3 Things That Surprised Me In My First Year at Carleton

Although my time in university has only been going on for a short while, it has been an eventful roller coaster ride. From anxiety over exams, to not knowing where each building is. However, university has still given me opportunities to grow and learn. 

As my first semester at Carleton is coming to an end, here are a few things that I’ve learned as a first-year student: 

1. The people are different

Throughout high school, I was an introvert who became an outcast by my graduating year of high school. I was severely bullied by the majority of my Grade 12 class and was shunned by close friends and peers because they believed all the rumors about me. 

I developed the mindset people automatically would judge me when they spoke to or even saw me. I developed a fear of public speaking, and was afraid to talk to people outside of class.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

However, since the start of university, I was completely thrown off by the atmosphere. People would exchange smiles, apologize for running or bumping into you and were not afraid to compliment complete strangers or exchange a quick chat about where to find the location of a building or classroom.

I realized in one quick month not only is everyone in the same boat as each other, but people are finding their own path and they are in the exact same position as you.

My peers, both inside and outside of my program are genuinely welcoming, enthusiastic and have a similar mindset of wanting to engage and take the time to get to know others. I have made more friends and already met so many exceptional individuals, something of which I never thought would happen in such a short span of time. 

2. The transition from high school is surprisingly easy

The most daunting prospect of starting university was the realization I was going to have to sit through two to three hour lectures, three to four times a week. Instead of high school, where classes ran for only about 75 minutes at a time. I worried about short attention span, the professor talking at an incomprehensible pace.

In addition, I was afraid about taking notes, and whether they were going to detailed enough for me to study. 

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The transition into this routine of note-taking and classroom professionalism were surprisingly simple. The routine of using my laptop for notes, revision, papers and general university material was the complete opposite of what I originally made it out to be.

In fact, university has been so much easier than high school and arguably more enjoyable because of these factors. Since receiving my past few assignments-papers and midterms, I have been accomplishing more than I thought I would and receiving grades far beyond my expectations. 

3. The bus routes are terrible

As a native to Ottawa, I was aware of the OC Transpo bus system. I knew it was highly criticized for its late arrival times, and heard of many complaints from many people.

However, since seventh grade, I never had to take public transportation because my schools, elementary through high school, were always walking distance. Unfortunately, since the start of university, I realized all the complaints about OC Transpo were not an exaggeration and have had my own terrible experiences with the 111. 

All I can say is, I can’t wait for the O-train and the fast commutes. 

Photo by Pau Casals on Unsplash

As my first semester is wrapping up in two weeks, I am eager to see how my next semester will play out – along with the rest of my time at Carleton. 

University has reminded me to be proud of the goals and future plans I have already established for myself and to strive for them. I am so excited to continue to enhance my capabilities, reflect and learn from my limitations and emerge into a young adult driven by success.