Come over-prepared
Kiara Okonkwo
There’s nothing worse than sitting in between classes, starving, tired, and twiddling your thumbs. I used to yearn for the day to be over, so I could just go home. I’d be antsy, unfocused, and distracted in class, a mental state not conducive for any kind of knowledge retention. Not to mention, as someone who took public transit last semester — sometimes buses delay, and the days where I had nothing to keep myself busy dragged on in a cold and unrelenting way. Now a semi-seasoned student, I come prepared for every day that I am on campus. Armed with an assortment of snacks, something to keep my hands busy (yes I have a fidget spinner), the book I’m currently reading, my trusty journal, and a comfort cardigan. My artillery helps me feel safe and well taken care of, and I do my best learning when I have made the effort to give myself the things I need.
One big list
Catherine Campbell
One of the best things you can do for yourself as a new or returning student is prioritize your tasks and assignments for the semester. As soon as you have your syllabi, sit down with your favourite pens, highlighters, and a calendar, (or, if you’re like me, your Notion account) and write your assignments — and any extra tasks, like readings — out in the order that they’re due. You’ll end up with a list of everything that needs to be done for the semester all in one, neat little list. By doing this, you not only see what needs to be done when, you also get the thrill of checking assignments off as you complete them! (Well, it’s thrilling to me, at least.) No longer will you need to sift through syllabi to find a due date, or forget an assignment exists at all, and you’ll avoid the last minute “This was due when?”
Wait for a break
Jeffrey Kennett
Presentation day can be daunting, and after a lot of build-up can sometimes be the most important day of the semester. I’ve come to realize that presentation day is about students looking out for each other, no matter who’s in your group. There are several ways your peers can positively affect the room during presentations, but there are subtle ways they can make it tougher too. My tip is to treat your classmates’ presentations as if they’re your own. Before you leave during another group’s presentation, think to yourself first: would I want someone (or a group) to walk through the centre of the room and exit during my five-minute presentation, when the professor has already allotted time for a class break in half an hour? If you do exit the room, or you’re late, take a gander through the window first before opening the door. You’re already late — five more seconds won’t hurt. If you see a student in the middle of their presentation, cut them some slack, wait a few minutes until you hear clapping … then enter. Give them their best shot to succeed in the course, uninterrupted. All you can do is hope your classmates will do the same for you when it’s time for your PowerPoint.
Know where you’re going
Cassie Williams
Adjusting to the ins and outs of university may seem like a daunting task, especially if — like me — you came from a high school that was a glorified rectangle. Understanding the layout of campus can be tricky, but not if you plan ahead! Make a copy of your timetable, write out which rooms your classes are in, and carve out some time to explore your future stomping grounds. Once you know where all your first semester classes are, familiarize yourself with some of the hot spots on campus, like the Student Union Building (SUB), somewhere I often find myself killing time between classes. Fair Grounds Coffee is also located inside the SUB for whenever you may need a little caffeine pick-me-up. Even after a year at UFV, I sometimes still end up a little disoriented on the hunt for my classes, so don’t worry about knowing where everything is right away. But if you can find where all your classrooms are before school starts, that first day won’t feel like such a shock.
Show up
Anna McCausland
It might seem like a no-brainer, but attending your classes is huge. Life tends to get busy, and skipping several 8 a.m. classes feels incredibly easy, especially when you don’t have anyone forcing you to go. During class, professors typically highlight important information for assignments, tests, and exams that you’ll need to pay extra attention to. Turning up will also help build a good repertoire with professors, which makes it so much easier to connect with them when you’re stuck or are having issues. Having a relationship with your professor is also incredibly helpful when it comes to reference letters for graduate school or career opportunities.
Push your boundaries
Gauri Sethi
University can be extremely intimidating, especially when you’re an international student hundreds of miles from home in a completely different environment than you’re used to; it becomes quite difficult to adapt to this new environment, make new friends, and fit in. To add to that, as if being an international student wasn’t enough, I am an introvert as well — which wasn’t any help, either. The good news is that, even though it doesn’t feel easy and seems like the end of the world, it’s not.
My tip for students is to be as open to new experiences as you can be. Join a club! Or an organization. Whether it’s related to a hobby of yours like UFV Dance Club or UFV Hub Club, or something you want to be involved in and gain experience in, like Enactus UFV or South Asian Studies Institute, there’s lots to choose from at UFV. As someone who finds joy in writing, I joined The Cascade, where I met fellow students from other courses with the same passion. Moreover, I have had the opportunity to attend multiple events and interact with new people as part of The Cascade’s team.
Put yourself out there and attend as many events as you can — you’ve paid for it. Go through the bulletin boards, follow official university social media profiles, and definitely check out The Cascade. Approach professors and join study groups to establish a better understanding of your courses and what is expected of you. I encourage you to step out of your comfort zone; you never know what might be your best university experience.
Fuel your mind and body
Chifa Bouzid
Amid the chaos of preparing for exams, meeting deadlines, and keeping up with a busy social life, spare some time and effort to take care of both your physical and mental health.
First, be mindful of what you eat, as it is the source of energy that keeps you going. A diverse diet incorporating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help you maintain your best physical health. Other than that, try to avoid excessive junk food. One way I do this is by picking a specific day out of the week on which I go for a “not so healthy” meal. A research study published by the National Library of Medicine identified that university students “…consuming two or more servings of fruit attained higher academic achievement … while those regularly consuming French fries or soda, or meals at university restaurants, were less likely to attend exams.”
Second, as simple as it might sound, move your body. Be it a walk around campus, playing your favourite group or individual sports, or hitting the gym, any activity that makes your blood rush through your veins and your body sweat will eventually have a positive impact on your physical and mental health. In fact, UFV has a comprehensive Campus Recreation centre that provides various sports and programs to support the well-being of their students.
Lastly, when exams, group projects, and presentations accumulate, try your best not to sacrifice your sleep. In fact, try to prevent this from happening in the first place by keeping an organized schedule where you get things done as soon as you can after they are assigned to you. Regardless of how much you need to do, aim at getting a minimum of six to seven hours of sleep. Last semester, I made the huge mistake of getting two or three hours of sleep when preparing for my exam; little did I know that my mind would go as blank as an untouched paper.
Organize yourself, your time, and your tasks
Parul Bhola
One of the best things to do for your success is to organize yourself before the first day of classes. Declutter your thoughts, your calendar, and your to-do lists.
Create a list of tasks you need to do in the first week: buying books, putting all the assignment due dates into your calendar, reading the class schedule and course outline, and meeting friends for coffee. Using the calendar in your phone, add all your classes, including the time and the room number they are in. Do this for the first week. Change the settings to repeat every week for the next four months.
Next, go to Blackboard and open each of the course schedules/outlines. Look at all the due dates and put them in your calendar as well. Have an assignment due every week on Fridays at 12 p.m.? Put that into the calendar and set it to repeat every week. Do this for all courses and you can avoid weekly mental stress related to checking what is due and when; you also won’t miss deadlines, and will avoid last-minute panic. While this may all sound like too much, these tasks take no more than 30 minutes combined. This puts you a step ahead and makes the entire semester flow smoothly and stress-free.
Be committed
Larry Odey
Speaking from experience, I can understand how hard it is to dedicate time and effort to studies while also balancing other priorities. That being said, it is easy to assess which priority is the most important and what degree of commitment it deserves. Our studies are the main goal of our presence in university; our time here provides assistance and all the necessary tools we need to achieve our end goal of graduating.
Along the line, we tend to engage in other activities, primarily leisure, which take a considerable amount of our time and energy. Balancing both academics and our social life could be the hardest part of our university years, but with great commitment comes great will, and with both there is hardly anything that cannot be achieved.
Scheduling could be a great method of also balancing priorities and sustaining your commitment. For instance, always make sure study time will not interfere with any social activity you had planned. When planning your schedule beforehand, ensure you finish assignments and study for a reasonable period, then designate a time that you can pursue other activities — advisably not on the same day.
Again, it is not always easy to stay committed to all your tasks, and it is certainly not expected as soon as you start your semester, but your commitment will develop one day at a time.
