Pro Tips for Adjusting to University Life!

So you just graduated from High School, you had a summer to get yourself ready for starting university in the fall. You've had your enrollment appointment, enrolled in classes, visited the RED Zone, bought your Frosh Kit and you're feeling pretty set on the IDEA of starting here at York. Then you realize...hey the summer is PRACTICALLY OVER and "Going to University in the Fall" is actually LESS THAN a month away! You might be feeling a little less self-assured, heck you might be FREAKING OUT! I know that when I was starting at University I played it cool for most of the summer, but by the time August rolled around I was not handling it well at all.

When classes started I had a really difficult time adjusting just because it was NOT what I was expecting!! I don't know I was expecting? Maybe I was expecting everyone to be really mean or condescending, or for the work to be way to difficult for me to handle. What I found was the my first month of University was pretty light, I had more free time than I expected and so I settled into BAD HABITS! I started slacking since I didn't have "homework" that was due everyday I put off doing my readings and preparing for my lectures. I WOULD NOT ADVISE THAT ANYONE DO THIS! When midterms rolled around I got a RUDE AWAKENING!! Since I hadn't kept up with the readings all of a sudden instead of reviewing my chapters I had to read like 10 chapters for the first time and try to learn it all in a couple of days. You can imagine what happened I'm sure, I did not do as well as I could have if I had just been a bit more organized right away.

So to help you learn from my first year mistakes I've compiled a short list of the things I think you might want to do to help you adjust to your first year here at York!

Pro Tip 1: Go to Class!
-It can be really easy to skip classes since no one is really taking attendance, but this would be a mistake. You're paying so much for these classes and the reason your at University is to learn so make the effort to go to class. Sometimes professors will give hints as to what will be on exams while in lecture so get a leg up by attending every class!! 

Go to Class & Do your reading!

Pro Tip 2: Stay on top of your Readings and Assignments
-Since no one is keeping track of what readings you're doing and which one's you're not it can be really easy to slack off and not do them at all. If you don't keep up with them week by week, when midterm season rolls around you'll find that you have A LOT to read. This can be REALLY overwhelming and it might make you super stressed out! I can tell you that it might not be fun to give up some of your weekend to do readings, but it'll make all the difference when it comes time for your midterms! So get organized and stay on top of it all!

Breaks are IMPORTANT!

Pro Tip 3: Always find time a break
-I don't want to leave you thinking that all you'll be doing here is working, working, working. I promise you'll have time for breaks and I'd encourage you to try to find as many opportunities as you can to take breaks. Break time is important for your mental health since it allows you to rest and give you brain a break. Be sure to plan your time in such a way that you'll be able to take as many breaks as possible!

If you need help ASK!

Pro Tip 4: If you're feeling overwhelmed REACH OUT
- It can be easy to feel overwhelmed when you start doing new things, in a new place with people that you don't know. School is demanding, challenging and can be a little much at times for everyone! BUTTTT no one can help you if you don't let them know you need help! If you find yourself struggling be sure to ask for help, there's no shortage of people here that can and WANT to help you out! So just ask!

Help yourself by USING THE SERVICES!

Pro Tip 5:  Use the FREE services on campus
- There are so many services on campus that you can use FOR FREE that will make your university experience a little easier and more bearable. For more detailed information about the FREE SERVICES here at York check here!

Hope my PRO-TIPS helped you out and maybe eased your stress levels about starting at York in the Fall!!

As always remember to take it one day at a time and catch me in the Zone!

Nicole

Anxious about University? Tips to adjust from a York Veteran!

The next chapter of your life
is waiting for you!

High School is over and you survived, now you're embarking on a new chapter of your life. On the
surface you might be calm and ready but underneath you might be freaking out just a little bit. Don't worry, you're not alone pretty much every other first year is nervous about their first year. I'm here to offer you some tips for adjusting to University Life!

As a self-proclaimed York Veteran I've compiled a list of things that you might want to know to help ease your anxiety about starting at University.



1. Keep an OPEN MIND
--Coming into York you might have some preconceptions concerning your university experience. From movies and TV you might expect your career at York to be some kind of montage of parties, all-nighters and missed classes. Alternatively you might expect your university career to be filled with long
research assignments with impossible expectations, professors that live to torture their students and classmates that are out to sabotage your success. Let me be the first to tell you to PUT THESE THOUGHTS OUT OF YOUR MIND!!

Yes University will be different from High School. You will be a small fish in a big pond at first, it will be more work and you might find it difficult to adjust at first but it is not beyond your skill set. You will have to work while you're here, you will have to attend classes, you will have professors that challenge you but it won't be more than you can handle. Be open and willing to try new things while you're here. The four years you're at university are an opportunity for you to learn more about yourself as a person so don't rob yourself of the chance to experience university life.

2. Be Brave!
--Yes York is a big school, Yes you will be one in 60,000 students, but that doesn't mean that you have to be afraid. You have support at every turn so if you need help all you have to do is be brave enough
to ask. If you have a question, there is a VERY strong chance that other people in your class also have the same question. So don't be afraid to put up your hand in lecture and ask. If you don't want to ask in lecture you can also meet with you professor after class or in office hours!

3. Get involved and Cast a WIDE NET
--While at York I would highly recommend that you get involved with campus life in some way. You might not know where your interests lie so why not try a lot of clubs or organizations and see what you like best! We have over close to 500 student clubs, organizations, charities, student governments and YU Connect or this blog for some cool clubs you might be interested in! Be willing to try several different things on till you find what you like.

4. If you need help all you have to do is ask for it!
--If you find yourself at a lost, struggling or just needing a little support all you have to do is reach out to get the help you need. York is dedicated to ensuring that students succeed at University, that being said the university can help you if you don't say you need help. This goes back to being brave, if you need help feel free to ask for it. If you're not sure where to go for help you can stop by the RED Zone and we can help you find the best people that can help you. There are tons of free workshops, seminars, counsellors and peer mentor support systems that are available for ALL York students that there's no shortage of services you can access. Here's some info on the many services that York has available to support students!

5. Try to get ahead and stay organized
--The first few weeks of the fall semester are a little lighter when it comes to work load, so I'd recommend trying to get yourself organized and prepared for when your schedule begins to pick up. There are some quick and easy ways to get organized, using your computer, phone or tablet's calendar blog for some other tips you can use to get organized.
to plot your due dates and other assignments. I'd also recommend using an agenda since you can get a FREE agenda from the York Federation of Students at the beginning of the semester. So pick up you're free agenda and use it to write everything down. Check out this

Well those are my top 5 tips for adjusting to University life. I hope that it helps to calm your anxiety. If you have any questions about the things I've mentioned here please feel free to comment below!

As always, remember to take it one day at a time and catch me in the Zone!

Nicole