The transition from high school to university can be overwhelming for a lot of us. A lot of thoughts cross our minds about what’s next, and we may not know what to expect. Being concerned about the relationships you’re going to make is fine. The chances of good coming from the relationships made at university can be high. Various events that take place before lectures such as Orientation Week give students a chance to socialise early, and prepare themselves. Regardless of how your Orientation week was, you will find upper-year students that can give you an honest opinion about their own experience. Everybody has a different opinion about student life at university. Regardless, you should make your experience worthwhile.

I can recall what my Orientation Week at Wilfrid Laurier was like. I remember being quite anxious, and not knowing how to approach people. The best thing to do was to remain optimistic but that could only last so long. On the other hand, a lot of the students in my year enjoyed themselves, and I was happy for them. There were some events that were fun, but Orientation Week did not turn out how I expected. The Icebreakers did a good job of making me feel welcome and were kind enough to tell me where my classes were. However, my purpose for attending Orientation Week was to emerge into a new environment. I was not so keen on meeting that many people. I felt that I had to make an effort outside of the events to meet new students and such. To be clear, the fact that I did not entirely enjoy Orientation Week didn’t affect my perspective of my university. Although O-Week did not turn out how I expected, I knew how my academic year would be.

It is important to go into university with a positive mind. After all, you have four years to learn, mature and understand yourself. As a student, you should expect to get what you put out. The experience you have at any post-secondary institution depends on your effort. Yes, there is only so much that you can do, and you will not get along with everyone. The most important thing is to be yourself, and allow others to do the same.