When I began my post-secondary journey, I was terrified. I moved four hours away from home to a brand new city, without any friends or family in the area and absolutely no idea what to expect. If you happen to feel like you’re in the same boat, then here are eight pieces of advice I wish I’d known at the very beginning.
Apply to scholarships
I know this one may seem obvious, but it’s one that I put off for a long time purely because I didn’t know the full breadth of what a scholarship application could look like. The idea of writing a custom personal essay for each entry just felt like a chore. I’d much rather write a short story than some braggadocious description of my own achievements or a sorrowful tale of my own trauma, even if it is for money. But after some encouragement from my professors, I actually took the time to apply for my first scholarship last semester. Instead of an essay, all I had to do was fill out a questionnaire. It was about ten questions long, some of them were even multiple choice. I had no idea the process could be that easy. Now, my student debt is $2,000 lighter. Take a gander at the scholarships available to you, it is so worth it.
Settling takes time
Adjusting to an entirely new environment and routine doesn’t happen overnight. I would message my family and friends constantly for my first few months. I didn’t really find my friend group until second semester. In all honesty, I don’t think I really felt “settled” until my second year once I knew what to expect. So, if you’re not immediately feeling like the 100 per cent independent adult that you thought you would be, it’s completely okay. Take it one day at a time.
Eventually, you’ll find your way. In the meantime, as scary as it feels to do anything alone, give it a try. See a movie by yourself, for example. I was terrified to do that for the first time. But after popping some Reneé Rapp in my headphones, taking a walk in the nice early October weather, and discovering that everything at the indie theatre is three dollars cheaper than the chain theatres I’ve been going to my whole life, it ended up being a delightful confidence-building exercise.
Take time to explore your campus and the services your school provides
If I had a nickel for every time there was a service at my school that I was completely unaware of until someone else introduced it to me, I wouldn’t be a billionaire, but I’d be a few bucks richer.
I was out to breakfast with a friend from my program when I found out that students can get a free autism diagnosis through our school (which would typically take multiple years or cost upwards of $2,000.) I was texting some friends when I found out that our campus had just opened an escape room. I was in a lecture when my professors told us there’s an entire proofreading service that can provide edits and notes on our papers. I was looking for a place to work on a group project when I found out that my program has its own lounge, and that our lounge has its own PS5 for some reason.
My point being: research your campus and the services available to you! Look through your school’s website, follow their social media accounts for updates, and ask questions to students and staff! You are paying for this education, take advantage of every service that you can!
The world is bigger than your campus, explore that too!
As a fourth-year student, this is something I wish I had done a lot more of in my earlier years. I’ve been going to school in the GTA and yet I’ve barely ventured out into the big city. My mom even scolded me the other day for not seeing enough musicals. And you know what? She’s entirely right. If I’m going to be living somewhere with this much incredible art and culture, I should be indulging in it a lot more often. While school is the reason I’m up there, it can’t be the only thing I surround myself with. There’s a lot of learning that doesn’t happen in the classroom. You need to get to know your community and experience real life too. So venture out! Expand your world and your worldview along with it.
You don’t have to be friends with everyone
I know this sounds harsh, especially to the people-pleasers out there, but I feel like you’re constantly bombarded with advice to make friends with your professors and as many peers as you can. I do agree with that to an extent. I think networking and finding your people is extremely important. But that doesn’t mean everybody has to be your close personal friend. You can really love someone’s work, but not totally jive with them as a person. And you can get along with someone really well, but their work doesn’t resonate with you. The same goes for professors. A professor can be a great teacher, but their personal advice doesn’t sit right with you. Or their personal advice can be exactly what you need to hear, but their style of teaching doesn’t compute with how you learn. It’s okay for a working relationship to just be a working relationship if that’s what feels right for you.
Be open to change
If one thing is certain in life, it’s that nothing is certain. We all have an idealized version of post-secondary life going into it. When I started first year, I prepared a list of what electives I wanted to take each semester. My favourite elective I’ve ever taken wasn’t on that list. I thought I’d move into my first apartment in my second year. Turns out that residence made more sense for my budget and was a lot more convenient. Post-secondary will rarely be exactly how you dream it, but I think that’s a good thing. If everything you’ve ever done went exactly as expected, sure it would be easier, but you’d stagnate as a person. The more you experience, the more you’ll learn and grow. Your goals will probably shift. You might even realize that what you’re pursuing isn’t what you really want. That’s completely normal. I swear, half of the people in my program either tried a different one first or have a whole other degree. There’s no shame in making change if it helps you grow into your truest, happiest self — even if that change feels inconvenient or makes things harder for a little while. So, welcome change with an open heart and mind.
It’s okay to fail and try again
As a recovering perfectionist and high-achieving high schooler, this lesson was rough. Statistically speaking, your grades are likely to drop from high school to post-secondary. This can be due to grade inflation, harder classes, or even adjusting to the new schedule and learning better time-management. In my first semester, one of my first assignments was graded a 60 per cent. In hindsight it’s not that bad, it’s still a passing grade, but it was my first time getting anything lower than a 70. I was so devastated that I convinced myself I was going to flunk out of the program. Do you want to know what my final mark in that class was? An 81. I got all dramatic about it and ended up doing perfectly fine. I got so caught up in a single grade that I didn’t give myself any grace. I was still finding my footing, of course it wasn’t going to be a masterpiece. Even if it wasn’t one of my first assignments, assuming that everything you submit will be great is such an unrealistic precedent to set for yourself. Not every assignment has to be your best work. Sometimes you just don’t have the time or energy to give and that’s completely okay. You can always try again next time. Which leads me to my final point…
Your health is worth more than any grade
Yes, you are paying for this education and you want to perform well. But you can’t perform well if you are not feeling well. I say this from experience. In my most recent semester, I was extremely burnt out. I would sit at my computer for twelve hours and only manage to type 200 words. It would take me an hour to write an email. I was skipping classes and pulling all-nighters just to get caught up on my work. I felt so much guilt and shame around my capacities that I barely talked about it. If not for the immense kindness and compassion from my friends and professors, I wouldn’t have been able to turn it around by the end of the semester. And, if I’m entirely honest, it’s still something that I’ve been struggling with intermittently. If you ever find yourself in that state: you are not alone and there is nothing wrong with you. In the meantime, take preventative measures. Be kind to yourself and give yourself grace, make sure you’re eating enough and drinking plenty of water, try to get 8-10 hours of sleep consistently, vent out your feelings through journaling and art, go out with friends once in a while, indulge in your hobbies — as cheesy as all of it sounds, it really does help! School is important, but it’s not a part of your life forever. You, however, will be. So if you take nothing else away from the article, I hope you’ll at least internalize this: take care of yourself!
Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
