“I feel like I’m missing out on the university experience…..”

Many students are taken aback by what it really feels like to be in university. Through television and other sources, we’re convinced that upon entering post-secondary, we will be exposed to an environment of constant social interaction, drinking, and fun, all while maintaining a high GPA.

The part that most students aren’t taught by the media is: doing well in university requires you to put down the beer and pick up the books. For some students, it takes up to an entire semester or even a year for them to realize that doing well in university requires effort. The success has to be earned, it doesn’t come knocking on your door while you enjoy yourself with your friends.

I experienced this myself: upon beginning my first year, I expected to meet new people every weekend as the year went on and to enjoy myself on a regular basis. Instead, I found myself spending most of my time in class or in the library, seeing my friends only about once a week for non-school-related things. At first, I thought I was doing something wrong, but I soon realized that I had started post-secondary with the wrong mind-set.

Thinking that university is a giant party is not going to get you far when you start. Instead, approach it from this perspective: university is a place to learn and to enjoy yourself, but learning comes first.

It’s important to realize that using this mindset in university will force you to develop time management skills that will stick with you for the rest of your life. I realized that as my years at UVic went on, I was able to balance both my academic and social life more easily.

I know this is a short blog post, but I think that it’s important for some students to read if they feel like they’re not getting enough out of the university experience. If they are spending lots of time studying and putting having fun as second, they should know that they’re doing it right, and will see success down the road.