I guess it’s time for an obligatory post looking back on my first year at UBC. I think is going to be less so for myself, and more for some prospective and new UBC students who may stumble upon this blog. I’ve had a good month to really think about first year, how much I enjoyed it, and how it changed me.

Having taken two years off between high school and university, I was really excited to start my first year. I think that taking this time off really worked to my advantage. I felt very ready to do my best in school, and I think it was reflected in my marks. Not to say that I didn’t struggle with some things – but I think that taking a break from schoolwork really helped me to not burn out as quick as some new students do. Another major difference I noticed between myself and some younger first-year students was that I had a more carefree philosophy when it came to typical university stresses. I admit that I am a very down-to-earth and easygoing person, but I did find myself stressing less than many students. Obviously I didn’t completely disregard my marks…but that French midterm I completely bombed? I realized it’s just one little thing in my university career. It’s not going to affect whether I get a good job immediately out of graduation or whether I get into a Master’s program. I didn’t stress out over the unavoidable Arts One essays, and I didn’t compare myself to other students. One of my best friends (and fellow gap-year student) gave me some good advice: there will always be others with higher grades than you, and there will always be others with lower grades. It’s about doing your best, and challenging yourself to be better than you were yesterday. Even if it’s making a 2% increase on your next essay, it’s important to set goals for yourself and yourself only.

Some – no, make that many – students enter post-secondary thinking they know exactly what their educational career holds for them. They know exactly what they’re going to major in, when they’ll graduate, which school they’ll do their Master’s at…I was the same, for the most part. I think partly because I took time off I really just wanted to settle on one thing I wanted to do and follow through with it. I’m the type of student who loves learning – I enjoy all subjects, and if I could be a professional student for the rest of my life, I totally would. I started first year with a plan to do a double major in French and Linguistics and go to grad school to become a Speech Pathologist. Turns out, I didn’t really like university French classes as much as I thought I would. It also turns out that I am one of those people that really wants security in their job prospects after they graduate. As hard as I may work, and as good as my grades may be, there’s still the possibility that I wouldn’t get into grad school, and the undergraduate degree I had planned out for myself didn’t offer any career choices I was interested in doing. I think it’s important for first-year students to really think ahead to graduation and explore all the possibilities that their potential degree holds for them. Thankfully, there are a lot of resources on (and off) campus that can help you in this exploration.

So what am I doing next year? I decided about halfway through first year that I still really wanted to work in a field that I have wanted to work in since I can remember – the healthcare field. Although I can see myself being a Speech Pathologist, some research I did helped me realize that there are things about the field and career itself that don’t really fit with what I want for my future. One position I have been able to envision myself in for a very long time is that of a nurse. So, I guess from this point on, the content of this blog will change slightly. Although I will still be in the Faculty of Arts next year, I will also be blogging about a new journey – this December I will be applying to the UBC School of Nursing for (hopefully!) entrance into the program in September of 2015. The people I’m close to can attest to the fact that I am really, really excited about this new path I have chosen to follow.

I guess to sum up, some key advice I have for new UBC students is don’t feel limited to what you want to do at this point in time – it’s ok to change your mind! Think about what you want for your future, even if it seems really far away. And don’t just think about what you want in terms of your education and career. Think about your social life and personal life. Do you want to have a family? Do you want to travel? Do you want an opportunity for growth in your career? How much money do you want to make? (Yes, I did ask that last question. Even though you shouldn’t just do something for the money, in this day and age, money is an important factor in quality of life). Take what you want and hope to have and craft your own career for yourself. Push the boundaries of what you can do in your position and your degree.

I’ll probably come up with a list of advice for first-years in a future blog post (because lists are awesome), but today I’m just going to leave this post as it is. First year went by very fast, and it was wonderful. I hope my reflections are of value to any future UBC students who may be reading this right now.

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