Well, here I am. Finally! I think I’m almost settled in to my new life as a university student. Finally!

Why ‘finally’ you say? Unlike most first-year students, I haven’t just graduated high school. In fact, I took not one, but two years off, and I certainly wasn’t planning to! I’ve always loved school, from the very first day I walked into kindergarten, to the last moments I spent in the halls of my high school. If you were to ask me at any point from Grade 1 to Grade 11 I would’ve been able to tell you exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up. Then Grade 12 came, and there I was, pretty much grown up and…I had no idea what I want to do or become, and time was running out for me to decide! Or so I thought.

One thing I was sure of that time was that I wanted to leave my hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. It wasn’t that I had any dislike for the city, I just knew that I needed a change. Graduation came, and a month later I was living in Victoria, BC. By this point, I knew I was going to take a year off. No biggie, I thought! I’ll work and earn some good money and I’ll be completely set to go to school next fall. October came and I was already wishing I was back in school, thinking that nursing was the option for me. Turns out the school I applied to in Victoria wasn’t able to accept me until the next next fall. Oh well, I said. I’ll keep working.

January came and I no longer wanted to be a nurse. So I applied to a different university for a science program. I was accepted and ready to go. Then, in true young adult/self-discovery fashion, I had to get out of Victoria. The small city environment was just not a good fit for adventurous me. Vancouver was calling me; anytime I had visited I felt like I was home. So I set my sights on the big city and applied to UBC. This was gonna be my time! I had a good feeling in my gut. (In case you didn’t know, I’m a firm believer in following my gut and I have to say I have a pretty good gut instinct). But…I didn’t want to study science anymore. I tapped into my heart (also an important organ to listen to) and remembered what I’ve always enjoyed learning the most. I applied to the UBC Faculty of Arts, heard back shortly and after a few months of I’m going-I’m not going-I’m going (long story, you can ask me if you want to hear it) I arrived in Vancouver! So here I am, a prospective French/Linguistics major, thoroughly enjoying my first couple weeks here at UBC.

But why have I told you this long (and hopefully not boring) story? I know a lot of people graduating high school think that they have an obligation to go to school right away and know exactly what they want to study. If any of those unsure people were to ask me my opinion, I would say, ‘You know what? Do yourself a favour and take some time off.’ It doesn’t have to be a full year, and it doesn’t have to be limited to just one year! Go out and live. Move away from home, get a new job, travel to an exotic place. Meet new people, have fun, and discover more about yourself. There was a point during my time off when I was feeling pretty down on myself for not being in school when it seemed like all of my friends were leading these amazing academic lifestyles. My mom had an incredibly eye-opening conversation with me that day. ‘Michaela,’ she said, “in the past two years I’ve seen you grow more than you ever have in your lifetime. You’ve had experiences in the real world that your friends haven’t, you’ve met different kinds of people than you normally do, and you’ve learned lessons that will stay with you for life. Be proud of that.’ As always, mom knows best. I can now fondly look back on those years and feel ready. I don’t feel like those years were wasted, in fact, I feel like they were put to good use.

So now I’m here. In the words of All Time Low (one of my favorite bands):

I’ll be the new kid on an old block...I’m just a moment so don’t let me pass you by. 

I’ve gone where many others have gone before. Sure, I’m new but I’m excited to meet and learn from others who have come before me. Although four years seem like a really long time to be here, I know it’ll be over in a moment so I’m going to take what I’ve learned in the past two years and make the most of my time at UBC!

Thus, I leave you with a tune:

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