 45 per cent of college students experience more than average amounts of stress, and 70 per cent of students stress about their financial situation. Luckily though, there are ways to balance work and school.

Monster.ca suggests developing a “plan of attack” by outlining exactly how many hours you need to set aside for work and school to meet your financial and academic obligations. Once you do that, you can formulate a realistic plan on how to meet your goals.

You should also try to merge work and school whenever possible. For example, if you need to report a job’s employment requirements for a marketing class project, you can use your current field and avoid doing additional research on a subject you’re less familiar with. Also, schedule work and school on a single calendar and reserve time for any last-minute overtime. You can even bring study notes with you to work so you can study during breaks!

The ideal form of commuting is not commuting at all. If possible, rent out an apartment that’s close to the university so that you don’t have to waste much time going to and from school. If you’re eligible to live on campus, that’d be even better.

If you can’t live close enough to university to cut down on commuting, don’t worry! You don’t have to be stuck twiddling your thumbs on your 40-minute bus ride. Blog Writer Roxine Kee explains that there are actually plenty of benefits to being a commuter. For one, it’s an excellent way to catch a break and practice some self-care. You’re usually going to be alone while you’re driving to school, so if you take the bus or train, you can catch up on your favourite Netflix show or use a meditation app on your phone. If you’re comfortable enough, you can even catch up on a bit of sleep! Depending on rent prices, you might actually be saving money by commuting to campus instead of living there.

Another pro to commuting is that it’s a pre-scheduled study session for when assignments start to pile up. Bring cue cards with you on the transit and quiz yourself on your school notes. If you’re heading to class, you probably have your lecture notes on you anyway, so make use of them! If you’re driving, listen to audiobook versions of your textbooks or record and play your personal notes via text-to-speech.

Taking a full course load can be really challenging, but know that you’re not the only one experiencing the struggle. If you’re taking 2.0 or more credits this semester and are having some difficulty managing everything, consider taking 1.5 credits or less next semester. Also, all students at U of G except for those in the D.V.M. program can drop as many courses as they want until a scheduled deadline right before final exams.

Maybe you feel like you have to be a full-time student, but there’s no reason why you can’t just take it slow! With less courses to worry about, you’ll be giving yourself more time to focus on personal hobbies and socializing, the latter of which can “make us happy and improve our overall life satisfaction in the long run,” says Medical News Today.

According to the Chicago Evening Post, going part-time also gives you more time to explore other interests, jobs, and opportunities. This is ideal for students who don’t want their education to be limited by “the four corners of the classroom.” You’ll also save some money by not having to pay full tuition fees.

If you have to study full-time due to scholarship requirements or any other reason, you’re going to have to schedule effectively; plan out every part of your day from classes and study sessions to breaks and mealtimes. This way, you can plan out effective study strategies while still having guilt-free time to yourself. Otherwise, don’t worry about finishing school in only four years; there’s no deadline on your academic success, and you should be allowed to enjoy your university experience and not just stress over it the whole time.

It can be incredibly discouraging to get a low mark after you worked so hard. However, I can guarantee that every student has experienced this at some point or another. As a matter of fact, “grade shock” is a very common occurrence for new university students. Maclean’s reports that even students who graduated high school with 93 per cent averages can struggle, and even fail, their first semesters at post-secondary institutions.

For whatever consolation it might be, low grades don’t determine your future success. According to CNBC, 41 per cent out of 233 high net-worth individuals and selfmade millionaires were B students. 29 per cent were C students, and only 21 per cent were A students.

So, even if you graduate out of university with an average you’re not satisfied with, hard work and effort after university can still take you to great places! But with that said, keep in mind that any low grades you’re getting now are probably just a result of grade shock, and there’s still plenty of opportunities for you to improve.

For all of the students out there, I understand that you might really want that dream job or that you had specific expectations going into school, but at the end of the day, you need to do what’s best for you. If that means taking on an easier job, moving, dropping a course, or dropping out completely for a year, then know that your academic career won’t fall apart if you try out these options. If you need a break to catch up on finances or self-care, know that the U of G isn’t going anywhere. Your university experience doesn’t have to be a fixed set of expectations. Instead, it can be whatever you make of it.