For nearly as long as I can remember, I have wanted to study at UBC. Coming from a small community, however, where the graduating class from the local high school averages in about 50 students each year, I knew that attending a post-secondary institution—especially one of the same magnitude and caliber as UBC—was going to be drastically different experience, both inside the classroom and out. Therefore, when I heard about Arts One with its smaller class sizes and more intimate setting, I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity for me to ease into my first year at university. But, by the time course registration for UBC’s 2015 winter session rolled around, I realized that I was hesitant to sign up for Arts One.
Somehow, in my final year of high school, I found myself in graduating without the slightest inclination of what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I hadn’t even decided what type of degree I wanted to pursue. As a result, even though I was admitted into the Faculty of Arts here at UBC, I was not entirely sure if I was going to stay as an arts student or if I was going to transfer to a different faculty. After all, my high school did not have much in terms of course selection beyond the basics, like Pre-Calculus, English, and Social Studies, leaving me unsure of what many university courses, such as economics or statistics, were going to be like. Thus, when I went to register for my courses at UBC, I suddenly found myself presented with seemingly endless opportunities and areas of study. Did I want to take a chemistry class or should I enroll in French? Should I take an ethics course or did I want to try my hand at enriched physics?
In the end, I decided that the art of clearly expressing oneself, both in writing and with the spoken word, is an important skill, no matter what path one decides to follow in life. I chose to take Arts One. Unfortunately, I was so unsure about what courses I wanted to enroll in that, in spite of being assigned an early registration date, I found myself on the waitlist for Arts One, as well as several courses. As you all know, the fortunate part of this story is that I did end up getting a seat in Arts One (a special thank you to Rose Harper and all the other Arts One staff) and, I must say that I look forward to getting to know you all. I can’t wait to hear all the reasons why you picked Arts One.