“Almost 90% of new students expect to perform as well or better at university than at high school but only half reported that they did.”
Now that I’ve got your attention because you’re freaking out, I’m here to share with you my first year experience as an out of province student at The University of Western Ontario, and how first year can be a fun and rewarding experience with a little bit of planning. The first thing you’re probably worried about is how the heck you are going to get all of your clothes, shoes, bedding, and printer to the other side of the country. Well, my advice to you is to order your bedding and printer online and have it shipped to your residence or a family member who might live in Ontario. As for your clothes and shoes, try and pack only what you’ll need for the first four months you’re at school since you’ll most likely by returning to Vancouver for the holidays. Don’t forget a warm winter coat and snow boots—trust me, those Vancouver rain boots won’t help you when you’re trekking to class through the snow. Oh! and don’t forget, the weight limit for your suitcase is 52kg and not a decimal over.
The next thing on your list of things you’re worrying about is your courses. I can not emphasize enough how important it is to sign up for the Summer Academic Orientation (SAO) phone call appointment. This usually happens after you’ve already registered for your courses on the student centre. The goal of this phone call is to ensure you are registered in all your required courses for your program and make sure that you have taken the prerequisite for any electives you’ve chosen. Another important thing to remember when you’re looking at the first year guide which provides course descriptions and prerequisites, is that as a student from British Columbia the math and science courses we take here are not always as transferable as the high school courses in Ontario. Make sure you ask the person calling from Western during your SAO appointment if you’ve taken the correct prerequisite from British Columbia.
Another thing to keep an eye out for is an email asking if you would like an out of province mentor. These are students who are studying at Western in an upper year (2nd to 5th year) and who are from British Columbia. They will help you with your adjustment to life in Ontario and offer guidance in any of your courses. They also plan several events during the year to help you meet other students from your province who may have similar interests as you. Some of the events they run can vary from study sessions to sports night where everyone gathers to cheer on the Vancouver Canucks (fingers crossed they make the playoffs next year!!).
After you’ve confirmed all your registered courses and you’ve squeezed everything into your suitcase(s), it’s time to hug your family and friends goodbye. This is definitely the hardest part about attending school in a different province or country. Thankfully, technology has evolved and we have FaceTime and social media to help us keep in touch. Once you’ve arrived at Western, you’re greeted by your faculty soph and all of the residence sophs who will help you move in. The first week is jam packed with events with your residence and your faculty that all lead up to the big rally at the end of the week. When your soph comes to your door at 6am to wake you up, GET UP; I promise you won’t regret it. During this time, you get to know the campus and where all the buildings are and you even get to hear mock lectures from some of your profs and guests lectures from upper year students.
After all the hype and excitement from frosh week, you’ll probably forget you’re thousands of miles away from your family. Usually the first day of class is on a Thursday; however, frosh events continue in the evening and on the weekend. Don’t worry if you get lost on campus, as scary as the upper years may look they’ve probably been in the same shoes as you. Side note: If you decide to take Business 1220, do not be late. I repeat, DO NOT BE LATE to this class. The profs are usually Ivey graduates and they’re known for making students who come in late sing or dance in front of the class and even manoeuvre through obstacles placed against the door. Also, you don’t want that reputation on the first day of class either.
This is just the start of your very exciting first year experience at Western. In the next few blogs, I will write about some great courses you might want to take, tips about living in residence, and how to get more involved with the school. Stay tuned!
~ Paige Cooper
