My first week of University was probably the most anxiety-provoking week of my life. Weeks before my September 5th start date, I was thinking about my first day on campus. As that fifth day of September creeped up, the planning began: I would go to the bookstore early in the morning, days before the beginning of classes to get my books. I was warned by older Vikes of their experiences in the long line up on the first day of classes. I had my bus pass activated and my student card far in advance, and I had already scoped out the campus for good areas to have lunch. To say the very least, I was prepared.
My next step was to go to orientation and learn about UVic locations and buildings where my classes may be. September 3rd, orientation day, was a terrible day. I woke up late and missed the one thing that was going to prepare me to get through my day-to-day life at UVic. I freaked out; I couldn’t believe I had messed up my perfect planning. How would I find my classes? What if I got lost on my first day? I needed a back-up plan and quick! I called my boyfriend and told him we needed to go to all my classrooms before school starts so I know how to get around on the first day of classes. I quickly printed off my detailed timetable and rushed to school. I went from Bob Wright B150 to MAC 144 to CLE 212 and timed how long it would take me to get to one building to another, to make sure I could make it in my ten minute break between classes. I even mapped out the most time-effective routes. As I dragged around my extremely chill boyfriend who hadn’t even yet looked at his timetable, I slowly began to calm down with relief that I knew what to do on my first day. He had no worries or fears about his first day, and that made me realize that everyone is different. Whether you are excited, nervous, anxious, or fearful of your first day, you get through it, prepared or not, and every first day of school gets easier after that. Whatever it is that you feel on your first day, you’re not alone, all 20,813 of us have felt one of your emotions.
The views expressed in this blog are my own, and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the University of Victoria. I monitor posts and comments to ensure all content complies with the University of Victoria Guidelines on Blogging.