My days running around minimum wage jobs were over. I just finished my gap year working as an art instructor and cashier, and I knew my life was about to change. In September 2019, I began my journey as a computer science student at Ryerson University.
My First Day
By far, my first day of university was the most memorable day of my first year. At the earliest hour at 8AM, my first lecture was a physics lecture located in a theatre. The professor told us stories about students she had taught and about how she believed that anyone, even if they didn't do physics in high school, would be able to complete the course if they work hard. That was an uplifting start to the day.
I was ecstatic to get started with studying, so I went to the library to gather some of the required textbooks. I asked the librarian for the physics, python programming, and the music theory textbook. The librarian was a thoughtful gentleman, happy to get the textbook for me. I had another lecture in the next hour so I only had time to flip through the books and take a few photos. As I was frantically flipping through the books, a lively girl approached me saying that she recognized me from frosh week. I didn't recognize her, but I instantly liked her and we were friends within a minute. After I returned the books, we headed out of the library, laughing and joking around together.
After all my classes were completed, in the evening I met up with some friends I just met the week before during frosh week. We went to the theatre to watch the comedy themed movie Good Boys. Watching the movie with this playful group of friends was perfect and was a fun way to end my first day. I will never forget this day, and I know that I will probably never experience a day like this for a long time.
Making Friends
I was very lucky to have made a lot of new friends in my first semester. I met a friend at the library, another during a lecture and a group during frosh week.
My advice for making friends is to not be afraid of embracing yourself and making the first move. In University, the hard part about making friends is not meeting them, the hard part is spending quality time and developing a bond.
Academics
I never programmed before going into university so I struggled a lot with understanding the course material. My grades were embarrassingly low in my first semester, but throughout the semester I still fascinated with programming. I went to the professors office hours for help with understanding how programs worked and remember leaving the office still inspired to keep trying to learn programming. My grades improved in the second semester, and I was proud of myself for persevering despite being disappointed in my academic performance during my first semester.
The Pandemic
I vividly remember the last day I was on campus March of 2020. I was peacefully studying at the library, when at noon an email was sent out announcing that our University was switching to the online format to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. I thought people were just overreacting, and went home that day not knowing that that would be the last time I would be on campus for a long time. My life quickly transitioned from being vivid to mundane. My life was no longer overwhelming, but underwhelming. My first year ended quite abruptly, with everything seeming so uncertain, but on the bright side I was certain about one thing. I was certain that I wanted to pursue computer science.
3 Pieces of Advice for University Students
- Failure is when you can shine and transform the most
- Have a genuine interest and curiosity in the subject you choose to study
- Make the first move when making connections with people
