Reflections on First Year

Wow, Today is my last day of class in first year! This semester has been such a learning experience. I can't believe how much I have learned about myself. I knew when I went to University I would learn a lot, but I honestly did not think that the majority of what I learned would be about me. I learned how I need to study, how to organize my time and how to manage myself. I have learned a lot of lessons and I thought I would share with you my tips for first year students.  

1) Learn how to study.

I learned that keeping up with course work is so important. For me, having a quiet place to study was vital to me getting work done. Having any distractions makes it so hard to complete things quickly. Now, everyone is different of course, some people thrive in noisy environments, and that’s totally fine! You need to find something that works for you. This was probably the easiest lesson to figure out.

2) Develop a routine.

I had a bit of trouble with this at first. I would put off doing laundry and readings and then all of the sudden I had no clean clothes and tons of reading to do! I found it really beneficial to develop a routine for those week to week things (example, I do laundry on Tuesdays and Saturdays and I do one reading every week day). It can be hard to get into a routine, but once you do it is so helpful.

3) Take care of yourself!

This may seem obvious, but it was really tough for me. This was by far the hardest thing to learn, and I still haven't quite figured it out. I got caught up in school work so much sometimes I wasn't getting outside enough, eating healthy enough, drinking enough water. It actually made me more stressed. My advice is to make sure you are taking care of yourself. You are more important than your grades. Get outside, Read that book you've wanted to read, relax, take a bath, watch your favourite show, get away from your school work for a bit. (obviously don't procrastinate too much, but it is okay to take a break if you are too stressed out) Also make sure you're getting enough time with friends. I know it gets busy, but having friends to help you through it is SO wonderful.

4) Get Organized

Find a way to keep track of your assignments. Anyway that works for you. It could be a planner, to-do lists, calendar, whiteboard, anything! I find that writing things down into manageable chunks can be so helpful. Organize your notes, again, any way that works for you is a good way.

5) Don't leave things to the very last minute

This can be so stressful. I like to finish my assignments at least the weekend before they are due. I've left some to the last minute and it is NOT fun. My advice, just don't do it!

There you go! There are the lessons I learned from first year. First year can be such a challenge, I know, it's tough. But you can do it!

Are you going into University or College? What are you most nervous about? If you are past first year, what was the toughest lesson you learned?

Happy Friday!!