Things I Wish I Was Told In My First Year At York (Hidden Chamber of Secrets)

When I first came to York, I was super confused. I hadn’t gone to my frosh week, orientation, no campus tours, pretty much zlich. My first day on campus involved trying to break into an historical site (which rooms around probably less then 5 people) for my first lecture which was in Curtis Lecture Hall H(which really rooms around more then 500 people). Long story short, I had read the map wrong and was eventually, after a lot of tears (embarrassing), guided by an upper year student to the right place. After I was done class that day, I got lost for about an hour before finding my bus stop. Looking back, it’s pretty amusing and I get a good laugh (or the occasional tear) but it could have been easily avoided! Which is why I will be telling you folks some things I wish I was told in my first year at York!

PS: If your confused about what an enrollment appointment is check out fellow RSA Nicole’s post on it: http://1inreallife.blogspot.ca/2013/06/what-heck-is-enrolment-appointment.html

1. GO TO YOUR FROSH WEEK: This was a huge mistake on my part and trust me I regret it SOO much. My excuse was “I don’t know anyone going into sciences, there’s no point”. BIG MISTAKE! Here’s the first secret: most people who go to frosh DON’T KNOW ANYONE. Think about it, the people who are going are probably just as nervous and scared as you are, looking to make some new friends. I still remember my first weeks at York where I enviously watched students in my classes high-fiving and having reunions with their newly made frosh friends (tear).  I had also thought it was just a thing where people got super drunk at (I guess I’ve watched too many college movies) and I’m not a huge fan of drinking (Yuck!). Again, it was only this year where I learnt that frosh week is a completely DRY WEEK! (Meaning no alcohol/drugs permitted). You guys have it really good too, because there’s no school going on that first week either (wasn’t like that in my first year) and you have only one shot to go (only for first first-year incoming students). So don’t be like me, sad because I never got the chance! GO! You will have fun, I promise! Some other positives:

– Your meeting people in YOUR program! Don’t go to your friends’ college frosh (I was thinking about it at the time) because you won’t be benefiting as much in the sense of networking!! It’s nice to know some friendly face in your core classes!

– THE FUN: Frosh week usually includes things like blue jays games, wasaga beach, niagara falls, boat cruises, parties, activities at York (all in one!)

– Role Models!: There will be tons of frosh bosses and frosh leaders at your frosh week (upper year students in your program) so you can always ask them about things and maybe even make some super cool knowledgeable friends! (who doesn’t love that)

–Commuter Needs: For all those commuters out there, I feel you! Don’t worry, there are commuter rooms available during frosh week where you can sleep at if you don’t want to commute back home! Their patrolled as well, so it’s super safe. Also you don’t have to go to EVERY event (that’s kinda hectic, but you can if you want!)

2. Campus Tours: Book one! It will save you so much time, sweat and tears! You can even come to the campus during the summer and get familiar (while smelling the flowers!! our campus smells like a flower shop during the summer). Just do it guys, trust me. York University is the LARGEST in Canada in terms of physical size. It feels like a small city at times, which is awesome but don’t get lost (because it can be stressful)

3. The Secret to Getting A’s in University: I’m giving this skill it’s own number because I believe it’s that important. The secret to getting good grades in university is not how intelligent you are. You’re probably baffled at that statement but think about it. You will be going to lectures with people who have gotten around the same average as you in high school (70’s or higher) so it can’t be about smarts! It’s time management. You need to have a plan guys and you got to stay consistent. If you’re not that great on your time management don’t worry, I wasn’t either! It took some time to get the hang of it so I suggest you start now! Check out http://www.yorku.ca/cds/lss/skillbuilding/timemanagement.html for helpful information on goal setting and so forth

4. Other Skills: Even though time management is the foundation of your post-secondary success, you should also be sharpening other skills such as your reading skills, note-taking etc. Go to http://www.yorku.ca/cds/lss/skillbuilding.html and browse through the links! There’s also a time management package available for download so go for it! 

5. What do I Bring? My first few months at university involved me packing everything I could think of (books, bags, clothes, laptop, textbook, ipad, etc). I was strolling campus with this huge backpack like a veteran when really, I was just confused. Some helpful things to bring are:

– Textbooks: during your frosh week, stop by the bookstore and get a head start on buying your textbooks! Check out fellow RSA Monika’s blog on how to get textbooks: http://monikaredzone.blogspot.ca/2013/06/how-to-get-textbooks-for-your-classes.html

– Tape Recorder: I really do suggest it! It’s awesome to have and I’ve grown extremely close with mine. Record your lectures so you can go back to it when your studying. It’s also very beneficial when you miss something the lecturer says! 

–Laptop/Notebooks: I usually switch between the two every now and then so I can’t say one is better then the other. If your using your laptop, turn off your wifi signal! It will allow you to not get distracted! If you prefer writing, I personally suggest getting a notebook because it keeps all your papers in one place. 

– Writing Utensils: Bring your poison, ink or led, and bring a lot of it! A helpful tip I found for all those who have morning classes: using a red pen while you jot your notes has been proven to keep you awake/aware of what’s going on!

5. Involvement: I wanted to get involved SOOOO bad but I didn’t know how! I would go around campus reading posters for what seemed like hours but I never got anywhere. Check out fellow RSA Chris’ post on YuConnect (specifically made for anything extra-curricular) here: http://thenewyorkerblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/yu-connect-the-hub-for-everything-extra-curricular/

Hope you guys enjoyed the read! Til next time!