Everyone’s experiences moving forward in life are different, especially when it comes to choosing a university and experiencing all the new events, friends and activities throughout the years. I’ve made so many memories that will stick with me. The most memorable are O-week, my first reading week, exams, Christmas and the second/last reading week of the first year.
O-Week
Orientation week is one to remember because it’s a week where you meet and have fun with new people before school even starts. I’ve found that during this week, you can go up to anyone and start a conversation, which was a big shock to me because I didn’t know people could be so friendly! The week went by very fast, but the memories will stay in my mind for a while due to the excitement everyone had about starting avenues in life.
Fall Reading Week
The first reading I’ve ever experienced was this past fall, and I was so excited to have a week off to get caught up and get ahead. Unfortunately, what I learned during this week is that I was so tired. I mostly slept and ate (not dining hall food). In fact, I didn’t do any work until last Sunday, which was a very fun experience because when I got back, I learned that this was the same struggle for a lot of people. Overall, having a week off in both terms gives me and other students something to look forward to, whether it is the next reading week or the end of the term.
Exams
As a new student, finishing your first term is exciting until you realize you have a whole month of exams and not really any practice of how to study for a university-level exam. Overall, this might be controversial, but I feel like I’m back in O-week during exams only because I can see all my friends in the dorm, have fun and no one has class. The only downside is… final exams.
Christmas
After reading week and a month off for exams, Christmas showed up out of nowhere and felt rushed because first year students have to move out 24 hours after their last exam. It’s a bit stressful but if it gets me home sooner, I like it. In addition, it’s Christmas, and who doesn’t like the holidays and spending time with family and eating non-dining hall food?
Last/winter reading week
To be honest, I don’t remember the reading week we just had a month ago. Everything has been in such a daze and has gone by at such a fast pace that I’m just looking forward to exams to get all my work done. In addition, this reading week was no different than the last one in the sense that I told myself I was going to get ahead but I just ended up sleeping. That’s okay because in university, we’re all trying so hard to succeed that we sometimes forget we’re humans as well.