What I Wish I Knew on my First Day of University – Advice from a Fourth Year Carleton University Student

By: Cailey Mccormack, Bachelor of Arts, Communications Studies and Human Rights, 4th year student

I can remember my first day of University like it was yesterday. On moving day, when saying goodbye to my family, surrounded by suitcases and holding a note from my new roommate, my step mom turned to me and said “Cailey, this is the first day of the rest of your life.” If everything wasn’t overwhelming before, it sure was then!

Even though in that moment I felt both completely independent, and totally alone, what I wish I knew on that first day of school was that I had simply branched off from one family, and became part of a new one. Sure, the population of my new home had increased a little, and there’s a voice down the hall calling out “Come watch a movie!” instead of the usual “Shouldn’t you be doing your homework!” but all of the care and attention of my old family, was found in my new one. Much like my family members provided, all of the help and guidance I needed, was waiting for me at University. At Carleton University this started before I moved in, with the ability to read blogs from current students, a website dedicated to incoming students, and free campus tours. After moving in, there was no lack of activities to take part in through the student experience office, and a community of dedicated professors and support staff to help guide me along my academic journey. So after the family has cleared out, and you take that first deep “this is it” breath, remember that you’ve just joined a new community of people that will not only make this transition more smooth, but this entire experience more rich as well.