“Good luck kiddo” my Dad said as he embraced me with a hug. Within the same moment he pulled away from me, smiled, and walked away with a wave. I stood in the middle of the Totem Park commons block where my Dad had left me, just pondering what to do next. At that exact moment reality set in and I realized, wow, I’m in university now.

You’d be amazed how the feeling hits you – it’s quite the whirlwind of excitement and nervous feelings all combined with the millions of questions buzzing around in your head. While this new environment initially seemed daunting, I saw it as a new beginning and decided to make it an adventure. Some may think the only place you learn anything on a university campus is in a classroom, but that assumption is so wrong. Two weeks prior to the beginning of classes I was lucky enough to participate in the Jump Start program where I learned quite a few things on my own as well as through the program. Some lessons I learned allowed me to feel more confident on campus when it came to knowing my surroundings and where to go if I ever needed help, while others I  encountered spontaneously and resulted in a laugh. A short list of lessons I’ve learned very quickly over the short time of me being on campus includes:

1. Your walking shoes should be comfy shoes – You walk EVERYWHERE.
2. A bike is a great investment (Refer to number 1 if you need a reason why).
3. Run your clothes through the dryer twice. Trust me; a full load won’t be dry after just one cycle.
4. The walk down and up the stairs to and from Wreck Beach easily constitutes as a cardio workout – Be prepared to sweat! (Once again, refer to lesson #1!)
5. You may feel like you’re missing out on something because it feels like everyone is going and you aren’t, but don’t worry! There’s something going on virtually every night so just because you can’t go out one night doesn’t mean there won’t be other opportunities.

While there are a multitude of other things I’ve learned at UBC just after being here for two weeks, I’m looking forward to learning more both in and out of the classroom as my adventure continues. The best part about learning is being confident in what you’re learning about. Initially I was unsure and a little shaky on my first day at UBC, but I realized that with time the nervousness passed and my confidence began to build as I found my way around campus and developed my own tips and tricks to surviving on my own as a university student.  Essentially, adapting to university life is like anything else – practice makes perfect. So far, I’m excited for more practice so that in four years I’ll be prepared for the final show – graduation.